West Philippine Sea
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THE ROYAL NAVY AND FREEDOM OF NAVIGATION OPERATIONS
In July, two major announcements were made renewing the Royal Navy’s commitment to the principle of freedom of navigation in the coming years. Firstly, the Secretary of State for Defence, the Right Honourable Michael Fallon, told Reuters that Britain was intending to send a warship to the South China Sea in 2018. The Defence Secretary […]
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Australia Positioning to Help US Check China’s Maritime Expansion
TAIPEI, TAIWAN — Australia, concerned about its vast regional trade network, is joining Japan, India and the United States in countering Chinese expansion in Asia’s biggest maritime dispute. Six Australian warships were moving toward the South China Sea this week, with no publicized destination, for military exercises. Australian media has called the mission […]
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Beijing Adopts New Tactic for S. China Sea Claims ‘Four Sha’ island groups replace illegal 9-Dash Line
The Chinese government recently unveiled a new legal tactic to promote Beijing’s aggressive claim to own most of the strategic South China Sea. The new narrative that critics are calling “lawfare,” or legal warfare, involves a shift from China’s so-called “9-Dash Line” ownership covering most of the sea. The new lawfare narrative is called […]
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2 Vietnamese fishermen killed in West PH Sea incident
SUMMARY CAGAYAN DE ORO, Philippines (4th UPDATE) – Two Vietnamese fishermen were killed while 5 others were arrested on Saturday, September 23, in an incident with the Philippine Navy in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea). Lieutenant Jose Covarrubias, spokesman of the Naval Forces Northern Luzon, said the bodies of the two Vietnamese nationals were […]
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A dangerous manoeuvre on South China Seayour say
This has something to do with a Chinese interception in the South China Sea. The Pentagon on Friday said it was concerned about an “unsafe and unprofessional” encounter between two Chinese fighters and a US surveillance plane over the South China Sea. The Chinese J-10 warplanes intercepted a US Navy P-3 that was […]
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Conserving Southeast Asia’s seas
The United Nations’ call to conserve and sustainably develop the oceans perhaps resonates most with Southeast Asia than in any other part of the world. With a maritime territory thrice the size of its landmass, the region is among the world’s most bountiful and diverse maritime areas. The 10 Asean states account for a quarter […]
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Indonesia & China: The Sea Between
Indonesia has long been cautious in confronting China’s claims in the South China Sea, so its announcement on July 14 that it was renaming a part of the area the “North Natuna Sea” may have come to many as surprise. The new name encompasses a region north of the Natuna islands that partly falls […]
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Is There Any Way to Counter China’s Gray Zone Tactics in the South China Sea?
China and India’s moves to de-escalate tensions over the Doklam standoff inspired commentary about how Beijing’s coercive strategies can be countered. Some may argue that after all, India can be deemed a peer competitor to China in terms of relative power, especially militarily. Both countries are nuclear-weapon states and if push ever comes to shove […]
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A Path Towards Environmental Management in the South China Sea
As part of an effort to manage the South China Sea disputes, the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) has set up and begun convening a newly-launched South China Sea Expert Working Group that brings together prominent experts on maritime law, international relations, and the marine environment. The objective is for the group to […]
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A FONOP Schedule in the South China Sea: What Next?
How can regularized FONOPs benefit U.S. interests in the South China Sea? Earlier this month, the Wall Street Journal reported that the U.S. Department of Defense, for the first time under the Trump administration, had decided to set up a schedule of regular freedom of navigation operations (FONOPs) in the South China Sea under […]