ARTICLES

25 Jan 2023

South China Sea in 2022: Deadlock or Not, Disputant States Press Advantages

Hong-Kong Nguyen|Pham-Muoi Nguyen|Viet-Ha Nguyen

2022 proved to be another eventful year for the South China Sea as disputant states continued to take a variety of actions to assert their advantages.

Indonesia and Vietnam finalised their EEZ boundary delimitation

20 Jan 2023

The Significance of the Vietnam-Indonesia Exclusive Economic Zone Demarcation

Bich Tran

The recent agreement between Vietnam and Indonesia on delimiting their respective exclusive economic zones provides hope for the strengthening of the region's commitment to international maritime norms and principles, as encapsulated in the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.

Indonesia South China Sea UNCLOS Vietnam

8 Nov 2022

UNCLOS: The Polestar for Philippine Maritime Ambitions

Jacqueline F. Espenilla

The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea has served the Philippines well in achieving its security, economic and environmental goals. The most high-profile application of UNCLOS was the country’s arbitration proceedings against China in 2013 over the South China Sea.

Philippine South China Sea UNCLOS Why UNCLOS Matters

31 Oct 2022

The US-Philippine Alliance: Shared Interests and Subtle Nuances

Mico A Galang

The US National Security Strategy (NSS) identifies some shared interests between Washington and Manila. However, there are nuances in the strategic calculus of the allies when it comes to two key potential flashpoints in the region: Taiwan and the South China Sea.

Defence Philippine-U.S. Relations South China Sea

20 Sep 2022

After 40 Years, UNCLOS Remains Significant to Vietnam

Thu Nguyen Hoang Anh

UNCLOS’s relevance to Vietnam is significant, but the Convention must be updated if Vietnam and other signatories are to succeed in dealing with contemporary challenges in maritime affairs.

Maritime Crime Maritime Security South China Sea UNCLOS Vietnam Why UNCLOS Matters

15 Aug 2022

Piracy and the Pandemic: Maritime Crime in Southeast Asia, 2020-2022

Ian Storey

Contrary to expectations that the Covid-19 pandemic would result in a surge in maritime crime in Southeast Asia due to worsening economic conditions, 2021 saw the frequency of piracy and sea robbery attacks decline to pre-pandemic levels. However, the Singapore Strait remains a black spot.

COVID-19 Maritime Crime Maritime Security South China Sea

5 Aug 2022

Pelosi Visit to Taiwan: Lasting Impact on Southeast Asia

David Arase

Following Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan, China has sought to bully the island with a series of import bans and a de facto blockade. Southeast Asian countries should take this to heart.

China-U.S. Relations South China Sea Taiwan U.S. U.S. Foreign Policy

5 Aug 2022

On the United States, the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea and US Freedom of Navigation Operations

Robert Beckman

The US has not become a party to the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) despite the overwhelming support for US accession by all American government agencies, major interest groups. This has been a serious impediment to the US’ credibility in promoting and enforcing a rules-based maritime order.

South China Sea U.S. U.S. Foreign Policy UNCLOS

29 Jul 2022

Building Peace in Asia: It’s Not the “Asian Way”

Hoang Thi Ha

China’s “Asian way” is an all-embracing idea and a coded language to discredit other countries’ actions that are deemed harmful to China’s strategic interests.

China Chinese Foreign Policy Security South China Sea

23 May 2022

Kishida’s Charm Diplomacy in Southeast Asia: Moral Suasion Does the Trick

Lim Tai Wei|William Choong

Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s visits to Indonesia, Vietnam and Thailand have burnished Japan’s regional credentials, particularly on contentious issues such as the war in Ukraine, the South China Sea disputes and the evolving order in the Indo-Pacific.

Indo-Pacific International Relations Japan Japan-Southeast Asia Relations South China Sea