Trump team struggles for cohesion on tougher China policy

The incoming U.S. administration’s tough talk against China has set the stage for showdowns on everything from security to trade and cyberspace, but contradictory signals are sowing uncertainty over how far President-elect Donald Trump is prepared to go in confronting Beijing. Highlighting the contested South China Sea as a potential flashpoint, Trump’s Secretary of State […]

Taiwan latest to deploy military personnel to intercept Chinese operations

Taiwan has become the latest Asian state to scramble aircraft in response to Chinese military operations in the waterways dividing the region. China’s first and only aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, as well as accompanying naval vessels, entered Taiwan’s air defense identification zone on Wednesday, prompting the Taiwanese Defense Ministry to send a Naval Frigate and […]

Chinese Bomber Flies Patrol Around Contested Islands in South China Sea

China continues to show its muscle in the South China Sea as one of their H-6 strategic bombers was spotted circling the disputed Spratly Islands. For some time China has been building artificial islands in this area and constructing airbases for military aircraft on them. Many countries including the United States are disputing China’s claim to these […]

South China Sea nation-building courtesy of Beijing

Over the past several years, the Chinese government has been not-so-quietly building what they term “defensive outposts” by claiming uninhabited reefs across the South China Sea. This area includes a vast network of tiny underwater reefs and small islands called the Spratlys and the Paracels. These areas have long been in dispute among China, Vietnam […]

Watch: China Sails 1st Aircraft Carrier Past Taiwan – Performs Live Fire Exercises

In a show of force, China announced that their only aircraft carrier, the Liaoning has successfully carried out live fire exercises and is combat ready. Accompanied by multiple ships, the Liaoning launched their J-15 fighters and participated in a variety of exercises which included airborne attacks. China moved the carrier into the contested South China Sea on […]

Could we defeat China’s growing military?

Earlier this week, China’s sole aircraft carrier, accompanied by five additional naval vessels, entered the northern half of the embroiled South China Sea. Tensions have been high in the region over the past months due in large part to China’s expanding claims over what is considered by most other nations to be international waters, as […]

Watch: China Sails 1st Aircraft Carrier Past Taiwan – Performs Live Fire Exercises

In a show of force, China announced that their only aircraft carrier, the Liaoning has successfully carried out live fire exercises and is combat ready. Accompanied by multiple ships, the Liaoning launched their J-15 fighters and participated in a variety of exercises which included airborne attacks. China moved the carrier into the contested South China Sea on […]

China returns seized U.S. naval drone

BEIJING — China on Tuesday returned a U.S. naval drone seized in the South China Sea last week, a peaceful resolution to a military standoff that threatened to inflame maritime tensions ahead of president-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration. The Chinese Ministry of Defense said in statement that after “friendly negotiation” the drone was transferred to the […]

Trump on China’s capture of a US Navy drone: ‘Let them keep it!’

President-elect Donald Trump tweeted Saturday evening that China should be told to “keep” the US Navy underwater drone it recently seized from South China Sea waters and agreed to return. “We should tell China that we don’t want the drone they stole back.- let them keep it!” he tweeted. Earlier on Saturday, Trump had called the capture — an incident that […]

China and India up defense spending, spurring concerns about an Asian arms race

Tensions in the South China Sea have been high in recent years, due in large part to territorial disputes between Asian nations over the ocean waterways in the region.  China, Taiwan, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, and the Philippines all have contradictory jurisdictional claims in the area, driven by military posturing and the possibility of massive oil […]