News
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International outlaw
As much as I want to refrain from criticizing China’s foreign policy, I feel I would be defaulting in my own little way if we let the bully destabilize the region because of aggressive action in the West Philippine Sea. Just because it’s more popularly known as the South China Sea does not give the Chinese the torrens title to…
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‘Shelve sea dispute to save reefs’
PUERTO PRINCESA CITY—As the Philippine and Chinese governments fight for control over territories in the South China Sea, the sustainability of the waterway’s rich marine resources has become the silent casualty in the dispute, according to a marine expert. “A Scarborough [Shoal] peace park right now could be the foot in the door for the entire [South China Sea] situation,”…
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China narrows the South China Sea Is arming Southeast Asia with strategic impact weapons the answer?
Bharat Karnad analyses China’s strategy in the South China Sea, and proposes a regional military solution, leveraging the power of supersonic cruise missiles, to bring about a durable peace. China has gone some ways to obtaining by force a mere closum (closed sea) in the waters off Southeast Asia without meeting any real resistance to date. The 11 July verdict…
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Reclaiming Scarborough Shoal China’s South China Sea strategy
A plan to reclaim Scarborough Shoal lies at the heart of China’s evolving military strategy in the South China Sea, Abhijit Singh writes. Is China about to reclaim the Scarborough Shoal? It is a question that has absorbed discussions in maritime circles recently. Speculation is growing that China might be planning to build a small permanent structure on Scarborough, located…
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China, Russia naval drill in South China Sea to begin Monday
China and Russia will hold eight days of naval drills in the South China Sea off southern China’s Guangdong province starting from Monday, China’s navy said. The exercises come at a time of heightened tension in the contested waters after an arbitration court in The Hague ruled in July that China did not have historic rights to the South China…
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The Scarborough challenge
Last July, the Arbitration Tribunal in the Hague ruled that the waters around Scarborough Shoal lay within the Economic Exclusive Zone of the Philippines and that Filipino fishermen possessed traditional fishing rights at the Shoal. China has chosen to reject the decision and continues to keep Filipino fishermen out of the area. A think tank, the CSSI, recently reported: “…
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Obama Puts South China Sea Back on Agenda at Summit
VIENTIANE, Laos — President Barack Obama put the long-simmering dispute in the South China Sea front and center on the agenda at a regional summit Thursday as it became clear that most of the other leaders gathered in the Laotian capital were going to let China off with a mild rebuke over its territorial expansion in the resource-rich waters. “We…
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South China Sea: China building more islands?
The Philippines military this week released images of Chinese ships it said were capable of dredging sand around the Scarborough Shoal — a small but strategic reef and fertile fishing ground 130 miles (200 kilometers) west from the Philippine island of Luzon. Beijing has denied it is reclaiming land, saying that while Chinese coast guard vessels patrol the waters around…
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US official defends China over PH claim of new island-building
ALARMING PRESENCE Chinese vessels are gathering at Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal, raising fears that China is building another artificial island just off Luzon. DEPARTMENT OF NATIONAL DEFENSE A US official said the United States had not detected any unusual Chinese presence and activity around Scarborough Shoal despite photos presented by the Philippines showing Chinese vessels at the site. The Chinese vessels…
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Vietnam is struggling to unite its Mekong neighbours against China
Vietnam moved rocket launchers into disputed territory in the South China Sea, reports recently suggested, meaning it could potentially attack land that China has controversially reclaimed. This all comes at a time of heightened tension over territorial wrangling in the region. A Pentagon report released in May 2016 described how China had reclaimed 3,200 acres of land in the disputed…
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Why China’s ‘Bully’ Strategy in the South China Sea (and Beyond) Has Failed
Conventional wisdom has long painted the Chinese as strategic and methodical planners, masters of statecraft with great foresight. The West, and the US in particular, is hopeless in comparison. For many strategists, we aren’t even on the same board: Chinese are playing Go while the West plays checkers. It’s time to put that shibboleth aside. After misjudging the balance of…
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‘Threat or use of force’ to resolve South China Sea dispute will complicate matters: PM Modi
Vientiane: Terming sea lanes passing through the strategic South China Sea as the “main arteries” of global trade, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said India supports freedom of navigation as he sought “utmost respect” for international law, amid China’s muscle flexing in the region. While outlining India’s principled position on the raging issue over the South China Sea, the…