USA
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OP-ED: China’s island-building a bigger threat than oil rig
Artificial Islands, China, Oil Rigs, Paracels, President Benigno Aquino III, Reclamation, South China Sea Dispute, Spratlys, USA, VietnamWithout causing much of a stir, China has been quietly dumping sand onto reefs and rocks in waters claimed by Vietnam. In addition to altering the geography of the Spratly (Truong Sa) archipelago, China’s land reclamation work on Johnson South, Cuarteron, Fiery Cross, Gaven, and Kennan reefs could be used as a clever legal leverage […]
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Straight Talk on the South China Sea
President Obama’s second daylong summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping will be the best chance this year to clarify some fuzzy lines on Asia’s biggest potential flash point: the South China Sea. This is the time to further clarify U.S. interests, including whether the United States cares about possible outcomes to the region’s many territorial […]
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America and Its Allies in the South China Sea: Dangerously Overmatched, Outgunned, and Outranged by China
Three books published this year contemplate Asia’s most vexing problem. Taken together, they provide a thorough understanding of the contest in the South China Sea. Still, they leave the reader with one large puzzle. Asia’s Cauldron recounts, in Robert Kaplan’s readable travelogue style, the fascinating political and economic trajectories of the nations surrounding the South […]
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South China Sea Disputes: Facts Or Fiction?
ASEAN, China, Code of Conduct, Philippines, Pivot, Rebalance, South China Sea Dispute, Spratlys, UNCLOS, USA, VietnamIf a country cites international law to justify its position while avoiding having that position tested in court, such use of international law is just rhetoric, and does not deserve support from scholars. In the article “Separating fact from fiction in South China Sea conundrum”,[1] Dr Mark Valencia decries “a veritable fountain of government pronouncements, propaganda, […]
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Kerry: US will defend allies in Asia-Pacific
Ayungin Shoal, China, Foreign Relations, John Kerry, Mutual Defense, Panatag Shoal, Rebalance, South China Sea Dispute, USAMANILA, Philippines – The United States wants stronger ties with China but is committed to defending allies in the region, US Secretary of State John Kerry said Tuesday. Kerry said he and US President Barack Obama would be working for the interests of their allies in the South China Sea when they meet leaders of […]
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US won’t ‘agree to disagree’ with China on sea row
MANILA, Philippines — Washington continues to take a strong position against the conduct of Beijing in the South and East China Seas despite its effort to deepen bilateral ties, the top American diplomat said. Secretary of State John Kerry said in a much-awaited statement on Wednesday that while the United States and China try to […]
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Why the US may go to war in the South China Sea
It is no secret that the South China Sea is an area of conflict and controversy, but understanding the interests and role of the United States in that region is not intuitive. The situation centers on competing territorial claims by China, Vietnam, Taiwan, Brunei, the Philippines and Malaysia over several sets of islands. Attempts by […]
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US government: People of the Philippines deserve nothing less
Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario had a press conference with US Secretary of State John Kerry prior to their meeting in Jakarta, Indonesia. Different state representtives are in Indonesia for the inauguration of Joko Widodo, new President of Indonesia, yesterday, October 20. Kerry also used the opportunity to hold meetings with state leaders to strengthen […]
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China objects to Indo-US statement on S China Sea
China on Wednesday expressed its displeasure over reference in the India-US joint statement to tension in the South China Sea, saying no third party had the right to interfere in the region. China is locked in disputes with several of its maritime neighbours in the South China Sea over the ownership of islands and it […]