News
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Why Beijing is militarizing the South China Sea
Well, it was hardly surprising when the news came out: Beijing has based – permanently, perhaps – offensive weapons on the artificial islands it has painstakingly constructed in the South China Sea. These deployments cap a series of deceptions, increasingly belligerent military actions, and various illegal activities that have surrounded Chinese goings-on in the region for nearly a decade. in…
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Is Beijing readying its airstrips for a military build-up in the South China Sea?
Satellite images show transport plane on Subi Reef in contested Spratly Islands, just 12 nautical miles from Philippine island The presence of the Shaanxi Y-8 transport plane on a runway at Subi Reef in the Spratly Islands, as seen in satellite images taken on April 28, confirms that China has now landed military aircraft on all three of its airstrips…
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Hanoi to Beijing: Pull out missiles
This latest surveillance photo shows China’s military outpost on Zamora Reef is almost finished. CNBC has reported that China has deployed anti-ship missiles and surface-to-air missile systems on Zamora and two other Philippine-claimed reefs. Vietnam has requested China to withdraw its weapons from disputed territory in the South China Sea, while security experts have urged the Philippine government to upgrade…
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Duterte’s PH rise visit ‘unfortunate’ – maritime expert
MANILA – President Rodrigo Duterte’s planned visit to the Philippine Rise (Benham Rise) next week is “unfortunate,” a maritime law expert said. Jay Batongbacal, director of the UP Institute for Maritime Affairs and Law of the Sea, said the continental shelf is not a hotly contested area and the government should instead work on asserting its rights on the West…
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Vietnam asks China to withdraw military equipment from South China Sea
HANOI (Reuters) – Vietnam has asked China to withdraw military equipment from the South China Sea, following media reports this month that China had installed missiles there. “Vietnam requests that China, as a large country, shows its responsibility in maintaining peace and stability in the East Sea,” Vietnamese foreign ministry spokeswoman Le Thi Thu Hang said in a Tuesday statement,…
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China installs cruise missiles on South China Sea outposts-CNBC report
WASHINGTON – China has installed anti-ship cruise missiles and surface-to-air missile systems on three of its outposts in the South China Sea, US news network CNBC reported on Wednesday, citing sources with direct knowledge of US intelligence reports. The move, if confirmed, would mark the first Chinese missile deployments in the Spratly Islands, where several Asian countries including Vietnam and…
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US will continue freedom of navigation ops in South China Sea despite China protests – Amb. Kim
Defying Chinese calls to keep out of the South China Sea, Washington’s top diplomat to Manila on Thursday said the US will continue to conduct freedom of navigation operations in the disputed waters “to protect important international rights for everybody, including the Philippines.” US Ambassador Sung Kim said the US is concerned over China’s recent unilateral actions in the waters,…
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The Dangers of the Budding ‘Xiterte’ Bromance
In a telling sign of the dramatic turn in Philippine-China relations, the two nations recently agreed to pursue joint development agreements (JDA) on hydrocarbon deposits in the South China Sea. During his late March visit to Beijing, Philippine Foreign Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano hailed a “golden period” in Philippine-China relations, and reiterated his country’s commitment to ensuring disputes in the…
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Beijing explores energy-rich area of South China Sea where ‘flammable ice’ – a potential new gas source – is found
Newest vessels take samples from ocean floor at site of China’s first find of active methane hydrates, a potential new natural gas source China has carried out deepwater exploration in an energy-rich area of the disputed South China Sea, its minerals research agency said on Wednesday. This comes as the latest in a series of manoeuvres by China in the…
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On China’s deployment of missiles on Philippine reefs
Yesterday’s headline that China has deployed missiles on three Philippine reefs is deeply concerning but not the least bit surprising. If one has dealt with China, of certainty is the stark inconsistency between what is being declared and what is actually happening on the ground. Regardless of Beijing’s commitment not to militarize, China’s methodical upgrading of military aspects on the…
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Chinese missiles in Spratlys threaten PH int’l air, sea access: analyst
MANILA – China’s installation of missiles in the Spratly islands threatens the Philippines’ international access in the disputed South China Sea, an analyst said Saturday. Anders Corr, an analyst with The Journal of Political Risk, said Beijing’s militarization efforts in the South China Sea “constricts” Manila’s access to air and sea routes. “It threatens in the future to constrict Philippines…
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US warns China over missiles deployed on 3 PH reefs
WASHINGTON—The White House has warned that China would face “consequences” for its military buildup in contested waters in the western Pacific following reports that the Chinese had installed missiles on three disputed reefs in the South China Sea. “We’re well aware of China’s militarization of the South China Sea,” press secretary Sarah Sanders said on Thursday. “We’ve raised concerns directly…