
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.
by Frances Martel7 Jan 2016, 11:30 AM PST0

MANILA (AFP) – British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said Thursday on a visit to the Philippines that any attempt to restrict air and sea travel in the disputed South China Sea would be viewed as a “red flag”. China said it
by AFP7 Jan 2016, 2:49 AM PST0

Chinese state news outlet Xinhua is reporting that the government has landed two more planes on a landing strip illegal constructed in the Spratly Islands of the South China Sea, days after Vietnam and the Philippines filed a formal complaint over a similar incident.
by Frances Martel6 Jan 2016, 9:01 AM PST0

The governments of Vietnam, the Philippines, and Japan have all condemned China for landing a plane on an artificial island in the South China Sea, constructed in what is widely regarded as sovereign Vietnamese territory. China rejects international claims in the sea and has begun constructing military facilities in the Spratly Islands.
by Frances Martel4 Jan 2016, 7:57 AM PST0

A patriotic organization opposed to Chinese imperialism in the Philippines has made a voyage to the contested Spratly Islands in the South China Sea, where China has begun constructing numerous military facilities in violation of international law.
by Frances Martel29 Dec 2015, 8:38 AM PST0

Contents: Puerto Rico negotiates restructuring after Congress fails to allow Chapter 9 bankruptcy; China’s military on high alert when US bombers flew over South China Sea; Delusional claims made during the Democratic debate
by John J. Xenakis20 Dec 2015, 9:53 AM PST0

The Chinese government is paying “close attention” to the new deployment of an American spy plane off the island of Singapore
by Frances Martel9 Dec 2015, 11:32 AM PST0

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.
by Frances Martel7 Dec 2015, 9:10 AM PST0

(Reuters) China has shown “great restraint” in the South China Sea by not seizing islands occupied by other countries even though it could have, a senior Chinese diplomat said on Tuesday ahead of two regional summits where the disputed waterway is likely to be a hot topic.
by Reuters17 Nov 2015, 6:16 AM PST0

Indonesia’s defense chief told reporters Wednesday that it, too, may take China to court over its outrageous territorial claims in the South China Sea, following the Philippines’ request for the Permanent Court of Arbitration in the Hague to address the matter. The Hague has accepted the petition.
by Frances Martel12 Nov 2015, 10:02 AM PST0

The European Union made its strongest call yet for China and other Asian nations to resolve their dispute over the South China Sea, a position Brussels insists is neutral but that the United States is likely to welcome after pressing the bloc to speak up.
by Reuters6 Nov 2015, 7:50 AM PST0

The Obama administration authorized the U.S. Navy to conduct “freedom of navigation” operations in the South China Sea.
by Admiral James A. "Ace" Lyons4 Nov 2015, 8:31 AM PST0

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.
by Frances Martel3 Nov 2015, 8:10 AM PST0

The Australian Navy will reportedly proceed with an anticipated training exercise with Chinese ships next week, despite escalating military tensions between the United States and China in the South China Sea.
by Edwin Mora29 Oct 2015, 9:53 PM PST0

The heads of the Chinese and American navies discussed the United States’ passing of a missile destroyer through international waters in the South China Sea on Thursday, according to American officials.
by Frances Martel29 Oct 2015, 8:36 AM PST0

The Chinese government is strongly condemning the presence of a U.S. Navy guided-missile destroyer, the USS Lassen, in the South China Sea, as an “illegal entry.” American defense officials insist the ship navigated international waters, challenging China’s unilateral claims to sovereignty over the nearby Spratly Islands.
by Frances Martel27 Oct 2015, 6:46 AM PST0

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.
by Frances Martel16 Oct 2015, 7:17 AM PST0

Experts at the Center for Strategic and International Studies warn satellite evidence shows the Chinese military is developing a new airstrip in the South China Sea, one that could allow for “more or less constant” surveillance of the internationally disputed waters.
by Frances Martel15 Sep 2015, 11:43 AM PST0

Philippine Supreme Court Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio announced this week that his court had sufficient evidence to conclude China had destroyed 17 reefs near the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea, and had begun work dredging ten other reefs to build artificial islands in international waters.
by Frances Martel30 Jul 2015, 10:37 AM PST0

The United States flew a Boeing P-8 surveillance plane over the disputed South China Sea on Saturday, a move that a top U.S. Navy admiral called “routine” to the dismay of China. China argues that such activities cause serious damage to U.S.-China relations, reports Reuters.
by Edwin Mora21 Jul 2015, 8:39 PM PST0

An historic moment in U.S.-Vietnamese relations occurs this week. For the first time ever, the General Secretary of the Vietnamese Communist Party will visit the U.S. and the White House.
by James Zumwalt6 Jul 2015, 8:47 AM PST0

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.
by Frances Martel26 Jun 2015, 7:58 AM PST0

Chinese state media outlet the People’s Daily released a report this week claiming that artificial island construction and the usurpation of international waters in the South China Sea would improve “marine meteorological monitoring, warning, forecasting, prediction and scientific research,” and benefit all neighboring countries with claims in the region.
by Frances Martel23 Jun 2015, 9:20 PM PST0

The Chinese government announced in an official statement on Tuesday that it would “complete” the usurpation of Philippine, Vietnamese, and territory of other nations in the South China Sea “soon.” No timeline was given, nor were any geographic limits set to the expansion in the Spratly and Paracel Islands.
by Frances Martel16 Jun 2015, 11:35 AM PST0

Philippine President Benigno Aquino, in remarks made Wednesday at a public event, compared China’s incursions into Philippine and Vietnamese land in the South China Sea to Nazi Germany’s push into the Sudetenland, calling for the United States to intervene and keep China out of their sovereign territory before it was too late.
by Frances Martel4 Jun 2015, 7:44 AM PST0