West Philippine Sea
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Are China and the Philippines Agreeing to Share the South China Sea?
In theory, any resource-sharing agreement should be consistent with both countries’ national as well as the 2016 international tribunal ruling at The Hague, which nullified much of China’s nine-dash line map claims to areas Manila views as its own. The Philippine constitution bars any JDA with a foreign entity that refuses to acknowledge the country’s […]
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Islands of Chinese power
When the US aircraft carrier, Carl Vincent, recently made a port call at Da Nang, Vietnam, it attracted international attention because this was the first time that a large contingent of US military personnel landed on Vietnamese soil since the last of the American troops withdrew from that country in 1975. The symbolism of this […]
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What a Nixed Energy Project Reveals About Vietnam’s South China Sea Calculus
Late last month, Vietnam suspended ongoing work on a major oil drilling project in disputed waters between it and China in the South China Sea, reportedly under Chinese pressure. The incident revealed the ongoing challenge Vietnam faces in protecting its interests in the vital waterway as Beijing continues to aggressively assert its maritime claims. Vietnam […]
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Ahead of Drills in South China Sea, Chinese Foreign Minister Visits Vietnam
China and Vietnam agree to “cautiously handle maritime issues.” From March 30 to April 2, Wang Yi, China’s foreign minister as well as a member of the State Council, paid an official four-day visit to Vietnam. Officially, Wang was in Vietnam this time mainly to attend the sixth Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) Economic Cooperation Leaders’ […]
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Report: U.S. Navy could soon conduct drills in South China Sea
Hong Kong press reported Tuesday the Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group anchored at Singapore port and may soon be deployed to the South China Sea. File Photo courtesy of United States Navy Sign up for our weekly Korea Now newsletter An exclusive report putting perspective on the week’s most important developments. April 3 (UPI) — […]
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Chinese air force holds drills over South China Sea, Western Pacific in ‘preparation for war’
H-6K bombers, Su-30 and Su-35 fighter jets were among the aircraft involved in the combat patrols and drills, and they also passed over the Miyako Strait, which lies between two Japanese islands, the air force said in a statement on Sunday. It called the exercises the air force’s best preparation for war. The air force […]
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U.S. Destroyer Sails Near Chinese-Held Island
On Friday, as the U.S. and China sparred over trade and tariffs, the U.S. Navy destroyer USS Mustin conducted freedom of navigation operations (FONOPS) in proximity to Mischief Reef, a Chinese-occupied feature in the Spratly Islands. In a statement, a spokesperson for U.S. Pacific Fleet declined to confirm the specific operation. “We conduct routine and […]
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‘Serious harm to sovereignty’: Beijing angry after US destroyer sails near disputed islands
The passage of a US Navy destroyer near the Chinese-claimed islands in the South China Sea was a major political and military provocation against Beijing, the Chinese Defense Ministry has warned. The USS Mustin came within 12 nautical miles of Mischief Reef in the Spratly Islands archipelago, known as Nansha Islands in China, Reuters reported […]
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US warship sails near disputed islands in South China Sea, officials say
WASHINGTON – A US Navy destroyer carried out a “freedom of navigation” operation on Friday, coming within 12 nautical miles or about 22 kilometers of an artificial island built by China in the disputed South China Sea, US officials told Reuters. Friday’s operation, a move likely to anger China. was the latest attempt to counter […]
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US Navy warship closely sails off Mischief Reef
The US Navy carried out a freedom of navigation operation in one of China’s artificial islands in the South China Sea on Friday, news agency Reuters reported, citing US officials. The USS Mustin sailed 12 nautical miles off Mischief Reef (Panganiban Reef) in the Spratly Islands, a group of islands also being claimed by the […]