West Philippine Sea
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Asean should resolve problem of overlapping claims in the South China Sea
Manila: All ten members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) and China must work together to reduce tension due to the overlapping claims in the South China Sea, an American official said, adding the US and all other countries in the world want to remain as neutral referees who aim to end tension […]
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East Sea: Are artificial islands more dangerous than oil rigs?
Airstrips, Artificial Islands, ASEAN, China, Code of Conduct, Oil Rigs, Philippines, Reclamation, South China Sea Disute, Unsinkable Aircraft CarrierChina’s East Sea policy has a clear delineation between short term and long term. The strategy to maintain a continuous presence in the undisputed waters to gradually turn them into disputed areas has been resolutely pursued by Beijing. The 981 oil rig incident is a typical example. China used this oil rig as a “mobile […]
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Japan Record Defense Budget Aims At Curbing China Threat
Military Spending: In the face of an expansionist China seeking to dominate the East and South China Seas, Tokyo has set its largest defense budget ever to help defend islands that it rightfully considers Japanese territory. As its military, economy and ambitions grow, so too does China’s assertiveness about control of the Yellow Sea, the […]
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Another Unsinkable Aircraft Carrier
Airstrips, Artificial Islands, China, Philippines, Reclamation, South China Sea Dispute, Unsinkable Aircraft CarrierAs part of a broader project of land reclamation, beginning in November China started efforts to develop Fiery Cross Reef in the Spratly Islands. As of late November the reef had been built up to 3,000 meters long and between two and three hundred wide. This makes it large enough, in the assessment of analysts […]
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Power trip: might China’s struggles with its neighbours bring war to Asia?
From the air, the Spratly Islands, a cluster of miniature rocks and sandbars 425,000 kilometres square in the middle of the South China Sea, are almost imperceptible. Even up close, the Spratlys do not look like much – a few islands have tiny rocky beaches or occasional makeshift buildings. A tiny contingent of Filipino marines […]
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South China Sea: Jakobson and Glaser are both right
There has recently been a touch of disagreement on this site between Linda Jakobson of the Lowy Institute and Bonnie Glaser of CSIS about the motivations for China’s actions in the South China Sea. In short, Jakobson argues that China’s decision-making can be explained by bureaucratic competition between China’s various maritime agencies, whereas Glaser says […]
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As Resistance Grows, Taiwan Challenges China’s Air, Sea Expansion
Airstrips, Artificial Islands, China, East China Sea, Reclamation, South China Sea Dispute, Spratyls, TaiwanLet’s assume 2015 is the year that Taiwan’s government normally friendly to Beijing starts resisting China instead. President Ma Ying-jeou’s Nationalist Party needs some anti-Communist credits for a shot at the presidency next year after disruptive mass protests and surprising local election losses in 2014. As if to kick off that campaign, Taiwan hoisted its […]
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China flays Manila for island comments
BEIJING: China on Monday hit back at the Philippines for criticizing Beijing’s ongoing reclamation project in the disputed South China Sea, saying that its actions were within the scope of Chinese sovereignty. China lays claim to almost all of the entire South China Sea, believed to be rich with minerals and oil-and-gas deposits. Brunei, Malaysia, […]
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China slams Philippines for criticizing island project in South China Sea
Reuters) – China on Monday hit back at the Philippines for criticizing Beijing’s ongoing reclamation project in the disputed South China Sea, saying that its actions were within the scope of Chinese sovereignty. China lays claim to almost all of the entire South China Sea, believed to be rich with minerals and oil-and-gas deposits. Brunei, […]
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China builds ports, helipads on Spratly islands
China’s reef reclamation and development projects in the disputed Spratly islands in the West Philippine Sea last year have progressed by leaps and bounds, and security officials expect them to be turned into man-made islets ready for occupation by Chinese military personnel and civilians. Armed Forces of the Philippines chief Gen. Pio Gregorio Catapang confirmed the […]