Latest in Water Wars
The Philippines and China plan to discuss joint exploration for natural resources in the South China Sea, and Japan acknowledges deploying a submarine to the region for the first time.
The United States announces new funding for its partners in Asia, while China keeps an eye on the South China Sea and the U.S. Department of Defense keeps an eye on China.
Meanwhile, live-fire missile exercises loudly crash target vessels to the bottom of the sea.
For the first time, China publicly lands strategic bombers on a base in the South China Sea, representing a significant escalation of its force-projection capabilities.
Military operations in the South China Sea continue to accelerate, with China conducting its largest naval exercises to date as the United States continues to deploy assets to the region.
As the Maldives enter a constitutional crisis and Vietnam continues to develop its military relationships, China, India and the United States deploy gunboats to augment their diplomatic stances.
Regional and maritime powers continue to posture between the U.S. freedom-of-navigation program and China’s reclamation efforts.
China challenges Japanese administration of the Senkaku Islands by deploying and surfacing a nuclear attack submarine
Water Wars is a bi-weekly roundup of the latest news, analysis, and opinions related to ongoing tensions in the South and East China Seas.
Duterte’s term as ASEAN chairman comes to a fitting end as the ASEAN statement fails to mention China’s island reclamation and the South China Sea arbitral award.