South China Sea Dispute
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Vietnam stands with PHL position on UN tribunal
Arbitration, China, Kalayaan Group of Islands, Philippines, Position Paper, South China Sea Dispute, Spratlys, UNCLOS, VietnamVietnam sided with Philippine government saying that the United Nations Arbitral Tribunal has jurisdiction on settling maritime disputes base on U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea. “To protect its legal rights and interests in the East Sea which may be affected in the South China Sea Arbitration case, Vietnam has expressed its position […]
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China dismisses Vietnam’s claim for South China Sea islands
China has dismissed Vietnam’s sovereignty claim for the Nansha and Xisha islands in the South China Sea, saying it is “illegal and invalid” and “China will never accept such claim.” Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei made the comment on late Thursday after Vietnam’s foreign ministry said Vietnam held sovereignty over the Nansha and Xisha islands […]
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Why Specks of Land in the South China Sea Are Fueling Tensions Between Beijing and Its Neighbors
China, Fishing Rights, Food Security, History, John Selden, Mare Clausum, Military Confrontation, Nine Dash Line, Oil, Philippines, Position Paper, Selden Map, South China Sea Dispute, USA, VietnamThey have names like Pigeon Reef, West Sand, Taisho-To, and Scarborough Shoal. Most are no more than outcrops of rock poking out of the sea. Most have never been inhabited. Few have any direct economic value. If not for the perceived fish and oil wealth in the waters around them, the spat over these specks […]
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Vietnam joins Philippines in case vs China
Arbitration, China, Oil Rig, Paracels, Philippines, Position Paper, South China Sea Dispute, UNCLOS, VietnamMANILA, Philippines – Vietnam submitted its position on the Philippines’ historic arbitration case against China, the first time another South China Sea claimant formally used legal proceedings to challenge China’s expansive sea claims. Vietnam’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs made the announcement on Thursday, December 11, in response to questions on its stand about China’s position […]
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South China Sea: Why Beijing avoids the court
On 7 December, China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs released an official position paper outlining China’s legal position on the South China Sea UNCLOS arbitration. This paper appears to serve two purposes. First, China seeks to indirectly participate in the arbitration without formally acknowledging its legitimacy. While the Foreign Ministry has timed the release of this […]
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South China Sea Tensions Flare as Vietnam Files Stance to Court
Tensions over the South China Sea were reignited after Vietnam said it had submitted its stance on the dispute to the international arbitration tribunal reviewing the Philippines’ challenge against China’s claims. Vietnam has asked the arbitration court to take into account its legal rights and interests in the disputed sea region, spokesman Le Hai Binh, […]
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The propaganda war over maritime rights
‘China will work with other countries to further promote a harmonious maritime order.’ Even after years of studying the maritime tensions on China’s periphery, I had to check that I had not misread the 9 December Xinhua dispatch quoting Liu Jieyi, China’s Ambassador to the UN. These reassuring words come on the heels of a […]
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China, US navies implement code of conduct
The code, ratified earlier this year, was put into effect as the two navies launched their latest anti-piracy exercise in the Gulf of Aden on Thursday. Analysts said the exercise was an opportunity to put the code into practice and an encouraging indication that both navies want to minimize the risk of misunderstandings. The Chinese […]
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Rebutting China’s Claims
Two years after the Philippines initiated arbitration proceedings against China under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, China belatedly published in the web site of its Ministry of Foreign Affairs its official Position Paper on the arbitration. The Chinese position was divided into three. First, that the UNCLOS ad hoc arbitral tribunal […]
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China and America’s Dueling South China Sea Papers
Beijing is fast approaching a Dec. 15 deadline to submit its defense in the arbitration case against its South China Sea claims brought by the Philippines. That case, brought under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea’s (UNCLOS) compulsory dispute mechanism, is summarized here. The Chinese government has no intention of taking part […]