News
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Alejano warns vs. inaction as China launches massive island-making vessel
Magdalo party-list Representative Gary Alejano on Sunday expressed alarm over the launch of China’s 140-meter long, 28-meter wide dredging vessel Tian Kun Hao, pointing out the threat it may pose to the Philippines’ claim over territories in the West Philippine Sea. In a statement, Alejano said the Tian Kun Hao, which Chinese media calls “Asia’s most powerful…
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Duterte’s China pivot made no effect on military upgrade
MANILA, Philippines (First published Nov. 2, 7:05 p.m.) — The Philippines continues to bolster its military despite President Rodrigo Duterte’s move to improve relations with China, a defense analyst said. According to Alexander Vuving of the Asia Pacific Center for Security Studies, the build-up of Philippine military forces has hit a plateau between 2007 and 2012 when military…
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https://maritime-executive.com/article/nearly-half-of-the-worlds-lng-traverses-south-china-sea
x The South China Sea is a major route for LNG trade, and in 2016, almost 40 percent of global LNG trade, or about 4.7 trillion cubic feet (Tcf), passed through the South China Sea. The two LNG exporters Malaysia and Qatar collectively accounted for more than 60 percent of total South China Sea LNG volumes in 2016. Almost…
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Can Japan burn flammable ice for energy?
(CNN)Japan’s relationship with the energy sector is, at best, complicated. Having virtually no oil, coal or natural gas to fire its power plants, Japan was forced to import over 90% of its energy in 2014. It is the world’s third largest importer of oil and coal, and the number one importer of liquefied natural gas. In 2016, its gas bill…
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Can China Beat the U.S. Without a Fight?
HONOLULU — While much of the world is focused on the ballistic missile and nuclear threat from North Korea, the U.S. military in the Pacific region is also concentrating on another potential foe: China. “PRC is the most pressing threat in the Pacific,” one U.S. military official in the region said, using the acronym for the People’s Republic…
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Why China Never Draws A Boundary Line Around Its Claim To The South China Sea
A man scans the coastline Aug. 20, 2016 in Natuna, Ranai, Indonesia. Most Natuna locals work as fishermen. Amid escalated tensions at the South China Sea, Indonesia continues to maintain its sovereignty over the Natuna Islands through security patrols along Indonesia’s Exclusive Economic Zone. (Ulet Ifansasti/Getty Images) China has been said to claim 95% of the South China Sea,…
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Palawan within range of China’s jets, missiles in South China Sea
MANILA, Philippines — Palawan province in the Philippines could be within range of China’s fighter jets and cruise missiles if deployed on their reclaimed outposts in the Spratly Islands, according to a US think tank. Washington-based AMTI Center for Strategic and International Studies made projections on the range of China’s jets and missiles based on their equipment deployed on…
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China is waging a global fisheries war
Pelagic fishing has become an important part of Beijing’s national policy Every time there is talk about a Japanese favorite seafood like Pacific saury and squid disappearing from tables due to a shortage in supplies, news reports tend to lay the blame on overexploitation of fish stocks by China. Very little is known, however, about the fact that China’s…
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China’s New Strategy in the South China Sea Will Force U.S. Military Action
Beijing just unveiled a new tactic to assert its sovereignty claims in the South China Sea. Called the “lawfare” – or “legal warfare” – approach, China’s new strategy to control the resource- and trade-rich region shifts away from the former (and universally rebuffed) “nine-dash line” (NDL) claim to a more concrete – though no less imperialistic – one.…
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Japan May Face a New Chinese Onslaught in Dispute Over East China Sea Islets
[urlpreviewbox url=”http://www.rfa.org/english/commentaries/japan-senkaku-10252017144835.html”/] It may be time to pay more attention to Beijing’s moves against Japan in the East China Sea. Experts say that with China’s Communist Party Congress now concluded and perhaps after President Trump’s trip to Asia in early November, Beijing may escalate the moves it’s made near disputed territories in the strategic sea. Japanese analysts fear that China…
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North Korea Rouses Neighbors to Reconsider Nuclear Weapons
Two of South Korea’s 24 nuclear reactors. The country has a huge stockpile of spent fuel from which it can extract plutonium — enough for more than 4,300 bombs, according to a report. Credit Jean Chung/Bloomberg, via Getty Images As North Korea races to build a weapon that for the first time could threaten American cities, its neighbors are debating…
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Philippine Lawmaker Digging Up New Intelligence on Pressure From China
TAIPEI, TAIWAN — A Philippine opposition party legislator has been drawing attention for the release of privileged information that suggests China is infringing on offshore islets that the two countries dispute, a potential threat to a recently strengthened diplomatic relationship. But some people reading his feed suspect personal political motives, including an effort to weaken President Duterte. …