News
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Japan eyes arms exports to secure sea lanes under new rules
Japan will allow the export of arms to countries located along sea lanes to ensure the safe delivery of oil and other natural resources, while bolstering Japan’s defense cooperation with the United States by providing repair work for U.S. military aircraft overseas, according to a draft of new principles on arms exports. In the first overhaul in 47 years of…
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China’s assertiveness hardens Malaysian stance in sea dispute
KUALA LUMPUR: The submerged reef would be easy to miss, under turquoise seas about 80 km (50 miles) off Malaysia’s Borneo island state of Sarawak. But two Chinese naval exercises in less than a year around the James Shoal have shocked Malaysia and led to a significant shift in its approach to China’s claims to the disputed South China Sea,…
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Indonesia-Philippines border deal presages more united ASEAN South China Sea stance
At least one long-running maritime border dispute in Southeast Asia is heading towards peaceful settlement. On Monday, the Indonesian and Philippine foreign ministers announced that the two countries had settled their maritime border dispute, with a boundary treaty likely to be signed when President Yudhoyono visits the Philippines in May. This maritime border agreement follows a 5 February agreement between…
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9 other acts of harassment by China vs PH fishermen: DFA
MANILA – The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) has summoned the charge d’affaires of China to protest the firing of water cannons at Filipino fishermen in a disputed shoal last January 27. In a press conference on Tuesday, Foreign Affairs Spokesman Raul Hernandez said the incident involving a China Coast Guard vessel is only one of several incidents of harassments…
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PNoy: Phl to ask China to explain water cannon incident
MANILA, Philippines – The Philippine government will ask the People’s Republic of China to explain why the Chinese coast guard fired water cannons at the Filipino fishermen who were at the disputed Scarborough Shoal on January 27. President Benigno Aquino III said both the Department of Foreign Affairs and Department of National Defense are now preparing diplomatic communications to Beijing…
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PH won’t send Navy to Scarborough shoal
MANILA – The water cannon incident at Scarborough Shoal won’t merit any military response since the goal of the Philippines is to resolve the sea dispute in a peaceful manner, an official of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) said. In a press conference, AFP Spokesman Lt. Col. Ramon Zagala said: “We have to always think about not escalating…
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Philippines protests China ‘water cannon’ attack on fishermen
Manila: The Philippines lodged a strong protest against China on Tuesday over allegations by Filipino fishermen that the Chinese coastguard had attacked them with water cannon near a disputed shoal. The foreign department summoned the Chinese charge d’affaires to receive the formal protest over the January 27 incident at the Scarborough Shoal, said department spokesman Raul Hernandez. “The department ……
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Is China Preparing for a “Short, Sharp War” Against Japan?
The current dispute focuses on the Senkakus (known by China as the Diaoyus), a group of small uninhabited islands approximately equidistant between mainland China and the Japanese island of Okinawa. Beijing and Tokyo both claim sovereignty over the islands. But Japan has exercised continuous administrative control over the islands since the U.S. returned control to the Japanese in 1972. Beginning…
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RI, Philippines set to sign boundary treaty
A bilateral meeting between Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa and his Philippine counterpart Albert F. del Rosario in Jakarta on Monday reached a historical agreement on a provisional maritime boundary line, among commitments to enhance cooperations in the areas of economy, defense, politics and sociocultural and consular affairs. The two countries, which have so far agreed to delimit each other’s…
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Chinese drive away Pinoy fishers from shoal
Chinese ships used water cannons to drive Filipino fishermen from the Panatag Shoal, a disputed territory, the military reported on Monday, even as the commander of the US Navy Pacific Fleet arrived in Manila to discuss with government officials, among others, the country’s territorial dispute with China as well as the “implications” of the US’ military rebalance to Asia policy.…
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China’s Academic Battle for the South China Sea
China’s increased military and maritime surveillance activities in the South China Sea have been well-documented, both by foreign and Chinese media outlets. But China’s push to assert its claims over islands within the South China Sea is not simply unfolding in the military realm — the increased naval activities are backed by a renewed focus within the academic community. A…
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US Army To Be Reduced To Pre-World War II Levels
Chuck Hagel’s new proposed budget would cut the U.S. Army to pre-World War II levels. A few defense and security links to start off the week: The biggest news from the Pentagon this week is Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel’s new budget plan, which is designed to refit U.S. armed forces in a manner suitable for emerging threats. Informing Hagel’s thinking on…