ASEAN - Page 2

Contents: China preparing to install long-range missiles in South China Sea; China’s ASEAN neighbors express increasing anxiety over China’s illegal militarization

LOS ANGELES — Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs Julie Bishop said Thursday evening that the United States should reject “isolationism” after quitting the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) — and lead in Asia to resist China’s naval ambitions.

Contents: Philippines to reject US use of its bases for South China Sea patrols; China says its South China Sea military buildup is a boon to the world; Vietnam and Australia reject China’s claims

Japan’s defense minister announced in Washington Thursday that the nation is seeking to participate in joint maritime exercises with the United States in the South China Sea, a direct challenge to China’s repeated demands for Japan to stay out of the region.

Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte admitted Monday that he had skipped important meetings at the recent Association of Southeast Nations (ASEAN) summit because President Barack Obama would be there, and “I do not like the Americans.”

Contents: Two million Muslims — but no Iranians — begin the Hajj pilgrimage on Friday; Saudi Arabia makes a dangerous accusation – that Iranians are ‘not Muslims’; Obama warns China not to ignore the Hague tribunal ruling on South China Sea

The fallout from Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s very public insults towards President Barack Obama continues. Russia, previously silent on China’s creeping invasion of Philippine territory in the South China Sea, has now issued a statement supporting Beijing.

Capitalizing on the highly-publicized spat between Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte and his U.S. counterpart Barack Obama, China has exploited the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) this week to impose its own rules on South China Sea navigation with seemingly little resistance.

The government of the Philippines has confirmed that President Barack Obama met “informally” with his Philippine counterpart, Rodrigo Duterte, after canceling an official meeting over Duterte referring to Obama as a “putang ina” (“son of a whore”).

The office of the presidency of the Philippines has released a statement expressing “regret” that President Barack Obama canceled a one-on-one meeting with his Filipino counterpart, President Rodrigo Duterte, after the latter referred to Obama as a “son of a whore.”

Chinese military officials speaking to Reuters under condition of anonymity say they are hoping to encourage Beijing to allow them to give a “bloody nose” to Vietnam, the Philippines, and other states claiming territory in the South China Sea, where China claims most of the resource-rich waters.

The Chinese government has announced that it will hold naval drills with the Russian military in the South China Sea in September, a move following an international court verdict stating that China does not have sovereignty over most of the South China Sea.

Contents: Arab League in chaos as it fails to address Arab existential threats; ASEAN in chaos as it fails to address South China Sea threats; France’s François Hollande declares war on ISIS after terror attack kills priest; Turkey fears that Gulen will flee the United States

The United States, Japan, and Australia stepped away from a meeting of ASEAN, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, on Monday to issue a joint statement urging China to avoid building more military outposts in the South China Sea.

Contents: ASEAN makes humiliating South China Sea reversal under pressure from China; Obama administration reevaluates plans for Afghanistan troop withdrawal

“It is a very dangerous time, particularly when adversaries, or at least competitors, like China, and adversaries like North Korea, see American weakness. The danger of miscalculation is enormous,” John Bolton warns.

China is making at least one gesture to de-escalate tensions in the South China Sea: it announced on Thursday that it would send a missile destroyer, and a dozen special-forces troops, to joint exercises with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, India, and the United States.

Contents: More on China’s New Silk Road through the ‘Caspian Trade Corridor’; China and Cambodia hold military exercises amid South China Sea tensions

Satellite images published in The Diplomat indicate that China has begun an extensive construction operation in the South China Sea’s Paracel Islands, following years of work building artificial islands in the Spratly Archipelago.

On Monday, President Barack Obama hosted members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) for the start of a two-day summit at the scenic Sunnylands retreat in Rancho Mirage.

Contents: China blocks Miss World Canada from attending Miss World pageant; ASEAN leaders harshly criticize China over South China Sea actions; Occupied Crimea declares state of emergency after electricity is cut

Obama can barely stifle a yawn when talking about the heinous acts of terrorists, but his blood really gets pumping when he has an opportunity to savage his fellow Americans. You can see the light flickering on in his eyes, like the neon tubes buzzing to life at a back-roads convenience store after sunset.

As a part of a continuing effort to expand Chinese naval presence and project power across the South China Sea, the communist government has completed construction of the world’s largest aircraft carrier dock. The dock is 700 feet long and can service two ships at a time.

China is attempting to strongarm the countries forming the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) not to discuss its aggressive expansion of control in the South China Sea, issuing statements arguing that the venue is “improper” for such a topic. The Philippines, Malaysia, and Singapore, all who object to China’s expansion, strongly disagree.

Chinese officials are trying to downplay accusations of aggression at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) this Tuesday.

In a move that ties into China’s ambition to rebuild the “Silk Road” trade route and assert maritime dominance, the Communist Party’s Global Times newspaper mused that war with the United States over disputed South China Sea islands was “inevitable” unless the U.S. backed down.

If China’s talk of rebuilding the legendary “Silk Road” trade route is a means of asserting dominance over Asian land and water, it is hardly the only muscle Beijing is flexing. Reuters reports that the Chinese are accusing the Philippines of violating a largely informal code governing the South China Sea by constructing military and civilian facilities on certain disputed islands. The Philippines Foreign Ministry levels the exact same charge against China.