Philippines
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DND: China must end Mischief Reef work
Artificial Islands, China, Mischeif Reef, Philippines, Reclamation, South China Sea Dispute, SpratlysMANILA – The Department of National Defense (DND) on Thursday expressed deep concern over China’s reclamation project on Mischief Reef, one of the disputed areas in the West Philippine Sea. “It’s a major or critical concern. They have to dismantle it. It’s a concern not only for our country and region but for the whole international community,” said DND spokesman…
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National Post View: China gets greedy
Artificial Islands, China, Philippines, Reclamation, South China Sea Dispute, Spratlys, USA, USA TodayIn the waters of the Pacific lies the area known as the South China Sea. The area, which can generally be described as the waters south of Hong Kong between Vietnam and the Philippines, is a mishmash of tiny islands — some little more than rocks — and competing territorial claims. China, Vietnam, the Philippines, Taiwan, Malaysia and Brunei all claim…
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China, Vietnam must manage sea dispute well to keep peace: Xi
(Reuters) – Chinese President Xi Jinping told the visiting head of Vietnam’s ruling Communist Party on Tuesday that the two countries must manage their dispute over the South China Sea well to maintain peace and stability, state media reported. Communist parties rule both countries and trade has swelled to $50 billion annually, but Vietnam has long been suspicious of its…
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Piling Sand in a Disputed Sea, China Literally Gains Ground
Artificial Islands, China, Great Wall of Sand, Philippines, Reclamation, South China Sea Dispute, SpratlysWASHINGTON — The clusters of Chinese vessels busily dredge white sand and pump it onto partly submerged coral, aptly named Mischief Reef, transforming it into an island. Over a matter of weeks, satellite photographs show the island growing bigger, its few shacks on stilts replaced by buildings. What appears to be an amphibious warship, capable of holding 500 to 800…
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U.S. defense chief warns against militarization of territorial rows in Asia
Artificial Islands, China, Diaoyu, Great Wall of Sand, Japan, Mlitarization, Philippines, Reclamation, Senkaku, Shinzo Abe, South China Sea Dispute, Spratlys, USA(Reuters) – U.S. Secretary of Defense Ash Carter kicked off his first Asian tour on Wednesday with a stern warning against the militarization of territorial rows in a region where China is at odds with several nations in the East and South China Seas. Carter’s visit to Japan coincides with growing U.S. concern over China’s land reclamation in the Spratly…
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China defends land reclamation on disputed islands
CHINA – Beijing reaffirmed its right to build on disputed islands in the South China Sea on Thursday after satellite imagery emerged of construction operations turning tropical reefs into concrete artificial islands. A series of satellite images posted on the website of the Center for Strategic and International Studies show a flotilla of Chinese vessels dredging sand onto Mischief Reef…
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China mounts detailed defence of South China Sea reclamation
Artificial Islands, China, Mischief Reef, Philippines, Reclamation, South China Sea Dispute, SpratlysBEIJING (Reuters) – China on Thursday sketched out plans for the islands it is creating in the disputed South China Sea, saying they would be used for military defence as well as to provide civilian services that would benefit other countries. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told a news briefing that the reclamation and building work in the Spratly…
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Science and Geopolitics Converging in the Troubled Waters of the South China Sea
Artificial Islands, China, Ecology, Fisihing Rights, Philippines, Reclamation, South China Sea DisputeThe South China Sea remains at the epicenter of one of the most volatile maritime areas in the world, with little or no agreement on sovereignty claims to the ownership of atolls, submerged banks, islands, reefs and rocks. Yet South China Sea fishermen, marine biologists, and policy shapers agree that without an end to unsustainable fishing practices and urgent adoption…
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South China Sea territorial clashes threaten environmental catastrophe
Artificial Islands, China, Ecology, Environment, Philippines, Reclamation, South China Sea Dispute, Spratlys, VietnamChina’s mounting clashes with its neighbors over control of the South China Sea also could be fueling a major environmental catastrophe, endangering fishing stocks, threatening marine biodiversity and posing long-term threats to some of the globe’s most spectacular coral reefs. Environmental scientists say the dangers are increasing as the conflicting sovereignty claims heat up between China and eight East Asian…
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US to Stop China on Sea Reclamation at Spratly
WASHINGTON – Leading senators expressed alarm on Thursday at the scale and speed of South China Sea and said a formal U.S. strategy was needed to slow or stop the work. In a letter to U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter, Republican Senators John McCain and Bob Corker and Democrats Jack Reed and Bob Menendez said that without a comprehensive strategy “long-standing interests of the United States,…