China
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China does best to dispel pact hope
Optimism over a relaxation of tensions in the South China Sea generated by China’s agreement to discuss a code of conduct with the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) next month is rapidly dissipating in the wake of Beijing’s clear reluctance to reach an early agreement. In late June, when China and ASEAN agreed […]
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ASEAN vows unity on South China Sea – Thai official
ASEAN, Brunei, China, Code of Conduct, Malaysia, Philippines, South China Sea Dispute, Taiwan, Thailand, VietnamBANGKOK – Southeast Asian nations on Wednesday vowed unity in pressing China to accept a binding code of conduct for handling disputes in the South China Sea, the Thai foreign ministry said. Competing claims to the sea have for decades stirred tension in the region and the waterway, which is believed to sit atop vast […]
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China calls for restraint on South China Sea issue
Beijing: China has called on countries involved in the South China Sea issue to avoid aggravating conflicts, as Manila continues to add fuel to its maritime dispute with Beijing. The call was given by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi while addressing a high-level forum between China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in Bangkok […]
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Chinese Foot-Dragging
If there is ever going to be an end to tensions over the South China Sea, one of the world’s most strategically important waterways, countries in the region need to find a way to work out their volatile maritime disputes. China, more than any other nation, has fanned those hostilities with sweeping sovereignty claims and […]
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China needs to clarify its maritime intentions
Being open about its intentions is the best way for China to ease the minds of those worried about its growing might. A lack of transparency amid a marked naval buildup and greater assertiveness over territorial disputes in the East and South China seas has raised tensions and prompted nationalism and military buying sprees. President […]
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South China Sea cooperation benefits all
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi proposed a three-pronged solution to the disputes over the South China Sea while meeting with the chairman of the Asia Peace Reconciliation Council in Bangkok on August 2. The solution, which includes a commitment to exploring ways. Fishing boats set off for fishing from a fishing port in Qionghai City, […]
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China’s reservations
China has made three reservations to the compulsory and binding dispute settlement procedure of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. Of these, only two appear to be relevant to the Philippine arbitral submission against China involving the West Philippine Sea. The first, a reservation on maritime delimitation, does not appear to be […]
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Chinese navy launches new patrol route in the S. China Sea
Ayungin Shoal, Bajo de Masinloc, China, Fishing Rights, Militarization, Mischief Reef, Navy, Philippines, Second Thomaa Shoal, South China Sea DisputeAfter fortifying its naval outposts in the South China Sea, China has established a maritime surveillance patrol route that covers practically all disputed reefs, shoals and islets in the sea, even those within 85 nautical miles of the Philippines’ westernmost island province of Palawan, a classified military report seen Monday by Kyodo News says. The […]
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Negotiation—Not War—Can Resolve China’s Conflict With Japan
ASEAN, China, Diaoyu, East China Sea, Fishing Rights, Japan, Philippines, Senkaku Island, South China Sea Dispute, UNCLOSSino-Japanese relations do not look promising at the moment. Obviously, the Diaoyu-Senkaku dispute is not the only factor in play, but it does focus nationalist passions on both sides. Yet both countries are capable of wiser conduct if their leaders can manage to rise above the dangerous temptations to beat military drums. As China and […]
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Beijing tells Asean to be realistic in hopes for South China Sea code of conduct
All parties with territorial disputes over the South China Sea should have “realistic expectations” and take “a gradual approach” to a proposed code of conduct aimed at defusing maritime tensions in the region, China’s foreign minister said in Hanoi yesterday. Wang Yi , who wraps up a six-day visit to four South East Asian countries […]