Cabo Verde, an island nation off the coast of West Africa, holds a unique distinction. According to a report issued by the U.S. Congressional Research Service, Cabo Verde is one of just 27 nations (including China) of the 167 states party to the United Nations Law of the Sea Convention (UNCLOS) that claim the ability […]
The South China Sea is a litmus test for South Korean grand strategy, which would benefit greatly by reorienting away from an inward obsession with North Korea and instead turning outward, to attend to the destabilizing trends in its neighborhood. Korea’s history is one of victimization at the hands of great power competition; avoiding that […]
Though China has effectively boycotted the arbitration proceedings at The Hague, the Arbitral Tribunal has (once again) given Beijing the opportunity to respond to Manila’s claims and arguments. From the Philippines’ voluminous memorial, submitted in March 2014, to the Philippines’ additional arguments, submitted a year after, China has been repeatedly given the opportunity to make […]
MANILA, Philippines — The new U.S. commander of the Pacific Fleet assured allies Friday that American forces are well-equipped and ready to respond to any contingency in the South China Sea, where long-seething territorial disputes have set off widespread uncertainties. Adm. Scott Swift, who assumed command of the Pacific Fleet in May, said the Navy […]
U.S. Senators John McCain (Rep-Arizona) and Jack Reed (Dem-Rhode Island), Chairman and Ranking Member of the Senate Armed Services Committee; and Senators Bob Corker (Rep-Tennessee) and Ben Cardin (Dem-Maryland), Chairman and Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee released this statement: “Over the past week a legal team from the Philippines began oral arguments […]
The United States moved to reassure its jittery allies in the Asia-Pacific that it has enough firepower to maintain stability in the region that has seen increased Chinese muscle-flexing in recent years. Admiral Scott Swift, the commander of the US Pacific Fleet, said that the US could increase deployment of combat ships, if necessary, and […]
After decades of operating legacy Soviet platforms, Vietnam’s navy is acquiring advanced new frigates from Russia and the Netherlands, capable new Russian diesel-electric submarines, and a host of modern anti-ship cruise missiles. The Philippines has nearly doubled its fleet of surface combat vessels in the last five years and is working to acquire two advanced […]
On December 7, 2014, China’s Foreign Ministry was authorized to release the “Position Paper of the Government of the People’s Republic of China on the Matter of Jurisdiction in the South China Sea Arbitration Initiated by the Republic of the Philippines.” Various explanations have been offered for this by media outlets both in China and […]
In the discussion of China’s intentions on its ocean frontier, little attention is paid to the evolution of the academic underpinnings of its policy, especially in the field of international law. When I was writing my 1998 book, China’s Ocean Frontier: International Law, Military Force, and National Development, there was really only one place to […]
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines) — An Arbitral Tribunal of the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) in The Hague will convene on Friday (July 10) to deliberate its jurisdiction over the Philippines’ case against China’s activities in the West Philippine Sea. Throughout the first round of arguments, the Philippine delegation explained to the five-member court that […]