News
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Duterte’s undermining of ASEAN
If the main foreign policy objective of Philippines’ President Rodrigo Duterte was to make his archipelagic nation the centre of international relations concerns in the Asia Pacific, he has succeeded beyond expectations. Coined a “popularly elected despot” by Chito Gascon of the Philippines’ Commission on Human Rights, Duterte’s diplomatic flurries within Asia have sparked conversations […]
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Duterte’s South China Sea sanctuary offers fresh hope for peace
BANGKOK: Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has planned to declare a maritime sanctuary and no-fishing zone at a lagoon within the disputed Scarborough Shoal. The idea is an interesting one and offers a potential solution to international disputes over South China Sea territory — but only if it is jointly agreed and enforced by all sides […]
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A Rare Look at the Chinese Navy’s Submarines
Beijing’s state television shows off a Russian-made attack submarine. A news report on Chinese state television provided a rare look inside one of the submarines of the Chinese Navy. The Kilo-class submarine was purchased from Russia during the 1990s and is the tip of Beijing’s spear in its disputes with neighbors. The People’s Republic of […]
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Beijing may test Trump over South China Sea: analyst
Last two presidents tested by China, but arbitration ruling will affect behaviour, says Japanese academic CHINA may take provocative action regarding the South China Sea, which currently remains calm, to test Washington’s reaction after the United States’ president-elect Donald Trump takes office early next year, a Japanese scholar said recently. As long as Trump continues […]
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Chinese warcraft fly over Bashi Channel, Miyako Strait in drill
BEIJING, Nov. 26 (Xinhua) — Warcraft from the Chinese Air Force flew over the Bashi Channel and the Miyako Strait on Friday in a west Pacific drill, an Air Force spokesman said Saturday. The overflight involved “multiple types of warplanes,” meeting the set target, spokesman Shen Jinke said while responding to media inquiries. The routine […]
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China’s freedom of navigation
After the USS Decatur navigated through the Paracel Islands on Oct. 21, the Chinese Ministry of National Defense stated that the United States warship had entered Chinese territorial waters without authorization — a serious violation and intentional provocation according to China. Although the US Navy claimed that the USS Decatur navigated outside the territorial sea […]
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Donald Trump’s South China Sea Challenge: 4 Ways America Can Push Back Against China
On the day President-elect Donald J. Trump first steps foot in the oval office the weight of the world’s problems will be squarely on his shoulders. The Islamic State, tensions with Russia and an out of control Syrian Civil War will loom large, ready to test the resolve of the new administration almost immediately. Moreover, […]
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Trans-Pacific Partnership: China seizes trade opportunity after Donald Trump’s threat
United States President-elect Donald Trump’s pledge to dump or renegotiate the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) on his first day in office is a gift for the Chinese in their drive to control the world economy. China is now positioning itself as free trade’s new champion and seizing economic leadership of the Pacific Rim. Under President Barack […]
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Report on the growing US military presence in the Asia-Pacific region
Editor’s Note: The following article is an abstract from a report by the National Institute for South China Sea Studies, headquartered in Haikou, capital of South China’s Hainan province. The United States’ military deployments and activities in the Asia-Pacific region are important manifestations of its “rebalancing” strategy. Since President Barack Obama took office in 2009, […]
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U.S. Naval Patrols Threaten Sovereignty, Chinese Think Tank Warns
American military vessels and aircraft carried out more than 700 patrols in the South China Sea region during 2015, making China the U.S.’s No. 1 surveillance target, according to a report by China’s only state-backed institution dedicated to research of the waters. The patrols pose a threat to China’s sovereignty and security interests, said the […]
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Philippine fishermen decry Duterte’s disputed shoal ban
MANILA – Philippine fishermen on Wednesday criticized President Rodrigo Duterte’s decision to ban them from a rich South China Sea fishing ground, part of his efforts to ease tensions over disputed waters controlled by China. Duterte’s aides said he had made a “unilateral” declaration to make the lagoon at Scarborough Shoal a protected marine sanctuary, […]
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Japan ‘willing to play peace role in South China Sea disputes’
JAPAN is willing to take on more roles in maintaining peace and stability in the South China Sea amid fractious territorial disputes between China and Asean members, government officials and scholars have said in Tokyo. Although Japan is not a claimant in the South China Sea, it is concerned about the safety of sea lanes […]