News
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Will the Pentagon Respond to Chinese Media Reports of Rockets in the South China Sea?
A Chinese state-run Defense Times newspaper has said Norinco CS/AR-1 55mm anti-frogman rocket launcher defense systems with the capability to discover, identify and attack enemy combat divers had been installed on Fiery Cross Reef in the Spratly Islands. While Pentagon officials did not wish to specifically comment on this report, saying they do not discuss intelligence matters, officials are clear…
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Cayetano wary of ‘legally binding’ rules in South China Sea
SUMMARY MANILA, Philippines – Newly appointed Foreign Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano on Friday, May 19, said he is wary of having a “legally binding” Code of Conduct (COC) in the disputed South China Sea. In his first interview with reporters at the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), Cayetano said he prefers the COC to first be a non-legally binding “gentleman’s…
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Adrift in the South China Sea: The High Cost of Stopping Freedom of Navigation Operations
On May 10, seven Republican and Democratic senators sent a letter to U.S. President Donald Trump urging his administration to resume the United States’ freedom of navigation operations, or FONOPs, in the South China Sea. The timing of the bipartisan letter was striking. Senior lawmakers chose a moment when Washington was consumed by a number of political crises, including the…
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ASEAN Summit’s China Tilt Portends a New World Order
MIAMI: The Association of Southeast Asian Nations marked the 50th anniversary of its foundation in April with fanfare – celebrating its mission of “one vision, one identity, one community” in Manila with the habitual group photo of members crossing their arms across their chests to link hands with the representatives next to them, mimicking their organization’s emblem of rice stocks…
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China plays the North Korea nuclear card
Beijing trades promises to help for U.S. acceptance of its Western Pacific hegemony The provocative actions by North Korea over the past three months since President Trump took office should not come as a surprise. In his campaign for the presidency, candidate Donald Trump repeatedly criticized the Obama administration for failing to take stronger action against China’s illegal actions in…
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Pressure Cooker: How the South China Sea Can Help America Prod Beijing
President Trump wants China’s help to rein in North Korea and has been open to negotiating with Beijing to deal with Pyongyang. Negotiations began with obtaining a more beneficial trade deal with the United States. There are now reports that the Pentagon turned down a freedom-of-navigation operation request in the South China Sea to avoid “antagonizing China.” No indication has…
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Duterte follows Xi’s lead with military build-up in South China Sea
Hong Kong (CNN)The Philippines has begun sending troops and supplies to an island it controls in the disputed South China Sea, setting the stage for a potential dispute with Beijing. Plans are underway to reinforce and upgrade facilities on Pagasa Island, in the Spratly Islands chain, senior Philippine military officials told the official Philippine News Agency (PNA). The country’s president,…
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Trump’s Mixed Signals on South China Sea Worry Asian Allies
BEIJING — South Korea wants to discuss unease about an American antimissile system on its soil. Taiwan is eager to buy weapons. The Philippines hopes to find out whether the United States plans to challenge China in the South China Sea. Leaders across Asia are looking to Washington for guidance on a variety of pressing diplomatic issues. But President Trump’s…
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The Real Reason Trump Shouldn’t Meet With Duterte
President Donald Trump has no business inviting Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte to the White House, but not necessarily because Duterte has been running a counternarcotics operation that has resulted in thousands of vigilante deaths, or because he himself has boasted about killing purported drug dealers in cold blood. As a leader, Duterte is apparently criminal, certainly foulmouthed, and hardly principled.…
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U.S. to Test Beijing’s South China Sea Claims, Navy Says
The U.S. Navy will still challenge claims by nations like China to exclusive access in the South China Sea, Pacific Fleet Commander Scott Swift said, insisting a hiatus in “freedom of navigation” patrols doesn’t mean the disputed waterway is a lower priority for the Trump presidency. “We just went through a change in administration,” Admiral Swift said on Monday at…
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China Coast Guard’s New ‘Monster’ Ship Completes Maiden Patrol in South China Sea
The world’s largest coast guard vessel, the 12,000-ton China Coast Guard (CCG) cutter 3901, has successfully completed its first patrol in the South China Sea this month, according to Chinese government reports. The South China Sea division of China’s State Oceanic Administration (SOA) reports that the ship, with a crew of 17 law enforcement personnel and two unnamed aerial vehicles…
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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…