In a private speech shortly after leaving her post as Secretary of State, Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton reportedly asserted that China has “a right to assert themselves” with regard to the South China Sea, a region in which the communist government has usurped the sovereign territory of six countries.
Pakistan and the Philippines have threatened to break ties with the United States and forge a closer relationship with Russia and China, accusing America of ignoring their concerns.
A spokesman for the Chinese Defense Ministry has warned the Japanese government to abandon its plans to seek a greater role in freedom of navigation exercises in the South China Sea, suggesting that Japan’s interest is “playing with fire” and that China’s military is prepared to subdue any challengers in the region.
In discussing his push to meet Chinese and Russian officials to attract investment, Duterte noted that he was preparing to “cross the Rubicon” with the United States. He did not elaborate on what he meant, though many have interpreted this as an indication Duterte is looking to weaken ties with his nation’s most reliable ally.
The Chinese military conducted what it called a “routine” control that sent Japanese jets scrambling Sunday over the East China Sea, with Japan warning that they are keeping an eye on the increasingly “expansive” activities of China’s military assets.
Photos taken from Google Maps appear to show military structures, including anti-aircraft fortifications, appearing on the Taiwan-controlled island of Taiping, in the disputed Spratly Islands chain of the South China Sea.
Speaking to the United Nations General Assembly, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang was notably silent on the ongoing dispute in the South China Sea, instead demanding “developed countries” conform to climate change protocols and asserting “terrorism should not be linked with certain countries, races, or religions.”
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 Foreign Minister Perfecto Yasay addressed concerns that the nation’s new president, Rodrigo Duterte, is damaging Manila’s relations with the United States, arguing that America is an “esteemed and trusted ally” but that the Philippines cannot “forever be” America’s “little brown brother.”
Chinese President Xi Jinping boasted of a closer, more robust bilateral relationship with Russia Wednesday, remarking that he and counterpart Vladimir Putin had agreed to “strengthen mutual support on major issues” as the two nations engage in military exercises in the South China Sea.
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.”
China and Russia have begun joint naval exercises in the South China Sea, set to involve “live-fire drills, sea crossing and island landing operations, and island defense and offense exercises,” according to a Chinese navy spokesperson quoted by CNN.
A day after requesting U.S. troops leave the south of the country, Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte hinted at interest in buying weapons from rivals China and Russia and rejected the idea of joint naval patrols in disputed areas of the South China Sea.
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.
President Barack Obama has commented publicly on meeting his Philippine counterpart Rodrigo Duterte, who he “exchanged pleasantries” with in Laos this week after canceling a one-on-one meeting over Duterte calling Obama a “son of a whore.”
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”).
On Sunday, the government of the Philippines asked the Chinese ambassador to explain why a growing flotilla of Chinese boats is surrounding the disputed Scarborough Shoal.
Contents: Fault lines: Saudi Arabia-China-Pakistan and India-U.S. continue to harden; Saudi Arabia and China sign economic and military agreements; Saudi Arabia and Pakistan discuss economic and military ties; U.S. and India sign a landmark defense agreement
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, who has saved some of his most reserved public language for China, has warned Beijing to abstain from any physical invasion of disputed territories in the South China Sea or “it will be bloody” for both parties.
After announcing the planning stage of the exercises last month, Russian and Chinese officials have confirmed the dates for a series of land and sea military exercises reported to take place in the South China Sea, where China claims vast swaths of territory belonging to six other nations.
The foreign ministers of China, Japan, and South Korea are looking to schedule a meeting in Japan next week, the first time Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi will have visited Japan and first such visit since Xi Jinping became president.
The Chinese government took a respite from its criticism of Japan for denying its unilateral claims over disputed territories of the East China Sea to thank Japanese rescuers for saving six Chinese sailors whose ship capsized near the Senkaku Islands.
An exclusive Reuters report reveals that Vietnam has “discreetly fortified several of its islands in the disputed South China Sea with new mobile rocket launchers capable of striking China’s runways and military installations across the vital trade route.”
Former U.N. Ambassador John Bolton, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, joined Breitbart News Daily with SiriusXM host Stephen K. Bannon to talk about the anti-Trump open letter that 50 Republican national security leaders signed.
Contents: Vietnam deploys rocket launchers in South China Sea to confront China; Japan-China relations ‘deteriorate significantly’ after repeated Chinese provocations
According to the Center for Strategic and International Studies, satellite photographs taken last month show China building reinforced aircraft hangers capable of handling military planes on three disputed islands in the South China Sea.
Japan filed a protest against China over the weekend, as six Chinese coast guard ships were spotted among a fleet of over 200 fishing boats in the disputed Senkaku Islands.
China risks triggering unintended conflict with Asian rivals through its aggressive stance in maritime disputes, Japan said Tuesday in a security assessment, as a Beijing minister urged preparations for a “people’s war at sea.”
China’s ambassador to Russia, Li Hui, told media Monday that it was essential for China to ignore the Hague’s verdict against it in the South China Sea case in order to “protect the dignity of international law.”
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.
A three-minute propaganda video promoting Beijing’s territorial claims in the South China Sea has begun playing in New York City’s Times Square, raising immediate objections from a British politician who says she was deliberately misquoted in the film.
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.
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.
U.S. Chief of Naval Operations Admiral John Richardson confirmed Wednesday that the Navy will continue to execute operations in the South China Sea and has no intent to leave the region, despite a relentless onslaught of Chinese propaganda urging America to eliminate its presence in the region entirely.
Anti-American protesters stormed KFC locations in at least eleven Chinese cities this weekend to protest a ruling against China’s South China Sea claims at the Permanent Court of Arbitration at the Hague, a verdict Beijing claims Tokyo and Washington manipulated in tandem.
The Foreign Affairs Secretary of the Philippines has confirmed that the nation will not engage in bilateral talks with China over the South China Sea under the terms Beijing has dictated, which requires Filipino diplomats to not mention the existence of a verdict in their favor issued by the Permanent Court of Arbitration at the Hague.
The fallout from the Hague’s ruling against Chinese territorial claims in the South China Sea continues, as Vietnam claims Beijing has been lying about support for its position from Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc.
Contents: China makes more delusional claims about the South China Sea; China continues to operate within the Philippines exclusive economic zone (EEZ); China’s military deploys bombers and closes part of the South China Sea
