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China has “enforced maritime management and exercised sovereign jurisdiction” over an uninhabited reef in the disputed South China Sea, planting the country’s flag on the tiny sand bank just kilometers from a key Philippine military outpost. Photographs released by Chinese state-run media on Saturday showed China Coast Guard officers unfurling the flag as part of an effort to effectively seize Sandy Cay reef, which Beijing calls Tiexian Jiao, earlier this month. The reef, located in the flash point Spratly Island chain, is also claimed by Taiwan, Vietnam and the Philippines. Sandy Cay also sits just over 3 kilometers from Thitu...

By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, it is hereby ordered:Section 1. Background. The United States controls one of the largest and most abundant ocean resources in the world, with over 4 million square miles of prime fishing grounds. With this vast resource and centuries of hard work from American fishermen, our Nation has the greatest seafood in the world.Most American fish stocks are healthy and have viable markets. Despite these opportunities, seafood is one of the most heavily regulated sectors in the United States. Federal overregulation...

Three Chinese warships that were involved in live-fire drills in the Tasman Sea last week have re-entered Australia's Exclusive Economic Zone and are currently in the vicinity of Tasmania. The Defence Department has confirmed it is working with New Zealand's military to jointly track the three warships which are operating about 300km east of Hobart. The news comes as officials in Canberra faced questions over why it was a Virgin pilot that had been the first to alert authorities about Beijing's live-fire exercises on Friday, which had forced airlines to divert flights. The exclusive economic zone is a maritime area...

Philippine foreign policy experts and lawmakers have asked President Rodrigo Duterte to end his "policy of subservience" towards China, saying the Filipino leader's silence is leading to hundreds of Chinese vessels lining up in Manila's exclusive economic zone (EEZ) in the South China Sea. Though military chief and country's top diplomat have asked China to withdraw its vessels from the region, Duterte has maintained his silence over the issue. Watch | Earlier his spokesperson said that the Filipino president is pursuing "diplomatic initiatives" in "private". On Thursday, the Philippine Coast Guard said that despite continual demands to Chinese vessels to...

America’s oceans, coastal waters, and Great Lakes are national treasures, providing beauty and recreation, along with valuable resources that enhance our health, security, and economic prosperity. America’s oceans and coastlines contribute greatly to America’s economy, supporting 154,000 ocean-dependent businesses, $373 billion of economic activity annually, 2.3 million jobs, and $162 billion in wages.Advancing understanding of our oceans and coastlines has been a top priority for President Trump, particularly as it relates to further mapping the United States Exclusive Economic Zone (U.S. EEZ) –an area surrounding the United States that is larger than the areas of all fifty states combined....

he power of the coronavirus pandemic as a potential global “game changer” may be on full display in the South China Sea. China is stepping up its operations in the international waterway while the U.S. Defense department grapples with over 1,500 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in its ranks. The pandemic began in Wuhan, China and peaked in the Communist country in February. China’s numbers may reek of skepticism but by all accounts, they have seen the worst of the disease. Barring any 2nd wave of COVID-19, the country is slowly returning to normal with their military unscathed and at full...

Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras called on Turkey to respect International Law at the Press Conference following the 5th trilateral meeting in Israel with Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades and Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday... “We have emphasised the need for respect of international law in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Aegean. Respecting, in particular, the right of Cyprus to exercise its sovereign rights in its EEZ “. Mr Tsipras went on to underline the need for a just and viable solution of the Cypriot problem with the scrapping of the guarantees on the occupied part of the island and...

The Barak-8 missile is launched during a test. (photo credit: IAI) Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) will provide advanced defense systems to Israel Navy’s new Sa’ar-6 corvettes to protect strategic maritime assets, the defense giant announced on Tuesday. The contract was led by the navy, the Directorate of Defense Research and Development (DDR&D) and the procurement administration in Israel’s Defense Ministry. The Barak-8 system was chosen after it was demonstrated to meet the operational requirements and future challenges faced by Israel’s navy. The systems will be used to protect Israel’s exclusive economic zone and strategic facilities that are faced with diversified...

The Chinese military has started operating within the US’s exclusive economic zone, a move that could transform the dynamic between the dominant Pacific naval power and its main challenger. Admiral Samuel Locklear, commander of US forces in the Pacific, on Sunday confirmed the revelation from a Chinese military delegate at the Shangri-La Dialogue, a high-level defence forum in Singapore, that the People’s Liberation Army navy had started “reciprocating” the US navy’s habit of sending ships and aircraft into the 200-nautical-mile zone off China’s coast. Under international law, each country has the exclusive right to the economic resources inside a 200-nautical-mile...

Don't take peaceful approach for granted Global Times | October 25, 2011 01:22 By Global Times Recently, both the Philippines and South Korean authorities have detained fishing boats from China, and some of those boats haven't been returned. China has been increasingly confronted with sea disputes and challenged by tough stances from the countries involved. These events have been promoting hawkish responses within China, asking the government to take action. China has emphasized its reluctance in solving disputes at sea via military means on many occasions. Peace is vital for its own economic development. But some of China's neighboring countries...

Stakes Rise in Japan-S. Korea Island Flap By JOSEPH COLEMAN, Associated Press Writer 1 hour, 55 minutes ago Japan defied South Korean protests Wednesday and dispatched two ships to begin a maritime survey near disputed islets between the two nations, raising the stakes in the territorial standoff. South Korea earlier had dispatched a flotilla of patrol boats to guard the territory, held by Seoul but claimed by Tokyo. Two Japanese survey vessels left Sakaiminato on Wednesday, headed for the islands, said Yuzuru Kubota, a coast guard official in the port city on Japan's west coast. But he said the ships...

Friday April 14, 8:23 PM 3RD LD: Seoul demands Tokyo cancel survey near disputed islets (Kyodo) _ (EDS: ADDING QUOTES FROM S. KOREAN FOREIGN AND TRADE MINISTRY SPOKESMAN, VICE MINISTER) South Korea on Friday demanded that Japan cancel a planned maritime survey near South Korean-administered islets called Dokdo in South Korea and Takeshima in Japan. "Japan will have to immediately retract its illicit plan masquerading as a survey," Foreign Affairs and Trade Ministry spokesman Choo Kyu Ho said in a statement, according to Yonhap News Agency. Choo said South Korea will take all necessary measures against a premeditated provocation by...

MURMANSK, October 18 (RIA Novosti, Yekaterina Kozlova) - The captain of a Russian trawler at the center of a scandal in the Barents Sea said Tuesday that he could not rule out a collision with a Norwegian Coast Guard patrol boat. "I reserve the right to set on a collision course since I no longer hope for any help," the captain of the trawler, the Elektron, said. "The crew will be rescued, if necessary, by the Grigory Arloshkin, that is moving on a parallel course." Norwegian Coast Guards detained the Elektron on Saturday off the Spitsbergen archipelago for allegedly...

China has "intensified" monitoring of foreign vessels in areas it considers Chinese waters, but which internationally are regarded as open ocean, reports Geostrategy-Direct, the global intelligence information service. The effort is part of China's announced goal of extending its sea control further from Chinese shores. The stepped-up surveillance was announced in a 2003 China Maritime Administrative Law Enforcement Bulletin recently published by the State Bureau of Oceanic Administration. The U.S. government last year challenged China's new decree claiming control over a 200-mile economic zone from its coast. The bulletin said its surveillance ships tracked two U.S. Navy vessels that entered...