The July 12 tribunal ruling on a maritime dispute case brought by the Philippines against China helped to clarify international law on oceans and sets a high bar for what constitutes islands. It will have repercussions for many regional states’ claims. The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (Unclos) contains the most […]

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippines is no longer concerned about getting the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to issue a unified statement on the South China Sea as the July 12 ruling of an international court invalidating China’s massive maritime claim is enough “legal foundation” to support Manila’s position, Foreign Affairs Secretary Perfecto Yasay […]

PUERTO PRINCESA, PHILIPPINESBiologist Ed Gomez was in his office at the University of the Philippines Marine Science Institute about 25 years ago when the phone rang. The woman on the line told him she worked as a broker and had a client who wanted to buy some of the young giant clams his team was […]

Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own. China’s actions in the South China Sea are increasingly militaristic. Due to Vietnam’s lack of strong treaty allies, the country is particularly vulnerable compared to its peers. In response to Vietnam’s deteriorating security situation, it is likely to choose one of three strategies: 1) continue the current […]

China will be the “loser” if it does not recognize an international court ruling against its territorial claims in the South China Sea, Foreign Affairs Sec. Perfecto Yasay said Tuesday. An arbitration court in The Hague infuriated China in July when it ruled that China had no historical title over the South China Sea and […]

One of the World’s Biggest Fisheries Is on the Verge of Collapse Major disputes in the South China Sea are putting critical habitat—and the food supply of millions—at risk. PUERTO PRINCESA, PHILIPPINESYears ago Christopher Tubo caught a 660-pound blue marlin in the South China Sea. The fishing was good there, he says. Tuna fishermen would […]

Brunei and Vietnam agreed on Saturday to fully and effectively implement the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC). The pledge came as Brunei’s Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah held talks with visiting Vietnamese President Tran Dai Quang here on Saturday, according to a joint statement issued after the talks. They also […]

The arched bow, known as a ski jump deck, is a feature of China’s second aircraft carrier based on a former Soviet design. TOKYO — China’s first domestically built aircraft carrier will likely be set afloat by the end of the year, according to multiple Chinese military sources. The country already has an aircraft carrier […]

During the last few years, China has apparently constructed a considerable number of radar installations on the South China Seas islands. These facilities, which could potentially be employed for a variety of purposes, drastically increase China’s real-time awareness and intelligence capabilities over a large portion of the region. Furthermore, while radar installations may appear less […]

The South China Sea disputes have severely challenged Asean. At the Asean-China meeting held in Kunming (昆明) in June 2016, a senior Chinese official, sitting beside Foreign Minister Wang Yi (王毅), bluntly told Asean foreign ministers that, as far as China was concerned, Asean (the Association of Southeast Asian Nations) was not central to the […]