A recent statement has spotlighted Jakarta’s ongoing efforts in this respect. Earlier this week, a top Indonesian official made headlines when he said that Indonesia planned to establish a fishing zone in waters north of the Natuna Islands to preserve the country’s interests there. Though the statement constitutes a reinforcement of preexisting efforts by Jakarta […]

Indonesia plans to develop lucrative fishing grounds in the South China Sea as part of efforts to assert its sovereign authority over waters in which it has clashed with China. The Natuna Islands on the edge of the South China Sea, rich in gas and fish stocks, would be developed into a fishing hub, Indonesia’s […]

The new US Ambassador to Australia Arthur Culvahouse has accused China of being “inappropriately aggressive” and failing to play by the rules across the Indo-Pacific region. In strongly worded comments, he said China’s recent behaviour, including its “coercive” economic approach and military brinkmanship in the South China Sea makes the Australia-US alliance more relevant than […]

At the U.S.-North Korea summit, the host may be the biggest winner. As the world waits to see if U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un make any headway at next week’s summit in Hanoi, the hosts see a diplomatic coup of their own. Vietnam, among the world’s poorest pariah states […]

JAKARTA: Indonesia plans to open a fishing zone within its exclusive economic zone (EEZ) at the southern edge of the disputed South China Sea, most of which is claimed by China, later this year, to prevent foreign encroachment, a cabinet minister said Wednesday. Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs Luhut Pandjaitan told a press conference the […]

A US Defence Department report warns that China’s military buildup is reaching the point where it can attempt to “impose its will on the region and beyond.” Visiting recently with senior officials from two US allies in the region, Japan and Singapore, gave me a visceral feeling of how things look on the ground (and […]

The Chinese military this week concluded a month of unannounced exercises in the South China Sea and the Pacific aimed at testing its “wartime command system” and enhancing its missile defenses, the South China Morning Post (SCMP) revealed on Thursday. “Military observers said the exercises indicated the People’s Liberation Army [PLA] wanted to put its […]

Allies in the Pacific are worried that the U.S. and Europe are no longer reliable. James Stavridis is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist. He is a retired U.S. Navy admiral and former military commander of NATO, and dean emeritus of the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University. He is also an operating executive […]

Britain said its relationship with China was facing complications, triggered by the plan to send a new Royal Navy aircraft carrier to the Pacific. The admission follows Britain’s participation this week in a joint naval drill with the US in the South China Sea, as part of an effort by the US and its allies […]

MANILA, Philippines — For the second time this year, the American and British navies recently concluded maritime security drills in the South China Sea. The US Navy deployed replenishment oiler USNS Guadalupe while the Royal Navy deployed frigate HMS Montrose last February 18 for a maritime security and logistics training. Last January, the US Navy’s […]