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by Michael Richardson, For the Straits Times There is a saying in international diplomacy: watch what countries do, rather than what they say. China’s recent actions in asserting its claims to ownership and other forms of jurisdiction over about 80 per cent of the South China Sea speak louder than its oft-repeated soothing words that …

United States: “Worker charged over fire aboard US Navy submarine” AFP, 23 April 2012 A fire on board a US Navy nuclear-powered attack submarine that caused $400 million in damages and nearly led to the destruction of the $1 billion boat has been blamed on a civilian maintenance worker who allegedly started the fire so …

RSN missile corvette RSS Victory fires a Barak missile at a target drone. Photo: MINDEF The Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) conducted a live-firing of the Rafael Barak anti-missile missile in the South China Sea yesterday, as part of the 18th annual Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) exercise which Singapore is conducting with the …

Sansha, China’s newest city, would seem to be a paradise. It has tropical waters, about 2 million sq km and just 3,500 permanent residents on 13 sq km of palm-covered islands. There’s an airstrip but no airlines yet, so transportation is still largely relegated to a 17-hour boat trip. But perhaps the biggest drawback is …

Posted Tuesday, July 24th, 2012 at 8:30 am An international research organization says the South China Sea territorial dispute has reached an impasse and the prospects of finding a resolution are diminishing. The International Crisis Group said in a report Tuesday the likelihood of a major conflict between China and Southeast Asian rival claimants remains …

Vietnam and the Philippines on Tuesday lashed out at China’s moves to establish a military garrison in the South China Sea, amid escalating tensions in the disputed waters. Thitu Island, part of the disputed Spratly group of islands, in the South China Sea. Vietnam and the Philippines on Tuesday lashed out at China’s moves to …

Published on July 24, 2012 by Mark Lowe   ·   No Comments Philippine President Benigno Aquino says his country will not back down in a territorial dispute with China. Philippines Slams China’s Establishment of Sansha City in South China Sea Philippine President Benigno Aquino says his country will not back down in a territorial dispute with …

By Jason GutierrezAgence France-Presse 7:21 pm | Tuesday, July 24th, 2012 MANILA, Philippines–Tensions over competing claims in the South China Sea could escalate into conflict, with an arms build-up among rival nations raising the temperature, an international think tank warned Tuesday. Prospects of solving the disputes “seem to be diminishing” after a recent failure by …

By Daniel Ten Kate – 2012-07-23T04:15:43Z China will establish a military garrison on a disputed island in the South China Sea, part of an increased assertiveness in the resource-rich waters that’s straining ties with nations in the region and the U.S. The garrison for the new city of Sansha was approved as 1,100 Chinese residents …

BEIJING – The Central Military Commission, China’s most powerful military body, has approved the deployment of a garrison of soldiers from the People’s Liberation Army to guard islands claimed by China in the South China Sea, the state-run Xinhua news agency said Sunday. The announcement came as Chinese authorities told state media that 45 legislators …