The Chinese government has sent folk singer Song Zuying to Fiery Cross Reef, a disputed territory in the South China Sea, to perform patriotic songs and begin a tour of the region titled “The People’s Army Advances.”
Pentagon officials confirmed to The Wall Street Journal that they had canceled a “freedom of navigation” exercise planned for April that was intended to make a statement against China’s growing colonization of the region.
The Pentagon has announced that American forces will conduct surveillance patrols with the Philippines “regularly” in the South China Sea, as Defense Secretary Ashton Carter concludes his trip to Manila to assert America’s commitment to protect the Philippines from Chinese expansionism in the region.
Chinese media outlet Xinhua has confirmed that a third illegally constructed lighthouse in the South China Sea is now fully operational. The lighthouse is located on the artificial island formerly known as Subi Reef and equipped with “automatic identification systems” that significantly expand China’s surveillance capabilities.
In a joint statement, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and his counterpart President Taur Matan Ruak of East Timor noted their “serious concern” that the Chinese government is expanding its control over disputed territory in the South China Sea too aggressively.
The Malaysian government is seeking to expand cooperation with Australia to combat China’s expansive construction projects in the South China Sea, suggesting Beijing’s behavior in the region demands “pushback” from relevant parties.
Reuters is reporting that Japan is sending a submarine to the Philippines as part of a Maritime Self-Defense Force fleet visit to the region, in a clear indication Japan is ready to challenge China’s claims in the South China Sea.
In a press conference Tuesday, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi struck a conciliatory tone regarding China’s militarization of disputed territory in the South China Sea, suggesting “maritime cooperation” with the United States and teasing that Beijing may invite foreign journalists to tour the region in question.
The Japanese government signed an agreement with the Philippines that would allow it to sell a variety of military equipment to Manila, potentially starting with advanced aircraft that can be used for surveillance missions.
The Chinese navy is sending an advance missile frigate into the East China Sea, risking exacerbating tensions in waters it claims against Japan. The move follows a week in which the international community has condemned China’s illegal development of military facilities in the South China Sea.
Admiral Harry Harris, the commander of the U.S. Pacific Command, said Wednesday the Navy plans to expand the frequency and variety of freedom of navigation operations in the South China Sea, following reports that Beijing has escalated its militarization of islands and reefs in disputed territory in the region.
Contents: China sends fighter jets to South China Sea; Readers debate a war between the US and China; Who would win a war between the US and China?
A report surfacing after a long day of talks between Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Secretary of State John Kerry claims China has placed up to ten fighter jets in the Paracel Islands, disputed territory in the South China Sea. The report follows satellite evidence that Beijing has added surface-to-air missiles and an advanced radar system to its arsenal in the region.
A new think tank report asserts that China has begun building a high-frequency radar installation in the contested Spratly Islands of the South China Sea, which would greatly expand its surveillance capabilities in one of the most trafficked trade routes in the world.
Secretary of State John Kerry has vowed to engage the Chinese government in “a very serious conversation” over satellite images released this week that show China has placed surface-to-air missiles in the Paracel Islands, a contested territory in the South China Sea.
New satellite images indicate that the Chinese government has placed “an advanced surface-to-air missile system” on illegally constructed artificial islands in the South China Sea, threatening both the nations who claim that territory and any passersby navigating those international waters.
Contents: China speeds rapid military buildup in South China Sea; China promises ‘Peace in our time’ at ASEAN conference
Satellite images published in The Diplomat indicate that China has begun an extensive construction operation in the South China Sea’s Paracel Islands, following years of work building artificial islands in the Spratly Archipelago.
Vietnam is preparing to deploy the first of six Kilo-class submarines purchased from Russia in the South China Sea, as a deterrent to China’s seemingly endless expansionism in the region.
The Chinese government is paying “close attention” to the new deployment of an American spy plane off the island of Singapore
Satellite images of construction in the South China Sea indicate the Chinese government has begun construction on three new airstrikes near the Spratly and Paracel Islands, quadrupling its presence in the highly-contested maritime territory.
An American defense official said this week that the U.S. Navy is planning to navigate through disputed waters in the South China Sea “about twice a quarter or a little more than that,” activity likely to irritate China, which claims complete control over the sea, even further.
Vietnam is accusing a Chinese vessel of attacking and sinking a fishing boat near the disputed Paracel Islands, days after the Chinese government insisted that territories in the South China Sea were not international waters, but belonged to China.
Japan is considering joining the United States on surveillance flights in the South China Sea, having already participated in one this week with the Philippines. The disputed waters, which China has claimed almost entirely as its own, have seen significant construction on its reefs by the communist power in the past year, angering its neighbors.
