China's reportedly deploying missiles in the Spratly Islands outposts could mean an act closer to declaring an Air Defense Identification Zone in the disputed waters and Southeast Asian countries including Vietnam should raise voices to protect their rights, experts said. U.S. news network CNBC reported on Wednesday that China has installed anti-ship cruise missiles and surface-to-air missile systems on three of its outposts in the South China Sea. The report quoted unnamed sources as saying that according to U.S. intelligence assessments, the missiles were moved to Fiery Cross Reef, Subi Reef and Mischief Reef within the past 30 days. "If the story is correct, this is a significant step of China toward militarization of Spratly Islands," Euan Graham, Director of International Security Program at Lowy Institute, told VnExpress. He said the missiles would be a stage before China launching combat aircraft later this year, and declaring an excercise restriction area. The approach is … [Read more...] about China completing militarization in South China Sea by deploying missiles to Spratlys: experts
South china sea
After China’s massive drill, US patrols disputed South China Sea
In a span of 20 minutes, 20 F-18 fighter jets took off and landed on the USS Theodore Roosevelt aircraft carrier, in a powerful display of military precision and efficiency. The nuclear-powered warship, leading a carrier strike group, was conducting what the U.S. military called routine training in thedisputed South China Sea on Tuesday, headed for a port call in the Philippines, a defense treaty ally. The United States is not alone in carrying out naval patrols in the strategic waterway, where Chinese, Japanese and some Southeast Asian navies operate, possibly increasing tensions and risking accidents at sea. "We have seen Chinese ships around us," Rear Admiral Steve Koehler, the strike group commander, told a small group of reporters on board the three-decade-old carrier. "They are one of the navies that operate in the South China Sea but I would tell you that we have seen nothing but professional work out of the ships we have encountered." Navies in the western Pacific, including … [Read more...] about After China’s massive drill, US patrols disputed South China Sea
Britain plans to send warship to South China Sea in move likely to irk Beijing
Britain plans to send a warship to the disputed South China Sea next year to conduct freedom of navigation exercises, Defense Minister Michael Fallon said on Thursday, a move likely to anger Beijing. Britain would increase in presence in the waters after it sent four British fighter planes for joint exercises with Japan in the region last year, he said. China claims most of the energy-rich sea where neighbours Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam also have claims. Vietnam calls the troubled waters the East Sea. "We hope to send a warship to region next year. We have not finalized exactly where that deployment will take place but we won't be constrained by China from sailing through the South China Sea," Fallon told Reuters. "We have the right of freedom of navigation and we will exercise it." The presence of a British vessel threatens to stoke tensions, escalated by China's naval build-up and its increasingly assertive … [Read more...] about Britain plans to send warship to South China Sea in move likely to irk Beijing
US warship in operation near disputed island in South China Sea
A U.S. warship sailed near a disputed island in the South China Sea on Sunday in an operation meant to challenge competing claims in the area, a U.S. Defense Department official said. The USS Stethem, a guided-missile destroyer, sailed within 12 nautical miles of Triton Island, part of the Paracel Islands in the South China Sea, the official said. The waters are known as the East Sea in Vietnam. The operation was first reported by Fox News on Sunday. It was the second "freedom-of-navigation operation," or "fonop," conducted during the presidency of Donald Trump, following a drill in late May in which a U.S. warship sailed within 12 nautical miles of an artificial island built up by China in the South China Sea. China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement the U.S. ship had made an unauthorized entry into China's territorial waters. The operation was a "serious political and military provocation," the statement, issued late on Sunday said, citing ministry … [Read more...] about US warship in operation near disputed island in South China Sea
Southeast Asia officers board Japanese ship for South China Sea tour
Southeast Asian military officers have embarked on a four-day tour of the South China Sea, also called Vietnam East Sea on the Japanese navy's Izumo helicopter carrier in the latest sign Japan is stepping up efforts to counter growing Chinese influence. The officers from the 10-member Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) joined the Japanese ship in Singapore on Monday, the Japanese Ministry of Defense said in an outline of the plan. Other ASEAN military representatives will attend a separate three-day event from Tuesday in Japan, to observe Self Defense Forces (SDF) military disaster relief drills, the ministry said. "It is the first time we have done this," a ministry official said at a press briefing in Tokyo. The events show a hitherto unseen degree of coordination between Japan's military services and civilian defense officials to bolster foreign ties. It also marks a concerted push into military diplomacy by Japan's hawkish prime minister, Shinzo … [Read more...] about Southeast Asia officers board Japanese ship for South China Sea tour