China
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Will China’s Economic Collapse Save the South China Sea?
Not too long ago, the Chinese economy appeared to defy both gravity and doomsayers. Despite years of unbalanced growth, Beijing has managed to rely on investment to power its economy and keep growth high. The country’s binge on credit since 2009, which has brought the debt-to-GDP ratio close to 300 percent, a perilous level for an upper-middle income country, has…
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WWIII Simmers Over South China Sea Dispute; China Pitted Against Australia, India, US, Japan
ADIZ, Air Defense Identification Zone, Artificial Islands, China, Militarization, Military Conflict, Philippines, Reclamation, Regular Patrols, South China Sea Dispute, Spratlys, USAIndia and Australia will conduct their first ever bilateral war games in September with an eye on China. Chinese authorities said it is unperturbed but claimed that the naval drill is part of a long-planned alliance with the U.S. and Japan to contain China over South China Sea dispute. According to a report from Reuters, the India-Australia naval drill is…
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China may fear reputation damage more than military threats over South China Sea
ADIZ, Air Defense Identification Zone, Arbitration, Artificial Islands, China, Militarization, Military Conflict, Philippines, Reclamation, Regular Patrols, South China Sea Dispute, Spratlys, UNCLOS, USAChina’s rapid construction of a string of artificial islands in the South China Sea has entered a more troubling phase. According to a major Pentagon report released last week, Beijing is shifting its focus from land reclamation to building deepwater ports, military-grade airstrips and other strategic infrastructure on top of its islands. While it’s unclear whether military forces will also…
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FULL TEXT: Transcript of oral arguments on Philippines vs China arbitration case
MANILA, Philippines – The Arbitral Tribunal of the Permanent Court of Arbitration at The Hague, Netherlands released the full transcript of the oral hearings on the territorial disputes in the West Philippine Sea as requested by the Philippines. Last July, the Philippines sent a delegation composed of top executives from the three government branches as the United Nations arbitral tribunal…
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China conducts air, sea drills in East China Sea
ADIZ, Air Defense Identification Zone, Artificial Islands, China, East China Sea, Militarization, Military Conflict, Philippines, Reclamation, Regular Patrols, South China Sea Dispute, Spratlys, USAChina conducted large-scale air and sea exercises in the East China Sea on Thursday, state news agency Xinhua said, the third time in the last two months it has carried out such live-fire maritime drills. The training involved more than 100 ships, dozens of aircraft, information warfare units as well the firing of close to 100 missiles, Xinhua said. It…
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China’s new long-range bomber to debut in Victory-Day parade: Report
ADIZ, Air Defense Identification Zone, Artificial Islands, China, Militarization, Military Conflict, Philippines, Reclamation, Regular Patrols, South China Sea Dispute, Spratlys, USABEIJING: China will unveil a refitted model of a long-range strategic bomber next week during the massive military parade here to commemorate the victory against Japan in WWII, the state media reported today. The aircraft, independently developed for long-distance precision strikes, was loosely based on a previous bomber model, but 90 per cent has been refitted, Bao Lianjing, leading pilot…
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“The gift from the sea”: through land reclamation, China keeps growing and growing
ADIZ, Air Defense Identification Zone, Artificial Islands, China, Militarization, Military Conflict, Philippines, Reclamation, Regular Patrols, South China Sea Dispute, Spratlys, USAChina has undergone more than three decades of unprecedented rapid growth. Literally. The country is expanding. Hundreds of square kilometres are added onto China each year, as coastlines are extended farther and farther out to sea. Massive amounts of land are being reclaimed to build new cities, ports, resorts, and industrial zones. Dubbed by the domestic media as a “gift…
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New U.S. Security Strategy Doesn’t Go Far Enough on South China Sea
ADIZ, Air Defense Identification Zone, Artificial Islands, China, Militarization, Military Conflict, Philippines, Reclamation, Regular Patrols, South China Sea Dispute, Spratlys, USAThe Pentagon just released an “Asia-Pacific Maritime Security Strategy.” The document articulates three regional maritime objectives heretofore insufficiently stressed and linked: “to safeguard the freedom of the seas; deter conflict and coercion; and promote adherence to international law and standards.” Long-overdue, the strategy represents a positive contribution, but remains far from sufficient. First, the strengths: The Pentagon understands the importance…
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Taiwan and the South China Sea: More steps in the right direction
ADIZ, Air Defense Identification Zone, Artificial Islands, China, Militarization, Military Conflict, Philippines, Reclamation, Regular Patrols, South China Sea Dispute, Spratlys, Taiwan, USASince then, Taiwan, one of the six claimants in the South China Sea dispute along with China, the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei, has moved to take additional positive steps, most notably, officially launching a South China Sea Peace Initiative. In a climate where much of the news on the South China Sea has been negative and where the focus…