Over the course of the last several years, tension in the western Pacific has been building. Naval buildups and military modernization efforts continue apace, despite economic downturns. Deployment of ships and new aggressive actions by surface fleets continue unabated. Most recently, plans to spend billions of dollars building up islands that are far from the […]
Much of the coverage of the USS Lassen’s maneuver near the Subi reef in the South China Sea presented the operation as a challenge to Chinese maritime claims and island-building operations. But in fact there are two quite distinct legal issues at play. The first is the traditional U.S. interpretation of the right of innocent […]
November 03, 2015 798 22 2 0 822 Shares 19 Comments Last Friday, the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) ruled that it has jurisdiction over the Philippines’ submission challenging a number of China’s claims in the South China Sea. This judgment is not only procedurally significant, it is also substantively important because it arguably undercuts […]
Since 2013, a Chinese coast guard vessel has been defiantly anchored in Malaysian waters at the Luconia Shoals – which Malaysia calls Beting Patinggi Ali – in a vivid demonstration of Beijing’s growing assertiveness in the South China Sea (See: “Malaysia Responds to China’s South China Sea Intrusion”). The vessel is just 84 nautical miles […]
TWO recent positive developments augur well for the Philippine strategy of seeking international arbitration in our long-simmering dispute with China over certain parts of the West Philippine (South China) Sea. But no matter how elating they are, our government should stop short of feeling any sense of triumphalism, lest it distort national perspectives and lead […]
The United Nations Permanent Court of Arbitration handed out a decision on Thursday that the Republic of the Philippines’ case against the People’s Republic of China regarding Law of the Seas violations can be heard. This long-awaited decision marks a turning point in the complex landscape of international legality as more maritime nations seek to […]
It is said that every crisis presents an opportunity, and the turn of events in the South China Sea represents both — a crisis and an opportunity. The crisis is China’s development of islands and shoals within the Spratlys group, followed by last week’s US navy trip through the area. The opportunity is one that […]
BEIJING — Responding to an international tribunal’s decision to take up a territorial dispute in the South China Sea, The Chinese government reiterated Friday its hard-line stance of boycotting arbitration efforts. The ruling by the Arbitral Tribunal is “null and void, and has no binding effect on China,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs […]
In a setback for China, the Permanent Court of Arbitration based in The Hague ruled last Thursday that it has jurisdiction to hear the case brought by the Philippines over disputed islands in the South China Sea. This unfavourable, albeit expected, ruling for China coincidentally took place a few days after Washington sent a guided-missile […]
The American response to China’s bullying must be firm and long-lasting Defense Secretary Ashton Carter speaks during a news conference at the Pentagon, Thursday, Aug. 20, 2015. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta) ** FILE ** Defense Secretary Ashton Carter speaks during a news conference at the Pentagon, Thursday, Aug. 20, 2015. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta) ** […]