An aerial photo taken though a glass window of a Philippine military plane shows the alleged on-going land reclamation by China on mischief reef in the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea, west of Palawan, Philippines, May 11, 2015. © Ritchie B. Tongo / Reuters China’s Foreign Ministry blasted a statement issued by the US…
On the same day that the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague ruled against China’s territorial claims in the South China Sea, Beijing has commissioned its fourth guided-missile destroyer. The latest 052D Yinchuan destroyer was commissioned at a naval port in Sanya, in the Hainan province. Roughly 150 meters long with a 20-meter beam, the ship is one…
The Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague, backed by the UN, essentially ruled that there is no legal basis for China to claim historic rights to vast sections of the South China Sea included in the ‘nine-dash line’. Here it is, in full legalese: “China’s claims to historic rights, or other sovereign rights or…
China has gone ballistic over The Hague Tribunal’s rejection of claims to “historic rights” in the South China Sea in a case brought by the Philippines. Beijing called the verdict “ill-founded,” warning its armed forces would defend its maritime interests. President Xi Jinping has acknowledged that China is dedicated to maintaining peace and stability in…
© China Daily / Reuters Beijing must prepare to make the US “pay a cost it can’t stand” if it intervenes in the South China Sea dispute by force, a state newspaper editorial has warned, days before a court at The Hague rules on the territorial row between China and the Philippines. The American military build-up…
By Tony CartalucciThe United States, as part of its stated agenda of raising tensions in the South China Sea to encourage cooperation across Southeast Asia with the US in encircling and containing Beijing’s regional and global rise, has included several high-profile naval and aviation incidents. However, there is a legal battle lurking just behind these…
