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Chinese coast guard ships used water cannons to shoot a powerful stream of water at two Philippine boats carrying supplies to a highly disputed shoal in the South China Sea, prompting Philippine officials to warn the Chinese about their mutual defense treaty with the United States. Second Thomas Shoal, near the Philippine province of Palawan, is a strategic waterway that many countries have tried to claim. The Associated Press reported that China, the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan all have overlapping claims. Philippine Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. told AP no one was hurt in the incident Tuesday... ......

The navy admiral nominated to be the next US ambassador to Australia has told Congress America must prepare for the possibility of war with China, and said it would rely on Australia to help uphold the international rules-based system in the Asia-Pacific. In an excoriating assessment of China’s increasingly muscular posture in the region, Harry Harris said Beijing’s “intent is crystal clear” to dominate the South China Sea and that its military might could soon rival American power “across almost every domain”. Harris, soon to retire as the head of US Pacific Command in Hawaii, told the House armed services...

BEIJING — China's attempts to claim a nearly 1.4-million-square-mile swathe of open ocean are without precedent and probably without legal merit, but Beijing continues to assert its right to the economically critical zone — and increasingly puts its claims in military terms. Speaking to a small group of reporters in Beijing on Thursday, a high-ranking Chinese official made his warning clear: The United States should not provoke China in the South China Sea without expecting retaliation.

The four scientifically named races of Humankind are: Negroid, Caucasoid, Mongoloid, and South-Sea Islander. Now—one cannot know from, say, a photo, if a person is “African-American.” I mean, like, wow—that could be hurtful and offensive to him; he might be a proud Caribe, Dominican, Hatian, Frenchman, Somali, Croatian, or even a space alien. If he’s “a dark skinned male,” as AP likes to say in its bold, racial benchmark statement about the most recent cop-killer, then others would likely term him as “African American.” HOWsome-ever, he may actually be a Mexican who’s not an American; or an American who’s from...

BEIJING – China urged the United States on Wednesday to restrain other countries from provoking Beijing in disputes over contested territories in the South China Sea, warning that Washington risks becoming embroiled in an unwanted conflict. Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Cui Tiankai said it would be best if the United States stayed out of the long-standing disputes, but acknowledged that Washington has an interest in freedom of navigation in sea lanes that are vital to trade. "If the United States does want to play a role, it may counsel restraint to those countries that have frequently been taking provocative...