DefenceTalkVice President Kamala Harris accused China on Tuesday of intimidation in disputed Asian waters, seeking to rally regional allies as the United States’ superpower status takes a hit over Afghanistan. Her comments in Singapore came as Washington seeks to reset relations in Asia after the turbulent Donald Trump era and build a bulwark against the […]

Jakarta: Indonesia has deployed fighter jets and warships to patrol islands near the disputed South China Sea, the military said on Wednesday, escalating tensions with Beijing after a diplomatic spat over “trespassing” Chinese vessels. President Joko Widodo also headed on Wednesday to the fishing-rich waters around the Natuna islands, which border the South China Sea, […]

DefenceTalkJapan said Thursday (Jan 11) it was tracking a Chinese frigate in waters surrounding islands in the East China Sea, the first such incursion in more than a year near the flashpoint isles claimed by both countries. Japanese navy ships spotted the 4,000-tonne Jiangkai II class frigate around 11am (0200 GMT) in waters surrounding the […]https://www.defencetalk.com/japan-tracks-chinese-frigate-near-disputed-isles-71046/

DefenceTalkBeijing rapped Washington Tuesday for its interventions in Asia, as tensions grow between the two powers over territorial disputes in the South China Sea and how to handle increasingly erratic North Korea. Speaking at the 7th annual Xiangshan regional defence forum in Beijing, Chang Wanguan, China’s defence minister, levied thinly veiled criticism at recent US […]https://www.defencetalk.com/china-raps-us-interventions-in-asia-at-regional-forum-68354/

DefenceTalkChina confirmed it has weapons on a disputed island in the South China Sea, state media said Thursday, as criticism grew over Beijing’s increased “militarization” of the strategically vital region. The US and Taiwan both said China had placed missiles on Woody Island, part of the Paracels chain, after Fox News reported the surface-to-air weapons […]https://www.defencetalk.com/china-confirms-weapons-on-disputed-island-66821/

DefenceTalkThe US military might deploy warships and surveillance aircraft near artificial islands being built by China to challenge Beijing’s territorial claims in the South China Sea, officials said Wednesday. But the US officials acknowledge such a move may fail to halt Beijing’s massive land reclamation effort, recently dubbed China’s “great wall of sand” by an […]https://www.defencetalk.com/us-weighs-moves-to-counter-chinas-wall-of-sand-64201/

DefenceTalkThe United States on Friday swiftly rejected a suggestion by a top Chinese military official who said that disputed South China Sea islands could be used for international rescue and relief operations. Beijing has been roundly criticized by the West for construction work on islands in the South China Sea, including the building of an […]https://www.defencetalk.com/us-rejects-chinas-offer-over-disputed-islands-64082/

DefenceTalkChinese warships will continue to patrol waters where Beijing has territorial claims, a top general said Sunday, amid simmering rows with neighbouring countries over the South China Sea and islands controlled by Japan. Lieutenant General Qi Jianguo, deputy chief of the general staff of the People’s Liberation Army, defended the patrols as legitimate and said […]https://www.defencetalk.com/chinese-patrols-in-asian-seas-legitimate-general-48006/