West Philippine Sea
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China building runway on disputed islands: reports
Airstrip, Artificial Islands, China, Fiery Cross Reef, Philippines, Reclamation, South China Sea Dispute, SpratlysBEIJING — China is rapidly building an airstrip on an artificial island in disputed South China Sea waters, recent satellite pictures show, potentially ramping up tensions with several Southeast Asian neighbors. Fiery Cross in the Spratly Islands was little more than a reef when China began land reclamation works to turn it into an island […]
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China’s activities in South China Sea good for maintaining security, navigation freedom: ambassador
Artificial Islands, ASEAN, China, Code of Conduct, Philippines, Reclamation, South China Sea DisputeWASHINGTON, April 16 (Xinhua) — The Chinese Ambassador to the United States said Thursday that China’s buildup of its capabilities in the South China Sea provides public goods to all and “serves the interests of maintaining security, stability and freedom of navigation there.” In a keynote speech to the International Conference on China-U.S. cooperation in […]
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China may gain control of South China Sea, US navy says
HONG KONG — China’s island building program in the South China Sea may result in it gaining control of some of the world’s most important waterways, the US’ most senior military commander for Asia said. “If this activity continues at pace, is that it — those would give them de facto control” of the maritime […]
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China ‘building runway in disputed South China Sea island’
Airstrip, Artificial Islands, China, Fiery Cross Reef, Militarization, Philippines, Reclamation, South China Sea Dispute, Spratlys, USAThe images, published by IHS Jane’s Defence Weekly, show construction work on reclaimed land on Fiery Cross Reef in the Spratly Islands. The landmass could accommodate a runway about 3,000m long, the report said. China’s land reclamation work in the area has raised concern around the Asia-Pacific region. China claims almost the whole of the […]
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Who’s Got the Biggest Muscles in the South China Sea?
The United States and China have been trading barbs over each other’s ‘strength’ and ‘muscle’ as alarm continues to intensify about Beijing’s massive land reclamation activities in the South China Sea. U.S. President Barack Obama told a town-hall event in Jamaica last Thursday ahead of a Caribbean summit in Panama that Washington was concerned about […]
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Philippines seeks help from U.S. in South China Sea dispute
(Reuters) – The Philippines is seeking more “substantive” support from its long-time security ally United States on how to counter China’s rapid expansion in the South China Sea, the foreign secretary said on Wednesday. China’s rapid reclamation around seven reefs in the Spratly archipelago of the South China Sea has alarmed claimants, including the Philippines […]
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China is building its first runway on a disputed island chain in the South China Sea
Airstrip, Artificial Islands, China, Militarization, Philippines, Reclamation, South China Sea Dispute, Spratlys, USAChina has begun construction of a military-length runway on an artificial island in the disputed South China Sea, according to an analysis by IHS Jane’s based on satellite imagery from Airbus Defense and Space. The runway is being constructed along the Fiery Cross Reef in the Spratly Islands. According to Jane’s, the reef will be […]
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China’s New Airstrip in the South China Sea Is Almost Completed
China is close to completing the construction of an airstrip on a tiny outcrop in the South China Sea, heightening its ability to project power regionally from the disputed waters and further raising the stakes in an increasingly tense showdown between Beijing, its neighbors, and the United States. New satellite images provided to Foreign Policy […]
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Beijing’s Fait Accompli in the South China Sea
Analysis, Artificial Islands, China, Diplomatic Relations, Foreign Relations, Militarization, Reclamation, South China Sea Dispute, Spratlys, USAUnprecedented? Or perhaps even refreshing? For the first time, Beijing has offered a more elaborate clarification about its recent activities in the South China Sea? Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokeswoman Hua Chunying, in response to a question posed during the ministry press conference on April 9 about Chinese land reclamation around the Meiji Reef […]