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☆ US Marines are taking position on 'key terrain' around Taiwan as tensions rise with China
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-01 | by ( Christopher Woody | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

The US and Japan said in January that a Marine Littoral Regiment will be set up in Japan by 2025. That unit, the 12th Marine Littoral Regiment, is the second of three Marine Littoral Regiments planned for the Indo-Pacific region, the first of which was activated in March 2022 and is based in Hawaii. Within weeks of its activation, the 3rd Marine Littoral Regiment was participating in the US-Philippine military exercise Balikatan. New threat, new forceUS Marines provide security for an amphibious landing during Balikatan 22 in northern Luzon in March 2022. US Marines during an amphibious landing as part of Balikatan 22 in northern Luzon in March 2022.

JAKARTA, Feb 1 (Reuters) - Indonesia plans to send a top general to Myanmar to talk to its junta leaders in the hope of showing Myanmar's military rulers how Indonesia made a successful transition to democracy, President Joko Widodo said on Wednesday. We have the experience, here in Indonesia, the situation was the same," the president, who is widely known as Jokowi, told Reuters in an interview in his offices in Jakarta. The military took over in Myanmar in 1962, isolating the country and suppressing dissent for decades until a tentative opening up began in 2011. Other members have appeared increasingly frustrated with the Myanmar military and are keen to maintain a ban on its top officials taking part in ASEAN forums. Managing rifts over Myanmar, and escalating tension in the disputed South China Sea, will be among the main challenges for Indonesia in its role as ASEAN chair.

☆ New US Marine units are taking position on 'key terrain' around Taiwan as tensions rise with China
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-01 | by ( Christopher Woody | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

The US and Japan said in January that a Marine Littoral Regiment will be set up in Japan by 2025. A Marine Littoral Regiment will also hold a major exercise in the northern Philippines this spring. That unit, the 12th Marine Littoral Regiment, is the second of three Marine Littoral Regiments planned for the Indo-Pacific region, the first of which was activated in March 2022 and is based in Hawaii. Within weeks of its activation, the 3rd Marine Littoral Regiment was participating in the US-Philippine military exercise Balikatan. Members of 3rd Marine Littoral Regiment in Hawaii in August 2022.

☆ Air Force general predicts war with China in 2025, tells officers to get ready
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-27 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Courtney-Kube-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | Courtney Kube | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

A four-star Air Force general sent a memo on Friday to the officers he commands that predicts the U.S. will be at war with China in two years and tells them to get ready to prep by firing "a clip" at a target, and "aim for the head." In the memo sent Friday and obtained by NBC News, Gen. Mike Minihan, head of Air Mobility Command, said, “I hope I am wrong. My gut tells me will fight in 2025.”Air Mobility Command has nearly 50,000 service members and nearly 500 planes and is responsible for transport and refueling. His order builds on last year’s foundational efforts by Air Mobility Command to ready the Mobility Air Forces for future conflict, should deterrence fail.”In March 2021, Adm. Philip Davidson, then commander of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, told a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing that “Taiwan is clearly one of [China’s] ambitions. “I think the threat is manifest during this decade, in fact, in the next six years,” said Davidson.

☆ In Beijing's backyard, U.S. demonstrates its military might
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-27 | by ( Joseph Campbell | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

We're going to do that safely and we're going to be resolute about that," Sweeney told Reuters on Friday. China claims historic jurisdiction over almost the entire South China Sea, which includes the exclusive economic zones of Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and the Philippines. The Nimitz Carrier Strike Group 11 includes the guided-missile cruiser Bunker Hill and the guided-missile destroyers Decatur, Wayne E. Meyer and Chung-Hoon. Sweeney said it was crucial for international rules to be followed and said the U.S. presence in the South China Sea demonstrated its commitment to its regional allies. "We're going to sail, fly and operate wherever international waters allow us to, so we're not going anywhere."

Her successor as Labour leader and prime minister faces a stern test in a general election in October, with support for the party falling and the country expected to fall into a recession next quarter. Despite her high global profile, Ardern's Labour Party has slid in the polls, hurt by rising living costs, growing crime and concern about social issues. That meant that even with traditional coalition partner the Green Party, polling at 9%, Labour could not hold a majority. Ardern most likely stepped down to give the Labour Party a chance to refresh and reposition itself ahead of an election in October, experts said. CONSERVATIVES BUOYEDThe conservative National Party may be buoyed by Ardern's resignation.

DAVOS, Switzerland/MANILA, Jan 18 (Reuters) - Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jr said his country would resist global recessionary headwinds, but warned that increasing tensions in the South China Sea were harming trade. "My belief is that as long as the unemployment rate stays low, we will be able to resist the recessionary forces," he said. He said the upskilling of his country's labour force was powering economic growth, including remittances from overseas workers. "The future of the region has to be decided by the region, not outside powers," he said. Marcos was in Davos, Switzerland this week for the World Economic Forum, accompanied by his economic team and several Philippine business executives.

☆ China says it's sending its junior air force pilots to keep an eye on increasing activity by US spy planes
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-17 | by ( Minnie Chan | South China Morning Post | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Chinese pilots fresh out of training are being deployed to respond to flights by foreign jets. Without giving details about the foreign aircraft, it said the intensive training programme pushed junior pilots to master practical air confrontation skills and countermeasures within a short time. Chinese fighter pilots during combat exercises around Taiwan in August 2022. "I received radar warnings from foreign aircraft soon after heading to the scene, meaning my aircraft was targeted [by air-to-air missiles]." In 2021, large US reconnaissance aircraft conducted around 1,200 close-in spying flights over the South China Sea, the think tank said in a report in March.

☆ Indonesia sends warship to monitor Chinese coast guard vessel
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

JAKARTA, Jan 14 (Reuters) - Indonesia has deployed a warship to its North Natuna Sea to monitor a Chinese coast guard vessel that has been active in a resource-rich maritime area, the country's naval chief said on Saturday of an area that both countries claim as their own. A warship, maritime patrol plane and drone had been deployed to monitor the vessel, Laksamana Madya Muhammad Ali, the chief of the Indonesian navy, told Reuters. "However, we need to monitor it as it has been in Indonesia's exclusive economic zone (EEZ) for some time." At the time, China urged Indonesia to stop drilling, saying the activities were happening in its territory. Southeast Asia's biggest nation says that under UNCLOS, the southern end of the South China Sea is its exclusive economic zone, and named the area as the North Natuna Sea in 2017.

☆ Indonesia Risks Confrontation With China Over Gas Project in South China Sea
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( Jon Emont | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Indonesia intensified naval and air patrols around the Natuna Islands after it inaugurated a military command base on the cluster’s main island in 2018. Around a remote cluster of islands in the South China Sea, Indonesia is pushing back against Beijing’s expansive claims over the strategic waterway. It announced last week that it had approved plans to develop a large natural-gas field near the Natuna Islands. The field sits within Indonesia’s 200-mile exclusive economic zone, which means that under international law, Jakarta has the right to exploit natural resources there. But China’s claims cover almost all of the South China Sea, extending to the area where the gas field lies, nearly 1,000 miles from the Chinese mainland.

☆ Philippines top court voids old South China Sea energy deal
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Companies Philippines Oil FollowMANILA, Jan 10 (Reuters) - The Supreme Court in the Philippines on Tuesday declared the country's 2005 energy exploration agreement with Chinese and Vietnamese firms was illegal, ruling the constitution does not allow foreign entities to exploit natural resources. The decision, on an agreement that expired in 2008, could complicate efforts by China to revive oil and gas exploration talks with the Philippines in areas of the South China Sea that are not in dispute. China and the Philippines have sparred for decades over sovereignty and natural resources in the South China Sea, which led to a landmark arbitration case in 2016 won by Manila. Efforts to find a legally viable way to work together on energy exploration have repeatedly hit walls. China claims jurisdiction over almost the entire South China Sea and the risk of energy activities being disrupted have made it tricky for the Philippines to find foreign partners, despite an arbitration court clarifying what Manila's entitlements were.

☆ Philippines' Marcos picks ex-military chief and COVID tsar as defence minister
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] President of the Philippines Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. attends a news conference after the European Union (EU) and the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) commemorative summit in Brussels, Belgium December 14, 2022. REUTERS/Johanna GeronMANILA, Jan 9 (Reuters) - Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr has chosen a former military chief who led the country's fight against the coronavirus as his new defense minister, his office said on Monday. He replaces Jose Faustino, whose resignation as acting defence chief was announced by the president's office, without providing a reason. Galvez, who served as armed forces chief in 2018, will be responsible for protecting the Philippines maritime territory and its exclusive economic zone, amid tension with China over the prolonged presence in the South China Sea of fishing boats believed to be manned by militia. Reporting by Karen Lema; Editing by Martin PettyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ U.S. warship sails through sensitive Taiwan Strait
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Hugh Gentry/File PhotoWASHINGTON, Jan 5 (Reuters) - A U.S. warship sailed through the sensitive Taiwan Strait on Thursday, part of what the U.S. military calls routine activity but which riles China. "Chung-Hoon’s transit through the Taiwan Strait demonstrates the United States’ commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific," the statement added. The narrow Taiwan Strait has been a frequent source of military tension since the defeated Republic of China government fled to Taiwan in 1949 after losing a civil war with the communists, who established the People's Republic of China. The United States has no formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan, but is bound by law to provide the island with the means to defend itself. The close encounter followed what the United States has called a recent trend of increasingly dangerous behavior by Chinese military aircraft.

☆ U.S. warship sails through sensitive Taiwan Strait; China angered
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Hugh Gentry/File PhotoWASHINGTON, Jan 5 (Reuters) - A U.S. warship sailed through the sensitive Taiwan Strait on Thursday, part of what the U.S. military calls routine activity but which has riled China. "Chung-Hoon’s transit through the Taiwan Strait demonstrates the United States’ commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific," the statement added. The narrow Taiwan Strait has been a frequent source of military tension since the defeated Republic of China government fled to Taiwan in 1949 after losing a civil war with the communists, who established the People's Republic of China. The United States has no formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan, but is bound by law to provide the island with the means to defend itself. The close encounter followed what the United States has called a recent trend of increasingly dangerous behavior by Chinese military aircraft.

☆ China, Philippines agree to handle disputes 'peacefully', boost cooperation
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-05 | by ( Yew Lun Tian | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

BEIJING, Jan 5 (Reuters) - China and the Philippines said in a joint statement on Thursday they have agreed to set up a direct communications channel between their foreign ministries on the South China Sea to handle disputes peacefully. The Philippines has previously raised concerns over reported Chinese construction activities and the "swarming" of Beijing's vessels in disputed waters of the South China Sea, an area rich in oil, gas and fishery resources. Both sides also agreed to resume talks on oil and gas exploration in the South China Sea and discuss cooperation on areas including solar, wind, electric vehicles and nuclear power. Coastguards from China and the Philippines would also meet "as soon as possible" to discuss "pragmatic cooperation". Last November, when debris from a Chinese rocket fell in the South China Sea, a Chinese coastguard ship had stopped a Philippine boat from trying to tow it away.

[1/3] Philippines' President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. and First Lady Liza Araneta Marcos are photographed with China President Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Li Yuan during a welcoming ceremony at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, January 4, 2023. Office of the Press Secretary/Handout via REUTERSSummary Philippines, China sign 14 bilateral dealsXi pledged solution on plight of Filipino fishers -MarcosChina promised cooperation, investmentBEIJING/MANILA Jan 4 (Reuters) - China is ready to resume oil and gas talks and manage maritime issues "cordially" with the Philippines, China President Xi Jinping said on Wednesday, according to Chinese state television. Xi was speaking to his Philippines counterpart Ferdinand Marcos Jr, who was on a three-day visit to Beijing. The Philippines had previously raised concerns over reported Chinese construction activities and the "swarming" of Beijing's vessels in disputed waters of the South China Sea. While the Philippines is a defence ally of the United States, under previous leader Rodrigo Duterte it set aside a territorial spat over the South China Sea in exchange for Chinese investment.

Speaking ahead of his flight, Marcos said he looked forward to meeting President Xi Jinping and that "the issues between our two countries are problems that do not belong between two friends such as the Philippines and China". Last week, a Philippine foreign ministry official said talks with Xi would include China's actions in the South China Sea. While the Philippines is a defence ally of the United States, under Duterte it set aside a territorial spat over the South China Sea in exchange for Chinese investment. Beijing claims much of the South China Sea, where about $3 trillion in ship-borne trade passes annually, with the area becoming a flashpoint for Chinese and U.S. tensions around naval operations. But while De Castro expects the South China Sea issue to be brought up, he does not expect Beijing to alter its position.

☆ Indonesia approves $3 bln development plan for South China Sea gas block
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

JAKARTA, Jan 2 (Reuters) - Indonesia has approved the first plan of development for the Tuna offshore gas field with total estimated investment of $3.07 billion up to the start of production, upstream oil and gas regulator SKK Migas said on Monday. The Tuna field, located in the South China Sea between Indonesia and Vietnam, is expected to reach peak production of 115 million standard cubic feet per day (MMSCFD) in 2027, SKK Migas spokesperson Mohammad Kemal said. SKK Migas chairman Dwi Soetjipto on Monday said that aside from economic benefits, development of the project would underline Indonesia's maritime entitlements. "The Indonesian navy will also participate in securing the upstream oil and gas project so that economically and politically, it becomes an affirmation of Indonesia's sovereignty." China claims sovereignty over almost the entire South China Sea citing its own historical maps, claims that an international arbitration tribunal in 2016 ruled have no legal basis.

☆ NASA chief says China could claim the moon as its own territory if it beats the US to the lunar surface
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-02 | by ( Kate Duffy | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

NASA chief Bill Nelson said China could claim the moon as its own territory. He told Politico that Chinese aggression in the South China Sea indicated what might happen on the moon. Recently-published aerial photographs show new military installations on the Spratly Islands, a disputed archipelago in the South China Sea. Nelson told Politico that China has enjoyed "enormous success and advances" in its space program over the last decade. Nelson told Politico: "I ask the question every day: 'How is SpaceX's progress?'

☆ China accuses U.S. of distorting facts after aircraft clash
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

SHANGHAI, Jan 1 (Reuters) - A U.S. military plane involved in a confrontation with Chinese aircraft in disputed southern waters last week had violated international law and put the safety of Chinese pilots at risk, a defence ministry spokesman said. But Tian Junli, spokesman for China's Southern Theatre Command, said in a statement late on Saturday that the United States had misled the public about the incident near the disputed Paracel Islands in the South China Sea. He said the U.S. plane violated international law, disregarded repeated warnings by China and made dangerous approaches that threatened the safety of China's aircraft. "The United States deliberately misleads public opinion... in an attempt to confuse the international audience," Tian said. China claims almost the entire South China Sea as its sovereign territory, but parts of it are contested by Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Taiwan and Brunei.

The incident reflects what the U.S. calls a concerning trend of unsafe intercept practices by the Chinese military. The U.S. Air Force RC-135 aircraft was in international airspace on Dec. 21 when it was intercepted by a J-11 fighter jet from the Chinese navy, the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command said in a statement. The Chinese jet positioned itself about 10 feet from the RC-135’s wing and then drifted within 20 feet of its nose as the American plane maintained its course and speed, leading it to take evasive maneuvers. China claims sovereignty over most of the South China Sea, where it has territorial disputes with Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines and others. Austin also raised the issue at a meeting in November with Chinese Defense Minister Wei Fenghe.

☆ China Asserts Military Power Against U.S. With Naval Drills, Air Intercept
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-30 | by ( Chun Han Wong | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

HONG KONG—China’s military has flexed its growing capacity to challenge the U.S. presence in the Asia-Pacific in recent weeks, intercepting an American spy plane in what Washington criticized as a risky manner and sending an aircraft carrier in the direction of Guam. On Thursday, the U.S. military said a Chinese jet fighter conducted an unsafe maneuver while intercepting a U.S. Air Force RC-135 in international airspace over the South China Sea on Dec. 21. The J-11 fighter, operated by a Chinese navy pilot, flew “in front of and within 20 feet of the nose” of the RC-135, forcing the reconnaissance plane to “take evasive maneuvers to avoid a collision,” the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command said.

☆ A Chinese fighter jet flew within 20 feet of a US military plane over the contested South China Sea, forcing it to take evasive action
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-30 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A Chinese J-11 fighter jet flew within 20 feet of a US military aircraft over the South China Sea. US Indo-Pacific Command said the Chinese "flew an unsafe maneuver" during the December 21 encounter. The US plane, an RC-135 reconnaissance aircraft, had to take evasive action, the command said. A video of the incident released by the US military shows the Chinese J-11 jet flying alongside the RC-135. "We expect all countries in the Indo-Pacific region to use international airspace safely and in accordance with international law," the command added.

☆ American Spy Plane Has Uncomfortably Close Encounter with Chinese Jet Fighter
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-29 | by ( Chun Han Wong | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Video footage provided by the U.S. military showed a close encounter with a Chinese fighter carrying what appeared to be air-to-air missiles. HONG KONG—The U.S. military said a Chinese jet fighter conducted an unsafe maneuver while intercepting an American spy plane in international airspace over the South China Sea last week. During the Dec. 21 encounter, a J-11 fighter operated by a Chinese navy pilot flew “in front of and within 20 feet of the nose” of a U.S. Air Force RC-135, forcing the reconnaissance plane to “take evasive maneuvers to avoid a collision,” the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command said Thursday.

☆ Chinese jet came within 10 feet of U.S. military aircraft -U.S. military
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-29 | by ( Idrees Ali | Thomson Reuters | National Security Correspondent Focusing On The Pentagon In Washington D.C. Reports On U.S. Military Activity | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The close encounter followed what the United States has called a recent trend of increasingly dangerous behavior by Chinese military aircraft. A U.S. military spokesperson said the Chinese jet came within 10 feet of the plane's wing, but 20 feet from its nose, which caused the U.S. aircraft to take evasive maneuvers. China claims vast swathes of the South China Sea that overlap with the exclusive economic zones of Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia and the Philippines. In a meeting with his Chinese counterpart in November, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin raised the need to improve crisis communications, and also noted what he called dangerous behavior by Chinese military planes. Australia's defence department said in June that a Chinese fighter aircraft dangerously intercepted an Australian military surveillance plane in the South China Sea region in May.

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