Wilson VornDick, Author at Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative

China’s Reach Has Grown; So Should the Island Chains

By Wilson VornDick | October 22, 2018 | Categories: AMTI Update

China has redefined the regional security environment and shifted it toward the Indian Ocean basin. As a result, the security concept of three Pacific “island chains” should grow to include the Indian Ocean as well.

Securing the Sunlight: How China Is Powering the South China Sea

By Wilson VornDick | February 24, 2017 | Categories: China, South China Sea

Regular reporting on China’s island reclamations, or terriclaims, and related activities in the South China Sea appear to have missed one vital piece of analysis: how is China powering its new installations?

Confidence Building through Climate Change in the South China Sea

By Wilson VornDick | December 4, 2015 | Categories: South China Sea

More than 190 nations have converged in Paris for the United Nations conference on climate change, or the 21st Conference of Parties (COP21). Their goal is to arrest global warming below 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit (2 degrees Celsius) through a legally binding and universal agreement. Scientists posit that temperature is a critical component of the climate […]

Terriclaims: The New Geopolitical Reality in the South China Sea

By Wilson VornDick | April 8, 2015 | Categories: China, International Law, United States

With revelations of China’s systematic and rapid reclamation or “island-building” of various features throughout the South China Sea, long-simmering dispute in the South China Sea seem closer to boiling over. Terriclaims, short for territorial reclamation, is a term that is useful for describing a nation’s reclamation activities when it seeks to preserve or expand territory […]