News
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What a navy ship stranded on a South China Sea shoal reveals about China-Philippine relations
Nong Hong says the quick extraction of the Philippine navy ship from Half Moon Shoal indicates that, even though China-Philippines relations may face troubled political waters, economic considerations could provide an anchor. The Philippine navy frigate, the BRP Gregorio del Pilar, ran aground on Half Moon Shoal in waters off the disputed Spratly Islands on August 29. The frigate is…
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Risk of South China Sea Strife if Beijing Attempts Defense Zone
TAIPEI, TAIWAN — An air defense zone declared by Beijing, or any effort to stop civilian ship traffic, would raise the risk of conflict in the disputed South China Sea after years of calm, because either move would inconvenience day-to-day operations, scholars who follow the region say. Five other militarily weaker maritime claimants have watched without major protest as China…
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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. Malaysia to be firmer in row over…
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Fortifying rightful ownership
SEMATAN: Luconia Shoals, which is located in the South China Sea and lies over Sunda Continental Shelf in the Malaysian Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) within Sarawak’s territorial waters, has been gazetted as a marine national park. Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg, in disclosing this, said the park is the biggest in the country. He pointed out that…
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A British warship got involved in a showdown with the Chinese military in the South China Sea
Following in the wake of the US Navy, a British warship recently challenged China’s claims to the disputed South China Sea, provoking a confrontation with the Chinese military and triggering outrage in Beijing, Reuters reported Wednesday. The warship HMS Albion, an amphibious assault ship carrying a contingent of UK Royal Marines and one of three Royal Navy surface ships deployed…
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China furious at Britain over warship near disputed islands in South China Sea
China lashed out at Britain on Thursday for sending a warship close to disputed islands in the South China Sea, where Beijing has built military installations despite competing claims from other nations. The US and its allies have in recent times sent planes and warships to the area for “freedom of navigation” operations intended as a signal to Beijing of…
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Intelligence group predicts US will solidify its presence in South China Sea
US private sector intelligence company Stratfor has tipped that the US will solidify its naval presence in the South China Sea in the latest bout of US-China rivalry. In its third quarter forecast, Stratfor also tipped that US President Donald Trump will continue to pile the tariffs on Chinese goods. That could certainly have a flow on effect to the…
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Recent developments surrounding the South China Sea
BEIJING – A look at recent developments in the South China Sea, where China is pitted against smaller neighbors in multiple disputes over islands, coral reefs and lagoons in waters crucial for global commerce and rich in fish and potential oil and gas reserves: ___ EDITOR’S NOTE: This is a weekly look at the latest developments in the South China…
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World View: Tensions Grow in Philippines as Duterte Turns Against China in South China Sea
Philippines President Rodrigo R. Duterte was taking office in 2016 at just about the time that the Philippines won a historic case in the United Nations Permanent Court of Arbitration in the Hague thoroughly humiliating China by ruling that all of China’s activities in the South China Sea are illegal and in violation of international law. Duterte’s first acts in…
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‘Pragmatic’ Manila barters South China Sea territory for oil deal
The Philippines has relinquished its legal win over the right to territory in the South China Sea, handing a significant victory to China in its claim to sovereignty over the strategically important shipping lane. Manila and Beijing are negotiating a deal that would enable them jointly to exploit an underwater oil and gas field. In 2016 an international tribunal ruled…
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Second Thoughts?: Duterte and the South China Sea
In August 2018, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte did something unusual: he publicly criticized China. He asserted that China did not have the right to drive away aircraft and ships passing by its man-made islands in the South China Sea. He explained that no country can create an island and then claim sovereignty over the airspace above it. Hence, he hoped…
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China has developed the world’s largest flying boat, and it could be used to ferry troops into the South China Sea
China claims to have successfully tested a new sea plane, purportedly the largest in the world, and while its primary purposes are firefighting and water rescue, this new aircraft could be used to advance the country’s ambitions in the disputed South China Sea. The AG600 Kunlong, a domestically-built Chinese aircraft roughly the size of a Boeing 737, recently completed several…