At the 51st ASEAN Ministerial Meeting (AMM 51) in Singapore earlier this month, Singaporean Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan announced that ASEAN and China have successfully adopted a single draft negotiating text on the Code of Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (COC). This adoption, only achieved after years of negotiation between them, is among the significant positive developments in the situation, according to a Vietnamese Foreign Ministry official, who asked to remain unnamed. Speaking to VnExpress, the official said that compared to previous meetings AMM 51 also saw all ASEAN members finally agree on noting their concerns on the land reclamations and activities in the troubled waters. These activities have eroded trust and confidence, increased tensions and could undermine peace, security and stability in the region, ASEAN members noted in their joint communique. They also agreed to maintain ASEAN's central role in the region. "This shows the interest of ASEAN members … [Read more...] about South China Sea is ‘on low boil,’ analysts warn
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US warships sail near South China Sea islands claimed by Beijing: officials
Two U.S. Navy warships sailed near South China Sea islands claimed by China on Sunday, two U.S. officials told Reuters, in a move that drew condemnation from Beijing as President Donald Trump seeks its continued cooperation on North Korea. The operation was the latest attempt to counter what Washington sees as Beijing’s efforts to limit freedom of navigation in the strategic waters. While this operation had been planned months in advance, and similar operations have become routine, it comes at a particularly sensitive time and just days after the Pentagon uninvited China from a major U.S.-hosted naval drill. The U.S. officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the Higgins guided-missile destroyer and the Antietam, a guided-missile cruiser, came within 12 nautical miles of the Paracel Islands, among a string of islets, reefs and shoals over which China has territorial disputes with its neighbors. The U.S. military vessels carried out maneuvering operations near Tree, … [Read more...] about US warships sail near South China Sea islands claimed by Beijing: officials
Concrete and coral: Beijing’s South China Sea building boom fuels concerns
At first glance from above it looks like any clean and neatly planned small town, complete with sports grounds, neat roads and large civic buildings. But the town is on Subi reef in the Spratly archipelago of the hotly contested South China Sea and, regional security experts believe, could soon be home to China’s first troops based in the maritime heart of Southeast Asia. Private sector data analysis reviewed by Reuters shows Subi, some 1,200 km (750 miles) from China’s coast, is now home to nearly 400 individual buildings – far more than other Chinese islands. Subi could be the future location of hundreds of People’s Liberation Army marines, as well as a possible administrative hub as China cements its claim with a civilian presence, security analysts and diplomatic sources say. The data from Earthrise Media, a non-profit group supporting independent media with imagery research, was based on surveys of high-resolution images obtained by DigitalGlobe satellites, … [Read more...] about Concrete and coral: Beijing’s South China Sea building boom fuels concerns
Beijing’s South China Sea bombers fly in the face of protests
China's brazen landing of nuclear-capable bombers on an island in the disputed South China Sea is a bold power play to bolster its territorial claims while rivals are divided and the U.S. distracted by North Korea, analysts say. China attracted diplomatic protests after long-range H-6K bombers carried out landing and takeoff drills at an unidentified island airstrip on Friday. But Beijing has long brushed aside such condemnation, denying that it was militarizing the region even though it has installed an array of airstrips, radar systems and naval facilities on a string of islands it has reclaimed in contested areas since 2013. The planes are believed to have landed on Woody Island, China's largest base in the Paracel Islands which is also claimed by Vietnam and Taiwan, according to Bonnie Glaser, a China expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington. An H-6K long-range strategic bomber deployed to Woody Island could reach almost the entire South China Sea … [Read more...] about Beijing’s South China Sea bombers fly in the face of protests
Chinese bombers make debut landing on disputed South China Sea runway
China has for the first time landed several bombers on an island in the disputed South China Sea, a move that could provoke renewed tensions between countries bordering the strategically vital maritime region. Several bombers of various types - including the long-range, nuclear strike capable H-6K - carried out landing and take off drills at an unidentified island airfield after carrying out simulated strike training on targets at sea, the Chinese airforce said in a statement on Friday. Wang Mingliang, a defense expert cited in the statement, said the takeoff and landing exercises on islands in the South China Sea will help the air force "strengthen its combat capability to deal with martime security threats." The move comes weeks after U.S. network CNBC reported that China had installed anti-ship and air-to-air defenses on outposts in the Spratly Islands that are also claimed by Vietnam and the Philippines, citing sources close to U.S. intelligence. Washington warned that Beijing … [Read more...] about Chinese bombers make debut landing on disputed South China Sea runway