Tag: Asia & Pacific

Chinese Ships Enter Japanese Waters, Prompts Tokyo to Protest

Chinese vessels entered Japan’s waters in the East China Sea at two separate locations on Thursday, prompting Tokyo to lodge protests against Beijing. Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno, the top Japanese government spokesperson, said Japan conveyed “strong concern” and lodged a protest against China through diplomatic channels after a Chinese military ship intruded into Japan’s waters. According to the…


Australia’s Security Pacts With Vanuatu and PNG Stalled Due to Sovereignty Concerns

Pacific nations Vanuatu and Papua New Guinea (PNG) are delaying the finalisation of their security pacts with Australia due to fears the deal would encroach on their sovereignty, the Pacific nations have said. During a visit by Defence Minister Richard Marles on June 6, Vanuatu’s Prime Minister Ishmael Kalsakau said the bilateral security agreement signed…


Lawmakers Warn of New Cold War as China Reportedly Seeks Spy Base in Cuba

The Chinese regime’s reported plan to create a secret eavesdropping facility in Cuba should trigger an alarm for all in the United States, according to lawmakers. In its latest challenge aimed at the United States, China has reached a deal with Cuba to install an electronic spy base on the island, just about 100 miles…


LIVE NOW: CNAS Researchers Discuss Opportunities for US–Japan–South Korea Cooperation

The researchers of the Center for a New American Security (CNAS)—Joshua Fitt, Hannah Kelley, Jacob Stokes, and Becca Wasser—discuss new opportunities to improve relations between Japan, South Korea, and the United States when meeting regional and global security challenges in a conversation at 1:45 p.m. ET on June 8, during the “American Power and Purpose”…


CNAS Researchers Discuss Opportunities for US–Japan–South Korea Cooperation

The researchers of the Center for a New American Security (CNAS)—Joshua Fitt, Hannah Kelley, Jacob Stokes, and Becca Wasser—discuss new opportunities to improve relations between Japan, South Korea, and the United States when meeting regional and global security challenges in a conversation at 1:45 p.m. ET on June 8, during the “American Power and Purpose”…


Philippines Raises Alert Level at Rumbling Volcano After Rockfall, Quakes

MANILA—The Philippines raised the alert level at the popular Mayon volcano by a notch on Thursday, after detecting volcanic earthquakes and hundreds of rockfall events. The 2,462-meter (8,077-foot) volcano in central Albay Province—a draw for tourists because of its near-perfect conical shape—”is exhibiting magmatic eruption,” the state volcanology agency said in a statement. At “alert…


Wind Knocked out of New Zealand Flatulence Tax as Opposition Withdraws Support

The world-first flatulence tax appears to have been derailed after the main opposition party in New Zealand pulled its support for the legislation. The National Party has said it will no longer support the He Waka Eke Noa, a partnership between agriculture leaders and the government that proposes farmers individually calculate and pay for their…


IN-DEPTH: War in South China Sea Would Devastate Global Economy, Especially China’s: Experts

China has built a 400-ship navy in what historians say is the swiftest development of sea power since the United States assembled its armada after the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor during World War II. But warships are just part of the story. In addition to fielding the world’s largest navy, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)…


China Forcing US and Allies Out, Preparing for Blockade of Taiwan: Former Marine Colonel

China is forcing the United States and its allies out of the region and preparing for a blockade of Taiwan according to Grant Newsham, retired Marine Colonel and author of “When China attacks.” The U.S. Indo-Pacific Command recently accused the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy of engaging in dangerous naval maneuvers on June 3 during an…


Vanuatu Says Security Deal With Australia Pending Ratification Amid Sovereignty Concerns

Vanuatu’s prime minister said on Wednesday that a security pact signed with Australia last year had not been ratified by parliament due to concerns that it did not reflect the sovereignty of the Pacific nation. Speaking to reporters in Port Vila, Prime Minister Ishmael Kalsakau said the pact “does not compel Vanuatu to anything” and…