COMMENTARIES

22 Feb 2021

The USA and UNCLOS: Time to Ratify

Aristyo Rizka Darmawan

Actions speak louder than words. Ratifying UNCLOS would strengthen the US’ stabilising role in the Indo-Pacific.

19 Feb 2021

The US-Philippines Visiting Forces Agreement: The Duterte Punchbag That Will Probably Survive the Blows

Ian Storey

A long-standing Visiting Forces Agreement between the Philippines and the United States will probably survive despite threats from President Rodrigo Duterte to see the end of it.

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

1 Feb 2021

The Philippine-US Alliance: Keeping Things on an Even Keel

Renato Cruz De Castro

Given the challenges posed by an assertive China and a changing geopolitical environment, Manila and Washington must work hard to sustain their decades-old alliance.

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

29 Jan 2021

The US Coast Guard and the Indo-Pacific: Straddling the Sweet Spot between Diplomacy and Lethality

Ian Storey

The United States has added the US Coast Guard to its South China Sea toolbox. This bodes well for regional security and the maritime rules-based order.

China-U.S. Relations South China Sea U.S. U.S. Foreign Policy U.S. Pacific Fleet

27 Jan 2021

China’s New Coast Guard Law: Illegal and Escalatory

Aristyo Rizka Darmawan

A new Chinese law, which gives its coast guard legal cover to fire on foreign vessels in contested waters, is worrying. States interested in the peace and stability of the South China Sea should do something about it.

ASEAN-China Relations China-U.S. Relations International Relations South China Sea

26 Jan 2021

Japan’s Diplomatic Note on the South China Sea: Internationalising the Dispute Amid Chinese Pressure

Nguyen Hong Thao

Japan’s latest note verbale to the United Nations on the South China Sea was done out of its national interest. Nonetheless, it shows that Tokyo – and a growing coalition of countries – are digging in their heels to uphold the aegis of international law in the region.

ASEAN-China Relations Japan South China Sea

13 Oct 2020

The South China Sea, a fault line in China-Russia relations?

Ian Storey

The South China Sea poses a stress test in Russia-China relations, pitting China’s excessive claims against Russian energy interests.

Russia South China Sea

21 Sep 2020

ASEAN and the South China Sea Code of Conduct: Raising the Aegis of International Law

Hoang Thi Ha

With Vietnam at the helm of ASEAN this year, the grouping has wielded the aegis of international law to ensure that international and regional concerns about the South China Sea are respected in Code of Conduct negotiations.

ASEAN South China Sea

30 Jul 2020

Southeast Asia as a Sino-US Battleground: China’s Measured Response Amid American Attacks

Lye Liang Fook

With the acceleration in tensions between the United States and China globally, Southeast Asia has again been caught up in clash of the two titans. The recent trigger for this was the US Department of State statement in July 2020 on the US Position on Maritime Claims in the South China Sea where it dismissed China’s claims...

China-U.S. Relations South China Sea Southeast Asia

26 Jun 2020

South China Sea: Indonesia Crosses Swords with China

Leo Suryadinata

Indonesia has recently taken a firmer position vis-à-vis China on the South China Sea. Those who think that Jakarta is assuming the leadership mantle of ASEAN on the issue will be disappointed; the more assertive stance derives from Jakarta’s own interests.

Indonesia South China Sea