The core issue of the South China Sea dispute is China’s unlawful claim to maritime areas beyond what the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (Unclos) allows. Under China’s nine-dash line, five Asean coastal states—the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, and Indonesia—will lose large areas of their exclusive economic zones (EEZs) guaranteed to […]

Washington: Beijing has not only attempted to change facts on the ground in the South China Sea but is also seeking to gradually change the world’s mind regarding its claims in the region, a Washington-based think tank has said. Nguyen Thuy Anh, who is a research fellow at the East Sea Institute of Diplomatic Academy […]

MANILA (UPDATE) – President Rodrigo Duterte said Monday he was “inutile” and “cannot do anything” against Beijing’s pursuit of territory and resources in the South China Sea, parts of which are also claimed by Manila. The Philippines should “just cool off” and pursue “diplomatic endeavors” to counter China’s sweeping claims to the area “unless we […]

MANILA — Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday said Beijing was already “in possession” of the disputed South China Sea and Washington’s return to a former naval base in the Southeast Asian country could raise the specter of war. In his fifth state of the nation address, Duterte went off script and discussed at length […]

Tensions between China and the United States have reached the most acute levels since the countries normalized diplomatic relations more than four decades ago, with the U.S. government’s ordering that China close its Houston consulate being just the latest example. In defense, trade, technology, human rights and other categories, actions and reprisals by one side […]

Beijing has stationed eight warplanes on a strategic disputed island in the South China Sea, escalating tensions over territorial claims. Satellite images from July 15 showed at least four aircraft on Woody Island in the Paracels chain, believed to be J-11B air superiority fighters. More pictures the following day showed them in a different area […]

On July 13, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo released a statement contending that China’s claims in the South China Sea are “completely unlawful” and that there is “no coherent legal basis” for its nine-dash line map. This announcement was, of course, strongly opposed by China, which described it as completely unjustified.On July 13, US […]

Australian warships have encountered China’s navy in the disputed South China Sea at a time of heightened diplomatic tensions between the two countries. The Australian government has played down the encounter – believed to have occurred last week – saying on Thursday that “all interactions with foreign warships throughout the deployment were conducted in a […]

SUMMARY Brunei, long considered to be a “silent claimant” state in the South China Sea dispute, broke its silence recently as it released a rare statement urging parties to negotiate issues based on the rule of law.  While reaffirming Brunei’s commitment to maintain stability in the region, Brunei’s foreign ministry urged countries to discuss issues […]

Source: https://www.rappler.com/world/asia-pacific/brunei-breaks-silence-south-china-sea/