The United States has condemned China’s recent interception of a Philippine government vessel near a disputed atoll in the South China Sea early Wednesday morning. “The PRC’s (People’s Republic of China) unlawful use of water cannons and dangerous maneuvers disrupted a Philippine maritime operation on December 4, putting lives at risk,” U.S. Ambassador to the…
The tiny Pacific Island nation of Palau says China continues to intrude into its maritime zone. “We keep on raising flags and complaining about it, but they keep on sending them,” President Surangel Whipps Jr. said in a recent interview with Agence France-Presse. The complaint is familiar to China’s maritime neighbors in the South China…
China is seeking to substantiate its claim to a contentious reef in the Philippines’ internationally recognized exclusive economic zone (EEZ), further escalating tensions with the U.S. ally. Beijing claims nearly all such features in the South China Sea, frequently appealing to early 20th-century maps and historical records. An independent tribunal at The Hague-based Permanent Court…
China has responded to Vietnam’s demand it release Vietnamese fishing boats and crew members detained in a the South China Sea. “China urges Vietnam to strengthen education and management of its fishermen and refrain from engaging in illegal activities in waters under China’s jurisdiction,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian told reporters during a regular…
Indonesia on Monday expelled a Chinese coast guard ship from its maritime zone after it allegedly interfered with a seismic survey operation. An Indonesia says it had a ship, operated by the state-owned oil and natural gas company PT Pertamina, conducting survey activities in the northern portion of the country’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ), renamed…
China and India announced they have reached an agreement on patrols along the de facto boundary dividing their disputed border regions, which in recent years have seen violent clashes. The line of actual control (LAC), established after the 1962 Sino-Indian War, runs through various contested areas and is not always clearly defined. Tensions escalated sharply…