News
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Maps, charts to back up PH case vs China
MANILA, Philippines–The Philippines will be submitting a “voluminous” amount of documents containing arguments, maps and charts to the United Nations arbitration tribunal to bolster its case in its South China Sea territorial dispute with China. Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario said the supplemental submission to be sent to the tribunal in the Hague between Friday and March 16 answers…
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China Blasts ASEAN Head for South China Sea Remarks
China slammed the Vietnamese head of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Wednesday for a series of allegedly biased and false remarks on South China Sea disputes. “Mr. Le Luong Minh has repeatedly made biased comments on the issue of the South China Sea, which were untrue and incompatible with his capacity as ASEAN secretary-general,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson…
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India backs PH in China sea row
MANILA seems to have found a major ally in India in its territorial dispute with China in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea). In a roundtable interview with editors and staff of The Manila Times on Tuesday, Indian Ambassador to the Philippines Shri Lalduhthlana Ralte said New Delhi, like the Philippines, believes that the only viable and effective way…
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Japan Gets Involved In South China Sea Territorial Dispute: Tokyo Offers Maritime Support To Philippines, Vietnam
Artificial Islands, China, Japan, Militarization, Philippines, Reclamation Project, South China Sea Dispute, Spratlys, USAChina and several Southeast Asian nations are currently embroiled in a territorial and maritime dispute in the South China Sea over an area that includes a cluster of resource-rich islands and important trade routes. As China’s presence in the area becomes harder to ignore, Japan has quietly begun forging security ties with Chinese geopolitical adversaries. According to a report by…
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We are witnessing a new geopolitical reality in the South China Sea
Analysis, Artificial Islands, China, Reclamation, Sea Level Rise, South China Sea Dispute, Spratlys, Terriclaiming, UNCLOS, USAOver the past two years, China has been methodically terraforming small reefs and shoals into islands in the highly contentious South China Sea (SCS). The SCS is important not only because of its strategic, trade, and resource potential but also because many of the claimants’ direct links with the U.S. such as the Philippines. China’s progressive pace of reclamation and the…
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China Challenges ASEAN with Land Fills in South China Sea
Artificial Islands, ASEAN, Cambodia, China, Code of Conduct, Destabilization, Malaysia, Military Conflict, Philippines, Reclamation, South China Sea Dispute, String of Pearls Strategy, VietnamA stunning series of photos released by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington D.C. offer a grim outlook for the region as Beijing ratchets-up its territorial assertions over the hotly disputed Spratly and Paracel islands. At least four major man-made structures have been erected on Itu, Gaven, Johnson South and Fiery Cross reefs with supply platforms,…
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The South China Sea ‘V-I-P’ solution
The ‘VIP’ Group of Vietnam, Indonesia and the Philippines all share both advantageous relations with and deep disagreements with China in the South China Sea. Working together, they could present a united front. This would include establishing Joint Development Areas allotted by auction and linked by a common-carrier open-access energy infrastructure. Each has a serious offshore territorial dispute with China.…
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Chinese Land Reclamation Pushes Boundaries
Artificial Islands, China, Philippines, Reclamation, South China Sea Dispute, Spratlys, Unsinkable Aircraft CarriersDramatic new satellite imagery demonstrating China’s efforts to reclaim land and construct facilities in the South China Sea has prompted concern among policy makers in Washington. This is as it should be—at stake is more than just a handful of isolated and obscure reefs and islands. Beijing’s bold moves are testament to its expansive claims of sovereignty far from its…
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China threatens restricted flight zone over entire South China Sea, giving them the right to shoot down unauthorised planes
A recent U.S. suggestion for Japanese patrols in the South China Sea has elicited a sharp rebuttal by the Chinese government and reignited Chinese media discussion of a South China Sea Air Defence Identification Zone (ADIZ). An ADIZ would require all air traffic to obtain China’s permission before flying over the South China Sea, or risk being shot down. In…
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In a Test of Wills, Japanese Fighter Pilots Confront Chinese
NAHA, Japan — Once a sleepy, sun-soaked backwater, this air base on the southern island of Okinawa has become the forefront of a dangerous test of wills between two of Asia’s largest powers, Japan and China. At least once every day, Japanese F-15 fighter jets roar down the runway, scrambling to intercept foreign aircraft, mostly from China. The Japanese pilots…
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Island, reef construction in South China Sea lawful, justified: FM
Artificial Islands, China, Philippines, Reclamation, South China Sea Dispute, Spratlys, Unsinkable Aircraft CarriersChina’s construction of islands and reefs in the South China Sea is lawful and justified, as China is merely building facilities in its own yard, Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Sunday. [Special coverage] Wang made the remarks at a press conference on the sidelines of the annual session of the National People’s Congress, China’s top legislature. “China is carrying out…
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China says island, reef construction in South China Sea lawful, justified
Artificial Islands, China, Philippines, Reclamation, South China Sea Dispute, Unsikable Aircraft CarrierBEIJING, March 8 (Xinhua) — China’s construction of islands and reefs in the South China Sea is lawful and justified, as China is merely building facilities in its own yard, Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Sunday. Wang made the remarks at a press conference on the sidelines of the annual session of the National People’s Congress, China’s top legislature. …