A top U.S. official says Washington wants nothing more than peace and stability for the hotly contested South China Sea. Assistant U.S. Secretary of State Kurt Campbell told reporters Friday the U.S. does not take a stand on the sovereignty of the sea, claimed by China, the Philippines and Vietnam. The three countries have been […]
Clinton: US Committed to Defense of Philippines Amid Territorial Dispute with China
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says the United States is committed to the defense of the Philippines amid a territorial dispute with China in the South China Sea. Clinton spoke to reporters after talks in Washington Thursday with Philippine Foreign Minister Albert del Rosario. She said both countries are looking at the best way the […]
Philippines Minister, in Washington, to Seek Help Against China
Philippines Foreign Minister Albert del Rosario is expected to seek assurances of U.S. military support against China during a meeting Thursday with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Philippine officials say Clinton invited del Rosario to Washington during a flare-up in tensions between Manila and Beijing over Chinese naval activities near the disputed Spratly Islands in […]
China Warns Vietnam of Possible Military Response in South China Sea
China’s state-controlled media are warning Vietnam that Beijing will “take whatever measures necessary,” including military action, to protect its interests in the South China Sea. The Global Times newspaper, in an editorial Tuesday, issued Beijing’s sternest public warning yet to Vietnam as regional tensions rise over conflicting maritime claims to territories thought to be rich […]
McCain Calls on US to Take Greater Role in South China Sea Disputes
U.S. Senator John McCain says the United States must help nations in the Southeast Asian region boost their maritime forces to counter China’s “unsubstantiated” territorial claims in the South China Sea. Speaking in Washington late Monday, the former presidential candidate said he is troubled about Beijing’s increasingly assertive actions in the South China Sea, especially […]
McCain Calls on US to Take Greater Role in South China Sea Disputes
U.S. Senator John McCain says the United States must help nations in the Southeast Asian region boost their maritime forces to counter China’s “unsubstantiated” territorial claims in the South China Sea. Speaking in Washington late Monday, the former presidential candidate said he is troubled over Beijing’s increasingly assertive actions in the South China Sea, especially […]
Singapore Urges Beijing to Spell Out China Sea Claims
Singapore is urging China to spell out its territorial claims in the South China Sea with more precision. In a formal statement Monday, Singapore’s foreign ministry said it is in China’s own interest to clarify the extent of its claims, saying the current ambiguity is causing concern among other maritime nations. The statement comes as […]
Philippines Says it Removed “Foreign” Markers From South China Sea
The Philippine navy has removed foreign marker posts installed on three reefs and banks in the disputed waters of the South China Sea, which Manila now calls the West Philippine Sea. Officials said Wednesday the unidentified posts were removed in May from Reed bank, Boxall Reef and Amy Douglas Bank, shortly before the government protested […]
UN Convention on Law of the Sea Defines Nations’ Rights, Responsibilities
The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea is an international agreement that defines the rights and responsibilities of nations in their use of the world’s oceans and management of their natural resources. Nations participating in the third U.N. Conference on the Law of the Sea reached agreement on the treaty in 1982 […]
Philippines Says it Removed Disputed South China Sea Markers
Military officials in the Philippines say their navy has removed a number of marker posts from shoals and reefs in the South China Sea that are mutually claimed by the Philippines and China. Officials said Wednesday the posts were removed in May, shortly before the government protested that China had offloaded building materials and erected […]