China deploys oil-rig to the disputed South China Sea; Vietnam demands Taiwan to respect its sovereignty; 100 China-registered boats, ships encroaching into Malaysian waters; Australia’s PM criticized China’s assertive actions on the South China Sea.
-(LFT 04/04) South China Sea: Hainan is the ‘tip of the naval spear’: Hainan is not just about military hardware. Its fishermen are tasked with protecting China’s sovereignty through their frequent fishing trips. -(Lowyinterpreter 04/04) Is Beijing’s militarisation of the South China Sea really 'defensive'? Given the differing national interpretations of 'militarisation', Beijing pursues its own...
U.S. President Barack Obama will host China’s President Xi Jinping for a special bilateral meeting on March 31. The encounter will be special because it is the only scheduled bilateral meeting of heads of state during the upcoming U.S.-hosted Nuclear Security Summit of many nations, including U.S. allies.
Greater operational transparency in the South China Sea has become a strategic imperative, and the United States needs to treat it as such by investing greater resources and political capital toward increasing the shared maritime awareness of Southeast Asian states. It simply will not happen without U.S. leadership.
A somber commemoration occurred in Hanoi, Vietnam on March 14.While it received minimal international coverage, the event commemorated should cause both the U.S. and the democratic nations of Southeast Asia serious concerns as China continues its militarized island-building campaign in the South China Sea.
How best could the United States metaphorically “kick down” the anti-access/area-denial (A2/AD) “door” of a near-peer adversary during a conflict? This has been an idée fixe for American defense planners during recent years, in view of the rising A2/AD capabilities of strategic competitors such as China. There seem to be no clear answers to this question.
As if things could not get any worse in the South China Sea, China’s placement and testing of anti-ship missiles in the South China Sea all but confirms Asia’s worst fears: America’s goal to ensure that China’s rise is peaceful and that Beijing would take its place among nations of the Asia-Pacific and larger Indo-Pacific as a “responsible stakeholder” is dead and buried.
The latest buzzword of the South China Sea 'war of words', as observed in media reports, academic opinion and official press remarks is none other than 'militarisation'. But what does 'militarisation' mean?
China’s position about establishing ADIZ in the SCS; Vietnam raises its concerns over the placrement of HYSY 943 in the SCS; Indonesia demands 'bully' China hand over fishing boat; U.S. plans third patrol in the South China Sea; US, Philippines hold war games as China flexes muscles.
-(SMH 08/04) South China Sea: claims White House 'gagged' US navy chief over China criticism: There was still an active debate in Washington about how to respond to China. -(SCMP 08/04)EU says economic security linked to maritime disputes in South China Sea: Half the world’s trade passed through the South China Sea and that the EU’s economic security was closely linked to stability in the Asia-Pacific...