Tag - islands

 
 

ISLANDS

ASIA PACIFIC
Feb 16, 2016
Beijing's nonnavy boats in South China Sea stoke concern of U.S. 7th Fleet commander
China's increased reliance on nonnaval ships to assert its claims in the South China Sea is complicating U.S. efforts to avoid a clash in the disputed waters, according to 7th Fleet commander Vice Adm. Joseph Aucoin.
ASIA PACIFIC
Feb 16, 2016
China island-building expands as ASEAN leaders gather in U.S.
China's South China Sea island-building has expanded into the Paracel Islands, according to satellite photos published as Southeast Asian leaders gathered in California for two days of talks with U.S. President Barack Obama.
ASIA PACIFIC
Feb 15, 2016
Top U.S. Navy official warns against Chinese fighter flights from South China Sea runways
Any move by China to fly fighter jets from runways on its new man-made islands in the disputed South China Sea would be destablizing and would not deter U.S. flights over the area, a senior U.S. naval officer said Monday.
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 15, 2016
Russian foreign minister to visit, lay groundwork for a possible summit
Visit from Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov slated for April but no dates set yet for a meeting to discuss territorial dispute.
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 15, 2016
Deceit and hypocrisy in the South China Sea
The deceit and hypocrisy of nearly all the claimants and major actors are complicating and confusing the issues in the South China Sea.
ASIA PACIFIC
Feb 13, 2016
Manila considers two-way talks on South China Sea with Beijing — if it wins case at The Hague
The Philippines may consider two-way talks with China to resolve a territorial dispute in the South China Sea — but only if it wins its case with Beijing at an arbitration tribunal in The Hague, Manila's foreign minister has said.
ASIA PACIFIC
Feb 13, 2016
U.S. touts 'Batman' destroyer as Obama set to court ASEAN leaders
U.S. officials are looking to superheroes in their quest to preserve Asia's postwar security order in the face of an increasingly assertive China.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Feb 11, 2016
China warns on South China Sea as U.S., India consider patrols
China on Thursday responded to a Reuters report that the U.S. and India are discussing joint naval patrols in the disputed South China Sea, warning that interference from countries outside the region threatens peace and stability.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Feb 10, 2016
U.S., India 'weighing joint patrols' in contested South China Sea
The United States and India have held talks about conducting joint naval patrols that a U.S. defense official said could include the disputed South China Sea, a move that would likely anger Beijing, which claims most of the waterway.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Feb 10, 2016
White House says disputes over South China Sea must not involve Chinese 'bullying'
President Barack Obama will deliver a tough message to China during a summit with Southeast Asian countries next week that disputes in the South China Sea must be resolved peacefully and not with a big nation "bullying" smaller neighbors, the White House said on Tuesday.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Feb 3, 2016
U.S. says open to patrols with Philippines in waters disputed with China
The United States is open to the possibility of joint naval patrols with the Philippines in the South China Sea, a U.S. diplomat said Wednesday, stressing it would continue to exercise "freedom of navigation" in the disputed waters.
Japan Times
WORLD / ANALYSIS
Feb 1, 2016
U.S. risks credibility gap by swatting China with international treaty it has never ratified
In the wake of Washington's second "freedom of navigation" operation near Beijing's man-made islets in the South China Sea, an often overlooked fact remains: The set of laws governing global maritime behavior that the U.S. has been touting has never been ratified by the Senate.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Jan 31, 2016
U.S. defies Chinese maritime claims after warship sails near island in disputed South China Sea
The U.S. Navy sent a Japan-based warship within 12 nautical miles (22 km) of an island in the South China Sea Saturday that is claimed by Beijing and others in an effort to challenge what the Pentagon called "excessive maritime claims."
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Jan 31, 2016
Despite military build-up, China struggles with warplane engine technology
China has built a potent military machine over the past 30 years but is struggling to develop advanced engines that would allow its warplanes to match Western fighters in combat, foreign and Chinese industry sources said.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 27, 2016
Implications of the U.S. Navy's FONOP program
When the U.S. last fall sent a warship on a Freedom of Navigation Operation near a Chinese-occupied reef, the message was unfortunately both confused and confusing.

Longform

A woman passes an "akichi" (vacant lot) in Bunkyo Ward, Tokyo. The capital is littered with such small lots in part because of Japan's aging and shrinking population.
Dealing with rising land vacancies as Japan shrinks