Page 7 - South China Sea

Tensions in S China Sea, violence in Myanmar as Laos takes over Asean chair

Simmering tensions in the South China Sea between China and several Southeast Asian nations now regularly spark direct confrontation. Fighting in Myanmar against the military government that seized power three years ago has grown to the point that most say the country is now in a civil war. Hopes were high that Indonesia might be able to make significant inroads on both issues during its 2023 chairmanship of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, using its clout as the bloc's largest country, but little progress was made. Now Laos, the bloc's poorest and one of its smallest countries, has taken over the rotating chair. As foreign ministers gather in Luang Prabang for this year's first top-level meetings over the weekend, many are pessimistic that ASEAN can keep its biggest challenges from festering and growing. There were so many expectations when Indonesia started its presidency and some of those expectations fell short, said Shafiah Muhibat, an expert with the Centre for ...

Taiwan issues an air raid alert saying China has launched a satellite

Taiwan's defense ministry issued an alert Tuesday saying China has launched a satellite and urging caution days before the island's elections. Taiwan holds presidential and parliamentary elections Saturday that China has described as a choice between war and peace. In English, the presidential alert sent to residents' mobile phones cautioned there was a missile flyover. The alerts went off in the middle of an international news conference by Taiwanese Foreign Minister Joseph Wu. He clarified it was a satellite launch, told journalists not to worry, and proceeded with the news conference. China views Taiwan, which is about 160 kilometers (100 miles) off China's east coast, as a renegade province that must come under its control.

Taiwan says Chinese balloons are harassment and a threat to air safety

Taiwan's Defence Ministry accused China on Saturday of harassment and trying to affect public morale by repeatedly sending balloons over the self-governing island. A ministry analysis found that the paths of the balloons posed a serious threat to international passenger flights, according to a report by Taiwan's official Military News Agency. The ministry called for an immediate end to the activity to ensure flight safety. The ministry urged the people (of Taiwan) to clearly understand the Chinese Communist Party's cognitive combat methods and face it rationally and calmly so as to avoid being affected by it, the report said. The purpose of the balloons is unclear, and a Chinese state media outlet has accused Taiwan's ruling Democratic Progressive Party and Taiwanese and American media of hyping what it says are harmless weather balloons. The balloon incidents come ahead of a January 13 presidential election in Taiwan in which the island's relations with China are a major ...

China appoints new navy chief amid mounting South China Sea tensions

Hu Zhongming was promoted to the rank of general at a ceremony in Beijing attended by President Xi Jinping on Monday, the official Xinhua News Agency reported

China unveils Hu Zhongming as new naval chief amid rising maritime tensions

Hu Zhongming was promoted to the rank of general at a ceremony in Beijing attended by President Xi Jinping on Monday

People's Bank of China offers record $112 bn of cash as economy struggles

China's economy has struggled this year as a rebound from restrictive Covid Zero policies proved to be weaker than expected and the property crisis deepened

China's Xi meets with Vietnamese PM on second day of visit to shore up ties

Chinese leader Xi Jinping met with Vietnam's prime minister and the head of the country's National Assembly on Wednesday, on the second day of his visit to shore up Beijing's relationship with Hanoi after the Southeast Asian nation recently elevated its ties with Japan and the United States. Xi met with Communist Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong on Tuesday, and they announced that China and Vietnam would work toward a community with a shared future, in what was seen as a diplomatic concession by Vietnam to Beijing. The two sides signed 36 agreements, mostly about deepening cooperation," ranging from telecommunications to cross-party exchange, according to Vietnamese media reports. Vietnam has resisted using that phrase in the past but wanted to assuage Beijing's concerns after Vietnam designated both the US and Japan as comprehensive strategic partners" in recent months the highest official designation for a diplomatic relationship. Chinese state media says the designation .

US Navy ship 'illegally intruded' South China Sea waters, says PLA

The Chinese military said that an American naval ship had illegally intruded on Monday into waters near the Second Thomas Shoal, the site of a hot territorial dispute between China and the Philippines in the South China Sea. A Chinese naval force was mobilized to track the USS Gabrielle Giffords during the operation, according to a statement from the People's Liberation Army Southern Theater. The U.S. Navy did not respond immediately to a request for comment. Chinese and Philippine naval and coast guard ships have confronted each other repeatedly around the Second Thomas Shoal in recent months as China tries to prevent the Philippines from resupplying and repairing a rusting warship that it intentionally ran aground in 1999 to serve as a military outpost. Dwarfed by China's military might, the Philippines has sought America's help, agreeing to an expansion of the U.S. military presence in the country earlier this year and launching joint sea and air patrols with the United States la

China warns Australia over naval operations in the South China Sea

A visiting Chinese official on Tuesday warned Australia to act with "great prudence" in deploying warships in the South China Sea after a recent confrontation between the two navies. Liu Jianchao, the Chinese Communist Party's international minister, gave the warning while speaking at a Sydney university during a trip that paves the way for President Xi Jinping's Australian visit, expected to take place next year. Bilateral relations had been improving recently, but took a downturn when Australia accused the Chinese destroyer CNS Ningbo of injuring Australian navy divers with sonar pulses in Japanese waters on November 14. Australia said China disregarded a safety warning to keep away from the Australian frigate HMAS Toowoomba. Liu reiterated China's position that the encounter happened outside Japanese territorial waters and that the Chinese warship caused no harm. We do urge the Australian government and also the military to act with great prudence in this area, Liu said at the .

Biden-Xi meet: US lawmakers press for free access to South China Sea

US lawmakers have urged President Joe Biden to raise with Beijing the issue of illicit fentanyl trafficking, coercive environment for American businesses and stand up for the military's ability to freely operate in the South China Sea during a meeting with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping on Wednesday. They also said Biden should be "adamant" that China "leans on Russia and Iran not to exacerbate the military crises happening around the world". Biden and Xi are scheduled to meet in San Francisco on Wednesday on the sidelines of the APEC Leadership meeting. The White House is calling it a summit. On the Senate floor, Majority Leader Chuck Schumer listed out issues, including fentanyl trafficking and the coercive environment for US businesses in China, that he thought Biden should raise with Xi. "On the Israel-Gaza conflict in particular, we told President Xi that China needs to use its influence on Iran to stop them from acting in any way that would widen the conflict. China shoul

Chinese jet came within 10 feet of B-52 bomber over South China Sea: US

A Chinese fighter jet came within 10 feet of an American B-52 bomber flying over the South China Sea, nearly causing an accident, the U.S. military said, underscoring the potential for a mishap as both countries vie for influence in the region. In the night intercept, the Shenyang J-11 twin-engine fighter closed on the U.S. Air Force plane at an uncontrolled excessive speed, flying below, in front of, and within 10 feet of the B-52, putting both aircraft in danger of a collision, the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command said in a statement released late Thursday. We are concerned this pilot was unaware of how close he came to causing a collision, the military said. China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but in a similar incident in May, the Chinese government dismissed American complaints and demanded that Washington end such flights over the South China Sea. China has been increasingly assertive in advancing its claims on most of the South .

'Philippines not looking for trouble but will defend waters against China'

The Philippine president said Friday that his country does not want a confrontation but will staunchly defend its waters after its coast guard removed a floating barrier placed by China at a disputed shoal in the South China Sea. It was the first time President Ferdinand Marcos Jr has spoken publicly against China's installation of the 300-metre (980-foot) -long barrier at the entrance to Scarborough Shoal which was dismantled at his order. "We're not looking for trouble but what we'll do is to continue defending the maritime territory of the Philippines and the rights of our fishermen, who have been fishing in those areas for hundreds of years, Marcos said in response to a question at a news briefing in southern Surigao del Norte province. The latest flare-up between China and the Philippines in the South China Sea, one of the world's busiest trade routes, comes after Marcos decided earlier this year to allow an expansion of the US military presence in the Philippines under a 2014

Philippines condemns Beijing for installing floating barrier in S China Sea

Bajo de Masinloc, also known as the Scarborough Shoal, is a small but strategic reef and fertile fishing ground 130 miles (200 kilometers) west of the Philippine island of Luzon

Bullhorns and water cannons: China ships wall off South China Sea

The mounting Chinese military presence in waters that were long dominated by the US fleet is sharpening the possibility of a showdown between superpowers

Southeast Asia hold first joint navy drills near disputed S China Sea

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations began its first joint naval exercise on Tuesday at a time when several member countries are responding more strongly to increasing Chinese assertiveness in the area. The non-combat drills, named ASEAN Solidarity Exercise, include joint maritime patrol operations, search and rescue operations, and humanitarian and disaster relief, Indonesian military chief Adm. Yudo Margono said. He said the five-day exercise in Indonesia's Natuna waters aims to boost military ties among the ASEAN nations and enhance interoperability. The drills also involve civilian groups involved in humanitarian relief and disaster prevention. ASEAN nations have taken part in naval exercises before with other countries including both the United States and China but this week's drills are the first involving just the bloc and are being read by many as a signal to China. China's nine-dash line, which it uses to demarcate its claim to most of the South China Sea, has brou

India believes code of conduct for S China Sea should be effective: PM Modi

In his remarks at the East Asia Summit on Thursday, the Prime Minister said that peace, security, and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region is in the interest of all

US, Indonesia and 5 other nations hold war drills amid China concerns

Soldiers from the US, Indonesia and five other nations began annual training exercises Thursday on Indonesia's main island of Java while China's increasing aggression is raising concern. American and Indonesian soldiers have held the live-fire drill since 2009, and Australia, Japan and Singapore joined last year. The United Kingdom and French forces are participating in this year's Super Garuda Shield exercises, with a total of about 5,000 personnel. China sees the expanded drills as a threat, accusing the US of building an Indo-Pacific alliance similar to NATO to limit China's growing military and diplomatic influence in the region. Brunei, Brazil, Canada, Germany, India, Malaysia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, South Korea, and East Timor also sent observers to the two-week exercises in Baluran, a coastal town in East Java province. Commanding general of US Army Pacific, Gen. Charles Flynn, said the 19 nations involved in the training are a powerful ...

Trains suspended, people warned as Typhoon Saola churns toward south China

Chinese state media report at least 121 passenger trains are suspending service in anticipation of the arrival of Typhoon Saola, while people in coastal areas of southern China were being warned to stay away from the coastline. The suspensions on key lines running from north to south as well as on regional networks will begin Thursday and continue through September 6, state broadcaster CCTV reported. China's National Meteorological Centre said Saola was moving toward the coast at a speed of about 15 kph (9 mph) and is due to make landfall Friday afternoon in the southern province of Guangzhou with sustained winds of 119 kph (74 mph) and gusts of up to 220 kph (137 mph). The storm will then travel west down the coast into the Guangxi region before curving south out to sea between Saturday night and Sunday morning, gradually weakening as it goes. The weather centre has already issued a red alert for potentially destructive winds and possible flooding, with some areas expected to rece

Philippines rejects China's 'standard map' claiming entire South China Sea

The Philippines called on China to act responsibly and abide by its obligations under UNCLOS and the final and binding 2016 Arbitral Award

China sends aircraft toward Taiwan days after US approves $500 mn arms sale

Taiwan's defence ministry said Saturday that China sent dozens of aircraft and vessels toward the island, just days after the United States approved a USD 500-million arms sale to Taiwan. The defence ministry said in a statement that 32 aircraft from the People's Liberation Army and nine vessels from the navy were detected in the 24 hours between 6 am Friday and 6 am Saturday. Of these, 20 aircraft either crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait or breached Taiwan's air defense identification zone. In response, Taiwan tasked its own aircraft, vessels and missile systems to respond to the activities, the defense military said. China sees self-ruled Taiwan as a renegade province to be taken by force if necessary. In the past year, Beijing has stepped up military drills around the island in reaction to Taiwan's political activities. The Chinese military launched drills around Taiwan last week as a stern warning after Taiwan's vice president stopped over in the US while on an offici