USA
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China and ‘might makes right’ at sea
ADIZ, Air Defense Identification Zone, Artificial Islands, China, Militarization, Military Conflict, Philippines, Reclamation, Regular Patrols, South China Sea Dispute, Spratlys, UNCLOS, USATHE main theme of Mr Mark Valencia’s commentary published in The Straits Times last Saturday is that if the United States Navy exercises rights of navigation and overflight in the waters surrounding the reefs on which China is constructing artificial islands through reclamation, the US will be engaging in “gunboat diplomacy”. He also argues that […]
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U.S. says South China Sea reclamations stoke instability
ADIZ, Air Defense Identification Zone, Artificial Islands, China, Military Conflict, Mutual Defense, Philippines, Reclamation, Sea Air Patrol, South China Sea Dispute, USAChina’s land reclamation around reefs in the disputed South China Sea is undermining freedom and stability, and risks provoking tension that could even lead to conflict, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Antony Blinken told a conference in Jakarta. China claims 90 percent of the South China Sea, which is believed to be rich in oil […]
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US may give PHL more support to counter pressure from China over sea dispute
ADIZ, Air Defense Identification Zone, Artificial Islands, China, Military Conflict, Mutual Defense, Philippines, Reclamation, Sea Air Patrol, South China Sea Dispute, USAWASHINGTON, D.C. – A think tank believed to be influential in the Obama administration has hinted of more support by the United States to the Philippines in order to counter further pressure from China over the Second Thomas Shoal (Ayungin Shoal) in the Spratlys in South China Sea (West Philippine Sea). Patrick Cronin, senior director […]
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How China’s Land Reclamation Fits in its Regional Strategy for Dominance
ADIZ, Air Defense Identification Zone, Artificial Islands, China, Militarization, Military Conflict, Philippines, Reclamation, Regular Patrols, South China Sea Dispute, Spratlys, Strategy, USASome analysts argue that China’s new artificial land formations in the South China Sea are not worth worrying about as they could be easily “taken out” if war broke out. But those who take that view are failing to see how these islands fit into China’s slow motion strategy to achieve regional hegemony in the […]
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U.S. Admiral Calls on China to Explain South China Sea Land Reclamation
ADIZ, Air Defense Identification Zone, Artificial Islands, China, Militarization, Military Conflict, Philippines, Reclamation, Regular Patrols, South China Sea Dispute, Spratlys, USASINGAPORE—The U.S.Navy’s second-most senior commander called on China to explain its land-reclamation works in the South China Sea and offered to support Southeast Asian countries if they choose to adopt a unified stance against Beijing. Read more: http://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-admiral-calls-on-china-to-explain-south-china-sea-land-reclamation-1432033393
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Lifting the Veil on Asia’s Greatest Fear: A Deadly Arms Race
ADIZ, Air Defense Identification Zone, Arms Buildup, Artificial Islands, Australia, China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Militarization, Military Conflict, Philippines, Reclamation, Regular Patrols, Singapore, South China Sea Dispute, Spratlys, Taiwan, USA, VietnamLast month, Thailand’s navy requested funding for a submarine program which, when finalized, will make it the region’s eighth submarine-equipped nation—joining Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Vietnam, Taiwan, India, and Australia. The Philippines, Thailand, and Bangladesh, meanwhile, have all expressed interest in acquiring submarine fleets. As tensions in the South China Sea continue to escalate, this arms race […]
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U.S. Navy Ship Met Chinese Vessel on South China Sea Patrol
ADIZ, Air Defense Identification Zone, Artificial Islands, China, Militarization, Military Conflict, Philippines, Reclamation, Regular Patrols, South China Sea Dispute, Spratlys, USAA U.S. combat ship used agreed codes for unplanned encounters when it met a Chinese vessel during a recent patrol of the contested South China Sea, according to the vice chief of naval operations. The USS Fort Worth met a Chinese military vessel near the disputed Spratly islands, Admiral Michelle Howard told reporters on Tuesday […]
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U.S.-China Ties Could Run Aground on This Speck in The South China Sea
ADIZ, Air Defense Identification Zone, Artificial Islands, China, Foreign Relations, Militarization, Military Conflict, Philippines, Reclamation, Regular Patrols, South China Sea Dispute, Spratlys, USASince China began reclaiming land in the South China Sea a few months ago using advanced dredging techniques, the Spratly Islands have become a test of wills between U.S. President Barack Obama and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping. As WSJ’s Andrew Browne writes, one tiny reef in particular has become a potential flashpoint for U.S.-China ties: […]
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Diplomacy Alone Won’t Stop the Chinese from Asserting Sovereignty over the South China Sea
ADIZ, Air Defense Identification Zone, Artificial Islands, China, Military Conflict, Mutual Defense, Philippines, Reclamation, Sea Air Patrol, South China Sea Dispute, USASecretary of State John Kerry recently visited Beijing for the purpose, among other things, of persuading the Chinese to submit their claims in the South China Sea to negotiation with the other ASEAN states. To no one’s surprise, the mission was a failure; the Chinese flatly refused to budge from their position, and had the […]
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Is America About to Make a Fatal Mistake in the South China Sea?
ADIZ, Air Defense Identification Zone, Artificial Islands, China, Militarization, Military Conflict, Philippines, Reclamation, Regular Patrols, South China Sea Dispute, Spratlys, USAInstead of becoming more deeply entangled in the South China Sea quarrel, the United States needs to take a step back. It is one thing to make clear to Beijing that Washington will never countenance China transforming 80 percent of that area into Chinese territorial waters. It is quite another matter to implicitly back rival […]