Tag Archives: South China Sea

WASHINGTON: U.S. officials say the Trump administration is poised to escalate its actions against China by stepping squarely into one of the most sensitive regional issues dividing them and rejecting outright nearly all of Beijing’s significant maritime claims in the South China Sea. In a move the officials say is ...

BANGKOK: Southeast Asian leaders gathered in Bangkok on Saturday determined to drive forward the world’s largest commercial pact, with the trade war between the US and China clouding the outlook for their export-led economies. Disputes in the flashpoint South China Sea, Myanmar’s persecution of Rohingya Muslims and plastic pollution in the seas are also set to be discussed at the two-day Association ...

BEIJING: The Chinese government has plans for a large military settlement on a reclaimed reef in the contested Paracel Islands, where adversaries such as the US strongly oppose Chinese expansion. The plan for an “island city” on “Woody Island” or “Yongxing” in the Paracels, 185 miles from China’s Hainan Island (of which Beijing’s ...

WASHINGTON: In early February, Beijing reportedly deployed about 95 Chinese ships to Thitu Island, one of several disputed islands in the South China Sea , in a bid to stop ongoing construction work carried out by the government of The Philippines. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has pledged to defend the ...

BEIJING: China and Southeast Asian states will hold their first joint maritime exercises next week, officials said Friday, in a move aimed at easing tensions but which may spark US alarm. Beijing’s expansive claims to the South China Sea have long been a source of friction with rival claimants in ...

BEIJING on Saturday vowed to maintain its military presence in the South China Sea, insisting the US is “the biggest force for militarisation in this region” after US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo pledged US$300 million to boost security in the Indo-Pacific. The investment is part of US efforts to ...

SHANGHAI: China’s air force has landed bombers on islands and reefs in the South China Sea as part of a training exercise in the disputed region, it said in a statement. “A division of the People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) recently organized multiple bombers such as the H-6K to ...

WASHINGTON: China has installed anti-ship cruise missiles and surface-to-air missile systems on three of its outposts in the South China Sea, U.S. news network CNBC reported on Wednesday, citing sources with direct knowledge of U.S. intelligence reports. The move, if confirmed, would mark the first Chinese missile deployments in the ...

BEIJING: As the Trump administration pressed China to curb North Korea, Beijing issued its own warning over another festering dispute on Friday, saying that American naval operations in the South China Sea would only force it to deepen its military buildup there. The warning came after a United States Navy ...

BEIJING: China dismissed as irresponsible the annual US Defence Department report that predicted China would expand its global military presence. The defence ministry in a statement refuted the US assessment, saying “China is not doing any military expansion and does not seek a sphere of influence”. Foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua ...