(REUTERS) China will offer its first regular civilian cruises to the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea by 2020, state media said on Wednesday, a move likely to irk other claimants to the disputed waters. China’s activities in the contested area, such as building artificial islands, airfields and other military facilities, have fueled tension in Southeast Asia, although it says most of the construction is for civilian purposes. The island province of Hainan […]
Tag: Spratlys
Taiwan enters South China Sea legal fray, as group seeks to sway international court
(Reuters) A Taiwanese group has intervened in the Philippines’ international court case against China’s claims in the South China Sea, pressing Taipei’s position that Taiwan is entitled to a swathe of the disputed waterway as an economic zone. The unusual submission has emerged just as judges at the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague are poised to rule on the Philippines’ landmark case, brought under the United Nations’ Convention on the Law of […]
China could build nuclear plants for South China Sea, paper says
(Reuters) China is getting closer to building maritime nuclear power platforms that could one day to used to support Chinese projects in the disputed South China Sea, a widely-read state-run newspaper said on Friday. China has rattled nerves with its military and construction activities on the islands it occupies in the South China Sea, including building runways, though Beijing says most of what it is building is for civilian purposes, like lighthouses. The Global Times, […]
Top Chinese military official visits Spratlys
QUEZON City, Philippines – Simultaneous to the visit of the United States Defense Secretary to the Philippines, a top Chinese military official visited the Chinese troops in the occupied areas in the Spratlys. China plans to add more facilities in the said area. (Eagle News Service Described by Jay Paul Carlos, Video Editing by Jericho Morales, Uploaded by MRFaith Bonalos)
Taiwan gives tour of disputed island in bid to boost claim
TAIPING, Taiwan (AFP) — Taiwan on Wednesday gave its first ever international press tour of a disputed island in the South China Sea to boost its claim, less than two months after a visit by its leader sparked protests from rival claimants. Taiping is the largest island in the Spratlys chain and is administered by Taiwan, which sees it as part of its territory. But the Spratlys are also claimed in part or whole by […]
Philippine Army reasserts claim on disputed island in South China Sea
MAY 13 (Reuters) — Philippine military officials traveled to a disputed island held by the Philippines on Monday (May 11) to re-establish its claim amid tensions with Beijing and its reclamation activities in the South China Sea. China’s rapid reclamation around seven reefs in the Spratlys archipelago of the South China Sea has alarmed claimants, including the Philippines and Vietnam, and drawn growing criticism from U.S. government officials and the military. Armed Forces of the […]
U.S., Japanese, South Korea vice foreign ministers urge China to ease in South China Sea
The vice foreign ministers of Japan, South Korea and the United States (U.S) urged China on Thursday (April 16) to adhere to international law and cease its development of island strips in the South China Sea for the apparent purpose of establishing its footprint in the region. “What, I think we all agree on, is the need to pursue any claims that countries have with strict adherence and respect for the rule of law, for […]
China defends reclamation work in South China Sea
The Chinese government mounted a detailed defense on Thursday (April 9) of its reclamation work in the disputed South China Sea, saying its activities were aimed at meeting both military and civil needs. Newly-published satellite images show that China is quickly reclaiming land around a submerged reef within an area the Philippines regards as its exclusive economic zone, with several dredgers in operation and seawalls built. The work on Mischief Reef is China’s most recent […]
U.S. says Chinese activity in South China Sea causes regional ‘anxiety’
China on Thursday (April 9) sketched out plans for the islands it is creating in the disputed South China Sea, saying they would be used for military defense as well as to provide civilian services that would benefit other countries. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told a news briefing that the reclamation and building work in the Spratly archipelago of the South China Sea was needed partly because of the risk of typhoons in […]
China dismayed over Vietnam Philippine games in Spratlys
China expressed dismay at the friendly games held by Vietnam and Philippines in one of the disputed islands in the Spratlys.
