Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own. Activists hold a protest in front of the Chinese Consular Office in Manila on Jun. 12. The protesters shouted slogans against China’s reclamation and construction activities on islands and reefs in the Spratly Group of the South China Sea. (NOEL CELIS/AFP/Getty Images) The noose finally appears to […]
Amid relentless diplomatic efforts, many seem unaware that the South China Sea dispute has entered a new phase as the Philippines, one of the claimants of the maritime territory, is seeking a legal settlement of China’s territorial claims at the Court of Arbitration in The Hague. Can the legal approach resolve the decades-long dispute and […]
Indonesia is considering using drones and submarines to strengthen its grip over the gas-rich waters around the Natuna Islands in response to China’s growing military presence in the South China Sea. These comments by Indonesia’s security chief Luhut Panjaitan in an opinion piece Wednesday in the Kompas newspaper represent some of the most direct yet […]
Earlier this week, the Indonesian defense minister said that the country would boost its defenses near the South China Sea in anticipation of future threats. Defense Minister Ryamizard Ryacudu said that Indonesia will equip the Natuna islands near the South China Sea with a port and extend its military air base runway so that it […]
Indonesia will strengthen its weaponry systems on Natuna Island in order to anticipate future threats from the South China Sea dispute. Natuna, located 550 kilometers east of Batam Island, borders Indonesia, Vietnam, Cambodia and Malaysia. The island is on the border of Indonesia that is nearest to the South China Sea. “We will equip Natuna […]
Indonesia is developing a plan to build a new military base in the South China Sea, according to local media reports. On Friday, the Jakarta Post reported that Indonesian officials are preparing a plan to build a new military base somewhere in the South China Sea, which has seen an uptick in tensions over competing […]
Chinese authorities, as well as sympathetic writers, have in recent months sought to deflect criticism of China’s island-building campaign in the Spratlys by insisting that Beijing is merely copying what other claimants have done for years. According to this narrative, every claimant is as guilty as Beijing of altering the status of features in the […]
Countries with competing territorial claims in the South China Sea — including China — should carry out joint “peace patrols” there to reduce the risk of conflict, Indonesia’s defense minister said. Senior U.S. military officials have recently urged Southeast Asian countries to jointly patrol the waters as it seeks to reassure its allies it will […]
Last month, Thailand’s navy requested funding for a submarine program which, when finalized, will make it the region’s eighth submarine-equipped nation—joining Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Vietnam, Taiwan, India, and Australia. The Philippines, Thailand, and Bangladesh, meanwhile, have all expressed interest in acquiring submarine fleets. As tensions in the South China Sea continue to escalate, this arms race […]
While China’s recent assertiveness in the South China Sea might shock and surprise today’s observers, its behavior has actually been remarkably consistent over recent decades. China first exercised its power in the region in January 1974 when it ejected South Vietnam from the Crescent Islands. In March 1988, the Chinese Navy clashed with Vietnamese vessels, […]