In recent years, China has been building artificial islands in an attempt to gain control of a wider area within the South China Sea. Last year, some of their islands expanded into territory controlled by the Philippines, an action which went to trial in The Hague. The ruling was in favor of the Philippines and rejected China’s claims to the… Read more »
Reuters: The U.S. Navy on Thursday said it will deploy its latest advanced early warning aircraft to Japan to bolster air defences, deterring potential missile attacks and intrusions by stealth aircraft. The Northrop Grumman Corp E-2D Advanced Hawkeye deployment is part of a U.S. military pivot to Asia of its most advanced aircraft and ships to counter China’s growing military… Read more »
Reuters: The Philippines, seeking to improve relations with China, hopes a framework for a code of conduct in the disputed South China Sea will be completed by the middle of this year, its foreign minister said on Wednesday. Foreign Secretary Perfecto Yasay said the code would help de-escalate tension in the waters, where China has started militarising artificial islands built… Read more »
Reuters: Taiwan scrambled jets and navy ships on Wednesday as a group of Chinese warships, led by its sole aircraft carrier, sailed through the Taiwan Strait, the latest sign of heightened tension between Beijing and the self-ruled island. China’s Soviet-built Liaoning aircraft carrier, returning from exercises in the South China Sea, was not encroaching in Taiwan’s territorial waters but entered… Read more »
Fortune: A South Korean special prosecutor’s office will question Samsung Group leader Jay Y. Lee as a suspect in a widening influence-peddling scandal that may force President Park Geun-hye from office. Prosecutors have been looking into whether Samsung payments of about 30 billion won ($25 million) for a business and foundations backed by Park’s friend, Choi Soon-sil, were connected to… Read more »
South Korea’s President, Park Geun-hye, was recently impeached in an overwhelming vote by the Korean Parliament. Before being removed from office the ruling must be upheld in court. This will mark the first time a South Korean leader has been ousted from office. Park has been accused of colluding with a friend and a former aide, both of whom have… Read more »
Reuters: Philippine Vice President Leni Robredo said on Monday she was determined to lead a campaign against President Rodrigo Duterte’s deadly war on drugs and did not believe his assurances there was no plot to oust her. Police say that just over 2,000 people have been killed in anti-drug operations since Duterte took office in July, and a further 3,060… Read more »
Reuters: South Korean Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn began getting official briefings from aides of President Park Geun-hye on Monday, after assuming presidential authority as a caretaker following Park’s impeachment by parliament. Hwang has sought to calm anxiety over national security and to reassure financial markets while Park’s presidency is in limbo pending the outcome of a Constitutional Court review of… Read more »
Reuters: Japan said on Monday it had protested to China over a Chinese complaint that Japanese fighter jets had engaged in “dangerous and unprofessional” behavior when they scrambled at the weekend as Chinese aircraft flew near Japanese islands. Chinese military aircraft on Saturday flew between Japan’s Okinawa and Miyako islands, and over waterways near self-ruled Taiwan – seen by Beijing… Read more »
Reuters: China expressed “serious concern” on Monday after U.S. President-elect Donald Trump said the United States did not necessarily have to stick to its long-held stance that Taiwan is part of “one China”, calling it the basis for relations. Trump’s comments on “Fox News Sunday”, questioning nearly four decades of U.S. policy, came after he prompted a diplomatic protest from… Read more »