China to Build Naval Hub in Djibouti

Jeremy Page and Gordon Lubold
Wall Street Journal
Beijing confirms for the first time plans for East African nation, already home to U.S. base.

Conversation

10.28.15

Making Waves in the South China Sea

Peter Dutton, Jessica Chen Weiss & more
Challenging China’s newly assertive behavior in the South China Sea, this week the U.S. Navy sailed some of its biggest ships inside the nine-dash line, exercising its claim to freedom of movement in international waters plied by billions in trade...

Media

10.28.15

‘Stop Boasting and Fight’

Bethany Allen-Ebrahimian
On October 27, the high-stakes maritime game of chicken that has been playing out in the South China Sea came to a head. In a long-discussed freedom of navigation patrol, the United States sailed the USS Lassen, a guided missile destroyer, within 12...

China Navy Calls for United States to Reduce Risk of Misunderstandings

Reuters
China hopes the United States can scale back activities that run the risk of misunderstandings, and respect China's core interests.

Five Chinese Navy Ships Are Operating in Bering Sea Off Alaska Coast

Jeremy Page in Beijing and Gordon Lubold
Wall Street Journal
Chinese naval presence off Alaskan coast appears to be a first.

China Hits Back at U.S. Criticism over South China Sea ‘Restrictions’

Megha Rajagopalan
Reuters
Free overflights and navigation doesn't equal foreign warships and jets to violate sovereignty and security, Beijing said.

China, Africa, and the Indian Ocean: A New Balance of Power

Eric Olander, Cobus van Staden & more
For centuries the Indian Ocean was a vital conduit in the British empire, connecting colonies in South Asia with Africa as part of a vast imperial network. Today, the Indian Ocean once again plays as a vital role in an emerging global trading empire...

China’s Expanding Military Presence in Africa

Eric Olander, Cobus van Staden & more
China is steadily expanding its military footprint in Africa, highlighted by the recent deployment of 700 combat-ready troops to join a multinational peacekeeping operation in South Sudan. In all, the People’s Liberation Army and Navy now have an...

China: The Indian Ocean can’t be India’s backyard

Business Insider
Chinese military officials warn that the Indian Ocean is not India's "backyard" and may result in clashes.

China Voice: South China Sea Issue Should not Hinder China-U.S. Ties

Xinhua
A U.S. anti-submarine and maritime surveillance aircraft flew over waters off China's Nansha Islands last month.

Conversation

05.29.15

Did the Game Just Change in the South China Sea? (And What Should the U.S. Do About It?)

Yanmei Xie , Andrew S. Erickson & more
As the 14th annual Asia Security Summit—or the Shangri-La Dialogue, as it has come to be known—gets underway in Singapore, we asked contributors to comment on what appears to be a recent escalation in tensions between the U.S. and China over the two...

How America Should Respond to China’s Moves in the South China Sea

J. Randy Forbes
National Interest
U.S. military superiority is required to keep the Asia-Pacific region from getting out of hand. 

China to Expand Naval Operations Amid Growing Tensions With U.S.

Chun Han Wong
Wall Street Journal
Changes designed to address U.S. rebalance in Asia and other challenges.

Kerry Expected to Bring Up China’s Sea Claims During Visit

Andrew Jacobs
New York Times
The U.S. might send ships and aircraft to within 12 nautical miles of built-up reefs near the Philippines.

U.S. Gambit Risks Conflict With China

Andrew Browne
Wall Street Journal
Option to challenge Beijing in South China Sea is fraught with danger.

China Lashes Out Over U.S. Plan on South China Sea

Eva Dou and James Hookway
Wall Street Journal
Pentagon proposal to use aircraft and Navy vessels in region prompts swift response: ‘We are severely concerned’.

U.S. Military Proposes Challenge to China Sea Claims

Adam Entous, Gordon Lubold, and Julian...
Wall Street Journal
Moves would send Navy planes, ships near artificial islands built by China in contested waters.

Calls to Punish China Grow

Josh Rogin
Bloomberg
Some in Washington are calling for President Obama to cancel China’s invitation to the largest maritime military exercise in the world.

Philippines Starts South China Sea War Games With U.S.

Norman P. Acquino
Bloomberg
More than 11,000 soldiers from the Philippines, U.S. and Australia will take part in joint drills in the South China Sea.

Images Show Rapid Chinese Progress on New South China Sea Airstrip

David Brunnstrom
Reuters
China's new airstrips sit in a shipping lane through which $5 trillion of trade passes each year.

American Admiral Flexing Muscles

Sydney Morning Herald
After taking aim at China's “Great Wall of Sand” China’s in the South China Sea, U.S. Admiral Harris has to make a plan. 

U.S. Navy Alarmed at Beijing’s ‘Great Wall of Sand’ in So China Sea

Simon Denyer
Washington Post
US Admiral says competing territorial claims in the South China Sea are “increasing regional tensions and the potential for miscalculation." 

Yemen Evacuation Shows Chinese Navy’s Growing Role

Jane Perlez and Yufan Huang
New York Times
Chinese warships evacuated nearly 600 of its citizens from conflict-torn Yemen, demonstrating Beijing’s increasing ability to extract its people from dangerous places.

Indonesian President Says China’s Main Claim in South China Sea Has No Legal Basis

Kanupriya Kapoor and Linda Sieg
Reuters
Jakarta says it wants to remain an "honest broker" in one of Asia's most thorny territorial disputes.

India Should Play Bigger Role in South China Sea, Says Singapore

Sharon Chen
Bloomberg
India’s involvement in the region could give Southeast Asian nations a further buffer against China.

US Should Consider Establishing a So China Sea Intl Ops Ctr in Indonesia

Jeff W. Benson
USNI News
The PLA Navy is building more submarines and ships and intends to operate three aircraft carriers.

India China submarine fleet comparison - Business Insider

Jeremy Bender
Business Insider
This chart shows the competition between India and China's submarine fleet http://www.businessinsider.com/india-china-submarine-fleet-comparison-2015-3

China’s Aircraft Carrier Trouble—Spewing Steam and Losing Power

Robert Beckhusen
Medium
There’s no more of a conspicuous and potent symbol of China’s growing naval power than the aircraft carrier Liaoning.

Reports

10.01.14

‘Not an Idea We Have to Shun’

Christopher D. Yung and Ross Rustici with Scott Devary and Jenny Lin
Institute for National Strategic Studies
China’s expanding international economic interests are likely to generate increasing demands for its navy, the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN), to operate out of area to protect Chinese citizens, investments, and sea lines of communication. The...

China Asks U.S. to End Close-Up Military Surveillance

Jane Perlez
New York Times
The United States should halt its “close-in” aerial and naval surveillance of China, a senior Chinese military officer told Susan E. Rice, President Obama’s national security adviser.

China’s Supersonic Submarine? Not Gonna Happen

Jeffrey Kluger
Time
To hear Chinese military sources tell it, the country is on its way to developing a submarine that can travel 6,100 mph—which is why you should never listen to Chinese military sources.

Chinese Territorial Claims Driving Asia Closer to U.S.

Rob Taylor
Wall Street Journal
Muscle flexing by the Chinese in the South China Sea is driving Asian neighbors into a closer alliance with the U.S. and feeding regional insecurity, cautioned one of Australia's most senior government ministers.

The China Challenge

Ian Johnson from New York Review of Books
In 1890, an undistinguished U.S. Navy captain published a book that would influence generations of strategists. Alfred Thayer Mahan’s The Influence of Sea Power Upon History, 1660–1783 posited that great nations need potent, blue-water navies backed...

U.S., Philippines Sign Defense Pact Amid China Tensions

Joel Guinto, Margaret Talev and Phil...
Bloomberg
Philippine President Benigno Aquino is strengthening military ties with countries like the U.S. as it is embroiled in a territorial dispute with China over islands and shoals in the South China Sea.

China Won’t Necessarily Observe New Conduct Code for Navies

Jeremy Page
Wall Street Journal
Code Approved This Week by 21 Naval Powers Isn't Legally Binding

China’s Academic Battle for the South China Sea

Shannon Tiezzi
Diplomat
Academic institutions in China are now forming think thanks for South China Sea policymaking crossing barriers between academic departments, the military, and other government agencies.

Tangling with China

Editorial Board
New York Times
The international community should insist China abide the rule of law and heed the United Nations arbitration ruling where tensions around China’s claims in the South and East China Seas are concerned.

China is Playing Chicken with the U.S. Military in the South China Sea

Benjamin Carlson
Global Post
Vessels from the U.S. military and other countries increasingly find themselves in high-stakes confrontations in the region.

China Planning 110,000-ton ‘Super Aircraft Carrier’ to Rival US Naval Power

Reuters
Following Washington’s move to increase its military footprint in Asia, China has declared it is building a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier of a size to compete with the mightiest in the U.S. naval fleet.

Sinica Podcast

10.11.13

Steven Schwankert and the HMS Poseidon

Kaiser Kuo & Jeremy Goldkorn from Sinica Podcast
When the HMS Poseidon struck a Chinese freighter in the Gulf of Bohai in 1931, the collision sparked a devastating accident that would see the British submarine plunge to the ocean floor in mere minutes, claiming the lives of nearly half the crew,...

Eyeing China, Philippines Gains U.S. Ship in Military Upgrade

Manuel Mogato
Reuters
The Philippines took possession of a former U.S. Coast Guard ship on Tuesday, part of its biggest military upgrade in decades, as a stronger economy allows it to raise spending to counter China’s growing assertiveness in disputed waters.

All the Toys, But Can China Fight?

John Garnaut
Bendigo Advertiser
Some sections of the Chinese military, foreign diplomatic corps and US academia believe the P.L.A. lacks the co-ordination, command structures, training and incentives to be a professional fighting force.

China's Central Bank, Aircraft Carrier Style

Dinny McMahon and Carlos Tejada
Wall Street Journal
The People’s Bank of China will issue gold and silver coins celebrating the nation's first aircraft carrier. 

Sinica Podcast

11.16.12

The State of the Navy

Kaiser Kuo from Sinica Podcast
After two weeks focusing on developments at the Eighteenth Party Congress, and with the next generation of China’s leadership now public news for the world to digest, this week on Sinica we take a break from China’s leadership transition and turn...

Sinica Podcast

08.20.10

China’s Troubled Waters

Kaiser Kuo, Jeremy Goldkorn & more from Sinica Podcast
Are Chinese-American maritime relations running aground? The recent sinking of the South Korean corvette the Cheonan, most likely by China’s unruly client state North Korea, has led to the U.S.S. George Washington participating in naval exercises...