News
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Such quantities of sand
Artificial Islands, China, Environment, Indonesia, Malaysia, Reclamation, Sand, Singapore, South China Sea DisputeEVEN on a quiet Sunday morning, a steady stream of lorries trundles along the broad, pristine and otherwise deserted streets of Punggol Timur, an island of reclaimed land in the north-east of Singapore. They empty their loads into neat rows of white, yellow and grey mounds where the country stockpiles a vital raw material: sand. […]
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China’s nine-dash line still infringes international law
Suggestions that China could claim historic fishing rights within the nine-dash line misinterpret international law. While Sourabh Gupta’s arguments, outlined in a recent Forum article, relating to the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) Articles 62 and 123 have been disputed elsewhere, we argue that his argument regarding Article 56 is also […]
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South China Sea And Indonesia’s New Maritime Strategy – Analysis
Strategically responding to China’s conflict escalation in South China Sea, newly elected President Widodo announced Indonesia’s New Maritime Strategy in November 2014. Contextually, Indonesia should have responded much earlier for a redefinition of Indonesia’s maritime postures in keeping with China’s enlarging escalation of conflict in the South China Sea against Indonesia’s ASEAN neighbours. Regrettably this […]
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Manila ends Chinese involvement in running its power grid citing security fears.
The Philippine government said earlier this week it would end Chinese technical involvement in the country’s power grid partly due to lingering security concerns. On the night of February 23, Philippine media outlets had first reported that Philippine Energy Secretary Carlos Jericho Petilla had said that the government would not renew the work visas of […]
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South China Sea And Indonesia’s New Maritime Strategy – Analysis
Strategically responding to China’s conflict escalation in South China Sea, newly elected President Widodo announced Indonesia’s New Maritime Strategy in November 2014. Contextually, Indonesia should have responded much earlier for a redefinition of Indonesia’s maritime postures in keeping with China’s enlarging escalation of conflict in the South China Sea against Indonesia’s ASEAN neighbours. Regrettably this […]
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PLA carried out further test of JL-2 SLBM last month
ADIZ, Air Defense Identification Zone, China, Militarization, Philippines, South China Sea Dispute, Spratlys, USAThe People’s Liberation Army Navy conducted another test flight of its JL-2 submarine-launched ballistic missile again last month, Bill Gertz, senior editor of the Washington Free Beacon writes in an article published Feb. 18. US military sources said that the JL-2 test was carried out on the same day North Korea tested its KN-11 submarine-launched […]
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China expands South China Sea outposts to station ships, establish airfields
WASHINGTON – China is expanding its outposts in the South China Sea to include stationing for ships and potential airfields as part of its “aggressive” effort to exert sovereignty, the U.S. intelligence chief said Thursday. Director of National Intelligence James Clapper was speaking at a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on worldwide threats. His comments […]
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Is China Reclaiming the Law of the Sea?
Artificial Islands, ASEAN, China, Code of Conduct, Cuarteron Reef, Fiery Cross Reef, Gaven Reef, Hughes Reef, Johnson South Reef, Lawfare, Mischief Reef, Reclamation, South China Sea Dispute, Unsinkable Aircraft CarrierThe Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative has released a special issue on land reclamation and development activities in the South China Sea. As part of its ongoing effort to promote transparency in maritime Asia, AMTI obtained exclusive, never-before-published, imagery of China’s recent building efforts in the Spratly Islands. The collection of exclusive photographs includes coverage of […]
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U.S.-China Relations: The Hypocrisy of Rules
Perhaps, as the expression goes, hypocrisy rules the world; but certainly hypocrisy rules politics, at least the political aspect of U.S.-China relations relating to the establishment of rules intended to bring order to potential dangerous situations. Each country purports to want rules, but only in areas where it suits them, and then follows them when […]
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How China is transforming the South China Sea
ADIZ, Aird Defense Identification Zone, Artificial Islands, China, Militarization, Oil, Philippines, Reclamation, South China Sea Dispute, Spratlys, Unsinkable Aircraft CarriersNew images reveal the extent of China’s land reclamation and construction in the South China Sea. Experts warn the new developments will make it increasingly difficult to counter Beijing’s regional claims. On February 4, the Philippines filed a diplomatic protest to the Chinese Embassy in Manila, urging Beijing to stop the land reclamation at the […]
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Why the South China Sea is so crucial
Artificial Islands, China, Economics, Philipines, Reclamation, South China Sea Dispute, Unsinkable Aircraft CarriersIn this excerpt from “Asia’s Cauldron: The South China Sea And The End Of A Stable Pacific,” author Robert D. Kaplan, chief geopolitical analyst for Stratfor and former member of the Pentagon’s Defence Policy Board, explains how the region’s unique geography fosters aggression. The South China Sea functions as the throat of the Western Pacific […]
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Dispute over the South China Sea could put East Asia at war again
Arms Buildup, Artificial Islands, Brunei, China, Fishing Rights, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Militarizaiton, Oil, Philippines, Reclamation, South China Sea Dispute, USA, Vietnam, WarPhilippine authorities have released satellite pictures of six reefs in the Spratly archipelago that indicate that the Chinese are building artificial structures in the disputed territories of the South China Sea. According to some observers, these features could allow China to extend the range of its navy, air force, coastguard and fishing fleets into the […]