Uploaded October 2015 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
The United States made good on its promise to carry out freedom of navigation exercises in the South China Sea, challenging Beijing’s sovereignty over newly created islands. This comes as Taiwan says China might have resources capable of invading its soil. Plus Tokyo says it hasn’t accepted the invitation to meet with President Park in Seoul just yet.
United States sails into South China Sea to challenge China’s Sovereignty
The United States made good on its promise to challenge Beijing’s sovereignty claims in the South China Sea by sailing the USS Lassen, one of its destroyers, inside the 12-nautical mile bubble surrounding newly constructed islands. What’s unclear from the reports is how far the USS Lassen went pass the barrier, but as we learned from Mark Cozad, Senior Defense Policy Analyst at the RAND Corporation in a recent Asia Now Podcast, it isn’t so much how deep the vessel penetrates, but the overall statement made.
Is China planning an invasion of Taiwan?
The 2015 National Defense Report in Taiwan said China is "continuing to accumulate large-scale war capabilities, with the threat of a cross-strait military conflict continuing to exist,” noting that Beijing’s spending on its military has grown at double-digit rates over the past ten years. The defense paper claimed that China was bolstering its forces in an effort to deter foreign forces from intervening should there be an invasion, which according to the report, was Beijing’s greatest concern. Furthermore, it said China’s armed forces would be strong enough by 2020 to launch an effort to retake the island, which broke away from the mainland following the 1949 civil war.
Abe hasn’t agreed to meet with Park, yet
The big buzz in Asia has been the forthcoming East Asia trilateral summit that looks to be taking place in Seoul, South Korea this weekend. That, in and of itself, is a huge deal, as it’s the first time in years the heads of the three nations have met - and it would be the first formal sit-down between Park, Xi, and Abe. Then news surfaced that it appeared there would be a pair of bilateral meetings on November 2 with Abe meeting with Xi and Park independently. However, that may not be the case.
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Podcast: asianewsweekly.net
The United States made good on its promise to carry out freedom of navigation exercises in the South China Sea, challenging Beijing’s sovereignty over newly created islands. This comes as Taiwan says China might have resources capable of invading its soil. Plus Tokyo says it hasn’t accepted the invitation to meet with President Park in Seoul just yet.
United States sails into South China Sea to challenge China’s Sovereignty
The United States made good on its promise to challenge Beijing’s sovereignty claims in the South China Sea by sailing the USS Lassen, one of its destroyers, inside the 12-nautical mile bubble surrounding newly constructed islands. What’s unclear from the reports is how far the USS Lassen went pass the barrier, but as we learned from Mark Cozad, Senior Defense Policy Analyst at the RAND Corporation in a recent Asia Now Podcast, it isn’t so much how deep the vessel penetrates, but the overall statement made.
Is China planning an invasion of Taiwan?
The 2015 National Defense Report in Taiwan said China is "continuing to accumulate large-scale war capabilities, with the threat of a cross-strait military conflict continuing to exist,” noting that Beijing’s spending on its military has grown at double-digit rates over the past ten years. The defense paper claimed that China was bolstering its forces in an effort to deter foreign forces from intervening should there be an invasion, which according to the report, was Beijing’s greatest concern. Furthermore, it said China’s armed forces would be strong enough by 2020 to launch an effort to retake the island, which broke away from the mainland following the 1949 civil war.
Abe hasn’t agreed to meet with Park, yet
The big buzz in Asia has been the forthcoming East Asia trilateral summit that looks to be taking place in Seoul, South Korea this weekend. That, in and of itself, is a huge deal, as it’s the first time in years the heads of the three nations have met - and it would be the first formal sit-down between Park, Xi, and Abe. Then news surfaced that it appeared there would be a pair of bilateral meetings on November 2 with Abe meeting with Xi and Park independently. However, that may not be the case.
Have something to add to these or other stories? Share your opinion on Facebook, Twitter, or by messaging podcast@asianewsweekly.net.
Connect with me on social media and the internet!
e-mail: podcast@asianewsweekly.net
Twitter: twitter.com/SteveMillerANW
Facebook: facebook.com/asianewsweekly
Podcast: asianewsweekly.net
