Exploiting changes to the law of the sea can help put China in a place where it has bought much less than it bargained for. It is sometimes said that China’s construction of man-made islands in the South China Sea resembles the growth of a forest: It expands slowly, but once it has arrived it […]

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: ___ EDITOR’S NOTE: This is a weekly look at the latest […]

Asean ministers will discuss a Code of Conduct (COC) for the South China Sea next week amid concerns over China’s increasing militarisation in the area, Malaysian Foreign Minister Saifuddin Abdullah said yesterday. He said the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties (DOC) that was signed in 2002 by China and Asean does not appear to […]

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Foreign Minister Saifuddin Abdullah said Wednesday that Malaysia’s new government will adopt a firmer stand in tackling a decades-old territorial row in the South China Sea amid China’s aggressive expansion in the disputed area. Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, who won a stunning electoral victory in May, has said warships should […]

MANILA, Philippines — Pursuing a joint venture on oil and gas development in South China Sea would be possible for claimants as long as it would be consistent with international law. Washington-based think tank Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative (AMTI) suggested that such agreement between South China Sea claimants would have to be consistent with both […]

China hit out at a looming U.S defense spending bill that includes a plan to forge closer ties with Taiwan, saying the legislation would damage U.S.-China relations and undermine cross-strait ties. The U.S. Congress is preparing to pass the sweeping 2019 defense authorization bill, which includes provisions aimed at curtailing China’s influence in Asia, reflecting […]

MANILA, Philippines — Top American and Australian officials reaffirmed their commitment to freedom of navigation and overflight in the disputed South China Sea in response to China’s expanded militarization in the region. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop and Australian Defense Minister Marise Payne stressed […]

Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana erred when he played down as “empty victory” the Philippines’ historic legal win against China in the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague, acting Chief Justice Antonio Carpio said on Tuesday. “China has called the arbitral ruling as an ‘empty victory.’ So it’s unusual that our own defense secretary is […]

China’s Foreign Ministry on Tuesday highlighted the value of cooperation between China and the Philippines. “Cooperation between the two countries over the recent two years has shown that good neighborliness is the only choice serving the interests of the two countries and the two peoples,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang said at a regular press […]

A recent poll purports to show that there is a huge domestic opposition to Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s “soft” approach to China supposedly gathering steam. If this is an accurate assessment of the “will of the majority” — and some say it is not — it could force a policy change. But what are the […]