News
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U.S. Credibility in the South China Sea
China’s growing presence in the South China Sea is raising doubts about the U.S. policy there. China continues to militarize the South China Sea, with the manifest intention of making its claim of sovereignty thereto impossible to challenge. China has made clear that it does not plan to accept a likely unfavorable decision, forthcoming in a month or so, by…
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Great Power Confrontation in the South China Sea
On Friday in Beijing, Sergey Lavrov and Wang Yi, the Russian and Chinese foreign ministers, presented a united stand against the US on a host of issues in their joint press conference. Among the topics were Beijing’s territorial claims. “We are of the same view with Minister Lavrov that the disputes around the South China Sea should be settled peacefully…
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Uphold rule of law at sea, urges Japanese foreign minister
Amid growing tensions in the South China Sea, Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida has called on regional countries to uphold the rule of law to maintain peace and stability in the region. He also urged Asean to “strengthen its unity” as well as exert “its centrality in regional cooperation in East Asia”. Speaking yesterday in Bangkok on the second leg…
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China’s Okinotori Position Reveals an UNCLOS Double Standard
China’s position on a remote Japan-held feature reveals an important inconsistency in its approach to international law. One of Asia’s more remote maritime territorial disputes–the dispute over the status of the Okinotori Islands (Okinotorishima)–is back in the news. As my colleague Shannon Tiezzi discussed earlier this week, a recent spat over fishing rights between Taiwan and Japan has given the…
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SUCCESSFUL SIGNALING AT SCARBOROUGH SHOAL?
Critics are lining up to condemn the Obama administration’s apparent delay of a third freedom of navigation operation (FONOP) in the South China Sea as yet another sign of weakness, but there is larger strategic game underway that may explain the administration’s decision. Other simultaneous U.S. actions may have deterred China from occupying and reclaiming land at Scarborough Shoal, a…
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GREENPEACE MUTE ABOUT WORST ENVIRONMENTAL DISASTER IN SOUTH CHINA SEA
Greenpeace has been relatively mute about destructive activities occurring in the South China Sea, including the mass poisoning of fish in the waters around Pag-asa Island in the Spratly chain. While the Filipino island residents give eyewitness accounts about Chinese vessels dumping chemicals that destroy fish stock and deprive fishermen of their livelihood, Greenpeace appears to be looking the other…
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China intensifies lobbying of other nations ahead of South China Sea court ruling
China is intensifying its global diplomatic campaign to win support ahead of an imminent international court ruling over the South China Sea disputes. The development came yesterday as Beijing vowed greater cooperation and to proceed with multinational military exercises with Southeast Asian nations, but also called on countries to back its stance on the territorial disputes – putting many in…
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Amid South China sea tension, bill introduced to enhance US maritime in APAC region
South China sea, US South China Sea, CHina, CHina SCS, China disputed islands, US China SCS islands South China Sea islands. Concerned over China’s provocative actions in the disputed South China Sea, four top US Senators have introduced a legislation to enhance US maritime power in Asia Pacific region and provide more military aid to its American allies. The Asia-Pacific…
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US, Allies Tighten Cooperation to Counter China in South China Sea
STATE DEPARTMENT— The U.S. is ratcheting up cooperation with Asian allies to counter China’s “assertive and provocative behavior in the South China Sea” that is challenging the freedom of navigation in the crucial waterway, Deputy Secretary of State Antony Blinken told lawmakers Thursday during a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing. Blinken’s remarks came after a bipartisan group of U.S. senators…
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US Lawmaker: More Operations in South China Sea
The United States has increasingly carried out what have been called freedom of navigation exercises in the South China Sea. This month, U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter visited a warship in the South China Sea in an effort to show America’s commitment to security in the area. The exercises involve Navy ships and military aircraft. In a freedom of navigation…
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The Dispute About the South China Sea Is Also a Dispute About History and America’s Role
A lookout watches on the bridge of the U.S.S. John C. Stennis aircraft carrier in the South China Sea on April 25, 2016 After patrolling Asia-Pacific waters for 160 years, the U.S. feels a historic interest in the region’s security. Beijing couldn’t see things more differently The U.S.S. John C. Stennis, a Nimitz-class nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, plowed through the azure…
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South China Sea: Beijing using ‘fishing militia’ to expand presence in disputed waters
Fishing boats with Chinese national flags seen at a harbour in Tanmen, Hainan provinceReuters China is using a fleet of fishing boats to conduct maritime exercises in disputed waters in the South China Sea, a report says. Military-trained fishermen are deployed on tiny boats from Hainan Island to gather information on foreign vessels sailing through the South China Sea, according…