Tag Archives: Paracels

China: S. China Sea claims lawful, based on historical record

At the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, Deputy Chief of China’s PLA General Staff, Lieutenant General Wang Guanzhong answered press questions about the Nine Dash Line, the demarkation line used by China for its South China Sea territorial claims. Wang Guanzhong, deputy chief of the General Staff of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army, speaks during the fourth […]

South China Sea Standoff: The U.S. Must Get Off The Sidelines

TAIPEI, TAIWAN — Within days of President Obama concluding his recent trip to Asia, which was meant to reinforce America’s commitment there as the Chinese threat grows, China attacked Vietnamese vessels to advance its claim over disputed waters and to test Washington’s resolve. A firm, multilateral response is needed to avoid escalation and to demonstrate […]

Signs of rule of law in Asia’s Wild West

One reason the world pays so much attention to a white-knuckle struggle over East Asia’s seas and islands is that the watery clashes resemble the bad old days of America’s Wild West. Brute force competes with the law. Crude power tries to trump principles applicable to all. A grand battle is underway to create a […]

Vietnam, others could haul China into world court: academic

HANOI — Vietnam, Japan and the Philippines could try going to an international court in a coordinated push against China, Trinh Hoa Binh of the Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences argued in a recent interview. Tensions between Vietnam and its huge neighbor to the north have run high since Beijing planted an oil rig in […]

Vietnam accuses China of sinking fishing boat

HANOI, Vietnam (AP) Vietnam and China traded accusations Tuesday over who was the aggressor in a clash that led to the sinking of a Vietnamese fishing boat in the South China Sea, sharpening tensions already dangerously high after China moved an oil rig into the disputed waters. Hanoi accused a Chinese vessel of ramming the […]

If China refuses to face Vietnam at international court, then what?

Since May 1, China has unilaterally deployed its HD-981 rig and many vessels, including military ships, in Vietnam’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) and continental shelf. This action violates Vietnam’s sovereign rights and its jurisdiction over the EEZ of 200 nautical miles and continental shelf. More dangerously, China escalated tensions when its ships, under the support […]

China Flexes In South China Sea, Sinks Vietnamese Fishing Vessel

A Chinese ship rammed and sank a Vietnamese fishing boat off the coast of Vietnam on Sunday, according to Vietnam’s foreign ministry. Ten fishermen were on board, Vietnam News reported. They were rescued by nearby Vietnamese boats approximately 17 nautical miles from an oil rig owned by China near the Paracel Islands. Anti-China protests took place […]

East Sea: Be careful with China’s “win-win” plot

VietNamNet: If Vietnam brings the case to the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS), what steps should we take? Dr. Ngo Huu Phuoc: To bring the case to the ITLOS, we need to prepare a file for the lawsuit. The documents are compiled by the government or the Ministry of Foreign Affairs […]

Countries Around South China Sea Bolster Claims With Island Outposts

MANILA–In many ways, the towns on the atolls of the South China Sea are just like communities elsewhere: They have houses, post offices, schools, health clinics, and citizens who use them. But the Chinese, Philippine and Vietnamese settlements are unusual in at least one way: They were all planted on once-empty slivers of land to […]

Xi Jinping’s Excellent Adventure: A Calibrated Takeover of the South China Sea

Chairman Mao’s “little red book” is no longer a fashion accessory in Beijing, but China’s leaders seem to be drawing inspiration from one of its aphorisms: “There is great disorder under the Heavens and the situation is excellent.” Judging by the calculatedly risky steps they have taken — like moving a gigantic drilling rig deep […]