MANILA, Philippines – China deployed its maritime militia to the vicinity of Pag-asa Island (Thitu Island) in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea) after the Philippines began constructing on the island, an international think tank said. The Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative (AMTI) of the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) said that […]

One of the US’ most senior military figures and an adviser to President Donald Trump has called for firmer rules governing naval encounters in disputed waters such as the South China Sea, where near misses between warships continue to test territorial claims and rights to “free navigation”. “Let’s not be obstructing one another, driving our […]

CANBERRA, Australia — Australia has canceled the residency of a wealthy Chinese property developer and political donor, but the foreign minister said on Wednesday she did not expect Beijing to protest. Australian officials denied Sydney resident Huang Xiangmo a passport, rejecting his application to become an Australian citizen and canceling his permanent residency, leaving him […]

Editor’s Note: This is an excerpt from “Policy Roundtable: Competing Visions for the Global Order” from our sister publication, the Texas National Security Review. Be sure to check out the full roundtable. The next decade is likely to bring an intensification of great power competition. This is not a new or recent development, although Donald […]

Philippines’ Defence Secretary, Delfin Lorenzana at a press briefing at Camp Aguinaldo in late December last year spoke of the need for a review of the 1951 Mutual Defence Treaty (MDT) with the United States given the growing security concerns in the South China Sea. The Defence Secretary had mentioned, given the ambivalent stand of […]

A British naval presence in the South China Sea strengthens global security and Britain’s global role. But it must be matched with a more systematic approach to the region, and to China’s defiance of legal norms. Last summer, the HMS Albion, an amphibious assault ship colloquially described as one of the Royal Navy’s ‘Swiss Army […]

The muted Philippine response has exacerbated existing concerns about the regional response to Beijing’s maritime claims. In late January, Chinese state media announced the establishment of yet another new facility in a South China Sea feature. Though the unveiling was just another manifestation of an old aspect of Beijing’s broader strategy in advancing its position […]

The South East Asian nation has had a rollercoaster relationship with Beijing as the nations are at odds over the South China Sea. However in an address on the eve of Chinese New Year, the leader of the Philippines said the “friendship and cooperation forged between the Philippines and China” had led to “greater prosperity […]

THE world could be on the brink of a devastating conflict because the US is not a society organised for “war, conquest and foreign policy” and the country’s recent disinterest in global issues has sparked instability and chaos around the world, a documentary claims. Last December, US President Donald Trump ordered a full and rapid […]

In the first quarter of 2019, the next round of negotiations between China and ASEAN on the Code of Conduct (COC) on South China Sea is expected to be finalised. If the leaked document of the negotiating draft of the COC is to be believed, China could drastically change its approach and activities across the […]