News
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China’s scrappiest enemy is a familiar foe
For the fifth time in 100 years, Vietnam is facing the prospect of being involved in a war with a larger, more powerful country. The country that took on the Central Powers, Japan, France, the United States, and China is facing the possibility of conflict with a familiar foe: China. As Beijing presses territorial claims in the South China Sea,…
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China invokes ‘cabbage tactics’ in South China Sea
China is conducting ‘cabbage’ or a militarily overwhelming strategy and ‘salami-slicing’ – insidious land-grabbing tactics to strengthen its power in the South China Sea By Huseyin Erdogan China is following a long-term strategy with its so called “Cabbage Tactic” to increase its power in the South China Sea, said an expert from China’s Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, on Tuesday. “At a strategic level China is expanding…
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Indonesian president says China’s main claim in South China Sea has no legal basis
(Reuters) – Indonesian President Joko Widodo said one of China’s main claims to the majority of the South China Sea had no legal basis in international law, but Jakarta wanted to remain an “honest broker” in one of Asia’s most thorny territorial disputes. Widodo’s comments in an interview with a major Japanese newspaper came as he embarked on a visit…
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Palace: Widodo’s statement on sea row consistent with PH stance
MALACANANG welcomed Monday the statement of Indonesian President Joko Widodo, criticizing China’s position on the South China Sea. Widodo said, “One of China’s main claims to the majority of the South China Sea has no legal basis in international law.” “This is consistent with the Philippine position that the so-called nine-dash line theory underpinning China’s claims contradicts the principles of…
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Can Congress Stop China in the South China Sea?
Artificial Islands, ASEAN, China, Diplomatic Relations, Pivot, Reclamation, South China Sea Dispute, Spratlys, Status Quo, US Congress, USAA bipartisan effort is emerging to highlight dangerous trends in Asia—and specifically in the South China Sea. But will Obama listen? The balance of power in Asia is changing—and not in Washington’s favor. No longer can the United States count on simply massing forces Gulf War I style and quickly coming to the aid of its allies if combat ever…
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Senators seek U.S. strategy to stop China’s South China Sea reclamation
Artificial Islands, China, Gaven Reef, Reclamation, South China Sea Dispute, Spratlys, US Senate, USA(Reuters) – Leading U.S. senators expressed alarm on Thursday at the scale and speed of China’s land reclamation in the South China Sea and said a formal U.S. strategy was needed to slow or stop the work. In a letter to U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter, Republican Senators John McCain and Bob Corker…
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Vietnam, Australia call for ‘self-restraint’, warn against force in South China Sea
Vietnam and Australia today called for “self-restraint” in the South China Sea and warned against the unilateral use of force – an obvious reference to China’s increasingly aggressive presence that has stirred concerns across the disputed region. Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung – who met Australian counterpart Tony Abbott in Canberra to sign deals on security, climate change and…
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India backs peaceful resolution of sea row
MANILA, Philippines–India has assured the Philippines that it will promote the peaceful resolution of the South China Sea territorial and jurisdictional disputes after Manila called anew for the global community’s assistance in helping put a stop to China’s massive reclamation activities. India has its own territorial issues with China. The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Monday said Foreign Undersecretary…
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In photos: China’s construction of military bases in Spratlys
MANILA, Philippines – Recently published satellite images of China’s land reclamation in the Spratly Islands show that they are constructing large, multi-story buildings as well as a possible airstrip and harbor that can accommodate military planes and ships. The satellite image analysis published on Medium.com by Victor Robert Lee March 16 show the ongoing construction on reclaimed reefs in the…
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US, China heading toward face-off, says Mearsheimer
TOKYO — If China continues to grow economically and militarily, the possibility of armed conflict in Asia will grow as countries such as Japan and the U.S. step up their security efforts, says John J. Mearsheimer, a professor of political science at the University of Chicago. The American scholar and author said he came to this conclusion after conducting copious…
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Concrete Steps for the U.S. in the South China Sea
War on the Rocks is expanding, and we need your help! Please support us on Indiegogo! The United States, its allies, and its partners face an intertwined series of challenges in the South China Sea. This nested series of issues is most clearly manifest in China’s recent (and continuing) island-creation and expansion in the South China Sea. China’s island-dredging is itself…
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China challenging the US-led status quo in Asia: commentary
By increasing the country’s military budget every year, China’s government is moving closer to challenging the US-led strategic status quo in the Asia-Pacific since 1945, writes Benjamin Herscovitch, a researcher from the Centre for Independent Studies, an Australian libertarian think tank based in St Leonards, in a commentary written for the Business Spectator on March 11. During the annual meeting…