Tensions Bubble to the Surface in China-Vietnam Spat
Simmering tensions between Beijing and Hanoi erupted recently due to disagreements over oil and gas exploration.
Category: China
Creating Facts on the Sea: China’s Plan to Establish Sansha City
Although many analyses focus on China’s military build-up on Woody Island, it is also important to explore the non-military developments that are often found at the front line of maritime disputes in Asia.
Podcast: Chinese Research Vessels in Benham Rise, with Peter Dutton and Jay Batongbacal
Reports of Chinese oceanographic research vessels operating off the western coast of the Philippines in late 2016 have stirred up controversy in Manila this month. In this AMTI podcast, Greg Poling speaks with Peter Dutton, director of the China Maritime Studies Institute at the U.S. Naval War College, and Jay Batongbacal, director of the University of the Philippines’ Institute for Maritime Affairs and the Law of the Sea, to assess what the Chinese vessels were doing, whether it was legal, the public response, and what the controversy says about future cooperation between China and the Philippines
The Era of Coast Guards in the Asia Pacific is Upon Us
On its face, having coast guards patrol large bodies of disputed territory might be cause for optimism. But the way coast guards are employed in the South China Sea as blunt instruments to assert state power gives more cause for concern than optimism.
Securing the Sunlight: How China Is Powering the 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?
The Geopolitics of Infrastructure: ASEAN’s China Challenge
Backers of the Master Plan for ASEAN Connectivity 2025 have called for cooperation between it and China’s 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, but the shift in geopolitical calculations resulting from such a partnership could cost ASEAN more than it bargained for.
Podcast: China’s New Spratly Island Defenses
Admiral Michael McDevitt (Ret.) of the Center for Naval Analyses and Cortez Cooper of the RAND Corporation sit down with AMTI director Gregory Poling to look at new imagery of Chinese point defenses on the Spratly Islands.
Is South Korea’s Use of Force Against Chinese Fishing Vessels Illegal?
Continuing clashes between Chinese fishing vessels and the Korean Coast Guard should be of concern to all countries in the region due to the complex problems they pose.
Duterte’s Uncertain China Gamble
Breaking with tradition, the Philippines’ controversial leader Rodrigo Duterte chose China for the first major state visit of his presidency. Traditionally, Filipino leaders have visited “all-weather” friends such as Washington or Tokyo before Beijing. This time, however, the Filipino president decided to postpone a scheduled visit to Japan in favor of China, while signaling strategic […]
Event: The Modern Origins of China’s South China Sea Claim with Bill Hayton
On September 22, AMTI and the CSIS Southeast Asia Program hosted Bill Hayton, associate fellow at Chatham House, for a discussion of the muddled origins of China’s claims to the South China Sea in the early twentieth century. He showed evidence that China’s claim to islands first emerged in 1909 and was further developed after […]
Are Maritime Law Enforcement Forces Destabilizing Asia?
The following is an excerpt from the latest feature by CSIS’s ChinaPower project. Maritime disputes in the South China Sea present an array of potential flashpoints between countries with overlapping claims. In recent years, many of these countries have mobilized government vessels traditionally used for maritime law enforcement to reinforce their territorial claims. Key among […]
Can Ramos Break the Ice in Philippines-China Relations?
Consistent with his campaign promise, the Philippines’ new president Rodrigo Duterte has stepped up efforts to mend ties with China, despite the latter’s flagrant rejection of the Philippines’ recent law-fare victory at The Hague. Duterte has deputized no less than former president Fidel Ramos, who also dealt with Chinese maritime assertiveness in the mid-1990s, to […]
Keeping the Peace in Post-Arbitration
The July 12 verdict of a tribunal at the Permanent Court of Arbitration represented a watershed moment in the tumultuous history of the South China Sea dispute.
After the Arbitration: Does Non-Compliance Matter?
International law does not contain an enforcement mechanism comparable to those of domestic legal systems. However, in the majority of cases, states do comply with the decisions of international courts and tribunals, albeit to varying extents.
Podcast: Arbitration Outcomes with Paul Reichler, Philippines’ Lead Counsel
AMTI Director Gregory Poling talks to Paul Reichler, partner at Foley Hoag and lead counsel for the Philippines in its arbitration case against China.
Manila’s Tough Post-Arbitration Options
The Duterte administration faces important decisions after the ruling.
Judgment Day: The South China Sea Tribunal Issues Its Ruling
The Hague’s Permanent Court of Arbitration ruled in favor of the Philippines, citing multiple Chinese violations of international law.
Between a Rock and a Grey Zone: China-ROK Illegal Fishing Disputes
Competing territorial claims in the waters around the Korean Peninsula have created illegal fishing disputes between China and Korea.
Taipei’s Risky Agreement with Beijing on Okinotorishima
Taiwan challenges Japan’s claim to an exclusive economic zone in order to protect security and fishing interests
Submerged Deterrence: China’s Struggle to Field an SSBN Fleet
The development of China’s ballistic missile submarine could enhance its second strike capability
Has Taiwan Implicitly Clarified the U-Shaped Line?
Taiwan faces pressure to define the legal character of the U-shaped line, the predecessor of the nine dash line.
Creating Seamless Maritime Security Coalitions in the Indo-Pacific
With rapid expansion of China’s power, the region needs to establish flexible mechanisms for collective maritime security cooperation.
Flexible Response to Deter in the South China Sea
The United States needs to demonstrate the will to challenge China and a specific plan to counteract Chinese measures.
Developing a Scarborough Contingency Plan
To block Chinese reclamation, Philippine assets must prepare to take the lead in intervention at short notice.
Will Indonesia, Provoked, Now Choose to Lead on the South China Sea?
Law enforcement clash in the South China Sea leaves Indonesia caught between attracting Chinese investment and protecting its own sovereignty
China Creates a Second Chance for the ‘Quad’
Will Australia, India, Japan and the United States move from exercising together to operating together? In the end, it will probably be China’s actions that determine where the Quad will go next.
Managing Sino-U.S. Disagreements in the South China Sea
Will issue divergence overcome the U.S. and China’s common interests and lead to a violent confrontation? Our analysis suggests not.
“Self-Restraint” with Japanese Characteristics
Japan’s model of self-restraint in the Senkaku Islands is a model of regional stability for China in the South China Sea
A Tumultuous 2016 in the South China Sea
This promises to be a landmark year for the claimant countries and other interested parties in the South China Sea disputes. Developments that have been underway for several years, especially China’s island-building campaign in the Spratlys and Manila’s arbitration case against Beijing, will come to fruition. These and other developments will draw outside players, including […]
Seeing the Forest through the SAMs on Woody Island
The recent deployment of Chinese surface-to-air missiles (SAMs) to Woody Island is a notable tactical development, but a far more significant strategic signal. Tactically, the HQ-9 batteries deployed to Woody Island could target aircraft at ranges up to 125 miles (200 kilometers), covering much of the Paracel Islands, which are also claimed by Vietnam and […]