Monthly Archives: June 2016

China could ‘drag away’ Philippine atoll base, but is showing ‘restraint’: Communist Party newspaper

China is fully capable of removing a Philippine naval vessel set up as a permanent base on a disputed atoll in the South China Sea, but has so far shown restraint, the Communist Party’s mouthpiece newspaper said on Monday. The commentary in People’s Daily comes ahead of an imminent ruling from a international court in […]

US likely to raise pressure, observers say

With the Shangri-La Dialogue — a high-profile regional security convention — set to begin on Friday, observers predicted that Washington will try to further pressure and isolate China on maritime issues. They also cautioned that the United States should not let the South China Sea issue overshadow China-US ties. Thailand’s Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha is […]

Peace at sea

With the rule of law and political will, every dispute, including those in the South China Sea, can be resolved. In 2008, I received an award from the Rhodes Academy of Ocean Law and Policy and the Onassis Foundation. I was given the Onassis Distinguished Scholar Award for my contributions to peace at sea. In […]

Eyeing China, Obama demands Senate ratify UN sea law

WASHINGTON – US President Barack Obama asked Congress to ratify contentious UN maritime rules Thursday, hoping to strengthen his hand in a dangerous stand-off with Beijing over the disputed South China Sea. Crew members of China’s South Sea Fleet taking part in a drill in the Xisha Islands, or the Paracel Islands in the South […]