ARTICLES

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.

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

25 Mar 2022

How to Solve the South China Sea Disputes

Bill Hayton

This Long Read argues that Southeast Asian states have an interest in recognising each other’s de facto occupation of specific features and then presenting a united position to China. The historical evidence of physical acts of administration suggests that, with some important exceptions, the current occupiers of each feature have the best claim to sovereignty over it.

ASEAN-China Relations Maritime Security South China Sea

4 Mar 2022

Advancing U.S. Security Commitments to Southeast Asia Under Biden

Prashanth Parameswaran

Russia's recent invasion of Ukraine would accentuate concerns about Washington's security commitments to Southeast Asia. To gain further traction, Washington needs to invest in individual Southeast Asia countries and expand defence partnerships with allies and partners.

ASEAN-U.S. Relations Defence Maritime Security Security South China Sea

13 Jan 2022

Indonesia’s South China Sea Confab: When Chin-wagging Counts

Ian Storey

Indonesia plans to convene a meeting with some of its ASEAN colleagues to discuss the South China Sea. The idea is not new, but this time it might just work.

Indonesia Maritime Security Regional Cooperation South China Sea

17 Dec 2021

Mind the Gaps, Fill the Needs: A Strategic Outlook for the Philippine-US Alliance

Julio S. Amador III

The Philippines begrudgingly notes the disparity of treatment across US alliances in Asia as well as Washington’s shift to enhancing engagements with non-treaty partners. The Philippines must step up to play its part and articulate its key interests better.

Maritime Security Philippine Politics Philippine-U.S. Relations Security South China Sea