ASEAN
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Does ASEAN Have a South China Sea Position?
On March 25, Xinhua reported that Cambodia Prime Minister Hun Sen had reiterated that the South China Sea dispute is an issue between claimant states and China, not between the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and China. “It is not the issue of the whole of ASEAN, but the issue between claimant countries and China,” he said during a…
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Indonesian president says China’s main claim in South China Sea has no legal basis
(Reuters) – Indonesian President Joko Widodo said one of China’s main claims to the majority of the South China Sea had no legal basis in international law, but Jakarta wanted to remain an “honest broker” in one of Asia’s most thorny territorial disputes. Widodo’s comments in an interview with a major Japanese newspaper came as he embarked on a visit…
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Can Congress Stop China in the South China Sea?
Artificial Islands, ASEAN, China, Diplomatic Relations, Pivot, Reclamation, South China Sea Dispute, Spratlys, Status Quo, US Congress, USAA bipartisan effort is emerging to highlight dangerous trends in Asia—and specifically in the South China Sea. But will Obama listen? The balance of power in Asia is changing—and not in Washington’s favor. No longer can the United States count on simply massing forces Gulf War I style and quickly coming to the aid of its allies if combat ever…
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Vietnam, Australia call for ‘self-restraint’, warn against force in South China Sea
Vietnam and Australia today called for “self-restraint” in the South China Sea and warned against the unilateral use of force – an obvious reference to China’s increasingly aggressive presence that has stirred concerns across the disputed region. Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung – who met Australian counterpart Tony Abbott in Canberra to sign deals on security, climate change and…
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Concrete Steps for the U.S. in the South China Sea
War on the Rocks is expanding, and we need your help! Please support us on Indiegogo! The United States, its allies, and its partners face an intertwined series of challenges in the South China Sea. This nested series of issues is most clearly manifest in China’s recent (and continuing) island-creation and expansion in the South China Sea. China’s island-dredging is itself…
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PHL calls on int’l community to press to stop reclamation in South China Sea
The Philippines has called on the international community to press for a stop to massive reclamation activities in the South China Sea that could increase tension in the disputed area. According to the Department of Foreign Affairs, Undersecretary Evan Garcia said at the 17th ASEAN-India Senior Officials Meeting (SOM) held in New Delhi on March 14 that “such unbridled reclamation…
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China Blasts ASEAN Head for South China Sea Remarks
China slammed the Vietnamese head of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Wednesday for a series of allegedly biased and false remarks on South China Sea disputes. “Mr. Le Luong Minh has repeatedly made biased comments on the issue of the South China Sea, which were untrue and incompatible with his capacity as ASEAN secretary-general,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson…
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India backs PH in China sea row
MANILA seems to have found a major ally in India in its territorial dispute with China in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea). In a roundtable interview with editors and staff of The Manila Times on Tuesday, Indian Ambassador to the Philippines Shri Lalduhthlana Ralte said New Delhi, like the Philippines, believes that the only viable and effective way…
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China Challenges ASEAN with Land Fills in South China Sea
Artificial Islands, ASEAN, Cambodia, China, Code of Conduct, Destabilization, Malaysia, Military Conflict, Philippines, Reclamation, South China Sea Dispute, String of Pearls Strategy, VietnamA stunning series of photos released by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington D.C. offer a grim outlook for the region as Beijing ratchets-up its territorial assertions over the hotly disputed Spratly and Paracel islands. At least four major man-made structures have been erected on Itu, Gaven, Johnson South and Fiery Cross reefs with supply platforms,…