5 h. ago Beijing sanctions Manila’s South China Sea legal claim architect Francis Tolentino

China has announced sanctions on former Philippine Senate leader Francis Tolentino, a key ally of the Southeast Asian country’s President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr on South China Sea issues. Beijing accused Tolentino of “egregious conduct on China-related issues” and will bar the former Philippine lawmaker – whose term ended yesterday – from entering mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau, according to the Chinese foreign ministry. “For some time now, individual anti-China politicians in the Philippines...

Events

5 h. ago Beijing sanctions South China Sea legal claim architect Francis Tolentino

China has sanctioned the former Senate leader of the Philippines Francis Tolentino, a key ally of the Southeast Asian country’s President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr on South China Sea issues. Beijing accused Tolentino of “egregious conduct on China-related issues” and will bar the former Philippine lawmaker – whose term ended on Monday – from entering mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau, according to the Chinese foreign ministry. “For some time now, individual anti-China politicians in the Philippines...

Events

5 h. ago The South China Sea Standoff: A Boom for Defense and Cybersecurity Investors?

The South China Sea Standoff: A Boom for Defense and Cybersecurity Investors?  AInvest

Events

13 h. ago Australian destroyer conducts South China Sea Freedom of Navigation activity

Australian destroyer conducts South China Sea Freedom of Navigation activity  Breaking Defense

Politics

3 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

6 d. ago Hong Kong Observatory to issue No 1 typhoon signal at 2.20pm

This story has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing. New users who download our updated app get a seven-day free trial. Hong Kong’s weather forecaster will issue the No 1 typhoon warning signal at 2.20pm on Wednesday, as a low pressure area over South China Sea has intensified into a tropical depression. The Hong Kong Observatory said that unsettled weather would affect the city, with the broad area of low...

Politics

6 d. ago Hong Kong issues No 1 typhoon signal as tropical depression intensifies

This story has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing. New users who download our updated app get a seven-day free trial. Hong Kong’s weather forecaster has issued the No 1 typhoon warning signal, as a low pressure area over South China Sea intensifies into a tropical depression. The Hong Kong Observatory raised the signal at 2.20pm on Wednesday, and said that unsettled weather would affect the city. It added...

Politics

6 d. ago Opinion | A South China Sea digital commons could help calm troubled waters

Opinion | A South China Sea digital commons could help calm troubled waters  South China Morning Post

Events

6 d. ago US Allies Challenge Beijing's Claims in Contested South China Sea

US Allies Challenge Beijing's Claims in Contested South China Sea  Newsweek

Politics

8 d. ago Japan flags 216 days of Chinese intrusions near East China Sea islands

Japan flags 216 days of Chinese intrusions near East China Sea islands  South China Morning Post

Politics

9 d. ago The net tightens: how China squeezes Filipino fishers at Scarborough Shoal

From the decks of battered fishing boats, the struggle over Scarborough Shoal has entered a new, precarious phase. As China steps up its patrols, Filipino fishers say they are being forced to abandon seas their families have plied for generations – raising fears that what’s unfolding at the reef could become the playbook for Beijing’s wider South China Sea ambitions. The Chinese coastguard’s intensified enforcement of a controversial anti-trespassing law is the latest move in China’s campaign to...

Politics

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

1 week ago Beijing's peace message on South China Sea contradicts its actions

Beijing's peace message on South China Sea contradicts its actions  The Japan Times

Politics

1 week ago China weighs strategic impact as US mulls military response in Iran

China is likely to remain cautious about intervening in the escalating Israel-Iran conflict even if the US engages militarily, a prospect that would bring mixed results for Beijing, according to observers. Speculation over US intervention has grown since last Friday, following Israel’s most intense strikes on Iran in decades. Washington has since sent an aircraft carrier from the South China Sea and deployed a large number of fighter and tanker aircraft to the Middle East. US President Donald...

Events

1 week ago "Confrontation" in South China Sea as US ally challenges Beijing

"Confrontation" in South China Sea as US ally challenges Beijing  Newsweek

Politics

1 week ago Philippines says more US Typhon missiles ‘very welcome’ despite China’s warnings

The Philippine army has signalled it would welcome additional US Typhon missile systems to accelerate troop training and strengthen deterrence, despite Beijing's repeated denunciations of the system as a destabilising force that risks fuelling tensions in the South China Sea. Speaking at a press briefing on Tuesday, Philippine Army spokesman Colonel Louie Dema‑ala said the arrival of more Typhon launchers, which are also known as Medium Range Capability (MRC) systems, would “be very welcome”...

Events

2 w. ago Does Philippines have ‘credible’ undersea might against China?

The Philippines remains dangerously under-equipped to counter China’s growing undersea operations in the South China Sea, analysts warn, as joint anti-submarine drills with Japan spotlight the urgent need for Manila to strengthen its underwater warfare capabilities. The two-day exercises, which began on Saturday, were the first large-scale joint exercises since Japan’s Diet ratified the Reciprocal Access Agreement (RAA) with the Philippines earlier this month, following Manila’s approval last...

Politics

2 w. ago US Aircraft Carrier Nimitz Leaves South China Sea, Heads West Amid Rising Middle East Tensions

US Aircraft Carrier Nimitz Leaves South China Sea, Heads West Amid Rising Middle East Tensions  kurdistan24.net

Events

2 w. ago US aircraft carrier heads west from South China Sea amid Middle East tensions

US aircraft carrier heads west from South China Sea amid Middle East tensions  Reuters

Events

2 w. ago PLA patrols in the South China Sea as Philippines, Japan hold joint drills

The Chinese military carried out patrols in the South China Sea on Saturday, as the Philippines and Japan held a joint drill in the disputed waters. China’s People’s Liberation Army joint sea and air patrols were conducted by the Southern Theatre Command, its spokesman Senior Colonel Tian Junli said in a statement on Sunday. The PLA patrols were a response to the Philippines-Japan joint maritime drills – their second since August – which Tian called a threat to regional peace. “The Philippines...

Politics