News
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The illusion of a rules-based global order
When the Cold War ended, many pundits anticipated a new era in which geo-economics would determine geopolitics. As economic integration progressed, they predicted, the rules-based order would take root globally. Countries would comply with international law or incur high costs. Today, such optimism looks more than a little naive. Even as the international legal system has ostensibly grown increasingly…
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South China Sea standoff: China vs US military bases MAPPED
SOUTH CHINA SEA contests between China and the US have led to a rapid and unnerving militarisation of the disputed region as both superpowers aim to stamp their authority – but where exactly are Washington and Beijing in control? The South China Sea is host to lucrative shipping lanes and trading ports, provoking President Xi Jinping to enforce a…
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Malaysia FM: China’s ‘nine-dash line’ claim ‘ridiculous’
Foreign Minister Saifuddin says Malaysia’s decision to take South China Sea claim to UN is its ‘sovereign right’. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – Malaysia has hardened its diplomatic position on the disputed South China Sea, questioning China’s “nine-dash line” claim over the entire sea lane that has already been previously declared with “no legal basis” by an arbitration tribunal in The…
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Can Beijing bring the South China Sea’s ravaged coral reefs back to life?
Beijing’s South China Sea coral conservation efforts are met with scepticism by critics who see a larger strategic purpose behind them. Photo: XinhuaBeijing’s South China Sea coral conservation efforts are met with scepticism by critics who see a larger strategic purpose behind them. China has embarked on a decade-long plan to revive the ravaged marine life of the South…
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How China Could Use Civilian Ships and Quantum Computing to Fight America at Sea
The building was drab on the exterior; a nondescript office complex on the fringe of Shenzhen outside of Hong Kong. Li Zhou opened the door and got out of her small car. She eyed the revolving door and made her way to the entrance as the vehicle moved along to its next user. She had reached the pinnacle of…
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China is becoming an Atlantic sea power, says US military analyst
China is becoming an Atlantic naval power, venturing into the ocean’s southern waters as it steps up investment in the region and counters perceived threats from the United States, according to a report in a security journal. The assessment, written by Ryan Martinson, an assistant professor at the US Naval War College in Rhode Island, said that in the…
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As Trump shuns US multilateralism, China ups diplomatic ante
GENEVA — Chinese leaders have long been sensitive about their communist country’s international image. Now, they are battling back — investing in diplomacy and a courtship of hearts and minds, just as the United States digs in on the Trump administration’s “America First” mindset. A trade war and other frictions between the world’s top economic power and the fast-growing…
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China group’s $10bn Philippines airport bid sows alarm
MANILA — Alarmed Philippine Navy officials are trying to scuttle China’s involvement in a $10 billion airport project near Manila, citing national security concerns. State-owned China Communications Construction Company, which built a chain of Chinese military outposts in the South China Sea, has joined forces with billionaire Lucio Tan’s MarcoAsia on a proposed new airport at Sangley Point located…
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Vietnam’s Crucial ASEAN Leadership Role in South China Sea
In 2020, the chairmanship of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations falls to Vietnam. For Hanoi, the immediacy of the South China Sea problem was underscored this year when a Chinese oil survey ship and its escort vessels roamed for months inside Vietnam’s exclusive economic zone. This prompted a rebuke from Vietnamese deputy foreign minister, Nguyen Quoc Dung, in…
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South China Sea joint energy deals will fail in face of maritime disputes, study finds
The peer-reviewed qualitative study by Song Xue of Fudan University in Shanghai found that in 19 joint development projects worldwide between 1958 and 2008, the “necessary condition” for failure was a deterioration of bilateral ties between the partner countries – often overtheir maritime disputes. In contrast, there were no consistent correlations between failure of such bilateral pacts and five…
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South China Sea joint energy deals will fail in face of maritime disputes, study finds
Joint development of oil and gas resources in the disputed South China Sea between claimant states that simultaneously are seeking maritime delimitation with one another are likely to end in failure, a new study based on historical analysis of similar projects indicates. The peer-reviewed qualitative study by Song Xue of Fudan University in Shanghai found that in 19 joint…
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Palace sees stronger PH-China ties
Three years after President Rodrigo Duterte boldly promised that he would ride a jet ski to stick the Philippine flag in the Spratly Islands and assert the country’s sovereignty amid China’s encroachment, what did he achieve to protect the country’s interest in the maritime dispute? Palace sees stronger PH-China ties His strongman’s pledge during the 2016 presidential campaign was…