China is upping its game in the South China Sea with a formidable new coastguard vessel poised to assert its wide-ranging territorial claims. This month, the South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported that China is advancing its maritime capabilities with the construction of a new coastguard vessel modeled after a sophisticated destroyer outfitted with state-of-the-art […]

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At the recent 37th Asia-Pacific Roundtable in Kuala Lumpur, differences between Southeast Asian nations on the South China Sea issue played out across panels, speeches and off-the-cuff comments, even as delegates discussed regional cooperation opportunities and ASEAN centrality in an environment of worsening great power tensions. Malaysia’s National Security Council director-general Raja Dato Nushirwan Zainal Abidin […]

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There were many notable moments at the Shangri-La Dialogue, the annual regional defense summit organized by the International Institute for Strategic Studies in Singapore in the opening days of June. They included some aggressive words about Taiwan from the new Chinese defense minister, Admiral Dong Jun; clear protests about civilian deaths in Gaza both from […]

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The near-fatal showdown between Chinese and Philippine maritime forces in the South China Sea last week raised fears of unwanted escalation in the disputed waters. A Filipino serviceman suffered physical injury after a large contingent of Chinese forces collided with and then forcibly boarded and disarmed personnel aboard a Philippine resupply mission en route to the hotly-contested Second Thomas Shoal. Had Filipino naval troops resisted […]

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MANILA – Barely one month since China imposed new maritime regulations for the South China Sea and yet another major incident involving Philippine and Chinese maritime forces has erupted in the disputed waters. Manila and Beijing have traded accusations following a collision on Monday (June 17) between their vessels over the Second Thomas Shoal, a […]

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China’s announcement of its intention to enforce a law that would arrest foreign nationals venturing into waters it claims in the South China Sea (SCS) may be the trigger for a direct military confrontation with the United States. The regulation, known as the Administrative Law Enforcement Procedures for Coast Guard Agencies, will come into force […]

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Chinese scientists have devised a new method to overcome the challenges of constructing on soft coral sand, upping the stakes in the disputed South China Sea where rival claimants are racing to build up features to gain a military edge. This month, the South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported that scientists from China’s Ocean University […]

The post China’s new island-building tech sure to churn South China Sea appeared first on Asia Times.

China’s controversial plans to deploy floating nuclear reactors in the South China Sea could recalibrate the region’s power dynamics while sparking dangerous new tensions with the United States and its regional partners and allies. This month, The Washington Post reported that China is pursuing plans to develop floating nuclear reactors that could power military bases […]

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MANILA – China and the Philippines are edging dangerously toward armed conflict in the contested South China Sea, a potential clash that could quickly escalate into a US-China conflict in the world’s most vital seascape. On April 30, China Coast Guard (CCG) vessels used water cannons against two Philippine vessels conducting patrols close to the […]

The post When will US come to the Philippines’ defense? appeared first on Asia Times.

Against the backdrop of rising tensions in the South China Sea – most notably, yet another violent incident two weeks ago at the hotly-disputed Second Thomas Shoal – the Philippines has stepped up its cooperation with traditional allies. In a historic first, the Southeast Asian nation conducted joint naval patrols with the United States, Australia, and Japan in the […]

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President George W Bush once described himself as “a uniter, not a divider.”China’s leader, Xi Jinping is a uniter as well – though in a different sort of way. On April 11, US President Joe Biden, Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jr will meet in Washington, DC. This is the […]

The post Philippines hopes US history won’t repeat itself, again appeared first on Asia Times.

The state visit to Beijing by Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr in January 2023 did not yield the momentum for bilateral ties that his predecessor’s trip in 2017 did. Barely one month after the state visit, there was a flareup in the South China Sea (SCS) with the Chinese coastguard’s lasing of its Philippine counterpart off Second Thomas Shoal. The […]

The post Muscle and mediation swirl in the South China Sea appeared first on Asia Times.

MANILA – In another sign that the South China Sea is at the heart of a brewing US-China new Cold War, both superpowers conducted tit-for-tat wargames in the disputed maritime area in the opening days of the new year. The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the United States Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM) conducted the […]

The post Tit-for-tat wargames rumble and churn South China Sea appeared first on Asia Times.

MANILA – South China Sea disputes pitting China against Southeast Asian claimants are fast shaping to become the region’s major flashpoint of 2024. In its final act as the outgoing chairman of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Indonesia corralled the bloc’s foreign ministers for an unprecedented diplomatic intervention. As the world prepared for […]

The post South China Sea hot enough to bubble over in 2024 appeared first on Asia Times.

“The aggression and provocations perpetrated by [China’s maritime forces] over the weekend have only further steeled our determination to defend and protect our nation’s sovereignty, sovereign rights, and jurisdiction” in the South China Sea,” declared Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr after yet another major incident in the hotly disputed waters.  According to Philippine authorities, a […]

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MANILA – In yet another sign of Manila’s growing strategic resolve, the Philippines inaugurated a new coast guard monitory base in the hotly disputed South China Sea. Established on Thitu Island, the second-largest naturally-formed land feature in the Spratlys, the two-story facility boasts “advanced systems” including radars and satellite communication equipment as well as vessel […]

The post Philippines drops yet another sea gauntlet on China appeared first on Asia Times.

The Philippines and China are on a literal collision course at sea after their boats collided on October 22 near the contested Second Thomas Shoal in the bubbling South China Sea. Both sides blamed the other for the incident as diplomatic tempers flared in a maritime zone with high geopolitical stakes. A China Coast Guard […]

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“These [dangerous] maneuvers pose significant risks to maritime safety, collision prevention and danger to human lives at sea,” said Vice Admiral Alberto Carlos, the chief of Western Command of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) amid yet another round of tensions in the South China Sea. “China must immediately halt these unsafe actions and […]

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MANILA – “With this show of force and active engagement of our allies and partners, ‘Sama Sama’ transcends mere military exercises,” Philippine Navy Chief Rear Admiral Toribio Adaci said during the recent opening of large-scale naval exercises with allied nations in the South China Sea. As many as 1,800 participants from the United States, a […]

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MANILA – “What we will do is to continue defending the Philippines, the maritime territory of the Philippines, the rights of our fishermen to catch fish in areas where they are doing it for hundreds of years already,” Philippine President Marcos Jr told reporters amid rising tensions in the South China Sea. This week, China […]

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