West Philippine Sea
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China likely to build more islands—Lorenzana
Manila expects China to try to build on a reef off the Philippines’ coast, the country’s defense secretary said Tuesday, a move he said would be “unacceptable” in the flashpoint waterway. In an interview with AFP, Delfin Lorenzana said he believed China would eventually reclaim the Scarborough Shoal, which sits just 230 kilometers from the […]
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China vows to firmly safeguard South China Sea amid tougher US
The Chinese government vowed to safeguard China-occupied features in West Philippines Sea, this is as the new United States administration under President Donald Trump signaled tougher position. China is claiming, virtually, the entire South China Sea including the waters within Philippines’ exclusive economic zone (EEZ) known as the West Philippine Sea. “The new US administration […]
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What has Beijing achieved in the South China Sea?
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson’s comment during his confirmation hearing that the United States would deny China access to its man-made island bases in the South China Sea caused a predictable furor. However, few people seriously think the US is going to blockade the islands. This is a poor option anyway. China’s military is not […]
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The South China Sea – Some Fundamental Strategic Principles
With the incoming administration likely to grapple early with South China Sea issues, the CSIS Southeast Asia Program, directed by Dr. Amy Searight, worked in collaboration with other Asia colleagues at CSIS—Dr. Michael Green, Senior Vice President for Asia and Japan Chair; Dr. Zack Cooper, Fellow, Japan Chair; Bonnie Glaser, Senior Adviser for Asia and […]
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SOUTH CHINA SEA GUIDELINES FOR THE NEW ADMINISTRATION
A critical and early Chinese test of U.S. resolve is likely to come in the South China Sea, where Washington has struggled to respond effectively to assertive Chinese behavior. Enduring U.S. interests — freedom of navigation and overflight, support for the rules-based international order, and the peaceful resolution of disputes — are at risk in […]
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Vietnam and China: contingent cooperation, not capitulation
On 12 January, Vietnamese Communist Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong arrived in China for a lavish, well publicised four-day official visit. Nguyen’s trip symbolised the significant improvement in Sino–Vietnamese relations since their nadir during the HYSY-981 oil rig confrontations in mid-2014. Hanoi’s subsequent suppression of nationalist protests marking the 19 January anniversary of China’s […]
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CHINESE TAKEAWAY Takeover of South China Sea ‘is complete and US is now POWERLESS to stop its new naval dominance’
Biggest Pacific land and sea grabs since the Japanese invasions of 1930s and 1940s ‘almost complete’ CHINA is stealing the oil and gas rich South China Sea and it’s “too late” for US President Donald Trump to stop them, a senior defence expert warns. Former head of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) Sir Angus Houston […]
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China’s moves in South China Sea
Notwithstanding the warming relations between China and the Philippines, President Rodrigo Roa Duterte’s Secretary of National Defense voiced the country’s displeasure over China’s “very troubling” military activities in the disputed areas of the South China Sea. “The actions of China in militarizing those disputed features are very troubling,” Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said. “They do not […]
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Confronting China’s slow invasion at sea
Since the 1990s, China has insistently waged a slow and deliberate imperial war of territorial expansion in the South China Sea. “Imperial war” is the apt description. China exhibits classic imperial ambition. Using economic, diplomatic and military muscle (camouflaged by propaganda), Beijing adds territory to its imperial dominion at the expense of less powerful neighbors. […]
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China steps up as US steps back from global leadership
Chinese President Xi Jinping’s appearance at last week’s World Economic Forum shows global leadership is shifting, not drifting, toward Beijing. The most vigorous defense of globalization and multilateral cooperation was mounted not by an American statesman, but by the president of the People’s Republic of China. China’s Xi reaffirms US relations in talk with Trump […]