‘Shelve sea dispute to save reefs’

PUERTO PRINCESA CITY—As the Philippine and Chinese governments fight for control over territories in the South China Sea, the sustainability of the waterway’s rich marine resources has become the silent casualty in the dispute, according to a marine expert. “A Scarborough [Shoal] peace park right now could be the foot in the door for the […]

China narrows the South China Sea Is arming Southeast Asia with strategic impact weapons the answer?

Bharat Karnad analyses China’s strategy in the South China Sea, and proposes a regional military solution, leveraging the power of supersonic cruise missiles, to bring about a durable peace. China has gone some ways to obtaining by force a mere closum (closed sea) in the waters off Southeast Asia without meeting any real resistance to […]

The Scarborough challenge

Last July, the Arbitration Tribunal in the Hague ruled that the waters around Scarborough Shoal lay within the Economic Exclusive Zone of the Philippines and that Filipino fishermen possessed traditional fishing rights at the Shoal. China has chosen to reject the decision and continues to keep Filipino fishermen out of the area. A think tank, […]

South China Sea: China building more islands?

The Philippines military this week released images of Chinese ships it said were capable of dredging sand around the Scarborough Shoal — a small but strategic reef and fertile fishing ground 130 miles (200 kilometers) west from the Philippine island of Luzon. Beijing has denied it is reclaiming land, saying that while Chinese coast guard […]

US official defends China over PH claim of new island-building

ALARMING PRESENCE Chinese vessels are gathering at Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal, raising fears that China is building another artificial island just off Luzon. DEPARTMENT OF NATIONAL DEFENSE A US official said the United States had not detected any unusual Chinese presence and activity around Scarborough Shoal despite photos presented by the Philippines showing Chinese vessels at […]

Vietnam is struggling to unite its Mekong neighbours against China

Vietnam moved rocket launchers into disputed territory in the South China Sea, reports recently suggested, meaning it could potentially attack land that China has controversially reclaimed. This all comes at a time of heightened tension over territorial wrangling in the region. A Pentagon report released in May 2016 described how China had reclaimed 3,200 acres […]