(Reuters) China rebuffed U.S. pressure to curb its activity in the South China Sea on Sunday, restating its sovereignty over most of the disputed territory and saying it “has no fear of trouble.”
A report in the South China Morning Post cites Chinese sources as stating that Beijing is preparing to impose an Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) over the South China Sea, which would require all aircraft to allow China to track their movements in the region, even over the sovereign territory of other nations.
The Chinese government is sounding the alarm on widespread destruction of coral reefs in the South China Sea, arguing that, as “owners” of the region’s disputed territories, it is Beijing’s responsibility to keep them safe. China’s protests ignore years of government construction of artificial islands and Chinese poaching that have ravaged the region.
On Friday, the Pentagon released a report documenting a rapid Chinese military buildup in the South China Sea, with an emphasis on China’s construction of artificial island fortresses. China responded on Saturday, expressing “strong dissatisfaction” with the Pentagon report.
Following the cancelation of a similar exercise in April, a U.S. Navy missile destroyer has completed a voyage within 12 nautical miles of Fiery Cross Reef, a contested territory in the South China Sea. Beijing responded by demanding the ship leave the area “a dozen times,” CNN reports.
The Philippines has a new president: an aggressively anti-crime mayor who has vowed to jet-ski to the disputed territories of the South China Sea and personally plant a Filipino flag. China’s state media have reacted to Rodrigo Duterte’s election with an invite to “win-win cooperation” – coupled with a threat that it will respond in kind to any “blackmail” regarding its colonization of Philippine territory.
A Philippine nationalist youth group is accusing the government of China of poisoning large swathes of the South China Sea to prevent Philippine and other foreign fishermen from benefiting from the waters’ resources, in an attempt to cement its control over the region.
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.
New satellite images show the Chinese government has added fighter jets to its fleet in the Paracel Islands, a South China Sea chain that Vietnam and the Philippines claim. This development comes as U.S. Defense Secretary Ashton Carter lands in Manila to show his support for the Philippines against 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 response to China’s assertive moves in the South China Sea, the U.S. State Department struck a deal with the government of the Philippines to permit American military forces to operate from five Philippine bases. The Chinese seem more annoyed than intimidated by the increased American military presence in the region.
Legislators in Japan’s Ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) are urging Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to bring a case against China to an international tribunal to settle once and for all ownership over disputed islands in the East China Sea.
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.
Dozens of Vietnamese citizens congregated in their capital, Hanoi, to commemorate the anniversary of a battle against China in the South China Sea and demand that Beijing withdraw its presence in the contested Spratly and Paracel Islands.
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.
Fishermen from the Philippine island of Palawan have accused China of seizing nearby Quirino, also known as Jackson Atoll. The area is a popular fishing ground for Filipinos, but fishermen suddenly found themselves held off by a squadron of Chinese ships.
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.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told Secretary of State John Kerry that the South China Sea belongs to his country and they have every right to defend their territory, despite a lack of evidence China ever legally controlled the territory it claims in the region.
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.
Contents: China building powerful new radar system in South China Sea; Report: China’s military buildup neutralizes America’s aircraft carriers; John Kerry and Russia announce a new Syria peace plan
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.
Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou visited the largest island in the Spratly Archipelago Thursday, in a move the United States described as “extremely unhelpful” in the context of a larger territorial dispute in the South China Sea.
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
(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.
