Satellite imagery analysis shows that China’s maritime militia deployed to the South China Sea in record numbers in 2024. But in contrast to recent years, a majority of ships spent most of their days anchored at China’s military outposts rather than at unoccupied reefs where they might pretend to fish. This suggests Chinese authorities are […]
Despite a turbulent 2024 in the South China Sea, at least one constant remained: the China Coast Guard’s (CCG) presence was ubiquitous but seemingly unable to impose Beijing’s will on other claimants. Analysis of AIS data from commercial provider Starboard Maritime Analytics shows that Beijing maintained daily patrols at key locations across the South China […]
Global public awareness of China’s maritime militia has grown dramatically over the past several years. Once a shadowy group who, outside of China, was known only to experts in Chinese maritime and fisheries policy, videos of militia vessels actively supporting the China Coast Guard (CCG) in confrontations with the Philippines have now become a familiar […]
Vietnam now has two airstrips in the Spratly Islands—but it may not be long until it gets another. As reported October 25 by Radio Free Asia, Vietnam has begun laying down a runway on Barque Canada Reef. The area currently being prepared for paving is approximately 8,000 feet long—twice the length of Vietnam’s existing runway […]
The China Coast Guard (CCG) is in its 12th day facing off against Indonesian law enforcement and naval vessels over oil and gas resources in the northern portion of the latter’s continental shelf in the South China Sea. While the Indonesian Maritime Security Agency (Bakamla) has reported multiple times that it succeeded in expelling the […]
The U.S.-Philippine alliance is experiencing a renaissance. Driven by unrelenting pressure from Beijing on Philippine activities in the South China Sea, Manila has pushed forward with Washington on a range of measures to modernize the alliance and give substance to the commitments outlined in the 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty. Even as Washington and Manila work […]
The leak of a diplomatic letter last month in which China urged Malaysia to halt its offshore oil and gas activities near Luconia Shoals has brought renewed attention to undersea resources in the South China Sea. In the wake of the letter’s publication, Malaysian prime minister Anwar Ibrahim gave a rare public acknowledgement of Beijing […]
Though tensions have been growing between China and the Philippines at Second Thomas Shoal since 2021, shifts in tactics by Chinese coast guard and militia in 2024 have led to more damage being sustained by Philippine vessels, more injuries to Philippine personnel, and a higher risk of escalation. On June 17, a Philippine resupply mission […]
Intrusions by Chinese military aircraft into Taiwan’s air defense identification zone (ADIZ) have increased dramatically in the last four years, contributing to global fears about a potential conflict in the Taiwan Strait. Amidst this historic upturn, Japan in April reported the lowest annual number of air scrambles responding to foreign military activity within its ADIZ […]
Vietnam has significantly accelerated the expansion of its outposts in the Spratly Islands over the last six months, creating almost as much new land as it had in the previous two years combined and putting Hanoi on pace for a record year of island building in 2024. Since AMTI’s last update in November of 2023, […]
On April 10-14, 2024, Philippine President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr embarked on a working visit to the United States. While the trip was his fourth to the United States since assuming office in 2022, it was arguably the most impactful yet. Indeed, President Marcos traveled to Washington to attend the inaugural Japan-Philippines-U.S. trilateral summit. The […]
The China Coast Guard (CCG) remains the dominant state actor in disputed waters of the South China Sea. Analysis of AIS data from commercial providers MarineTraffic and Starboard Maritime Analytics show that the CCG continued to maintain daily patrols at key features across the South China Sea in 2023. Taken together with the CCG’s leadership […]
It is no secret that the Indo-Pacific suffers from a maritime security shortfall. Natural disasters, criminal activities, and interstate tensions all endanger seafarers, undermine the well-being of coastal communities, and threaten regional calamity. While the risk of conflict in the South China Sea dominates the news, that is far from the region’s only maritime security […]
Over the last two years, tensions between China and the Philippines at Second Thomas Shoal have emerged as the focal point of frictions in the South China Sea. The Philippines maintains a detachment of marines at Second Thomas Shoal stationed aboard the BRP Sierra Madre, a Philippine navy ship intentionally grounded there in 1999. Ever […]
This article is part of the ‘Blue Security’ project led by La Trobe Asia, University of Western Australia Defence and Security Institute, Griffith Asia Institute, UNSW Canberra and the Asia-Pacific Development, Diplomacy and Defence Dialogue (AP4D). Views expressed are solely of its author/s and not representative of the Maritime Exchange, the Australian Government, or any […]
A hidden crisis is unfolding across the South China Sea. While regional powers work to strengthen their claims to disputed waters and territories there, the marine environment in which they maneuver has been declining to critical levels. In recent decades, increased fishing, dredging, and land fill, along with giant clam harvesting, have taken a devastating […]
This article is part of the ‘Blue Security’ project led by La Trobe Asia, University of Western Australia Defence and Security Institute, Griffith Asia Institute, UNSW Canberra and the Asia-Pacific Development, Diplomacy and Defence Dialogue (AP4D). Views expressed are solely of its author/s and not representative of the Maritime Exchange, the Australian Government, or any […]
This article is part of the ‘Blue Security’ project led by La Trobe Asia, University of Western Australia Defence and Security Institute, Griffith Asia Institute, UNSW Canberra and the Asia-Pacific Development, Diplomacy and Defence Dialogue (AP4D). Views expressed are solely of its author/s and not representative of the Maritime Exchange, the Australian Government, or any […]
This article is part of the ‘Blue Security’ project led by La Trobe Asia, University of Western Australia Defence and Security Institute, Griffith Asia Institute, UNSW Canberra and the Asia-Pacific Development, Diplomacy and Defence Dialogue (AP4D). Views expressed are solely of its author/s and not representative of the Maritime Exchange, the Australian Government, or any […]
This article is part of the ‘Blue Security’ project led by La Trobe Asia, University of Western Australia Defence and Security Institute, Griffith Asia Institute, UNSW Canberra and the Asia-Pacific Development, Diplomacy and Defence Dialogue (AP4D). Views expressed are solely of its author/s and not representative of the Maritime Exchange, the Australian Government, or any […]
This article is part of the ‘Blue Security’ project led by La Trobe Asia, University of Western Australia Defence and Security Institute, Griffith Asia Institute, UNSW Canberra and the Asia-Pacific Development, Diplomacy and Defence Dialogue (AP4D). Views expressed are solely of its author/s and not representative of the Maritime Exchange, the Australian Government, or any […]
To better understand the potential utility of U.S.-funded Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) sites at Philippine military bases, AMTI has combined public reporting on official EDCA projects with satellite imagery analysis of all nine sites. The resulting catalogue of completed, in-progress, and planned facility upgrades provides a more robust picture of the capabilities that the […]
As an archipelagic nation, the Philippines has unique experiences that shape how it manages its maritime domain. With internal and external maritime threats continuing to evolve and escalate in the region, the Philippines’ conceptualization and approach to maritime security must advance to meet the issues of the time and beyond. Maritime Security: Policies and On […]
At the 56th ASEAN Ministerial Meeting and its related meetings in Jakarta in July, it was announced that negotiations for the Code of Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (COC) had achieved progress on two fronts. First, the second reading of the Single Draft COC Negotiating Text was completed. Second, a set of […]
Update 11/7/2023: In light of a statement of support made by Portugal’s Foreign Minister on July 28, 2023, Portugal has been moved from the “Positively Acknowledging Ruling” category to “Supporting Ruling” category. Update 09/14/2023: In light of the joint statement issued by the United States, Japan, and South Korea on August 18, 2023, South […]
Introduction The South China Sea (SCS) is not only the main source of animal protein for the coastal communities of Asia, but also one of the world’s most productive fishing zones, producing approximately 12% of global fish catch in 2015. More than half of the world’s fishing vessels, from small artisanal fishing boats to large […]
In May, the Philippines and China took turns installing buoys in the disputed Spratly Islands. The deployment of buoys and other sovereignty markers in the South China Sea has a long history. But amid a flurry of new activity by the Philippines, including publicized patrols and surveillance missions, it is noteworthy that the buoy deployment […]
Since AMTI’s last 2019 feature on Chinese strategic inroads in the Pacific Islands, the region has seen marked political shifts as well as continued strategic attention from China and the resident powers of Australia, France, New Zealand, and the United States. While Beijing has yet to realize a basing agreement in the Pacific Islands, it […]
India has invested significant sums and resources in constructing and negotiating its military footprint in the Indian Ocean. Delhi has expanded its presence in the Andaman Islands and developed Mauritius’ Agaléga into a base. However, despite its tacit support spanning decades, one key island has remained off limits to Indian military planners: Diego Garcia. Despite […]
China Coast Guard patrols near oil and gas projects in the South China Sea have triggered responses from Vietnamese law enforcement and the Malaysian navy in two separate incidents over the last month. Contested Patrols at Nam Con Son and Vanguard Bank Chinese and Vietnamese law enforcement vessels had an extremely close encounter on March […]