China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations now have a single text to negotiate a code of conduct in the South China Sea, where four Asean member countries – Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam – are locked in territorial disputes with Beijing. The announcement, which came on Thursday during the Asean-China ministerial meeting, […]

BEIJING — A look at recent developments in the South China Sea, where China is pitted against smaller neighbors in multiple disputes over islands, coral reefs and lagoons in waters crucial for global commerce and rich in fish and potential oil and gas reserves: ___ CHINA, SE ASIAN NAVIES STAGE COMPUTER-SIMULATED DRILLS The navies of […]

On August 3, the foreign ministers of the 10 member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and their Chinese counterpart announced agreement on a Single Draft South China Sea Code of Conduct Negotiating Text (SDNT) that will serve as the basis for the adoption of a Code of Conduct in the South […]

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and China have agreed on a so-called single working text to continue negotiations for a Code of Conduct (COC) in the disputed South China Sea. “I am pleased to announce yet another milestone in the COC process,” said Vivian Balakrishnan on Thursday, Singapore’s foreign minister, who is hosting […]

The international community shouldn’t quietly let China ignore the 2016 decision. It has been two years now since an arbitral tribunal ruled that the Nine-Dash Line asserted by China in the South China Sea is in violation of United Nations Convention on Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) on July 12, 2016. During this time, China […]

France’s air and sea presence in the region asserts its support for a maritime security order based on shared rules and norms, writes Mathieu Duchâtel Since July 27, the French Air Force has had three Rafale B fighter jets, one A400M troop transporter and a C135 refuelling tanker in Australia’s Northern Territory. By registering you […]

SINGAPORE – Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Saturday (Aug 4) defended China’s military build-up in the South China Sea, calling it actions taken in self-defence in response to security pressure from the United States and other non-regional countries. “Certain non-regional countries, mainly the United States, have been sending massive strategic weaponry into this region, […]

Foreign Minister Wang Yi makes the remarks at Asean summit after US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announces Indo-Pacific commitment Beijing on Saturday vowed to maintain its military presence in the South China Sea, insisting the US is “the biggest force for militarisation in this region” after US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo pledged US$300 […]

US’ paltry down payment on its Indo-Pacific strategy is only matched by its faltering security commitment to Southeast Asia On March 12, 1947, as the spectre of Soviet communism loomed over the horizon of newly liberated Europe, President Harry Truman vowed that it would be the policy of the United States to “support free people […]

Singapore Foreign Minister Vivian Balakirishnan called new developments to the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea “yet another milestone”. There’s no room for complacency until the code is agreed upon, says one observer. Following the adoption of a draft framework on the Code of Conduct on the South China Sea last August, barely […]