Chinese Communist Party chief Xi Jinping declared in an opinion piece published Monday in Philippine media that the dispute about China’s colonization of the South China Sea is officially over. Xi is scheduled to arrive in Manila on Tuesday.
The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit (APEC) concluded on Sunday without issuing a joint statement for the first time in the organization’s 25-year history.
Contents: APEC meeting ends in disarry after harsh US-China disagreements; Aggressive behavior of China’s officials raises concerns about security
Chinese officials warned on Monday that Vice President Mike Pence could destabilize the South China Sea by appearing at this week’s meetings of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum.
National Security Advisor John Bolton warned the Chinese government Tuesday that Washington would sternly oppose any attempts to block free transit in the international waters of the South China Sea, anticipating Beijing proposing a “code of conduct” in the region to grant it control of territory far outside its borders.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Defense Secretary Jim Mattis met with their Chinese counterparts Friday at the State Department.
The governments of Vietnam and the Philippines diverged significantly in their reactions to news that China has begun operating weather stations on their territory in the South China Sea. Vietnam released an outraged statement condemning China on Thursday, while Manila refused to condemn without “proof.”
On Monday, the foreign ministers of China and the Philippines declared their support for “peace and stability” in the South China Sea, largely along Beijing’s terms.
Chinese Defense Minister Wei Fenghe told a security forum on Thursday that China will use military force to prevent Taiwan from asserting its independence.
The government of Taiwan announced a new live-fire drill next month in Taiping Island, a territory disputed by China and Vietnam, the South China Morning Post reported on Tuesday.
The U.S. Navy confirmed Monday that it sent two warships through the Taiwan Strait earlier in the day, in a move that is likely to irk China.
Taiwan’s latest military exercise began on Tuesday with a simulated attack on coastal bases by Chinese warplanes hypothetically launched from the Liaoning, currently the only functional aircraft carrier operated by the People’s Liberation Army Navy.
Chinese officials announced on Friday that Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will visit China from October 25 – 27, in concert with the 40th anniversary of the “Treaty of Peace and Friendship” signed by the two nations.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe met with Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc in Tokyo on Monday and agreed to work together against China’s territorial aggression in the South China Sea.
U.S. defense officials have confirmed a Chinese warship performed “unsafe and unprofessional” maneuvers in the South China Sea on Sunday, coming perilously close to an American destroyer and forcing the U.S. Navy ship to change course in order to avoid a collision.
China on Sunday canceled a planned security meeting with U.S. Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis. Mattis responded by canceling his October trip to Beijing.
The South Korean destroyer ROKS Munmu the Great sailed close to the disputed Paracel Islands in mid-September, irritating the Chinese even though South Korean officials say the ship was merely seeking refuge from a typhoon.
China’s Global Times propaganda newspaper warned the United States in a piece published Thursday that Beijing could “deploy military combat equipment to the islands and reefs” of the South China Sea if Washington continues to reject China’s illegal claims in the region.
The U.S. Air Force flew two long-range nuclear-capable B-52H Stratofortress bombers over the South China Sea this week. China branded the flight “provocative” on Thursday and blamed the United States for deteriorating relations between the two countries.
National Security Advisor John Bolton warned of China’s “very dangerous, very aggressive” moves in the South China Sea in a television interview Sunday, citing concerns that China is colonizing the sovereign territory of other nations as high on the list of concerns President Donald Trump will bring to the United Nations this week.
Contents: Maldives in crisis as China-backed incumbent president Yameen loses election; Yameen’s defeat is also a defeat for China’s ‘debt trap diplomacy’
Contents: China threatens multiple Western nations militarily over South China Sea; China’s claims to the South China Sea are amazingly vacuous
China’s state-run Global Times fired a shot across the Philippine bow on Friday by reminding President Rodrigo Duterte that his country has a history of violent coups and assassinations, so he really ought to avoid destabilizing activities such as arguing with Beijing about islands in the South China Sea.
Japan courted the wrath of China on Monday by announcing its submarine Kuroshio has been dispatched to join an anti-submarine warfare exercise in the South China Sea on Thursday, marking the first officially confirmed drill for a Japanese sub in those contested waters.
President Rodrigo Duterte claims he quarreled with China after the Chinese military tried to drive away Philippine Navy planes flying over the disputed South China Sea last month.
Contents: Tensions grow in Philippines as Duterte turns against China in South China Sea; China increasingly rejects Duterte’s ‘diplomatic actions’; Zambia becomes the next nation to fall victim to China’s ‘debt trap’
Contents: Britain ‘provokes’ China by sending warship into South China Sea; China’s ‘nine-dash line map’ makes absurd claims to South China Sea
China’s Defense Ministry issued an angry rebuke of American coverage of China’s colonization of the South China Sea, particularly waters belonging to the sovereign territory of other nations. Ministry spokesman Senior Col. Wu Qian insisted on Thursday that American media are “ignoring the positive efforts” China has made in the region.
Western powers, including the United States, Australia, France, and Britain plan to expand their influence in the Pacific in an effort to contain China’s influence, Reuters revealed in a report Thursday.
Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte told soldiers at an event Thursday that the United States is offering military gear for sale, which he is considering buying, but fears Washington would break its commitment to delivery.
Contents: New Pentagon military assessment details China’s preparations for war; China’s ‘low-intensity coercion’ in the South China Sea; People’s Armed Forces Maritime Militia (PAFMM); China’s preparations for war with Taiwan; The growing military threat from China
The Pentagon’s annual report on Chinese military and security developments warns that China is building up a fleet of long-range nuclear-capable bombers and is “likely” training its pilots to attack American targets.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry replied to a warning from Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte this week by reminding Manila that Beijing is comfortable taking “necessary steps” against ships it believes are sailing near Chinese territory in the South China Sea, the ministry said on Thursday.
A U.S. Navy P-8A Poseidon reconnaissance plane, which was carrying a CNN news team on board Friday, flew past a series of artificial islands known as the Spratly Chain in the South China Sea. The plane reportedly received at least six separate warnings from the Chinese military to leave the area.
Assistant Secretary of Defense for Asian and Pacific Security Affairs Randall Schriver said the Navy will continue to challenge China in the South China Sea.
China’s Foreign Ministry issued a statement on Friday denying allegations that its financial assistance programs for Pacific nations are an effort to buy political influence and muscle out regional competitors, especially Taiwan. The Foreign Ministry insisted China’s $5.9 billion in pledged foreign aid comes with no strings attached.
China’s aggressive territorial claims in the South China Sea are generally viewed in the context of a security threat to the freedom of navigation and political warfare against Asian nations with competing territorial claims, but a report published this week by the ISEAS Yusof Ishak Institute of Singapore reveals a massive cash grab as well. China’s state-controlled industries are planning to make a great deal of money from those disputed islands and reefs.
A Chinese government official said on Friday that the United States should not have “official contact in any form” or maintain military relations with Taiwan. This demand was issued two days after the U.S. Senate passed a bill calling for increased high-level military and civilian government contacts with Taiwan.
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has accepted an invitation to conduct a “joint maritime exercises” with the communist government of China, likely in the South China Sea waters between China and their nations, Singapore confirmed on Friday.
China donated four military boats and 30 rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs) to the Philippines, the Philippine government announced Monday.
