3 h. ago Beijing’s nature reserve move in disputed South China Sea seen as bid for moral high ground

Beijing’s nature reserve move in disputed South China Sea seen as bid for moral high ground  The Straits Times

Politics

19 h. ago Beijing to create national nature reserve in disputed shoal in South China Sea

Beijing to create national nature reserve in disputed shoal in South China Sea  nhk.or.jp

Politics

26 h. ago Beijing declares contested Scarborough Shoal a nature reserve

Beijing declares contested Scarborough Shoal a nature reserve  The Telegraph

Politics

47 h. ago China approves nature reserve at disputed South China Sea shoal claimed by the Philippines

China approves nature reserve at disputed South China Sea shoal claimed by the Philippines  Seattle Post-Intelligencer

Politics

47 h. ago China to establish nature reserve in disputed Scarborough Shoal in South China Sea

China to establish nature reserve in disputed Scarborough Shoal in South China Sea  Reuters

Politics

48 h. ago China to Set Up Nature Reserve at Disputed South China Sea Shoal

China to Set Up Nature Reserve at Disputed South China Sea Shoal  Bloomberg.com

Politics

49 h. ago China approves nature reserve at contested Scarborough Shoal

China has approved the establishment of a nature reserve at the Scarborough Shoal, a disputed territory in the South China Sea, a decision that could escalate tensions with rival claimant the Philippines. The move comes months after China published a set of geographic coordinates for 16 base points around the feature, which it calls Huangyan Island and is known as the Panatag Shoal in the Philippines. Beijing has controlled the sea feature since a stand-off with the Philippines in 2012. The...

Politics

50 h. ago Fishing for intelligence: US plan puts Filipinos at risk in South China Sea

A US proposal to train Filipino fishermen as informants, tasked with reporting illegal fishing and environmental degradation by foreign vessels, has triggered concern that civilians could be thrust into the front lines of the South China Sea dispute. Jonathan Fritz, US principal deputy assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, outlined the initiative during a round-table discussion at the US embassy in Manila on Thursday. Despite Washington’s recent overhaul of its foreign...

Events

1 week ago Will China boost defence posture as Vietnam deepens footprint in Spratlys?

Beijing may be prompted to fortify its defences in the disputed South China Sea, observers have warned, after new satellite images showed Vietnam had stepped up island-building in the Spratly Islands. Vietnam occupies the most features on the contested Spratlys, which China claims as the Nansha Islands. Rival claimants over all or part of the archipelago include Malaysia, the Philippines and Brunei. Satellite images released on August 22 by the US think tank Centre for Strategic and...

Politics

2 w. ago Vietnam is taking a leaf out of China’s playbook to build fortified islands in the disputed South China Sea

Vietnam is taking a leaf out of China’s playbook to build fortified islands in the disputed South China Sea  CNN

Politics

2 w. ago Philippines warns China not to cross ‘red line’ over grounded warship

The Philippines has warned China that any attempt to board or tow away its grounded warship at the Second Thomas Shoal would be crossing a “red line” after Manila detected a sharp rise in Chinese maritime activity around the disputed feature in the South China Sea. Philippine Navy Rear Admiral Roy Vincent Trinidad told reporters on Tuesday that the military was closely monitoring a surge in Chinese maritime activity near the shoal, including the deployment of a navy tugboat for the first...

Events

2 w. ago Vietnam accelerates land building in disputed South China Sea

Vietnam accelerates land building in disputed South China Sea  Straight Arrow News

Politics

3 w. ago Why has China sent research ships to Scarborough Shoal after a collision?

At least two Chinese research vessels have been operating around Scarborough Shoal at the same time as a Philippine coastguard ship has been patrolling the disputed area of the South China Sea. The Xiang Yang Hong 10, an ocean research vessel operated by China’s Ministry of Natural Resources, has been operating near the reef since last Friday, according to information from the satellite-based Automatic Identification System. Another Chinese research vessel, the Zhuhai Yun, a maritime drone...

Politics

3 w. ago Amid Beijing tensions, Australia, Philippines team up in South China Sea drills

Off the shores of Palawan, more than 3,600 troops from Australia and the Philippines are taking part in their largest-ever military drills, marking a decisive shift in Canberra’s Indo-Pacific security strategy. Exercise Alon, launched on Friday, is taking place less than 300 nautical miles (555km) from the Philippine-held Thitu Island in the Spratly archipelago – an area at the heart of escalating territorial disputes in the South China Sea. Beijing claims the Spratly island group alongside...

Events

3 w. ago Philippines reports Chinese ship surge after ‘embarrassing’ collision

The Philippine government has reported a marked increased in Chinese maritime activity near Scarborough Shoal, intensifying a stand-off over the disputed South China Sea atoll. Officials in Manila have characterised the build-up as an attempt by Beijing to reassert control after two Chinese ships collided last week during a chase involving a Philippine vessel. On Sunday, the National Maritime Council cited the Philippine Navy’s latest assessment, reporting that as of Thursday, seven Chinese...

Politics

4 w. ago China tells US to rein in frontline forces after South China Sea ‘infringement’

China urged the United States to restrain frontline forces on Friday after a US destroyer entered disputed waters in the South China Sea. Chinese defence ministry spokesman Jiang Bin said China had expressed “strong dissatisfaction and firm opposition” and had lodged stern representations with the United States over the matter. “We urge the US to effectively restrain its frontline forces and immediately cease its related acts of infringement and provocation against China,” Jiang said. “The...

Politics

4 w. ago China and US clash over South China Sea operation near disputed shoal

China and US clash over South China Sea operation near disputed shoal  Australian Broadcasting Corporation

Politics

4 w. ago Chinese families in ‘broken houses’; PLA’s warning: SCMP daily highlights

Catch up on some of SCMP’s biggest China stories of the day. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. Chinese military ‘warns off’ US destroyer from vicinity of Scarborough Shoal A US destroyer has entered disputed waters in the South China Sea, less than two days after an apparent collision involving a Chinese coastguard vessel and a PLA Navy ship while the former was pursuing a Philippine coastguard vessel in the area. 2. China boosts hybrid crop...

Events

last month China’s military says it ‘drove away’ U.S. destroyer in disputed shoal in South China Sea

China’s military says it ‘drove away’ U.S. destroyer in disputed shoal in South China Sea  The Globe and Mail

Events

last month Chinese military ‘warns off’ US destroyer from vicinity of Scarborough Shoal

A US destroyer has entered disputed waters in the South China Sea, less than two days after an apparent collision involving a Chinese coastguard vessel and a PLA Navy ship while the former was pursuing a Philippine coastguard vessel in the area. The People’s Liberation Army’s Southern Theatre Command said on Wednesday that the USS Higgins destroyer, type DDG-76, had “illegally entered China’s territorial waters around Huangyan Island without the approval of the Chinese government”. The PLA...

Events