67 h. ago Beijing looks for social workers to place on disputed South China Sea islands

China is recruiting social workers for disputed islands in the South China Sea. According to a notice published on Monday, the government of Sansha, the authority set up to administer the disputed territories, said it was looking for 11 “community workers” to post on eight reefs and islands in the Paracel and the Spratly islands. The territories include Woody Island, the administrative centre of the disputed territories, and Mischief Reef, which is home to a large military base. The notice was...

Politics

67 h. ago Beijing looks for social workers for posts on disputed South China Sea islands

China is recruiting social workers for disputed islands in the South China Sea. According to a notice published on Monday, the government of Sansha, the authority set up to administer the disputed territories, said it was looking for 11 “community workers” to post on eight reefs and islands in the Paracel and the Spratly islands. The territories include Woody Island, the administrative centre of the disputed territories, and Mischief Reef, which is home to a large military base. The notice was...

Politics

3 d. ago ‘Strategic patience’ key for Beijing in South China Sea and other disputes

Beijing should exercise “strategic patience” in managing its maritime disputes, with provocations to be expected from the Philippines in the South China Sea and Japan in the East China Sea, according to a leading Chinese analyst. Hu Bo, director of the South China Sea Strategic Situation Probing Initiative (SCSPI), delivered his message in an article published this month in the latest issue of defence journal Modern Ship. There have been continuous tensions between Beijing and its uneasy...

Politics

4 d. ago South China Sea: claims of coercion, deception as Beijing and Manila wage new war of words

China and the Philippines have again exchanged barbs over confrontations in the disputed South China Sea, with each accusing the other of provocation and escalating tensions. The Chinese embassy in the Philippines on Tuesday said a statement the day before by the National Maritime Council – a government body created by Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr in 2024 to address the nation’s maritime challenges – was “unfounded and misleading”. It accused Manila of “provoking trouble and...

Events

5 d. ago ‘Soft landing’: China, EU see progress in EV dispute with price floor option

‘Soft landing’: China, EU see progress in EV dispute with price floor option  South China Morning Post

Politics

8 d. ago Philippine navy confident it can navigate South China Sea dispute: ‘up to the challenge’

The Philippines has expressed confidence in countering China’s widening influence in contested waters as its navy presses ahead with expanding its fleet, joint activities with foreign partners and the use of unmanned systems. Analysts say these measures would boost the interoperability of the Philippine military across the sea and air, as the South China Sea dispute continues to dominate its security planning. “We are up to the challenge [posed by] the People’s Liberation Army Navy, Chinese...

Politics

9 d. ago China launches Woody Island fresh food link as disputed Paracels hub expands

China has launched a fresh food supply service for residents of Woody Island, part of the hotly contested Paracel Islands in the South China Sea. A flight carrying fresh fruit, vegetables and meat landed on Woody Island – known as Yongxing Island in Chinese – on Tuesday, according to local state broadcaster Sansha TV. Woody Island is the largest outcrop in the Paracels, which are called the Xisha Islands in China. The island hosts the government of Sansha, which was established to administer...

Politics

1 week ago China police officer praised for mediating dispute among 7 kids with respect, patience

China police officer praised for mediating dispute among 7 kids with respect, patience  South China Morning Post

Events

2 w. ago Why China is turning down the nationalist heat in its row with Japan

A little over a decade ago, a diplomatic row with Japan would have been enough to bring people out into the streets in China or at least stir a patriotic retail boycott. In 2012, for instance, tensions boiled over after Tokyo bought and then nationalised three of the Diaoyu Islands, a group of eight uninhabited islands in the East China Sea that Japan calls the Senkakus. China and Japan have a long-running territorial dispute over the islands and authorities appeared to tolerate the...

Politics

2 w. ago Hiker dies after falling off cliff into sea at Hong Kong’s Po Pin Chau island

A hiker has died after falling off a cliff at Po Pin Chau island in Hong Kong, according to police. The force received a report at 10.18am on Wednesday that a 30-year-old man had fallen into the sea at Po Pin Chau, off the High Island Reservoir East Dam in Sai Kung. Rescuers brought the man to a nearby Fire Services Department base, while officers investigated at the scene. The man was later certified dead. Po Pin Chau, which falls within Hong Kong’s Unesco Global Geopark, offers views of...

Events

2 w. ago China hints ‘illegal’ Philippine fishing is harming disputed Scarborough Shoal

China hints ‘illegal’ Philippine fishing is harming disputed Scarborough Shoal  South China Morning Post

Events

3 w. ago China opens shopping centre on Woody Island in disputed Paracels in South China Sea

China has opened a new shopping centre on Woody Island in the disputed Paracel Islands, bolstering its civilian presence on the strategically vital South China Sea outpost. The Sansha City Commercial Centre opened to business on Thursday, according to the local government. The over 6,000 square metre (64,600 sq ft) complex is the latest addition to China’s civilian infrastructure on what it calls Yongxing Island, following its first hardware store last year and a hotpot restaurant in 2023. Woody...

Economics

3 w. ago China opens shopping centre on Woody Island in disputed Paracels

China opens shopping centre on Woody Island in disputed Paracels  South China Morning Post

Economics