2 May 2025
How the Squad risks upending ASEAN norms
Is minilateralism really the way forward for the Indo-Pacific?
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17 Apr 2025
A Ukraine-model deal in the South China Sea?
Like Kyiv, Manila needs to provide the US with “skin in the game” beyond military considerations. The answer might just be a disputed feature near the Spratly Islands. -
5 Feb 2025
Trump’s grand bargain? The Philippines caught between US and China
Manila is increasingly aware that a defence dilemma could be exposed by the president’s transactional foreign policy. -
4 Feb 2025
Securing Southeast Asian waters: Formalising the role of the ASEAN Coast Guard Forum
Transparency, open communications, and a mutual understanding of shared maritime security challenges is the goal. -
27 Nov 2024
Understanding Prabowo’s Natunas gambit with China
Acknowledging a dispute exists does not amount to a tacit endorsement of one side’s claim. -
19 Nov 2024
Why the Philippines made a dramatic turnaround on the question of archipelagos in the law of the sea
And strangely enough, it means China and the Philippines have traded positions. -
12 Nov 2024
Has Indonesia fallen into China's nine-dash line trap?
A new Indonesia-China joint statement betrays Indonesia’s national interest and looks like a big win for Beijing. -
28 Oct 2024
China and the South China Sea: Tailoring history for propaganda
China’s historians are being enlisted to shape the narrative of maritime Asia. -
17 Sep 2024
A step-change to Beijing's "lawfare" in the South China Sea
The “salami slice” approach to island building in the South China Sea has worked well for China. The world risks seeing that same approach repeated in international law. -
9 Sep 2024
South China Sea: The “transparency initiative” success is plain to see
But pressure on the Philippines means that its key partners must step up more. -
6 Aug 2024
A respite for the Sierra Madre, but Philippines-China tensions remain
A provisional understanding is just that. Much now depends on China’s behaviour and its record is not encouraging. -
17 Jul 2024
Moving beyond the grey zone: The case for ICAD
Why some Indo-Pacific nations are renaming the place between peace and war. -
20 Jun 2024
Overcoming the deliberate legal ambiguity adopted by China’s coast guard
A new order is telling of Beijing’s selective and ongoing effort to undermine the law of the sea. -
12 Jun 2024
Deterring China’s military violence against Australians
Options to respond should be made clear before the worst happens. -
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4 Jun 2024
Not in the same boat? Perceptions of the Australia-Philippines security partnership
The closer and growing defence ties between the countries doesn’t appear to have permeated the public mind yet. -
15 May 2024
A code of conduct won’t solve the South China Sea crisis
Sub-optimal negotiations are likely to lead to a sub-standard agreement. -
9 May 2024
“Squad” goals: Consolidating the new quadrilateral partnership
With China flexing its muscle in the South China Sea, a revised grouping that includes the Philippines strikes a new balance. -
29 Apr 2024
Balikatan 2024: Philippines and friends send a clear signal to China
Drills will for the first time take place outside of the Philippines’ 12 nautical miles “territorial waters”, thus directly challenging China’s expansive claims across the South China Sea. -
11 Apr 2024
ASEAN and the military applications of AI
While artificial intelligence can be used to magnify lethal force, it can also promote regional peace and stability. -
25 Mar 2024
The Philippines seeks out old friends and new
Beijing’s assertiveness means hedging is a luxury Manila can no longer afford. -
21 Mar 2024
China's grey-zone provocations: Time to reciprocate
Those subject to China's actions have responded cautiously. They now need to consider a change in tactics. -
13 Mar 2024
Understanding China’s efforts to bridge the South China Sea and Taiwan Strait disputes
Regional problems are challenging enough without lumping them together. -
22 Jan 2024
South China Sea: A formula for the Philippines
Manila should adopt a three-pronged response to Beijing's assertiveness. -
4 Dec 2023
How to stop any repeat of the Australia-China sonar incident
A regional deal to close a loophole relating to the use of sonar in international law could be a good place to start. -
18 Nov 2023
China’s sonar pulse poses another test of Australia’s will
Even with international law on its side, Australia is still grappling with the conundrum of whether might makes right. -
25 Oct 2023
As the world looks elsewhere, China stirs trouble in the South China Sea
The Chinese Communist Party-controlled Global Times is already forecasting “more serious collisions”. -
13 Oct 2023
Australia must act fast on joint patrols with the Philippines
Australia “recommitted” two months ago. The Philippines is waiting, China is watching – and so is the region. -
2 Oct 2023
The surprising link between piracy and Covid-19
Poverty, institutional incapacity and budget cuts fuelled a surge in pandemic piracy. The lessons are many. -
12 Sep 2023
ASEAN, China and the trust deficit
The gap between rhetoric and action is Beijing’s biggest problem – and the region showed it isn’t afraid to call this out. -
6 Sep 2023
The Fix: Explaining Indonesia’s silence in the North Natuna Sea
Your weekly Interpreter feature about issues, resources or helpful distractions that might otherwise be missed. -
17 Jul 2023
It might be plastic fantastic, but Barbie lends cartoonish credibility to China’s nine-dash line
Barbie does her dash with Vietnam, showing how maps have meaning. -
14 Jul 2023
Despite the excitement, India’s South China Sea policy remains unchanged
Backing the Philippines over the 2016 arbitration award doesn’t mean India is about to abandon caution in efforts to balance China. -
19 Jun 2023
Acting East on the seas: India’s naval cooperation with ASEAN
Strengthening defence ties is smooth sailing compared to wider regional integration efforts by New Delhi with Southeast Asia. -
5 May 2023
Indonesia’s dilemma as China pushes a “Global Security Initiative”
Existing regional mechanisms can accommodate diverse interests in Southeast Asia without the need for a new forum. -
30 Mar 2023
Climate change, ironically, reduces the heat in the South China Sea
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
Global energy scarcity and the South China Sea
A new source of natural gas within the controversial “nine-dash line” should revive questions about sharing access. -
26 Jul 2022
Answering China’s South China Sea flying safety challenge
A regional response can best manage risks, and the Five Power Defence Arrangement offers just the mechanism. -
6 Jun 2022
A flare up in China’s deliberate pattern of aggression
The intercept of an Australian patrol over the South China Sea escalates a “grey zone” conflict to a dangerous level. -
15 Apr 2022
Taming troubled waters
Looking from Vietnam, multi-layer joint efforts to ensure maritime security are welcome in the South China Sea. -
6 Apr 2022
Protecting law and order at sea means educating people on their rights
Broad understanding about the need to balance and compromise interests will strengthen the system of international law. -
4 Apr 2022
Cause and effect: The right security architecture for the Indo-Pacific
Limitations in the established rules and forums have led the region to innovate. -
1 Apr 2022
“Lawfare” in the South China Sea disputes
Legal mechanisms, while not definitive, have compelled the claimants to examine their position and communicate them. -
25 Mar 2022
Stiffening the ASEAN spine in the South China Sea
Any “minilateral” grouping among Southeast Asian nations must be mindful of its internal contradictions. -
3 Feb 2022
Navigating the limits in the South China Sea
A new US report casts doubt on the legality of Chinese maritime claims by also critically examining Australian practice. -
26 Jan 2022
Indonesia standing between great powers
Non-alignment has long defined Jakarta’s approach in the world. Neither China’s threats or US pledges will change that. -
24 Jan 2022
Could minilateralism work in the South China Sea?
Jakarta’s ambitions for a maritime alliance with its ASEAN neighbours is the right response to intimidation from China. -
23 Dec 2021
Myths that stir trouble in the South China Sea
A major shipping route, yes, but vital? False claims about the value of these waters only make diplomacy harder. -
5 Nov 2021
Australia’s chance to dream with Southeast Asia
As a United States ally, Canberra can be a bridge between the region and Washington. -
2 Sep 2021
Europe and the South China Sea
More warships in disputed waters may cause instability. But the presence of navies from afar sends a clear message, too.