South China Sea Dispute
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Eyes on Crimea, China makes its move
While much of the world was busy watching Russia swallow Crimea, few realized that an also dangerous territorial tit-for-tat had begun to unfold earlier this month more than 5,000 miles away in the South China Sea. At Second Thomas Shoal, a handful of Philippine marines have long been stationed and re-provisioned on the rusting deck […]
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China’s SCS claim threatens RI sovereignty
Has China abandoned its policy of resolving the contentious South China Sea (SCS) issue through peaceful means? China’s recent big brother behavior and unilateral military measures like naval blockades and xenophobic rhetoric have all given the impression that overconfident China is increasingly shedding its soft-power image in resolving both the East China Sea and SCS […]
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Philippines offers US forces access to military bases
MANILA – The Philippines has agreed to allow the United States access to its military bases under a new security deal being negotiated by the two allies, amid mounting concern over China’s increasing assertiveness in the disputed waters of the South China Sea. The offer was made during a sixth round of talks held in […]
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DFA belies alleged PH’s pull-out from Ayungin Shoal
The Department of Foreign Affairs today issued a statement to belie China’s allegation that the country has agreed to pull-out of the Ayungin Shoal. In a remote corner of the South China Sea, 105 nautical miles from the Philippines, lies a submerged reef that Filipinos call Ayungin. In most ways it resembles the hundreds of […]
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Vietnam to Boost Support for Fishermen Caught up in Territorial Dispute with China
Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung is pledging to create more favorable working conditions for more than 1 million fishermen who he said play a part in protecting the country’s sovereignty in the disputed South China Sea. In a speech this week, Dung asked relevant ministries to put forward concrete credit policies such as easier […]
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Indonesia’s Military Flexes Muscle as S. China Sea Dispute Looms
Jakarta. In a move that could have serious repercussions for the security situation in the South China Sea, Indonesian officials on Wednesday acknowledged that China was claiming part of Indonesia’s Riau Islands province as its own territory. The Indonesian Military’s (TNI) Air Commodore Fahru Zaini, who is a member of the defense strategy unit at […]
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Manila air-drops supplies to troops on disputed South China Sea reef
Manila: The Philippines air-dropped food and water to soldiers posted on a grounded transport ship on a disputed South China Sea shoal, after China blocked two supply ships from reaching the troops, a senior navy official said on Wednesday. Chinese ships patrolling waters around Second Thomas Shoal, known in China as the Ren’ai reef, on […]
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Japan, South Korea Hold High-level Talks Amid Strained Ties
South Korea and Japan held vice ministerial-level talks Wednesday in Seoul to discuss improving strained relations. The meeting between Japanese Vice Foreign Minister Akitaka Saiki and his South Korean counterpart Cho Tae-yong is the countries’ highest-level diplomatic interaction in months. Relations between the two Asian powers have plummeted over what Seoul considers Tokyo’s unapologetic stance […]
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Govt ‘will never accept’ China’s 9-dash line
Ayungin Shoal, Bajo de Masinloc, China, itlos, Nine Dash Line, Panatag Shoal, Philippines, South China Sea Dispute, UNCLOSMalacañang declared on Wednesday that it would ‘never respect China’s nine-dash claim’ in the South China Sea and that no one – especially not Beijing – can prevent Filipino fishermen from plying the country’s waters. “[We will never respect it because] it’s a derogation of international laws. Nine-dash line is something we cannot accept,” said […]
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China’s Military Modernization: Why It Doesn’t Mean What You Think It Means
The National People’s Congress is wrapping up in Beijing this week, but the final meetings are still attracting widespread attention. On March 11, Chinese President (and Chairman of the Central Military Commission) Xi Jinping attended a meeting of NPC delegates from the People’s Liberation Army. Interestingly, both Chinese and Western media focused on similar themes […]