South China Sea NewsWire Archive

Monthly Archive of Previous News Articles

Diplomacy

China urges US to stop supporting the Philippines’ ‘provocations’

30 June, 2024

China urged the United States on Friday to stop tolerating and supporting “provocations” by the Philippines, after Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell expressed concern about Beijing’s “destabilizing actions in the South China Sea”.

Security

China ‘Captures’ Sonobuoy Dropped By U.S. Navy P-8 Poseidon In South China Sea

29 June, 2024

A video recently appeared on Chinese social media shows China Coast Guard personnel recovering what appears to be a sonobuoy dropped from a U.S. Navy P-8A Poseidon MPA (Maritime Patrol Aircraft) aircraft in the SCS (South China Sea). The incident seems to have taken place over the last two to three days.

Diplomacy

Philippines, Japan finalizing defense-access pact

28 June, 2024

Japan’s foreign affairs and defense chiefs are scheduled to visit Manila next month for a high-level meeting with their Philippine counterparts, when a key defense pact could be signed, at a time of escalating concerns over China’s actions in the disputed South China Sea.

Diplomacy

China’s recent aggression in the South China Sea aimed at figuring out Philippines’ red line

28 June, 2024

A serious clash between the Chinese coast guard and Philippine naval vessels on June 17 that resulted in injuries has put Beijing in a particularly bad light, especially since videos released by Manila show the Chinese personnel brandishing knives, spears and even an axe.

Diplomacy

Philippines wants to talk with China on South China Sea, foreign minister says

25 June, 2024

The Philippines is working hard to bring China back to the table for talks to resolve differences in the South China Sea, Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo said on Tuesday.

Security

PLA tests its landing ships amid tension with Philippines over islands

24 June, 2024

The People’s Liberation Army has conducted drills in the South China Sea featuring landing ships amid tensions over disputed islands with the Philippines.

Diplomacy

Philippines Accuses China of Using ‘Illegal Force’ to Deliberately Disrupt Resupply Mission

24 June, 2024

The Philippines’ defence chief said China used “aggressive and illegal force” to disrupt a resupply mission in the South China Sea and said last week’s maritime incident, which injured a sailor, was neither a misunderstanding nor an accident.

Security

Crisis Deepens in the South China Sea

23 June, 2024

When Chinese soldiers on June 17 boarded a Philippine vessel heading to Ayungin Shoal in the Spratly Islands to replenish food and medicine to soldiers manning the derelict warship Sierra Madre, which remains beached there, it sent a shudder across the world, heightening the specter of war. Washington condemned China over what the Philippines called an “intentional high-speed ramming” by the Chinese Coast Guard, with several Filipino sailors injured in the confrontation, and with business interests in Manila beginning to grow acutely skittish.

Diplomacy

Will China make the Philippines ‘pay a price’ for its latest South China Sea claim?

22 June, 2024

A bid by the Philippines to have the United Nations formally recognise the extent of its continental seabed in parts of the disputed South China Sea could encourage similar claims from rival claimant states, according to observers.

Diplomacy

U.S. East Asia envoy says South China Sea situation deeply concerning

22 June, 2024

U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for East Asia and Pacific Affairs Daniel Kritenbrink on Saturday said the situation in the South China Sea is deeply concerning, and said China’s recent actions in the disputed waterway were “deeply destabilising”.

Security

Philippines secretly reinforces ship at centre of South China Sea dispute

20 June, 2024

The Philippines has secretly reinforced a dilapidated warship marooned on a South China Sea reef that is central to an increasingly dangerous dispute with Beijing, according to six people familiar with the operation.

Diplomacy

Blinken says China’s actions in South China Sea hinder regional peace and stability

20 June, 2024

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday talked by phone with Philippine Foreign Secretary Enrique Manalo about China’s actions in the South China Sea, which Manila and Washington have called escalatory.

Diplomacy

Philippines demands China return rifles and pay for boat damage after hostilities in disputed sea

19 June, 2024

The Philippine military chief demanded Wednesday that China return several rifles and equipment seized by the Chinese coast guard in a disputed shoal and pay for damage in an assault he likened to an act of piracy in the South China Sea.

Security

US renews warning it will defend Philippines after incidents with Chinese vessels in South China Sea

18 June, 2024

The United States renewed a warning Monday that it would defend the Philippines in case of an armed attack under a 1951 treaty, after Chinese ships blocked and collided with two Filipino vessels off a contested shoal in the South China Sea.

Security

Philippines Accuses China of Ramming, Towing in South China Sea Clash

18 June, 2024

Chinese and Philippine ships collided again in the disputed South China Sea on Monday, ratcheting up tensions and prompting the U.S. to condemn Beijing for “irresponsible actions” causing bodily injury.

Diplomacy

Philippines seeks UN confirmation of its vast continental seabed in the disputed South China Sea

16 June, 2024

The Philippines has asked a United Nations body to formally recognize the extent of its undersea continental seabed in the South China Sea, where it would have the exclusive right to exploit resources, the Department of Foreign Affairs said Saturday, in a move that rejects China’s vast territorial claims to the region.

Diplomacy

G7 opposes China’s ‘dangerous’ S. China Sea forays: draft statement

14 June, 2024

G7 leaders called out China for “dangerous” incursions in the South China Sea, amid fears of escalation in the contested Asia Pacific region, according to a draft summit statement seen by AFP Friday.

Security

Philippine military chief urges fishermen to ignore China’s new coastguard rules

14 June, 2024

The Philippine military chief urged Filipino fishermen to keep fishing in the country’s exclusive economic zone in the South China Sea, despite China’s new coastguard rules allowing it to detain trespassers without trial that take effect on June 15.

Security

PLA sends 3 advanced Type 055 destroyers for training exercise in South China Sea

13 June, 2024

Three of China’s most advanced destroyers have taken part in a drill in the disputed South China Sea, state media reported.

Security

ASEAN aims to conclude South China Sea code of conduct by 2026

13 June, 2024

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations will speed up negotiations with China on a code of conduct to mitigate the risk of conflicts in the hotly contested South China Sea, a senior official from the Southeast Asian bloc said. The bloc hopes to conclude talks by 2026.

Security

South China Sea: survey shows 73% of Filipinos support military action against Beijing

11 June, 2024

Analysts said it was the first time military action was favoured over diplomacy as a potential solution to the territorial dispute.

Diplomacy

China Angers Neighbor With Spy Ship Near Coast

11 June, 2024

Vietnam has issued a pointed rebuke to China after a Chinese government survey ship sailed into waters claimed by the Southeast Asian country.

Security

China says US plays ‘dishonourable role’ supporting the Philippines in South China Sea

3 June, 2024

China said the US has played an “extremely dishonourable role” in supporting and cooperating with the Philippines, using issues in the South China Sea to undermine relations between China and the region.