China
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South China Sea: Coming Chinese Land Reclamation at Scarborough Shoal?
The top U.S. naval officer has expressed concerns that China may be expanding its presence at Scarborough Shoal. Back in 2012, Scarborough Shoal was at the center of a major stand-off between China and the Philippines that presaged the current period of instability in the South China Sea. Though Beijing’s assertiveness, as demonstrated through its […]
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Philippines v. China Won’t End South China Sea Disputes
Observers of Asian geopolitics are by now familiar with the legal challenge brought by the Philippines challenging China’s maritime claims in the South China Sea. Last year, the Permanent Court of Arbitration ruled that it had jurisdiction over the main claims brought by the Philippines, rejecting China’s argument that the case presented a territorial dispute […]
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China’s Plan for Lawfare in the Maritime Domain
China will set up an “international maritime judicial center” to protect the country’s maritime rights and sovereignty claims, China’s top judge told the National People’s Congress on Sunday. Zhou Qiang, the chief justice of the Supreme People’s Court, made the comment while delivering the annual SPC work report. China’s Foreign Ministry clarified that the center […]
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The three tests powers must pass to avoid Asian tragedy
Asean, China and the US must reach agreement on rules, resource management and maritime operations in the South China Sea The three powers via for influence in our region – the US, Asean and China – are now entangled in the South China Sea territory disputes one way or another. Four Asean members have overlapping […]
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South China Sea Controversy: Japan’s Expanding Role With Aid To Philippines, Raises China’s Ire
U.S. Navy amphibious assault ships USS Bonhomme Richard, bottom, and USS Boxer, second from top, are underway with the Republic of Korea Navy Dokdo Amphibious Ready Group in the East Sea during exercise Ssang Yong 2016, March 8, 2016. PHOTO: REUTERS/U.S. MARINE CORPS/CPL. DARIEN J. BJORNDAL The Chinese government criticized Japan’s growing role in the […]
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China able to project ‘substantial offensive power’ from Spratlys in months—US
WASHINGTON – China will be able to project “substantial offensive military power” from artificial islands it has built in the South China Sea’s disputed Spratly Islands within months, the director of U.S. national intelligence said. In a Feb. 23 letter to John McCain, chair of the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee, James Clapper said Chinese […]
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Beijing’s Blunder China’s aggression in the South China Sea actually created an opportunity for the U.S.
The news that China deployed surface-to-air missiles and fighter jets to the disputed Paracel Islands is only the latest example of Beijing’s increasingly aggressive posture over its claims of sovereignty over the South China Sea. China’s island-building and subsequent militarization efforts are part of a broader strategy to reduce American influence in the region, but […]
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China gaining ‘substantial power’ in South China Sea
China will be able to project “substantial offensive military power” from artificial islands it has built in the South China Sea’s disputed Spratly Islands (Nansha Islands, 南沙群島) within months, the director of US national intelligence said. In a Feb. 23 letter to US Seantor John McCain, chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee, US Director […]
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Insight: South China Sea a test for three major powers
Three powers with concerns in the region — the US, ASEAN and China — are now entangled in the South China Sea issue one way or another. Some ASEAN members have overlapping sovereignty claims among themselves and also with China. The claims cover hundreds of tiny islands, islets, rocks and even reefs and sandbanks as […]
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China says it won’t budge on South China Sea sovereignty
BEIJING — China’s foreign minister took a hard line Tuesday on the country’s claims to virtually all the South China Sea, saying it won’t permit other nations to infringe on what it considers its sovereign rights in the strategically vital area. Wang Yi, speaking to reporters at an annual news conference in Beijing, said another […]