Vice Adm. Robert Thomas, commander of U.S. 7th Fleet, delivers remarks during a change of command ceremony aboard the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN-73). US Navy Photo
The head of U.S. naval forces in the Western Pacific said the U.S. would support an emerging plan to create multi-national patrols in the South China Sea that could bear similarities to anti-piracy patrols in the Strait of Malacca. Read More
Chinese officials called on foreign countries to neither “create dissension” nor “create tension” in the South China Sea region, according to Friday remarks from a foreign ministry spokeswoman. Read More
USS Pinckney (DDG-91) and the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) ships near Guam on July 8, 2014. US Navy Photo
This post has been updated to include a quote from the Singapore’s minister for foreign affairs and law, K. Shanmugam.
The commander of U.S. 7th Fleet said Japan should start patrolling the South China Sea and said China’s claims in the region are resulting in, “unnecessary friction” with neighbors. Read More
An illustration of China’s contested Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) from state run media. Xinhua Photo
China is building airstrips on islands less than 200 miles from the contested Japanese Senkaku Islands, according to a report in Kyodo News. Read More
