Spratlys
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OP-ED: China’s island-building a bigger threat than oil rig
Artificial Islands, China, Oil Rigs, Paracels, President Benigno Aquino III, Reclamation, South China Sea Dispute, Spratlys, USA, VietnamWithout causing much of a stir, China has been quietly dumping sand onto reefs and rocks in waters claimed by Vietnam. In addition to altering the geography of the Spratly (Truong Sa) archipelago, China’s land reclamation work on Johnson South, Cuarteron, Fiery Cross, Gaven, and Kennan reefs could be used as a clever legal leverage […]
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China Bypasses Philippines in Its Proposed ‘Maritime Silk Road’
BEIJING—The Philippines has paid a high price for launching a legal challenge to China over its sweeping claims to the South China Sea: Two-way trade, travel and investment are all languishing. Now, it risks missing out on a planned Chinese infrastructure spending bonanza designed to boost trade and bring jobs to the region. Read more: […]
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Straight Talk on the South China Sea
President Obama’s second daylong summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping will be the best chance this year to clarify some fuzzy lines on Asia’s biggest potential flash point: the South China Sea. This is the time to further clarify U.S. interests, including whether the United States cares about possible outcomes to the region’s many territorial […]
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South China Sea Disputes: Facts Or Fiction?
ASEAN, China, Code of Conduct, Philippines, Pivot, Rebalance, South China Sea Dispute, Spratlys, UNCLOS, USA, VietnamIf a country cites international law to justify its position while avoiding having that position tested in court, such use of international law is just rhetoric, and does not deserve support from scholars. In the article “Separating fact from fiction in South China Sea conundrum”,[1] Dr Mark Valencia decries “a veritable fountain of government pronouncements, propaganda, […]
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Taiwan’s live-fire drills on Spratlys infuriate Vietnam
A second day of live-fire drills conducted by the Coast Guard Administration on one of the disputed Spratly Islands (Nansha Islands, 南沙群島) drew condemnation from Vietnam, which also claims the South China Sea chain as its territory. The drills are conducted annually on the Taiwan-administered Itu Aba Island (Taiping Island, 太平島), said Shih Yi-che (施義哲), […]
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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 […]
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How China Is Making Tiny Islands Inhabitable With Huge Floating Docks
The Spratly Islands are basically mounds of sand in the middle of the South China Sea, some of them barely tall enough to reach above the water. But China is hell-bent on making them inhabitable, even drawing up plans for floating energy and water plants. It has nothing to do with the islands themselves and […]
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Satellite photo shows Vietnam’s land reclamation in South China Sea
Satellite images captured by Taiwan indicate that Vietnam is pushing for land reclamation much harder than China in the disputed South China Sea, the Christian Science Monitor reported on Sept. 23. Wang Cheng-gi from the Satellite Surveying Center of the Department of Land Administration under Taiwan’s Ministry of the Interior, who is in charge of […]
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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 […]
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David vs. Goliath in the South China Sea: The Philippines vs. China
China, Kalayaan Group of Islands, Military Presence, Pagasa, Philippines, South China Sea Dispute, SpratlysIn a dramatic display of strategic naiveté, the Philippines decided (early-October) to suspend the repair and upgrade of its age-old airstrip on the Spratly island of Thitu (Pagasa to the Filipinos), among the biggest and most prized land features in the South China Sea, which can generate its own 200-nautical-mile Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). The […]