News
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‘A Game of Chicken’: U.S. and China Are Risking a Clash at Sea
HONOLULU — From a distance, the Chinese warship warned the American destroyer that it was on a “dangerous course” in the South China Sea. Then it raced up alongside, getting perilously close. For a few tense minutes, a collision seemed imminent. The American vessel, the Decatur, blasted its whistle. The Chinese took no notice. Instead, the crew prepared to throw…
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China: Philippines can’t claim Benham Rise
MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines cannot claim Benham Rise as its own territory despite it being part of the country’s 200-nautical mile exclusive economic zone, Beijing said. In 2012, the United Nations Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf approved the submission of the Philippines in 2009 with respect to the limits of its continental shelf in the Benham…
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China’s South China Sea End Game: Implications and Next Steps
China’s ongoing actions in the South China Sea belie its promises of the last five years. Its Foreign Ministry announced in 2013 that its suppression of non-Chinese fishermen was to protect the region’s sensitive marine environment. Since then, it has ripped up 2.4 million hectares of endangered coral reefs to enlarge atolls and islets into artificial islands. More importantly, China…
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Vietnam protests China’s weather stations in disputed sea
HANOI, Vietnam — Vietnam has strongly protested China’s launch of weather stations in the disputed Spratly islands, saying they seriously violate Vietnam’s sovereignty and complicate the situation in the South China Sea. China last week announced it started operations of the stations on three islands to offer weather forecasts to fishermen. Vietnamese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Le Thi Thu Hang told…
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Coming Soon to the South China Sea?: China’s AG600—the World’s Largest Amphibious Aircraft
Under peaceful circumstances, a giant seaplane would be more a matter of curiosity or commercial interest. But there’s nothing peaceful about the geopolitical situation in the South China Sea, where multiple nations—notably China—claim sovereignty over scattered islands and resource-rich waters China’s AG600—believed to be the world’s largest amphibious aircraft—may soon be operational. The transport plane—the size of a Boeing 737…
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Chinese leaders ‘recognize WPS is ours’
In a startling claim, Senate President Vicente Sotto III on Wednesday said China’s leaders intimated during top-level talks recently that “they do agree that those areas” in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) “are ours.” Without elaborating as he had no authority to speak for the President, Sotto said there were looming positive developments in confidential talks between Manila and Beijing…
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‘No chance against China’: Gas deal worries Filipino fishermen
Pact expected to give China exclusive South China Sea exploration rights would put Filipino fishing communities at risk. San Salvador Island, Philippines – It is 6:30am on a Sunday morning and Rony Drio, 51, is on his way out into the water. He tosses his net and snorkelling gear into his small wooden boat, an outrigger canoe called a “bangka”.…
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FLASH POINT TAIWAN RAISES U.S.-CHINA MILITARY TENSIONS
When Gen. Wei Fenghe, China’s defense minister, took to the stage at the Xiangshan security forum organized by the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) in Beijing last month, he assured delegations from 64 countries that China’s military “has always been a staunch defender of world peace.” Yet in the same breath, he issued a sharp warning: “Taiwan is China’s core interest,”…
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US, China to hold delayed diplomatic, security dialogue
High-level talks now set for Friday as world’s two largest economies look for ways to resolve damaging trade war. The United States and China will hold top-level diplomatic and security talks in Washington, DC, on Friday, amid moves to try and resolve a damaging trade war. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Defense Secretary James Mattis, Chinese politburo member Yang Jiechi…
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US, China set for high-level talks to avert South China Sea clashes
The US and China will hold a second round of high-level diplomatic and security talks in Washington on Friday in a show of willingness for the two sides to continue communications amid rising tensions in the South China Sea and Taiwan Strait. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Secretary of Defence James Mattis will host Yang Jiechi, China’s director…
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WW3: China fires furious ‘CONSEQUENCES’ warning to US in South China Sea warship FACE-OFF
A CHINESE naval commander warned a US warship those on board would “suffer consequences” if it did not change course in the run-up to a near-miss in the South China Sea, according to military documents obtained by the MoD. The Luyang destroyer issued the verbal warning to the USS Decatur seconds before the Chinese ship passed 45 yards from the…
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Chinese warship crew says ‘good morning’ to Japanese helicopter carrier sailors in South China Sea
The crew of a Chinese warship sent a friendly greeting to Japanese sailors aboard a helicopter carrier they encountered in the South China Sea recently in what analysts said was a further sign, albeit superficial, of the warming ties between the two Asian giants. The incident happened late last month when China’s Luyang-II class guided-missile destroyer Lanzhou spotted the Japanese…