News
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China’s Stratagem in the Framework Negotiations for a Code of Conduct with ASEAN
AFTER meeting on the sidelines of the ASEAN Regional Forum in Singapore last week, the regional bloc and China announced a breakthrough in the drafting for the framework for a Code of Conduct (COC) in the South China Sea, which would form the basis for future negotiations regarding an eventual COC. On behalf of ASEAN, Singapore Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishman…
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China threatens foreign ships and planes ‘daily’ in the South China Sea, but no one is yielding any ground
China threatens foreign ships and planes in the South China Sea on a “daily basis,” according to members of the Philippine military. Warnings directed at the Philippines are much more menacing than those directed at the US military, leading some experts to question whether or not China is purposefully calibrating its responses to intimidate smaller, weaker claimant states. Both the…
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South China Sea: Duterte warns China to temper its behaviour
Manila: The Philippine President said on Tuesday that China’s claim to air space above newly built islands and surrounding waters in the disputed South China Sea “is wrong” and Beijing should not tell others to leave those areas to avoid possible clashes. Rodrigo Duterte’s remarks in a speech to an audience that included the American ambassador and other foreign guests…
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Duterte hopes Beijing can ‘temper’ warnings in South China Sea
SUMMARY MANILA, Philippines – Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte urged China to “temper” its frequent warnings to planes and ships passing over or through the South China Sea. In a rare statement critical of China, Duterte said on Tuesday, August 14, that Beijing must respect the right of innocent passage for vessels passing in areas beyond national airspace. “You cannot create…
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US military lashes out on Twitter after Beijing warns off aircraft in South China Sea
YOKOTA AIR BASE, Japan – U.S. forces have fired a barrage of tweets in response to Chinese harassment of a Navy reconnaissance plane in the South China Sea. The Chinese sent six radio warnings to a P-8A Poseidon carrying journalists from CNN and the BBC Friday as the jet approached islets in the disputed waters where the Chinese have been…
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China Rescue Vessel in Disputed Sea Described as Public Relations Move
TAIPEI — Beijing has stationed its first permanent search and rescue ship in a hotly disputed part of the South China Sea as a public relations move after alarming smaller countries with a military buildup in the same waters, analysts say. The Ministry of Transport in China sent the vessel, called South Sea Rescue 115, to the Spratly Islands…
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Palace: No stopping PH patrols over S. China Sea
MANILA – Malacañang on Monday stressed that there is no stopping Philippine planes from flying over South China Sea, after another Philippine military aircraft flying over the disputed waters was shooed away by the Chinese. International news agencies CNN and BBC were given last Friday a rare chance to board a US Navy P-8A Poseidon reconnaissance plane and fly over…
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Malaysia’s Mahathir calls on China to respect passage in South China Sea
MANILA, Philippines — Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad stressed his position on the South China Sea dispute amid Beijing’s expanding militarization of artificial islands in the region. In an interview with The Associated Press, the 93-year-old Malaysian leader called on China to respect the free movement of ships throughout the South China Sea. Related Stories Commentary: Dangers, opportunities in China’s…
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South China Sea militarization part of larger Chinese challenge to U.S. power
WASHINGTON (Circa) — Tensions are rising in the South China Sea as China builds up military resources in contested waters and the United States Navy asserts its presence in the region, but experts warn amid a growing list of Chinese aggressions, opportunities to halt Beijing’s maritime power grab may be dwindling. CNN released footage Friday recorded from a U.S. Navy…
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Senior Pentagon Official Says U.S. Navy Will Keep Challenging China in South China Sea
Assistant Secretary of Defense for Asian and Pacific Security Affairs Randall Schriver said earlier this week at a think-tank event that the United States Navy will continue to challenge China’s claims over the South China Sea, which are disputed by six other nations in the region. He said the U.S. will continue “freedom of navigation” operations that include sailing U.S.…
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You’ll bear the CONSEQUENCES! China threatens Philippines as it flies over South China Sea
THIS is the moment the Chinese military threatened a Philippine military aircraft flying over the disputed South China Sea, warning the plane would “bear the responsibility for all the consequences” if it did not leave the area. The Chinese military warned off a Philippines military aircraft with a vociferous message demanding the plane “immediately” leave the aerospace over the South…
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[OPINION] The South China Sea precedent: Rising instability amidst revisionist tendencies
Asia’s Post-World War II order is on the verge of a terminal decline. What can the region do in response? Across the Indo-Pacific, rising economic dependence has enabled Beijing to revise the nature of international relations and a rules-based order underpinned by adherence to international treaty-based law. The rapidity of the associated shift in the balance of political and military…