News
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Chuck Chiang: China again feuding with neighbours over South China Sea
ADIZ, Air Defense Identification Zone, Artificial Islands, China, Militarization, Military Conflict, Philippines, Reclamation, Regular Patrols, South China Sea Dispute, Spratlys, USAUntil about a month ago, the perpetual and sometimes dangerous territorial disputes over islands in the South China Sea had been relatively quiet. But that calm has been interrupted as Beijing and its neighbours to the south, specifically Vietnam and the Philippines, are now feuding openly over two separate groups of islands — known in the West as the Spratly…
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How Beijing may use South China Sea to create submarine haven
Beijing: For months, China’s visible construction of artificial islands and military facilities in the South China Sea has alarmed US officials and many of China’s neighbours. What is happening under the water is also worrisome, several defence and security analysts say. China has a growing fleet of nuclear submarines armed with ballistic missiles. The expansion of its claim on the…
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Why China is far from ready to meet the U.S. on a global battlefront
ADIZ, Air Defense Identification Zone, Analysis, Artificial Islands, China, Militarization, Military Conflict, Philippines, Reclamation, Regular Patrols, South China Sea Dispute, Spratlys, USAJune 23 (Reuters) – Both of these statements are true: 1) China possesses a rapidly improving military that, in certain local or regional engagements, could match – and even defeat – U.S. forces in battle. 2) In military terms, China is a paper dragon that, despite its apparent strength, is powerless to intervene in world events far from its…
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Beijing’s Master Plan for the South China Sea
ADIZ, Air Defense Identification Zone, Artificial Islands, China, Militarization, Military Conflict, Philippines, Reclamation, Regular Patrols, South China Sea Dispute, Spratlys, USAIn late 2013, Beijing started taking a very different approach to sovereignty disputes in the South China Sea — although few outside China noticed the change. Instead of directly confronting the other regional claimant states, Beijing began the rapid consolidation of, and construction on, the maritime features already under its control. And it did so on a scale and pace…
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China’s audacious territory grab
ADIZ, Air Defense Identification Zone, Artificial Islands, China, Militarization, Military Conflict, Philippines, Reclamation, Regular Patrols, South China Sea Dispute, Spratlys, USAChina is aggressively laying claim to most of the South China Sea. What’s at stake? Here’s everything you need to know: What is China claiming? China has issued an audacious map claiming as its territory practically the entire South China Sea and all its islands. The delineated area reaches hundreds of miles from the Chinese mainland, nearly all the way…
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US stations 1,200 special forces in Asia-Pacific
ADIZ, Air Defense Identification Zone, Artificial Islands, China, Militarization, Military Conflict, Philippines, Reclamation, Regular Patrols, South China Sea Dispute, Spratlys, USAThe United States Pacific Command has stationed more than 1,200 special forces troops in the Asia-Pacific along with the latest advancements in weapons technology to contain China’s rising presence in the region, reports the Beijing-based Sina Military Network. The article points to comments made by the US defense secretary, Ashton Carter, during his recent 10-day tour of Asia-Pacific countries and…
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China told to restrain self
The Philippines has raised the alarm anew over China’s massive reclamation activities in disputed territories in the South China Sea, calling on Beijing to “exercise self-restraint.” “The Philippines reiterates its serious concern on China’s massive reclamation activities and planned construction of facilities in those features. These activities cause irreparable damage to the marine environment and marine biodiversity of the region,”…
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AFP sets more surveillance in West Philippine Sea
The military will be conducting more surveillance in the West Philippine Sea following China’s pronouncement that it would be building more structures on the artificial islands in the contested area. Asked if the military was alarmed that China had continued its reclamation efforts in the disputed territory, Armed Forces of the Philippines chief Gen. Gregorio Pio Catapang Jr. said it…
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Did Beijing concede to US by calling off S China Sea land reclamation?
ADIZ, Air Defense Identification Zone, Artificial Islands, China, Militarization, Military Conflict, Philippines, Reclamation, Regular Patrols, South China Sea Dispute, Spratlys, USAChina’s foreign ministry suddenly announced this week that it is suspending land reclamation efforts on islands and reefs in the disputed South China Sea. The official media line on the suspension is that it is because the projects are “complete,” however other media outlets have framed the decision as a compromise reached between Beijing and Washington, according to Duowei News,…
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‘China intrusion larger than Putrajaya lets on’
Putrajaya may have made public its displeasure over a China coast guard vessel violating Malaysian waters by anchoring in the South Luconia Shoal but such intrusions have apparently been more extensive than it had let on. According to satellite images obtained by current affairs and defence magazine The Diplomat, China had an even larger coast guard ship operating at the…
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Chinese army newspaper calls for military role in Internet culture war
An article published in the People’s Liberation Army Daily, the official newspaper of China’s military—and reprinted in part by Qiushi, the official magazine of the Chinese Communist Party—calls the Internet “the ideological ‘main front’ and ‘the main battlefield’” upon which China must fight an ideological war upon the West to defend itself from the creeping evils of Western thought. The…
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Global Peace Index: South China Sea a ‘Potential Area For Conflict’
ADIZ, Air Defense Identification Zone, Artificial Islands, China, Militarization, Military Conflict, Philippines, Reclamation, Regular Patrols, South China Sea Dispute, Spratlys, USAThis week, the Institute for Economics and Peace published its annual Global Peace Index. This year’s index highlighted that escalating civil strife and the consequent refugee crisis have been among the key drivers in increasing the cost of containing global violence. The intensity of armed conflict increased dramatically, with the number of people killed in conflicts globally rising more than 3.5…