USA
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US, China heading toward face-off, says Mearsheimer
TOKYO — If China continues to grow economically and militarily, the possibility of armed conflict in Asia will grow as countries such as Japan and the U.S. step up their security efforts, says John J. Mearsheimer, a professor of political science at the University of Chicago. The American scholar and author said he came to […]
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Concrete Steps for the U.S. in the South China Sea
War on the Rocks is expanding, and we need your help! Please support us on Indiegogo! The United States, its allies, and its partners face an intertwined series of challenges in the South China Sea. This nested series of issues is most clearly manifest in China’s recent (and continuing) island-creation and expansion in the South China […]
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China challenging the US-led status quo in Asia: commentary
By increasing the country’s military budget every year, China’s government is moving closer to challenging the US-led strategic status quo in the Asia-Pacific since 1945, writes Benjamin Herscovitch, a researcher from the Centre for Independent Studies, an Australian libertarian think tank based in St Leonards, in a commentary written for the Business Spectator on March […]
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Beijing’s land reclamation project worrisome; India, Washington should be watchful
ADIZ, Air Defense Identification Zone, Artificial Islands, China, East China Sea, India, Philippines, Reclamation, South China Sea Dispute, USADuring a visit to New Delhi earlier this month, Admiral Harry Harris, commander of the US Pacific Fleet, exhorted India to increase its presence in the South China Sea where China is literally creating new geography by enlarging reefs into artificial islands. He called China’s massive land reclamation “provocative” because it effectively changes “facts on […]
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Japan flexing muscles in South China Sea disputes
China, Foreign Relations, Japan, Militarization, Military Conflict, Mutual Defense, Philippines, South China Sea Dispute, USA, VietnamJapan used to be aloof from the three-way chess game of conflicting territorial claims in the South China Sea. Tokyo was pre-occupied with its own territorial dispute with China over a group of uninhabited islands in the East China Sea, known as the Senkaku in Japan and the Daioyu in China. However, quietly encouraged by […]
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With the U.S. distracted, China builds ‘The Mischief Islands’
Artificial Islands, Brunei, China, Malaysia, Reclamation, South China Sea Dispute, Spratlys, Taiwan, USA, VietnamAs if there aren’t enough territorial disputes the world over, China is — literally — manufacturing a new one in the South China Sea by transforming a series of lonely reefs into small islands. Where nautical charts once identified bumps in the sea as Mischief Reef, Gaven Reef and others, China is dredging massive amounts […]
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Japan Gets Involved In South China Sea Territorial Dispute: Tokyo Offers Maritime Support To Philippines, Vietnam
Artificial Islands, China, Japan, Militarization, Philippines, Reclamation Project, South China Sea Dispute, Spratlys, USAChina and several Southeast Asian nations are currently embroiled in a territorial and maritime dispute in the South China Sea over an area that includes a cluster of resource-rich islands and important trade routes. As China’s presence in the area becomes harder to ignore, Japan has quietly begun forging security ties with Chinese geopolitical adversaries. […]
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We are witnessing a new geopolitical reality in the South China Sea
Analysis, Artificial Islands, China, Reclamation, Sea Level Rise, South China Sea Dispute, Spratlys, Terriclaiming, UNCLOS, USAOver the past two years, China has been methodically terraforming small reefs and shoals into islands in the highly contentious South China Sea (SCS). The SCS is important not only because of its strategic, trade, and resource potential but also because many of the claimants’ direct links with the U.S. such as the Philippines. China’s progressive […]
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China threatens restricted flight zone over entire South China Sea, giving them the right to shoot down unauthorised planes
A recent U.S. suggestion for Japanese patrols in the South China Sea has elicited a sharp rebuttal by the Chinese government and reignited Chinese media discussion of a South China Sea Air Defence Identification Zone (ADIZ). An ADIZ would require all air traffic to obtain China’s permission before flying over the South China Sea, or […]
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South Sea: China calls to take down unauthorised planes
China calls restricted flying area over whole South China Sea, giving them the right to take down any unknown planes. A late U.S. proposal for Japanese patrols in the South China Sea has inspired a sharp answer by the Chinese government and reignited Chinese media talk of a South China Sea Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ). An ADIZ would oblige all […]