For diplomatic and strategic reasons, now is not the time for Beijing to make such a risky move. For over six months now, speculation has been rampant that China is gearing up to begin land reclamation (or, more accurately, island building) at Scarborough Shoal, a disputed feature in the South China Sea roughly 355 km […]

Tense relations between China and the United States in the South China Sea have the potential to spawn an international crisis that threatens assets, shipping and supply chains, and the safety of employees. http://www.joc.com/maritime-news/industry-must-prepare-worst-south-china-sea_20160908.html

With prevailing international legal measures producing stalemate and tension in the South China Sea (SCS), ASEAN and Indonesian experts are looking for innovative solutions to reach stable peace in the disputed waters. Many regional and global options were discussed during the 2nd High Level International Workshop on Thursday, but particular attention was given to a […]

VIENTIANE – The Philippines is proposing a 14 percent increase in defense spending next year to buy new ships and aircraft to boost its fight against Islamist militants and enhance maritime security in the disputed South China Sea. According to internal documents seen by Reuters on Monday, about 130 billion pesos ($2.8 billion) or 96 […]

Photos of Chinese ships deployed near a key disputed reef in the South China Sea surfaced over the weekend as U.S. and Chinese leaders met at the Group of 20 nations summit and discussed maritime disputes. The Philippines Defense Ministry published photos of 11 Chinese ships near Scarborough Shoal that include vessels that some reports […]

China sends a flotilla to Scarborough Shoal even before the G-20 is over. China didn’t finish hosting the G-20 summit in Hangzhou until Monday but already on the weekend it was moving to advance its territorial claims in the South China Sea. Add new U.S.-Philippine tensions thanks to mercurial new President Rodrigo Duterte, and the […]

Southeast Asian leaders meet amid tension over Beijing’s increasingly assertive claims to territory in South China Sea. The Philippines and Japan have both expressed serious concern over China’s actions in the South China Sea at a regional meeting of Asian leaders in Laos. Hours before leaders of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) […]

VIENTIANE — The Department of National Defense released pictures on Wednesday showing what it said were Chinese boats near the disputed Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea, just hours before leaders of Southeast Asian nations were due to meet China’s premier in Laos. There was no explanation for the timing of the release, but […]

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte attends a welcome dinner at the ASEAN Summit in Vientiane, Laos September 6, 2016. If you’re a historic U.S. ally under mounting pressure from an emerging superpower like China, it’s probably not a good idea to use a crude sexual epithet to describe the American president. Filipino leader Rodrigo Duterte, though, […]

The motion filed with the International Union for Conservation of Nature recommends the suspension of the ‘exploitation of natural resources’ in the disputed sea MANILA, Philippines – A motion to create a “marine peace park” in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea) has been filed with the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). […]