By Peter Symonds The latest US maritime strategic document, “A Cooperative Strategy for 21st Century Seapower: Forward, Engaged, Ready,” released yesterday, makes clear that Washington is pressing ahead with its “pivot to Asia” and military build-up against China. In doing so, the US is continuing to stoke up tensions in the East and South China seas, … Continue reading
China’s creation of artificial islands in the South China Sea is happening so fast that Beijing will be able to extend the range of its navy, air force, coastguard and fishing fleets before long, much to the alarm of rival claimants to the contested waters. Reclamation work is well advanced on six reefs in the … Continue reading
By Simone Orendain The Philippines lodged diplomatic protests with China over two alleged fishing-related incidents at Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea, the site of a tense standoff between the two countries three years ago. The Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs released a statement saying the country “strongly protested China’s continuing actions to harass and … Continue reading
By Thuy T. Do Vietnam’s diplomacy saw many successes in 2014, but also faced many challenges. In early May, the country saw the worst maritime tension with China since their 1988 naval clashes in the South China Sea (SCS). The placement of China’s oil rig in Vietnam’s claimed exclusive economic zone and the tense vessel … Continue reading
By Thomas Jandl For Vietnam’s leadership, 2014 was another year of growing into a role as an increasingly active international player, both diplomatically and economically. Two events — the Haiyang 981 oilrig incident and TPP accession negotiations — gave Vietnam a place in the spotlight and shed light on a continued path for 2015. Vietnamese … Continue reading
By Mel Gurtov Back in the days of Richard Nixon and Henry Kissinger, the “strategic triangle” with the Soviet Union and China was the great game. The idea was to play off the two communist powers against one another, relying on their ideological warfare under Mao, deep cultural differences, and open conflict in border regions … Continue reading
By Yoshinori Kaseda Tokyo’s relations with Beijing in recent years have been very tense. Mutual visits of the top leaders have been suspended since Prime Minister Noda’s visit to China in December 2011. As of October 2014, Prime Minister Abe Shinzō, in office since December 2012, has not met his Chinese counterpart. Factors Behind the Tensions … Continue reading
By Selcuk Colakoglu The South China Sea is known for its complex maritime disputes. Though parties involved in the disputes have been careful to keep the issue of sovereignty discussed within the frame of diplomatic debate, the problem has nonetheless seen recent escalation. From an energy security perspective, it seems that the situation might make the global … Continue reading
By Donald R. Rothwell The ongoing disputes between the Philippines and China in the South China Sea are about to reach a critical point. In January 2013 the Philippines activated procedures under Article 287 and Annex VII of the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) over a dispute about the validity of … Continue reading
By Ankit Panda The Diplomat According to a report earlier this week by IHS Jane’s 360, the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) has commissioned its first Type 056-variant Jingdao-class corvette (Type 056A) with an anti-submarine warfare (ASW) specialization. The Type 056 corvettes entered service in the PLAN in 2012 and are stealth missile corvettes. They primarily specialize in … Continue reading