Tag - south-china-sea

 
 

SOUTH CHINA SEA

China has accused Australia of deliberately provoking it with a patrol in the South China Sea this week.
ASIA PACIFIC
Feb 14, 2025
China accuses Australia of deliberate provocation in South China Sea
Australia defends its patrol after China condemns its actions in disputed waters, calling the mission a lawful operation.
Japanese Ambassador to the Philippines Kazuya Endo (third from left) joins a tour of the BRP Melchora Aquino, the BRP Melchora Aquino, last May. The Philippine Coast Guard ship was provided to Manila under Japan's official development aid program.
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 11, 2025
Japan exploring more defense transfers to Philippines, envoy says
As Tokyo revises its export guidelines to ease defense equipment transfers, the partners expect more security cooperation on the horizon.
The U.S. Navy guided-missile destroyer USS Benfold sails in the front of a formation with the Philippine Navy Jose Rizal-class frigate BRP Jose Rizal (center), the Royal Australian Navy Hobart-class air warfare destroyer HMAS Hobart (left) and the Maritime Defense Force Akizuki-class destroyer Akizuki, during a multilateral Maritime Cooperative Activity exercise in the South China Sea last Wednesday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics / FOCUS
Feb 10, 2025
Calls grow louder for joint maritime patrols near Philippine hot spots
Some want Manila to consider joint coast guard and naval patrols near Chinese government vessels operating in disputed waters of the South China Sea.
Philippine National Security Council Assistant Director-General Jonathan Malaya says information and psychological warfare have "become part and parcel" of China's malign influence in his country.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Feb 7, 2025
Chinese hybrid warfare ops surge in Philippines: top security official
There has been a rise in Chinese disinformation tactics as well as suspected surveillance and espionage activities in the Philippines, the official said.
Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro says Manila's moves to beef up deterrence — including continuing to have a powerful U.S. missile system deployed on its territory — “are for the protection of our territorial integrity and sovereignty."
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Feb 6, 2025
Philippines all in to get its own midrange missile system
The plan, as disclosed by Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro, comes amid Chinese pressure to remove a powerful U.S. weapons system from its territory.
A map of the South China Sea is shown during a Philippine Coast Guard mission to the Second Thomas Shoal, claimed by both the Philippines and China. Each country has its own name for this area, signaling the use of toponyms to stake territorial rights.
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 3, 2025
What’s in a name? In the South China Sea, a whole lot.
In the South China Sea, disputed territories have been given different names by the states vying for them. Will Trump's moves thousands of miles away validate this approach?
Philippines Foreign Minister Enrique Manalo poses for a photo at the Foreign Ministry in Manila during a recent interview with The Japan Times.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Feb 2, 2025
Manila expects continuity in critical ties with Washington, top Philippine diplomat says
Washington’s backing remains crucial, particularly as tensions with Beijing over territorial and maritime disputes remain high.
A man walks pastthe ASEAN logo during the ASEAN foreign ministers' retreat in Langkawi, Malaysia, on Saturday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jan 19, 2025
Malaysia takes on ASEAN mantle but tempers expectations on Myanmar and South China Sea
Malaysia is committed to addressing regional issues, but expectations on Myanmar and disputes in the South China Sea should be measured, a top official said.
Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya (right center) meets his Philippine counterpart, Enrique Manalo, during bilateral talks in Taguig City, Metro Manila, Philippines, on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 15, 2025
Trump concerns top agenda as Japanese and Philippine foreign ministers meet
Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya, who is set to attend Trump’s inauguration on Jan. 20, also stressed the necessity of being on the same wavelength as the incoming president’s team.
The Chinese bulk carrier Yi Peng 3 is anchored near the city of Granaa in Jutland, Denmark, on Nov. 20. Sweden's foreign minister said last month that China had denied a request for prosecutors to conduct an investigation of the ship linked to recently severed Baltic Sea cables.
EDITORIALS
Jan 10, 2025
Be ready for the new Cold War, under the sea
In the South China Sea, a least one cable fault is reported in the waterway every few weeks; in other parts of the world it’s one incident a year.
A "midrange capability" launcher arrives as part of a deployment to Northern Luzon, Philippines, in April.
ASIA PACIFIC
Dec 23, 2024
Philippine military says will acquire U.S. Typhon missile system
The U.S. Army deployed the midrange missile system in the northern Philippines earlier this year for annual joint military exercises.
A screen grab from video footage taken Wednesday by the National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea (NTF-WPS) shows a China Coast Guard ship (right) and a Philippine Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources vessel in disputed South China Sea waters.
JAPAN / Politics
Dec 8, 2024
Japan, the U.S. and the Philippines to hold maritime talks
The three countries will discuss the South China Sea situation, where China has increased activities and ways to strengthen a free and open maritime order.
China Coast Guard vessels fire water cannons toward a Philippine resupply vessel on its way to a resupply mission at Second Thomas Shoal in the South China Sea on March 5.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Dec 3, 2024
China accuses Philippine ships of 'illegally gathering' at disputed reef
This came as the Philippine Coast Guard said a Chinese Navy helicopter had "harassed" Philippine fishing vessels in Iroquois Reef in the South China Sea.
Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. attends the ASEAN-U.S. summit in Vientiane, Laos, in October.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Dec 2, 2024
Philippines' Marcos says presence of Russian submarine 'very worrisome'
A Russian Kilo-class submarine was sighted 80 nautical miles (150 kilometers) off the western province of Occidental Mindoro on Thursday.
A satellite image appears to show an overview of Thitu Island in the South China Sea on Monday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Nov 29, 2024
Chinese ships near island disputed with Philippines, satellites show
Thitu is a strategically important island from which Manila monitors Chinese vessels and aircraft in the busy waterway.
A Facebook "military interest" page that misrepresented old photos and videos of army operations to falsely claim that Washington was helping its ally Manila prepare for war.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Nov 26, 2024
Philippines-China tensions trigger money-making disinformation
Clashes between the two countries in the South China Sea are being manipulated online by disinformation networks for profit, an analysis has found.
The Philippines is countering Chinese aggression with a strategy of exposing coercive actions through media, embedding journalists with its military and leveraging visual evidence to gain domestic and international support.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 19, 2024
Philippines uses the media spotlight to fight back against China
Manila is promoting “assertive transparency” to shape the media landscape, putting Beijing on the defensive.
A China Coast Guard vessel fires a water cannon at a Philippine boat on a resupply mission to the Second Thomas Shoal in the South China Sea on March 5.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 17, 2024
America must stand up to Asia’s bully
Without U.S. intervention, China will continue its territorial expansion, threatening global security and supply chains.
Members of the Philippine Coast Guard stand alert as a Chinese Coast Guard vessel blocks their way to a resupply mission at Second Thomas Shoal in the South China Sea on March 5.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Nov 14, 2024
China and Philippines spar over baseline drawings in South China Sea
"The said baselines infringe upon Philippine sovereignty and contravene international law," the Philippines' foreign ministry said in a statement.
Palau President Surangel Whipps Jr. said the latest incursion by Chinese research vessels into his country's exclusive economic zone took place earlier this week.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Nov 13, 2024
China is flouting Palau's ocean boundaries, president says
Chinese research vessels have been lurking "uninvited" within the Pacific nation's waters, newly reelected President Surangel Whipps Jr. says.

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