With its controversial seizure and return of a U.S. underwater drone, Beijing may have inadvertently thrust into the spotlight one of the main motivations behind its ramped-up moves in the South China Sea: the quest to create a safe-haven for its sea-based nuclear deterrent. Submarines, in particular ballistic missile subs, have long figured prominently in […]

MANILA – China may be trying to establish a strategic triad in the South China Sea to effectively take control of the entirety of the disputed waters, an analyst warned Wednesday. Former senior consultant at the National Security Council and former Magdalo party-list representative Francisco Ashley Acedillo noted that many defense analyst and experts have […]

The U.S. president-elect took the first steps up the ladder of escalation, but China’s seizure of a naval drone shows it’s glad to follow. Beijing Is Ready To Go Eyeball to Eyeball With Trump Spring has come early to the South China Sea. Many analysts had assumed that China would do something to test the […]

In the White House Rose Garden on Sept. 25, 2015, President Xi Jinping stood with President Barack Obama and pledged that “China does not intend to pursue militarization” on outcroppings in the disputed waters of the South China Sea. Other top Chinese officials echoed this promise over the past year, even as airstrips were paved […]

Malaysia Defence Minister Hishammuddin Hussein said Asean should be united to handle South China Sea disputes. The superpower and China would respect ASEAN’s voice and stand. Instead, the fate and position of ASEAN countries would be determined by the world’s superpowers. He is of the view that ASEAN countries should have a united stand on […]

SCARBOROUGH SHOAL, South China Sea–In the predawn darkness, four lights flicker on the horizon. “Four Chinese ships,” says one of the Filipino fishermen ominously. We are 200 kilometers or so west of Infanta, a fishing village in the northern Philippines, from which we departed 19 hours earlier, and close to disputed Scarborough Shoal in the […]

A basic fact oft overlooked is that international law operates differently from domestic law. “Sovereignty” plays a huge part in this. In relation to territorial claims, resolution by treaty or customary law, as well as third-party institutions, come in terms of other States’ recognition but not actual conferment of ownership. Effectively, the States claimants do […]

TO BE consistent in his supine position, President Rodrigo Duterte might as well formally abandon Philippine rights over maritime areas being claimed by China and renounce the favorable UNCLOS arbitration ruling in The Hague last July on these disputes. After winning the arbitration case and keeping alive the claims over isles, shoals, reefs and other […]

As President-elect Donald Trump prepares to take office in January, one challenge looms large: China and its expanding role in the vital Asia-Pacific region. The incoming Administration will need to develop a long-term Pacific strategy—which ultimately eluded President Obama’s team. Creating a long-term policy toward China will be difficult: Trump’s recent questioning of the venerable […]

A satellite image shows what CSIS Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative says appears to be anti-aircraft guns and what are likely to be close-in weapons systems (CIWS) on the artificial island Fiery Cross Reef in the South China Sea in this image released on December 13, 2016. CSIS Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative/DigitalGlobe/Handout via Reuters Experts fear […]