MANILA—The Philippines cried foul this week when China announced plans to begin regular patrols of the South China Sea, known here as the West Philippines Sea. The two countries have been engaged in a tense dispute over the region since 2012, when Chinese ships took control of Scarborough Shoal, which is just one of the […]
MANILA, Philippines – The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has expressed concern over recent developments in the South China Sea, after China imposed a controversial new fisheries law requiring all foreign vessels to obtain approval from Chinese authorities before engaging in fishing or surveying activities. China earlier imposed an Air Defense Identification Zone over […]
On November 29, 2013, six days after China’s Ministry of National Defense announced the establishment of an Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) over the East China Sea, Hainan province quietly issued new regulations on fishing in the South China Sea. These regulations were announced on December 3 and came into force on January 1, 2014. […]
A Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) official is confident that the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (Itlos) will invalidate China’s claim on virtually the entire West Philippine Sea (South China Sea). Assistant Secretary Raul Hernandez said yesterday a ruling by the tribunal on China’s so-called nine-dash claim is due at the end […]
“They were really unprepared for that and were really embarrassed by it,” one of Vietnam’s top experts on Chinese diplomacy told me during my recent visit to Hanoi, referring to the Philippines’ bringing its case against China’s aggressive illegal actions in the West Philippine Sea to the United Nations Arbitral Tribunal. This confirmed my assessment […]
MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines and Vietnam on Friday condemned a new Chinese law that requires foreign fishermen to seek Beijing’s approval to operate in much of the South China Sea, where overlapping territorial claims have escalated tensions. China’s assertiveness in pressing its claims in the waters, which are believed to have significant seabed gas […]
MANILA – The Philippines denounced Friday a new Chinese law that Manila says compels foreign vessels to seek a permit from Chinese regional authorities for activities in large areas of the South China Sea, including portions referred to by Manila as the West Philippine Sea. “We have requested China to immediately clarify the new fisheries […]
Hainan’s provincial government has become an increasingly prominent and active player in the South China Sea disputes. In November 2012, Hainan’s People’s Congress issued new regulations on coastal border security that raised questions about freedom for navigation in the South China Sea (see analysis here and here). In November 2013, the same legislative body issued […]
The Department of Foreign Affairs on Wednesday said it is verifying reports on China’s new fishing regulation over South China Sea that requires foreign fishing vessels entering the disputed waters to obtain permission from the Chinese government. Such policy, which came after China’s imposition of an air defense zone that triggered protests from several countries […]
Ronald O’Rourke, Maritime Territorial and Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) Disputes Involving China: Issues for Congress (Washington, DC: Congressional Research Service, 9 August 2013), R42784. Summary This report presents policy and oversight issues for Congress arising from (1) maritime territorial disputes involving China in the South China Sea (SCS) and East China Sea (ECS) and (2) an additional […]