News
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Aquino and Xi shake hands
APEC, China, Diplomacy, Economics, Philippines, Pivot, President Benigno Aquino III, Rebalance, Silk Road, South China Sea Dispute, USAPhilippine President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino and Chinese President Xi Jinping met for the first time and shook hands last November 21 in Beijing. It was a historic occasion because the two countries had been locked in territorial disputes over islands and reefs in the West Philippine Sea ( South China Sea) for the past few […]
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US asks China to stop building Spratlys island which could host airfield
ADIZ, Air Defense Identification Zone, Airstrip, Artificial Islands, China, Philippines, Reclamation, South China Sea Dispute, Spratyls, USAThe United States has urged Beijing to stop its reclamation projects in the South China Sea, as a report provided more details on a massive island being built in the disputed waters. According to a report by IHS Jane’s Defence, China had over the past three months used dredgers to build an island about 3,000 […]
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The Militarization of China’s Coast Guard
With new “China Coast Guard” ships entering service at regular intervals, it is easy to forget that the China Coast Guard as an organization does not yet exist in any complete sense. Legislation passed in March 2013 to integrate the ranks (duiwu) of four maritime law enforcement agencies into a new China Coast Guard within […]
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China building South China Sea island big enough for airstrip – report
ADIZ, Air Defense Identification Zone, Airstrip, Artificial Islands, China, Fiery Cross Reef, Military Base, Military Conflict, Philippines, South China Sea Dispute, SpratlysWASHINGTON – Satellite images show China is building an island on a reef in the disputed Spratly Islands large enough to accommodate what could be its first offshore airstrip in the South China Sea, a leading defense publication said on Friday. The construction has stoked concern that China may be converting disputed territory in the […]
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China to build 18 naval bases in Indian Ocean
Sri Lankan website Colombo Page quoted a namibian.com.na report that China planned to build 18 naval bases in areas of the Indian Ocean including Sri Lanka, where China has built Hambantota Port as its naval base. China also plans to build naval bases in Pakistan and Myanmar. In Namibia, China plans to build a naval […]
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China building possible airfield in South China Sea: US
Airstrip, Artificial Islands, China, Cuarteron Reef, Fiery Cross Reef, Gaven Reef, Johnson South Reef, South China Sea Dispute, Spratlys, USAWASHINGTON: China is building a massive island in the South China Sea that could host an airfield in an area where Beijing is locked in bitter territorial disputes with neighbouring states, a US military spokesman said on Friday (Nov 21). The vast land reclamation project on the Fiery Cross Reef in the Spratly Islands is […]
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What’s next in South China Sea? 4 scenarios simulated
MANILA, Philippines — More than 70 analysts from various countries held debates in a bid to simulate the future of the disputed South China Sea. In a statement earlier this week, consultancy firm Wikistrat examined “key factors” driving instability in the waters claimed by China, the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia and Taiwan to come up with […]
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Why China’s South China Sea Diplomacy Will Frustrate Claimants
Arbitation, China, Diplomatic Relations, Foreign Relations, Military Conflict, Simulation, South China Sea DisputeWhat happens the next time people die for an island in the South China Sea? And what happens if some of those people hail from a great power? Last weekend, the Patterson School of Diplomacy and International Commerce, in conjunction with the Army War College, conducted a negotiation simulation on crisis resolution in the South China […]
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SC justices split on US defense aid in sea row
China, EDCA, Justice Antonio T. Carpio, Military Bases, Mutual Defense Treaty, Philippines, South China Sea Dispute, Supreme Court, USAMalacaÑang has found an ally in Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno in defending the legality and benefits of its controversial Philippine-United States Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) when she said that the country needs the help of the US to improve the country’s military capability amid its dispute with China over the West Philippine Sea. […]
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China to step up oil, gas exploration at East, South China Seas
China aims to raise petroleum output by updating its technology and stepping up oil and gas exploration across Bohai, East China and South China Seas. The plan was outlined in an energy development scheme for 2014 to 2020 issued by the State Council on Wednesday. To accelerate offshore oil and natural gas exploration, China will […]
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Hard diplomacy ahead despite China showing its softer side
BEIJING – From a military rules-of-the-road agreement with Washington to $20 billion in loans for Southeast Asia, Beijing has set aside the tensions of recent years to present a softer side to the world in the last week. But proof of whether President Xi Jinping is serious about narrowing differences that have marked his first two […]
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Aquino hopeful of resolving islands row with China
SINGAPORE — Philippine President Benigno Aquino yesterday said he was hopeful of a peaceful resolution to his country’s territorial dispute with China after holding informal talks with his counterpart Xi Jinping last week, where the two sides pledged to find a constructive solution to the issue. Mr Aquino met Mr Xi last week on the […]