The Coral Triangle section of the South China Sea is one of the richest marine ecosystems anywhere on Earth. It is recognized as the global center of marine biodiversity and a global priority for conservation. It is also called the “Amazon of the seas.” Today this region is under threat: China, the Philippines, Malaysia, Vietnam, […]
DAVAO CITY — A high-ranking official of the Supreme Court said the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) at the Hague is expected to issue a decision on the Philippines’ territorial dispute with China before the May 2016 elections. But at the same time, Supreme Court Justice Antonio T. Carpio warned of Beijing’s continued military buildup […]
TAIPEI, TAIWAN— Two Taiwan government officials visited an islet in the heavily disputed South China Sea on Saturday to kick off operations at a lighthouse. The trip is likely to irritate rival maritime claimants China and Vietnam but not touch off a major dispute. Taiwan’s ministers of the interior and coast guard head flew to […]
Underestimating the United States commitment in Asia would be a “severe miscalculation,” one of America’s top defense official for Asia warned Tuesday in a speech in Washington, D.C. “U.S. commitment to Asia should not be underestimated, and to do so would be a severe miscalculation,” Abraham Denmark, the U.S. deputy assistant secretary of defense for […]
America’s former naval commander in the Pacific says, ‘Going to the international tribunal to challenge China on the 9-dash line was a very brave step by the Filipino government’ MANILA, Philippines – “The Philippines is a true leader in Southeast Asia on rule of law issues.” The former commander of American forces in the Pacific […]
Of all the countries on Earth, only Taiwan agrees with and supports all of China’s legal claims in the South China Sea. And Taiwan isn’t even considered to be a country by China, the U.S., and most other nations. But China’s government appears to view the South China Sea as an opportunity for cooperation between […]
Thanks to a land reclamation project on a set of rocks and reefs in the middle of the sea, M. Taylor Fravel’s research is much in demand these days. His research isn’t about marine biology or civil engineering, however. Fravel’s analysis is sought out because the sea in question is the South China Sea and […]
Amidst the media buzz, the recent announcement by Washington to fly P-8 maritime surveillance flights out of Singapore needs to be viewed in perspective. There has been quite a bit of media buzz over the Enhanced Defence Cooperation Agreement (DCA) inked just recently between Singapore and the United States. Even though the joint statement promulgated […]
FILE – In this Friday, April 17, 2015 file photo, protesters display placards during a rally at the Chinese Consulate at the financial district of Makati city, east of Manila, Philippines to protest moves by China in “fortifying” its claims at the disputed Spratlys Islands in the South China Sea. China’s campaign of island building […]
Use the slider to see construction at Subi Reef September 2015July 2012 Images: CSIS Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative / DigitalGlobe Last year the BBC’s Rupert Wingfield-Hayes travelled across the South China Sea in a fishing boat and became the first journalist to observe close-up how China is constructing new islands on coral reefs. A few […]