Kosovo wishes to become a member of NATO and the European Union, the self-proclaimed republic’s prime minister Albin Kurti said on Wednesday, while visiting Washington. Serbia’s breakaway province had declared independence with US support in 2008, but has not been recognized by Belgrade, the UN, or even all the EU …
Read More »Chinese ships detected near disputed islands
On Monday morning, two Chinese coast guard vessels entered Japan’s territorial waters near the uninhabited Senkaku Islands, an East China Sea archipelago which is the subject of longstanding dispute between Beijing and Tokyo, NHK news reports. The ships entered the waters about 20km off the island of Minami Kojima at …
Read More »Xi and Duterte issue statement on disputed waterway
Chinese leader Xi Jinping and Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte spoke of the need to maintain diplomatic calm in the contested waterways of the South China Sea during an hour-long telephone summit on Friday. “The leaders stressed the need to exert all efforts to maintain peace, security and stability in the …
Read More »Japan holds drills in case ‘foreign forces’ invade disputed islands
The two-day military exercise involving Japan’s self-defense forces, coast guard, and police was conducted in late November on a remote uninhabited island. According to Kyodo news agency, citing unnamed Japanese government sources, the island was chosen specifically because its landscape closely resembles that of the disputed Senkaku Islands, which have …
Read More »Russia says no to lease of disputed islands
Speaking on Monday, Yuri Trutnev, who also serves as Presidential Envoy to the Far Eastern Federal District, said that the Russian government has prepared and submitted to the State Duma a bill on the creation of incentives in the territory. “We will develop the Kuril Islands and attract both Russian …
Read More »Philippines ‘reminds’ China of defense pact with US over incident in disputed waters
Manila’s Department of Foreign Affairs detailed the encounter in a statement on Wednesday, alleging that a pair of supply boats en route to the Ayungin Shoal – also known as the Second Thomas Shoal – were stopped by three Chinese vessels and “water cannoned” before they could reach their destination. …
Read More »China and India are locked in a clash that goes far beyond a few kilometres of disputed land; their enmity and distrust runs deep
This week, the 13th round of the India-China Corps Commander Level Meeting was held at the Chushul-Moldo border meeting point. Despite being a dialogue designed to reduce tensions, the event saw both sides ramp up the rhetoric, showcase military moves, and subsequently blame the other for the failure to make …
Read More »South Korea protests over inclusion of disputed islands on Tokyo 2020 Olympic torch relay map, politicians propose Games boycott
“We will not tolerate wrongful actions relating to Dokdo,” South Korean Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong told lawmakers on Friday, using the Korean name of the disputed lands. He added that the government will deal with the issue “as strongly as possible.” Chung said that he has issued a “strong protest” …
Read More »‘Our friendship will end here’: Duterte defies Beijing, says he won’t withdraw vessels from disputed waters
Speaking in a televised address aired on Friday, President Rodrigo Duterte said he would not heed Chinese demands and would continue to push for sovereignty over islands and reefs in the South China Sea. “We have a stand here and I want to state it here and now again that …
Read More »India and China discuss troop pullback in disputed territory a day after Kashmir border ceasefire agreement
The meeting between the foreign ministers from both countries came as both governments sought to prevent a return to the deadly clash that was seen in 2020, resulting in the deaths of 20 Indian soldiers and four Chinese troops in the worst violence the region has seen since the 1962 …
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