West Philippine Sea
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New vessel to supply South China Sea islands
A new ship set sail Monday from Hainan Island for Sansha City on its maiden voyage to supply islands in the vast South China Sea. The civil ship Sansha I is the largest and most advanced vessel yet to supply and commute between Hainan Island and islets in the South China Sea. Sansha I is […]
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Malaysia And South China Sea: Will KL Abandon Its Hedging Policy? – Analysis
ASEAN, Bilateral Relations, China, Code of Conduct, Flotilla, Foreign Relations, Malaysia, Paracels, Philippines, Sabah, South China Sea Dispute, Spratlys, VietnamWhile Malaysia remains fully committed to a “common ASEAN position” in terms of engaging China on the South China Sea disputes, it does not want this to affect its good bilateral relations with Beijing – as do several other ASEAN states. It is unlikely that KL will change its hedging policy. By Nguyen Huu Tuc* […]
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China Says Construction at Disputed Reef for Intelligence Gathering Use
Artificial Islands, China, Reclamation, South China Sea Dispute, Spratlys, Unsinkable Aircraft CarriersCol. Jin Zirui of the Chinese Air Force Headquarters justified the ongoing construction of an airstrip at Fiery Cross Reef, one of the islands in the Spratlys that is being disputed by several Asian nations. The base under construction is intended as support for China’s radar system and gathering of intel, Asahi quoted Col. Jin […]
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The grand masterplan of China’s Xi Jinping
Accidental War, ADIZ, Air Defense Identification Zone, China, Japan, Mutual Defense, Oil Rig, South China Sea Dispute, USA, Vietnam, WarChina’s shift away from muscle-flexing and a confluence of interests with a US-led order offer hope it will not continue to engender large-scale regional instability next year, says Yoon Young-kwan CHINA spent much of 2014 seeking to revive a concept that Japan proclaimed seven decades ago, when it was an imperial power seeking to impose […]
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Will China continue to provoke its neighbours in 2015?
ADIZ, Air Defense Identification Zone, China, Diaoyu, Japan, Philippines, Senkaku, South China Sea Dispute, South Korea, VietnamA nudge by air in 2013. A probe by sea in 2014. Will China take a crack on land in 2015? For the sake of world peace, let’s hope not. However, China’s nudge and probe record, especially over the last two years, should worry diplomats and alert headline writers. In 2013, China tested Japanese and […]
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China’s Grand-Strategy Challenge: Creating Its Own Islands in the South China Sea
Artificial Islands, China, Militarization, Philippines, Reclamation, South China Sea Dispute, StrategySatellite images analyzed by defense intelligence magazine IHS Jane’s show that China is reclaiming on Fiery Cross Reef in the Spratly Islands a piece of land that bears the shape of a 3000-meter airfield and a harbor large enough to receive tankers and major warships. This is not the first, but the latest in a […]
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Time for Japan to Get Its Own Nuclear Weapons?
ADIZ, Air Defense Identification Zone, China, Diaoyu, East China Sea, Japan, Militarization, Nuclear Weapons, Senkaku, South China Sea Dispute, WarIs it time for Japan to consider acquiring nuclear weapons? What about America’s nuclear forces? Are they the right size for today’s challenging international landscape? TNI’s Executive Editor, Harry J. Kazianis, spoke with Christine M. Leah, a postdoctoral Grand Strategy Fellow at Yale University to explore these topics and more. Also, please see Ms. Leah’s […]
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Russian Sanctions, China, and the Arctic
Russian Arctic offshore energy efforts are in a period of unwelcome pause, and the flight of Western companies in the face of sanctions imposed by their home countries has left the future of these efforts up in the air. But this state is unlikely to last for long. Western firms have left incredible opportunity in […]
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2015: Will China continue to probe its neighbors?
ADIZ, Air Defense Identification Zone, China, Drones, Japan, Probes, South China Sea Dispute, South KoreaA nudge by air in 2013. A probe by sea in 2014. Will China take a crack on land in 2015? For the sake of world peace, let’s hope not. However, China’s nudge and probe record, especially over the last two years, should worry diplomats and alert headline writers. In 2013, China tested Japanese and […]
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China and Vietnam Eschew Megaphone Diplomacy
It is now clear that the August 26-27, 2014 visit to Beijing by Le Hong Anh, special envoy of the Secretary General of the Vietnam Communist Party (VCP), marked an important inflection point in Sino-Vietnamese relations following the HD 981 oil rig crisis of the preceding three months. Anh, who is also a senior member […]