News
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Annual South China Sea fishing ban begins
Some 8,000 fishing boats returned to ports on Monday as the 18th annual fishing ban began in the South China Sea. From May 16 to August 1, no fishing is allowed in parts of the sea under China’s jurisdiction except by single-layer gill nets or other approved methods, including conventional angling, Xinhua news agency reported. http://www.business-standard.com/article/news-ians/annual-south-china-sea-fishing-ban-begins-116051600332_1.html
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Japan’s important sideshow to arbitration decision in the South China Sea
While tensions continue to rise in the South China Sea and the disputing governments nervously await a decision in the Philippines’ arbitration case against China, an important sideshow has arisen between Japan and Taiwan in the central Philippine Sea. On 24 April Japan’s Coast Guard arrested a Taiwanese fishing vessel and its crew for fishing in waters that Japan claims…
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Duterte stands firm on South China Sea claims
The Philippines will not back down from its claim in the South China Sea, but is open to negotiations with China, the country’s incoming president said yesterday. “They are there illegally, whether they want to believe it or not,” Rodrigo Duterte told reporters before meeting Chinese Ambassador Zhao Jianhua. The conflict centres on the Spratly Islands, a far-flung set of…
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This Critical American Ally Is Struggling with China’s South China Sea Moves
This week the Pentagon ordered the USS William P. Lawrence, a guided-missile destroyer, to sail within 12 nautical miles of the land feature China has constructed on Fiery Cross Reef in the South China Sea. It’s the third time since October the US Navy has penetrated the zone, and it reaffirms Washington’s insistence that Beijing has no territorial claims to…
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Beijing is setting the stage for war in the South China Sea
All any nation needs to go to war is a good provocation, and China is no exception. With its sweeping territorial claims, island-building, militarization, patriotic fervor, and prickly rhetoric, Beijing is setting itself up to be repeatedly provoked in the South China Sea. It might even be counting on it. UNCLOS territorial jurisdictions.(Wikipedia) Consider the nation’s manmade, militarized island at…
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U.S. must beware China’s ‘Guam killer’ missile
(CNN)Capable of hitting targets 3,400 miles away, China’s “Guam killer” missile is raising new fears of a growing Chinese threat to major U.S. military installations and stability in the Pacific Rim. A congressional panel has issued a report warning of the dangers of the missile, during a week in which U.S.-China tensions flared anew with a U.S. Navy destroyer sailing…
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Photos reveal growth of Chinese military bases in South China Sea
(CNN)Satellite photos show China has been rapidly building military outposts on disputed islands in the South China Sea, significantly boosting its presence in the already tense region, according to a Pentagon report released Friday. “China continues to invest in military programs and weapons designed to improve power projection, anti-access area denial and operations in emerging domains such as cyberspace, space…
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China developing, arming manmade isles—US report
WASHINGTON—China has reclaimed more than 1,295 hectares of land in the southeastern South China Sea. But the country’s focus has shifted to developing and arming those manmade islands to give it greater control over the maritime region without having to resort to armed conflict, according to a new Pentagon report. In its most detailed assessment to date of China’s island-building…
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Abe working to forge united front on South China Sea at G-7 talks
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will try and convince Group of Seven leaders at the summit in Mie Prefecture later this month to form a united front in countering China’s aggressive moves in the South China Sea, sources have said. “The point is whether the G-7 can reach a consensus (on the issue) and how many members of the Association of…
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See for yourselves, Taiwan tells panel over disputed South China Sea island
TAIPEI, May 13 (Reuters) – Taiwan on Friday called on an international tribunal not to make a ruling on a disputed South China Sea island if the judges don’t visit first to see for themselves it can sustain life. Taiwan wants to prove Itu Aba is not just a rock, but a real island that can qualify for a maritime…
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China has reclaimed 3,200 acres in South China Sea
In its most detailed assessment to date of China’s island-building program, the Defense Department said three of the land features in the Spratly Islands now have nearly 10,000-foot runways and large ports in various stages of construction. Philstar.com/File WASHINGTON — A new Pentagon report says China has reclaimed more than 3,200 acres of land in the southeastern South China Sea.…
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China using ‘coercive tactics’ in maritime claims: Pentagon
China is using “coercive tactics” and fostering regional tensions as it expands its maritime presence in the South China Sea and elsewhere, but is avoiding triggering an armed conflict, the Pentagon said Friday. In an annual report to Congress, the Defense Department outlined China’s rapid military growth and described how it is assertively defending sovereignty claims across the contested East…