More military buildup in the South China Sea
Politics & Current Affairs
Top politics and current affairs news for February 10, 2017. Part of the daily The China Project news roundup "The phone call: Trump acquiesces on One China Policy."
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China ‘beefing up military’ on disputed islands in the South China Sea, says U.S. think tank / SCMP
The Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative is a project of the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, D.C., and it has previously released satellite photos showing China’s deployment of military equipment to the Spratly Islands in December. This week it released new photos of China’s military buildup in the Paracel Islands. The photos showed that China has now “occupied 20 outposts in the Paracels, and that there had been an extensive military build-up on eight islands.” -
Vatican and Beijing near deal on appointment of bishops, Hong Kong cardinal says / SCMP
Cardinal John Tong Hon, the head of Hong Kong’s Catholic Church — a branch directly affiliated with the Vatican, unlike Catholic churches in mainland China — has praised progress in Vatican-Beijing negotiations. Writing in the Hong Kong-based Sunday Examiner, Cardinal Tong said that Beijing “will also recognise the pope’s right of veto and that the pope is the highest and final authority in deciding on candidates for bishops in China,” addressing one of the most contentious issues between the Church and China. For more on the recent unsteady outreach between Chinese and Vatican officials, see this Sinica Podcast and a follow-up Q&A with Ian Johnson, a veteran journalist and scholar of religious issues in China.
- Trump hugs ally Japan after easing U.S.-China tensions / PBS
- US, China military planes come inadvertently close over South China Sea / CNBC
- China says United States should ‘brush up’ on its South China Sea history / SCMP
- How China plans to beat the rebalance / The Diplomat
- China probes seven for graft in Xinjiang’s restive deep south / Reuters
- Xi’s Swiss tour speeches published – including Davos speech / Xinhua
