Scarborough Shoal
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Expert unmasks China strategy of ‘creeping expansion’
Analysis, China, India, Japan, Mishief Reef, Philippines, Scarborough Shoal, South China Sea Dispute, Strategy, USA, VietnamA prominent global security scholar has unmasked China’s “grand strategy” of gaining control of the Asia Pacific Region by “creeping expansion” rather than waging major battles. Dr. Alexander L. Vuving, an associate professor at the Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies based in Honolulu, Hawaii, writes in an essay posted by Commentators.com that China is creating its own islands in disputed…
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China reaffirms Spratlys claim, nixes arbitration
Arbitration, ASEAN, China, Code of Conduct, Philippines, Position Paper, President Benig, Scarborough Shoal, South China Sea Dispute, SpratlysCHINA reaffirmed its position Sunday that it will not submit to international arbitration to resolve overlapping territorial claims with the Philippines in the South China Sea, and accused Manila of becoming “increasingly provocative.” The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs released a six-point position paper on Sunday, a week before the Dec. 15 deadline set by the United Nations tribunal in…
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The Great South China Sea Hydrocarbon Grab
Artificial Islands, China, Economy, Oil, Reclamation, Scarborough Shoal, South China Sea Dispute, VietnamIn all of the struggles for territory in history, none has been quite as ambitious or unusual as a country trying to steal a whole ocean. But that is what China is actively doing in the ocean south of the mainland: the South China Sea. Bit by bit, it is establishing hegemony over this most important sea where the littoral…
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How to deal with Chinese assertiveness: it’s time to impose costs
ASEAN, Cabbage Strategy, China, Code of Conduct, Militarization, Philippines, Rebalance, Scarborough Shoal, South China Sea Dispute, USAChina’s reemergence as a wealthy and powerful nation is a fact. In recent decades its rise has been unprecedented, moving from the tenth-largest economy in 1990, to the sixth-largest economy in 2001, to the second-largest economy in 2010. According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), China now surpasses the United States in terms of purchasing power parity. By the same…
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Vietnam-Philippines port call amid concern over China’s SCS airstrip
ADIZ, Air Defense Identification Zone, Airstrip, Artificial Islands, China, Reclamation, Scarborough Shoal, South China Sea Dispute, SpratlysLate last week, an IHS Jane’s report corroborated claims that China was embarking on an island-building project in the South China Sea. Based on satellite imagery, Jane’s reported that China was building an airstrip-capable island on Fiery Cross Reef, a group of three reefs in the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea. China claims the territory as part of Hainan province’s Sansha prefecture and exerts de…
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Book proves Bajo de Masinloc part of Philippine territory
China, IMLOS, Justice Antonio T. Carpio, Philippines, Scarborough Shoal, South China Sea Dispute, UPUniversity of the Philippines Institute for Maritime Affairs and Law of the Sea (UP-IMLOS) with the National Mapping and Resource Information Authority (NAMRIA) launched a book that will enhance Philippines position on Bajo de Masinloc or Panatag Shoal internationally known as Scarborough Shoal. The book entitled “Bajo de Masinloc: Maps and Documents” was launched November 16, 2014 at Malcolm Hall…
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Regional tensions on display at Fifth Xiangshan Forum
Arbitration, ASEAN, China, Code of Conduct, Memorial, Philippines, Scarborough Shoal, South China Sea Dispute, UNCLOSLast week’s Fifth Xiangshan Forum in Beijing demonstrated just how difficult it will be to resolve disputes in the South China Sea as long as key parties believe history must arbitrate the veracity of claims to sovereignty over contested islands. Scholars, officials and military officers from all around Asia were present, including many from the claimant countries in territorial disputes…
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Scarborough is Phl, antique maps show
Cartographic Exhibit, China, History, IMOA, Justice Antonio T. Carpio, Maps, Philippines, Scarborough Shoal, South China Sea Dispute, UPBeijing’s Communist rulers claim Scarborough Shoal by virtue of “ancient historical facts.” Yet, China’s own antique maps and official declarations debunk that line. Made in 1136 to 1933, the 18 old maps consistently show Hainan island-province always to have been China’s southernmost territory. Five Constitutions of the Republic of China – in 1912, 1914, 1924, 1937, and 1946 – reaffirm…
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China’s Large-Scale Reclamation Works Over Disputed Spratly Islands Not Valid: Study
Bajo de Masinloc, Brunei, China, Fiery Cross Reef, Indonesia, Panacot, Reclamation, Scarborough Shoal, South China Sea Dispute, Spratlys, Taiwan, VietnamIn the course of the dispute over the Spratly Islands, China’s extensive reclamation works do not necessarily act as a ticket to win sovereignty claims in accordance with the maritime provisions of international law. A Eurasia Review analysis cited China’s ongoing infrastructure projects on several of the seven reefs it occupies in Spratly. But according to the 2002 ASEAN-China Declaration…
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China’s 5 Constitutions refute Beijing sea claim
China, History, IMOA, Justice Antonio T. Carpio, Maps, Philippines, Scarborough Shoal, South China Sea Dispute, SpratlysThis resumes Wednesday’s piece, “China’s Own Ancient Maps Disprove Beijing Sea Claim.” The article detailed 15 maps of China, 1136-1933, by Chinese officials and citizens. Their common feature: Hainan Island (ancient names Zhuya, Qiongya, Qiongzhou) always has been China’s southernmost territory. Supreme Court Senior Justice Antonio T. Carpio dug up the maps. They belie Beijing’s “historical facts” in claiming islets,…