4 d. ago China carries out ‘largest’ military, civilian rescue drill in South China Sea

Chinese coastguard and military forces took part in a large land-air-sea emergency rescue exercise near the disputed Woody Island on Thursday, as Beijing continues to assert its claims in the South China Sea. More than 200 personnel, 15 vessels and two rescue helicopters carried out what was described by the government and state media as “the largest rescue drill in recent years”. Woody Island, called Yongxing Island by China, is part of the Paracel Islands, a contested archipelago known as the...

Events

8 d. ago Beijing tells China ships in Strait of Hormuz to phone home amid safety risks

Check in once a day so we know you’re OK – that is the message China has sent to all domestic shipping vessels traversing the Strait of Hormuz, as Iran mulls closure of the key oil trade route following air strikes by the United States at the weekend. Effective immediately, all shipping companies and ship-management firms must submit daily reports with specific details from vessels transiting not only the Hormuz – a critically important shipping chokepoint – but also the Gulf of Oman and the...

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1 week ago China uses water cannon to expel Philippine vessel from Scarborough Shoal

Chinese and Philippine vessels have clashed again in the South China Sea, with Beijing saying its coastguard used a water cannon to expel a Philippine government vessel near Scarborough Shoal on Friday. China Coast Guard spokesman Liu Dejun said on Friday afternoon that Philippine vessel 3006 had “ignored repeated warnings and insistently intruded” into Chinese waters near the strategic shoal. In response, the China Coast Guard used standard enforcement measures, including verbal warnings, close...

Politics

2 w. ago Chinese vessel grounding: concern in Philippines over new grey

A recent case of a Chinese militia vessel running aground on a strategic island in the disputed South China Sea has raised concerns from the Philippine side of another wave of so-called grey-zone activities by Beijing, even as Manila’s officials acknowledge the incident could be down to inclement weather. Observers point to the Philippines having adopted the same strategy to stake claim over the Second Thomas Shoal when it permanently grounded the war vessel BRP Sierra Madre in 1999. The recent...

Politics

3 w. ago Loitering with intent: Beijing’s new silent South China Sea strategy?

When a Chinese coastguard vessel appeared off the coast of Zambales province in late May, it didn’t fire a shot or issue a threat. Instead, it lingered – uninvited, silent and unmoving. To analysts in Manila, the message was loud and clear: Beijing was testing new tactics in the South China Sea, one quiet incursion at a time. The coastguard vessel was detected roughly 76 nautical miles (140km) off Palauig Point – well within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone and about 220km southeast of...

Politics

3 w. ago Big shipowners take wind out of US sails, continue to order vessels from China

While a US port fee targeting ships linked to China has made some vessel buyers hesitant, major shipping companies – including Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC), the world’s largest – are opting to continue working with Chinese shipyards, saying their competitiveness cannot be easily matched in the short term. Despite the United States’ determination to challenge China’s dominance in global shipbuilding, MSC senior vice-president Marie-Caroline Laurent told the Nor-Shipping Forum in Oslo this...

Politics

4 w. ago Taiwan to test kamikaze sea drone to ‘support coastal assault operations’

Taiwan is planning to test a home-made kamikaze sea drone later this month as it seeks to boost its naval defences in the face of growing pressure from mainland China. The vessel – developed under the code name “Kuai Chi Project” by the National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology (NCSIST), Taiwan’s top weapons developer – will undergo combat capability evaluations later this month before further tests later this year, a military source said on Monday. “If all goes according to plan,...

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