International law requires the consent of all parties, but China and the US reject when decisions cross short-term strategic interests. Flutter over the surprise visit to China by Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte may soon fade. But his abrupt and public dismissal of the United States in favor of China has weakened the argument that international […]

Major disputes in the South China Sea are putting critical habitat—and the food supply of millions—at risk. PUERTO PRINCESA, PHILIPPINESOne time Christopher Tubo caught a 660-pound blue marlin in the South China Sea. That was years ago, when the fishing there was good, he says. He would come home from a trip with dozens of […]

WASHINGTON/TOKYO—It remains unlikely that China would ever agree to a code of conduct governing actions in the disputed South China Sea, even as having one would mean stability in the sea region, officials say. Marvin Ott, a scholar in Southeast Asia Studies at the Johns Hopkins University, said such a code would not be useful […]

Manila expects China to try to build on a reef off the Philippines’ coast, the country’s defense secretary said Tuesday, a move he said would be “unacceptable” in the flashpoint waterway. In an interview with AFP, Delfin Lorenzana said he believed China would eventually reclaim the Scarborough Shoal, which sits just 230 kilometers from the […]

The Chinese government vowed to safeguard China-occupied features in West Philippines Sea, this is as the new United States administration under President Donald Trump signaled tougher position. China is claiming, virtually, the entire South China Sea including the waters within Philippines’ exclusive economic zone (EEZ) known as the West Philippine Sea. “The new US administration […]

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson’s comment during his confirmation hearing that the United States would deny China access to its man-made island bases in the South China Sea caused a predictable furor. However, few people seriously think the US is going to blockade the islands. This is a poor option anyway. China’s military is not […]

With the incoming administration likely to grapple early with South China Sea issues, the CSIS Southeast Asia Program, directed by Dr. Amy Searight, worked in collaboration with other Asia colleagues at CSIS—Dr. Michael Green, Senior Vice President for Asia and Japan Chair; Dr. Zack Cooper, Fellow, Japan Chair; Bonnie Glaser, Senior Adviser for Asia and […]

A critical and early Chinese test of U.S. resolve is likely to come in the South China Sea, where Washington has struggled to respond effectively to assertive Chinese behavior. Enduring U.S. interests — freedom of navigation and overflight, support for the rules-based international order, and the peaceful resolution of disputes — are at risk in […]

On 12 January, Vietnamese Communist Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong arrived in China for a lavish, well publicised four-day official visit. Nguyen’s trip symbolised the significant improvement in Sino–Vietnamese relations since their nadir during the HYSY-981 oil rig confrontations in mid-2014. Hanoi’s subsequent suppression of nationalist protests marking the 19 January anniversary of China’s […]

Biggest Pacific land and sea grabs since the Japanese invasions of 1930s and 1940s ‘almost complete’ CHINA is stealing the oil and gas rich South China Sea and it’s “too late” for US President Donald Trump to stop them, a senior defence expert warns. Former head of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) Sir Angus Houston […]