Amidst all the regional concerns about North Korea, the Senkaku dispute between China and Japan has continued to fester. This past week, the situation has escalated, with the Chinese Foreign Ministry specifically stating that the Senkakus are a “core interest.” General Martin Dempsey, Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of …
On the eve of Secretary of State John Kerry’s testimony to Congress on securing American interests abroad, the release of the Chinese defense white paper is a reminder of the significant challenges confronting the U.S. in the Asia–Pacific region. Sequestration may have Washington in knots, but there is no comparable …
A Chinese naval task force, including its most modern amphibious ship, a guided-missile destroyer, and two frigates, was recently sighted operating off James Shoal, 50 miles off the coast of Malaysia. James Shoal is claimed by Malaysia and the People’s Republic of China (PRC), as well as Taiwan. The appearance …
Chinese Communist Party (CCP) General Secretary and Chinese President Xi Jinping has talked a great deal about the “China Dream.” It remains to be seen, however, whether this dream is a call for national renewal or for revanchism and Chinese nationalism at the expense of its neighbors. Soon after assuming …
As the Chinese National People’s Congress reveals various governmental restructurings (not to be mistaken for reforms), an important one is the streamlining of Chinese maritime law enforcement forces. The various Chinese maritime law enforcement agencies, including the coast guard, fisheries enforcement, and anti-smuggling police forces, will be consolidated over the …
As a concerned world watches the heightened tension that China has yet again dialed up in the East China Sea off the Senkaku Islands, the Chinese Ministry of National Defense announced the formal addition of its first aircraft carrier to the country’s military arsenal yesterday. That, combined with the failure …
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is in the midst of a 10-day tour of the Asia-Pacific. Certainly there are many things to be discussed over the week-and-a-half visit, but high on the Secretary’s agenda should be the brewing conflict over the South China Sea and assertion of American interests there, …
On June 28, during a press briefing by the Chinese Ministry of Defense, Chinese military press spokesman Senior Colonel Geng Yansheng released a bombshell. Asked by an unnamed correspondent about China’s response to Vietnamese air force patrols near the Spratly Islands, Geng made the usual declaration about China’s claims to …
American policymakers would do well to keep a close eye on the latest developments in the South China Sea involving China and the Philippines, a formal U.S. security treaty ally. It could have major implications for the U.S. Since early April, Chinese and Philippine government ships have been confronting each …
