The Pentagon has laid down a fresh marker against China’s worrisome land reclamation effort in the South China Sea. In a congressionally mandated report published last week, the Defense Department outlined a strategy for maritime security in the Asia-Pacific that attempts to counter China’s provocative behavior. The real tests will come later, but they are […]

China has won the first round of its contest for control in the South China Sea by completing construction of an archipelago of artificial islands, say senior Australian sources. And there is little that will stop China from winning the next round, too, as an indecisive US Administration and allies including Australia struggle to follow […]

TAIPEI — Vietnam’s efforts to modernize its armed forces face numerous political, historical and financial barriers. Many are of Vietnam’s own making — its go-slow policy on human rights issues and democratization, and the Communist Party’s reluctance to share power, even though it has embraced foreign investment and capitalism. Still, growing problems with China are forcing Hanoi to ask hard questions about its […]

India and Australia will conduct their first ever bilateral war games in September with an eye on China. Chinese authorities said it is unperturbed but claimed that the naval drill is part of a long-planned alliance with the U.S. and Japan to contain China over South China Sea dispute. According to a report from Reuters, […]