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  • 5 May 2023
    • Asean
    • China
    • Indonesia
    • South China Sea
    • Southeast Asia

    Indonesia’s dilemma as China pushes a “Global Security Initiative”

    Alfin Febrian Basundoro
    Existing regional mechanisms can accommodate diverse interests in Southeast Asia without the need for a new forum.
  • 30 Mar 2023
    • China
    • South China Sea
    • Australia
    • Resource security

    Climate change, ironically, reduces the heat in the South China Sea

    John Quiggin
    The days for oil and gas are numbered, so the economic case of a fight over undersea resources doesn’t stack up.
  • 3 Feb 2023
    • China
    • Indonesia
    • South China Sea
    • Southeast Asia
    • Energy
    • Resource security

    Global energy scarcity and the South China Sea

    Suryaputra Wijaksana
    A new source of natural gas within the controversial “nine-dash line” should revive questions about sharing access.
  • 26 Jul 2022
    • South China Sea
    • Singapore
    • China
    • Malaysia
    • Australia
    • Defence & Security
    • United Kingdom

    Answering China’s South China Sea flying safety challenge

    Peter Layton
    A regional response can best manage risks, and the Five Power Defence Arrangement offers just the mechanism.
  • 6 Jun 2022
    • Defence & Security
    • South China Sea
    • Australia
    • China

    A flare up in China’s deliberate pattern of aggression

    Peter Layton
    The intercept of an Australian patrol over the South China Sea escalates a “grey zone” conflict to a dangerous level.
  • 15 Apr 2022
    • Maritime Security
    • South China Sea
    • Asean
    • Vietnam

    Taming troubled waters

    Lai Thai Binh
    Looking from Vietnam, multi-layer joint efforts to ensure maritime security are welcome in the South China Sea.
  • 6 Apr 2022
    • Defence & Security
    • South China Sea
    • Asean
    • International law

    Protecting law and order at sea means educating people on their rights

    Jay Batongbacal
    Broad understanding about the need to balance and compromise interests will strengthen the system of international law.
  • 4 Apr 2022
    • Defence & Security
    • South China Sea
    • Asean
    • China
    • Southeast Asia

    Cause and effect: The right security architecture for the Indo-Pacific

    Ian Storey
    Limitations in the established rules and forums have led the region to innovate.
  • 1 Apr 2022
    • South China Sea
    • International law

    “Lawfare” in the South China Sea disputes

    Tara Davenport
    Legal mechanisms, while not definitive, have compelled the claimants to examine their position and communicate them.
  • 25 Mar 2022
    • South China Sea
    • Asean
    • China
    • Indonesia
    • Vietnam
    • Philippines
    • Malaysia

    Stiffening the ASEAN spine in the South China Sea

    Arrizal Jaknanihan
    Any “minilateral” grouping among Southeast Asian nations must be mindful of its internal contradictions.
  • 3 Feb 2022
    • South China Sea
    • International law

    Navigating the limits in the South China Sea

    Donald R Rothwell , David Letts
    A new US report casts doubt on the legality of Chinese maritime claims by also critically examining Australian practice.
  • 26 Jan 2022
    • South China Sea
    • Indonesia

    Indonesia standing between great powers

    Johannes Nugroho
    Non-alignment has long defined Jakarta’s approach in the world. Neither China’s threats or US pledges will change that.
  • 24 Jan 2022
    • South China Sea
    • China
    • Indonesia

    Could minilateralism work in the South China Sea?

    Huynh Tam Sang
    Jakarta’s ambitions for a maritime alliance with its ASEAN neighbours is the right response to intimidation from China.
  • 23 Dec 2021
    • Defence & Security
    • United States
    • South China Sea
    • Australia
    • China
    • Taiwan

    Myths that stir trouble in the South China Sea

    John Quiggin
    A major shipping route, yes, but vital? False claims about the value of these waters only make diplomacy harder.
  • 5 Nov 2021
    • South China Sea
    • Asean
    • Australia
    • Southeast Asia

    Australia’s chance to dream with Southeast Asia

    Huynh Tam Sang , Pham Do An
    As a United States ally, Canberra can be a bridge between the region and Washington.
  • 2 Sep 2021
    • Defence & Security
    • Europe
    • South China Sea
    • European Union
    • Germany
    • United Kingdom
    • France

    Europe and the South China Sea 

    Loro Horta
    More warships in disputed waters may cause instability. But the presence of navies from afar sends a clear message, too.
  • 31 Aug 2021
    • South China Sea
    • China
    • International law

    Deliberate ambiguity of China’s new “territorial waters” declaration

    Aristyo Rizka Darmawan
    A hastily introduced regulation requiring vessels to register may be contrary to the rights of innocent passage.
  • 12 Jul 2021
    • South China Sea
    • China
    • Philippines
    • International law

    Whatever happened to the South China Sea ruling?

    Pratik Jakhar
    Five years ago the Philippines largely squandered a crucial legal win. But it’s not too late to marshal support.
  • 24 Feb 2021
    • Defence & Security
    • South China Sea
    • China

    What are China’s leaders saying about the South China Sea?

    Oriana Skylar Mastro
    The rhetoric weaves between cooperative and competitive, leaving the question of what – and who – to believe.
  • 17 Feb 2021
    • South China Sea
    • China

    How China is bending the rules in the South China Sea

    Oriana Skylar Mastro
    Beijing’s misapplication of international law in the disputed waters is more complex than it seems on the surface.
  • 12 Feb 2021
    • Defence & Security
    • South China Sea
    • China

    CCP governance comes to the South China Sea

    Zachary Haver
    Focusing exclusively on China’s use of coercion across the region obscures the true extent of Beijing’s ambitions.
  • 27 Nov 2020
    • Defence & Security
    • China's Military
    • South China Sea
    • China

    Beijing’s line on the South China Sea: “Nothing to see here”

    Oriana Skylar Mastro
    China’s official denials of growing military capability in the region look a lot like gaslighting.
  • 19 Nov 2020
    • Asia
    • Global Economy
    • South China Sea
    • WTO
    • Australia

    Economic diplomacy: Navigating Asia’s trade tangle and a NSW “step-up”

    Greg Earl
    Plus, revisiting assumptions that China would be reluctant to interfere with South China Sea trade routes.
  • 23 Oct 2020
    • South China Sea
    • Philippines

    Reading between the lines: Duterte’s careful South China Sea speech

    Andrea Chloe Wong
    The President of the Philippines may stump up with more nationalist rhetoric, but his true message to Beijing is plain.
  • 22 Sep 2020
    • South China Sea
    • Vietnam
    • United States

    The South China Sea map that wasn’t

    Khang Vu
    A mistake? Maybe. But a US map of Vietnam including the Paracel and Spratly islands raises big questions.
  • 28 Aug 2020
    • South China Sea
    • China
    • Indonesia

    Jakarta should be wary of Beijing’s South China Sea proposals

    Aristyo Rizka Darmawan
    “Joint development” is a misnomer when China has no legal stake in what is Indonesian territory.
  • 12 Aug 2020
    • South China Sea
    • Multilateral Institutions
    • United Nations
    • China

    China is overturning the rules-based order from within

    Malcolm Jorgensen
    By contesting basic principles of international law, China is doing far more damage than is often recognised.
  • 3 Aug 2020
    • China and the Pacific
    • South China Sea
    • Asean
    • China

    Brunei, ASEAN and the South China Sea

    Joshua Espeña , Anne Uy
    A long-silent claimant has spoken, but will it be heard?
  • 25 Jul 2020
    • United States
    • South China Sea
    • Australia
    • China

    Australia lays down the law in the South China Sea dispute

    Bec Strating
    Canberra rejects the PRC’s “historic rights” claim to contested waters but now faces the test of what to do about it.
  • 1 Jul 2020
    • United States
    • Asia Pacific Security
    • South China Sea
    • Asean
    • China

    After ASEAN summit, little change on the South China Sea

    Mark Valencia
    Despite expectations leaders might collectively rebuke China for its latest actions, the message was more uncertain.
  • 19 May 2020
    • Defence & Security
    • South China Sea
    • Indonesia

    As Jakarta trims defence, Beijing makes waves in the South China Sea

    Aristyo Rizka Darmawan
    Covid-19 has seen Southeast Asian countries cut defence budgets just as maritime threats look to be growing dire.
  • 27 Apr 2020
    • Defence & Security
    • South China Sea
    • Asean
    • China
    • Vietnam

    Troubled waters: China’s sovereign ambition in the shadows of Covid-19

    Trinh Le
    While the US is busy containing the coronavirus, Beijing stakes its claims in the South China Sea.
  • 28 Jan 2020
    • South China Sea
    • Asean
    • China
    • Vietnam
    • Malaysia

    Forging consensus in the South China Sea

    Michael Nguyen
    By backing each other’s claims, a united Southeast Asian front would be difficult for Beijing to divide and conquer.
  • 9 Jan 2020
    • South China Sea
    • China
    • Indonesia

    Can Indonesia lead? Maritime tensions with China escalate

    Greta Nabbs-Keller
    Natuna Islands in the South China Sea has flared again, with Jakarta giving every indication it’s not for backing down.
  • 4 Dec 2019
    • South China Sea
    • Asean
    • Myanmar
    • Malaysia

    In conversation: Malaysia’s Foreign Minister on great power rivalry

    Ben Bland
    From the South China Sea to the Rohingya crisis, Saifuddin Abdullah speaks to Lowy’s Ben Bland on Asia’s big challenges.
  • 28 Aug 2019
    • South China Sea
    • China
    • Philippines

    The Philippine standoff over China

    Malcolm Cook
    President Rodrigo Duterte has chosen to woo Beijing, in spite of widespread public objection.
  • 16 Aug 2019
    • South China Sea
    • China
    • Vietnam

    The Vanguard Bank standoff shows China remains undeterred

    Trinh Le
    <p>Coercion rather than conciliation is Beijing’s preferred tactic in South China Sea disputes.</p>
  • 30 May 2018
    • South China Sea

    South China Sea: Paracels in the spotlight

    Sam Bateman
    While Vietnam would welcome American warships sailing near the disputed islands, other Southeast Asian counties would be concerned about escalating militarisation.
  • 30 Mar 2018
    • Asia
    • Defence & Security
    • China's Military
    • Asia Pacific Security
    • South China Sea
    • Asean
    • China
    • Vietnam

    Deterrence under the dragon’s shadow: Vietnam’s military modernisation

    Wu Shang-Su
    Vietnam has long sought to calibrate its defence posture in the shadows of great power competition.
  • 8 Feb 2018
    • South China Sea
    • Asean

    ASEAN: different strokes for different folks, but future should be in sync

    Huong Le Thu
    Communicating contradictory images and aspirations does not help create a consistent perception of ASEAN among its external partners.
  • 6 Dec 2017
    • United States
    • Asia Pacific Security
    • South China Sea
    • China
    • Taiwan

    How America can build a durable military balance in Asia

    Michael Beckley
    China’s neighbours are not passive dominoes or feckless pawns in a US-China power contest.
  • 22 Nov 2017
    • Asia
    • South China Sea
    • China

    Trump’s truancy in Asia could hasten a hegemon’s demise

    Andrew Phillips
    China is forging ahead with a regional counter-order to displace America.
  • 21 Nov 2017
    • South China Sea
    • China
    • The Trump Presidency

    Trump's coming hard line on China

    Ely Ratner
    Three domestic factors are likely to drive the US toward a tougher China policy.
  • 10 Nov 2017
    • South China Sea
    • Asean
    • Philippines

    ASEAN summit should focus on the possible

    Elliot Brennan
    Too much time on problems without solutions will doom ASEAN to paltry progress.
  • 10 Nov 2017
    • Maritime Security
    • India-Australia Relations
    • South China Sea
    • China
    • India

    Quad redux: A new agenda for Asia's maritime democracies

    Andrew Shearer
    It is sobering that Indian diplomats are talking of the Quad as a way to stiffen Australia’s spine.
  • 9 Nov 2017
    • Defence & Security
    • United States
    • US Navy
    • Australian Defence Force
    • India's Navy
    • India-Australia Relations
    • South China Sea
    • India
    • Japan

    A reborn quadrilateral to deter China

    John Hemmings
    Organising a loose strategic coalition might upset Beijing, but that's no reason not to forge ahead.
  • 22 Aug 2017
    • United States
    • South China Sea
    • China
    • The Trump Presidency

    What the US would need to deter China

    Hugh White
    China's leaders would very reluctantly back down if they were truly convinced that the alternative was war with America. But how would the US convince them of that?
  • 18 Aug 2017
    • Defence & Security
    • South China Sea

    South China Sea: Beijing raises the temperature again

    Euan Graham
    Asia has acquired yet another flashpoint, one that China has deliberately picked at a time and location of its choosing.
  • 15 Aug 2017
    • Asia
    • Defence & Security
    • US Navy
    • South China Sea

    South China Sea patrols: Does the Trump team get it?

    Andrew Chubb
    The White House seems to regard FONOPs as a means to induce Chinese concessions on the North Korean nuclear issue. This is not what these patrols are designed for.
  • 3 Aug 2017
    • United States
    • South China Sea
    • China

    Making sense of the known unknowns in the South China Sea

    Ely Ratner
    The US doesn’t have to be willing to blockade Scarborough Reef to stop China from building a military base there.
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