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  • 20 Nov 2025
    • Asean
    • North Korea
    • Defence & Security
    • South China Sea
    • Ukraine

    Delay as a weapon: Fighting – and winning – on the clock

    Henry Yep
    From the South China Sea to the battlefields in Ukraine, negotiations that never end can give a false sense of stability.
  • 31 Oct 2025
    • China
    • Philippines
    • South China Sea

    High waters, deep divisions in views of the South China Sea

    Sophie Wushuang Yi
    One side’s freedom of navigation is the other’s territorial violation – and no code of conduct seems set to reconcile this.
  • 17 Sep 2025
    • Philippines
    • Australia
    • Defence & Security
    • Maritime Security
    • South China Sea

    I spent five days observing a joint military exercise between Australia and the Philippines. Here’s what I learned.

    Danielle Ireland-Piper
    Joint training brings depth to an important bilateral relationship and allows troops to rehearse for what may lie ahead.
  • 10 Sep 2025
    • Brunei
    • China
    • Indonesia
    • Malaysia
    • Philippines
    • Vietnam
    • Maritime Security
    • South China Sea
    • Technology

    The South China Sea’s next legal frontier: Ships without sailors

    Pornomo Rovan Astri Yoga
    Unmanned warships blur legal boundaries as technology outpaces international law in contested maritime zones.
  • 3 Sep 2025
    • Defence & Security
    • AUKUS
    • Maritime Security
    • South China Sea
    • United Kingdom
    • Technology
    • United States

    Beyond submarines: Why AUKUS Pillar II matters now

    Frank A. Rose
    The trilateral security partnership has the potential to deliver meaningful operational advantages within this decade.
  • 2 May 2025
    • Asean
    • Japan
    • Philippines
    • Australia
    • Defence & Security
    • South China Sea
    • United States

    How the Squad risks upending ASEAN norms

    Vincent Kyle Parada
    Is minilateralism really the way forward for the Indo-Pacific?
  • 17 Apr 2025
    • Philippines
    • South China Sea
    • United States

    A Ukraine-model deal in the South China Sea?

    Vincent Kyle Parada
    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
    • Philippines
    • South China Sea
    • United States

    Trump’s grand bargain? The Philippines caught between US and China

    Richard Javad Heydarian
    Manila is increasingly aware that a defence dilemma could be exposed by the president’s transactional foreign policy.
  • 4 Feb 2025
    • Asean
    • South China Sea
    • Defence & Security

    Securing Southeast Asian waters: Formalising the role of the ASEAN Coast Guard Forum

    Su Wai Mon , Thư Nguyễn Hoàng Anh , Jonathan Gabriel Mendoza
    Transparency, open communications, and a mutual understanding of shared maritime security challenges is the goal.
  • 27 Nov 2024
    • China
    • Indonesia
    • South China Sea

    Understanding Prabowo’s Natunas gambit with China

    Emirza Adi Syailendra
    Acknowledging a dispute exists does not amount to a tacit endorsement of one side’s claim.
  • 19 Nov 2024
    • Philippines
    • South China Sea

    Why the Philippines made a dramatic turnaround on the question of archipelagos in the law of the sea

    Alex P Dela Cruz
    And strangely enough, it means China and the Philippines have traded positions.
  • 12 Nov 2024
    • Asia
    • South China Sea

    Has Indonesia fallen into China's nine-dash line trap?

    Aristyo Rizka Darmawan
    A new Indonesia-China joint statement betrays Indonesia’s national interest and looks like a big win for Beijing.
  • 28 Oct 2024
    • China
    • South China Sea

    China and the South China Sea: Tailoring history for propaganda

    Mahbi Maulaya
    China’s historians are being enlisted to shape the narrative of maritime Asia.
  • 17 Sep 2024
    • China
    • Philippines
    • South China Sea
    • Defence & Security

    A step-change to Beijing's "lawfare" in the South China Sea

    Peter Leavy
    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
    • China
    • Philippines
    • South China Sea
    • Defence & Security

    South China Sea: The “transparency initiative” success is plain to see

    Richard Javad Heydarian
    But pressure on the Philippines means that its key partners must step up more.
  • 6 Aug 2024
    • China
    • Philippines
    • South China Sea
    • Defence & Security

    A respite for the Sierra Madre, but Philippines-China tensions remain

    Rommel Ong
    A provisional understanding is just that. Much now depends on China’s behaviour and its record is not encouraging.
  • 17 Jul 2024
    • China
    • China's Military
    • South China Sea
    • Defence & Security
    • Maritime Security

    Moving beyond the grey zone: The case for ICAD

    Adam Lockyer , Yves-Heng Lim , Courtney J Fung
    Why some Indo-Pacific nations are renaming the place between peace and war.
  • 20 Jun 2024
    • China
    • Philippines
    • South China Sea
    • Maritime Security
    • International law

    Overcoming the deliberate legal ambiguity adopted by China’s coast guard

    Peter Leavy
    A new order is telling of Beijing’s selective and ongoing effort to undermine the law of the sea.
  • 12 Jun 2024
    • China
    • South China Sea
    • Australia
    • Defence & Security

    Deterring China’s military violence against Australians

    Peter Layton
    Options to respond should be made clear before the worst happens.
  • 6 Jun 2024
    • China
    • Philippines
    • South China Sea

    Unpacking China’s propaganda narratives against the Philippines

    Susannah Patton
    The danger in deception.
  • 4 Jun 2024
    • Philippines
    • South China Sea
    • Australia
    • Defence & Security
    • Public Opinion

    Not in the same boat? Perceptions of the Australia-Philippines security partnership

    Rahman Yaacob
    The closer and growing defence ties between the countries doesn’t appear to have permeated the public mind yet.
  • 15 May 2024
    • Asean
    • China
    • South China Sea

    A code of conduct won’t solve the South China Sea crisis

    Rahman Yaacob
    Sub-optimal negotiations are likely to lead to a sub-standard agreement.
  • 9 May 2024
    • India
    • Japan
    • Philippines
    • South China Sea
    • Australia
    • Defence & Security
    • Quad
    • United States

    “Squad” goals: Consolidating the new quadrilateral partnership

    Richard Javad Heydarian
    With China flexing its muscle in the South China Sea, a revised grouping that includes the Philippines strikes a new balance.
  • 29 Apr 2024
    • Philippines
    • South China Sea
    • Defence & Security

    Balikatan 2024: Philippines and friends send a clear signal to China

    Richard Javad Heydarian
    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
    • South China Sea
    • Cyber Security
    • Cyber Warfare
    • Emerging Threats
    • Maritime Security
    • Technology

    ASEAN and the military applications of AI

    Ngô Di Lân
    While artificial intelligence can be used to magnify lethal force, it can also promote regional peace and stability.
  • 25 Mar 2024
    • China
    • Philippines
    • South China Sea

    The Philippines seeks out old friends and new

    Rahul Mishra , Peter Brian M. Wang
    Beijing’s assertiveness means hedging is a luxury Manila can no longer afford.
  • 21 Mar 2024
    • China
    • South China Sea
    • Defence & Security

    China's grey-zone provocations: Time to reciprocate

    Peter Layton
    Those subject to China's actions have responded cautiously. They now need to consider a change in tactics.
  • 13 Mar 2024
    • China
    • Philippines
    • South China Sea
    • Taiwan

    Understanding China’s efforts to bridge the South China Sea and Taiwan Strait disputes

    Sophie Wushuang Yi
    Regional problems are challenging enough without lumping them together.
  • 22 Jan 2024
    • China
    • Philippines
    • South China Sea
    • Defence & Security

    South China Sea: A formula for the Philippines

    Richard Javad Heydarian
    Manila should adopt a three-pronged response to Beijing's assertiveness.
  • 4 Dec 2023
    • Asean
    • China
    • China's Military
    • South China Sea
    • Southeast Asia
    • Australia
    • Australian Navy
    • Defence & Security
    • International law

    How to stop any repeat of the Australia-China sonar incident

    Collin Koh
    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
    • South China Sea
    • Australia
    • Australian Navy
    • Defence & Security

    China’s sonar pulse poses another test of Australia’s will

    Sam Roggeveen
    Even with international law on its side, Australia is still grappling with the conundrum of whether might makes right.
  • 25 Oct 2023
    • China
    • Philippines
    • South China Sea
    • Defence & Security

    As the world looks elsewhere, China stirs trouble in the South China Sea

    Peter Layton
    The Chinese Communist Party-controlled Global Times is already forecasting “more serious collisions”.
  • 13 Oct 2023
    • Philippines
    • South China Sea
    • Australia
    • Defence & Security

    Australia must act fast on joint patrols with the Philippines

    Jennifer Parker
    Australia “recommitted” two months ago. The Philippines is waiting, China is watching – and so is the region.
  • 2 Oct 2023
    • Indonesia
    • Malaysia
    • Singapore
    • South China Sea
    • Coronavirus
    • International law
    • Transnational Challenges

    The surprising link between piracy and Covid-19

    Jade Lindley , Dhiyaul Aulia Huda
    Poverty, institutional incapacity and budget cuts fuelled a surge in pandemic piracy. The lessons are many.
  • 12 Sep 2023
    • Asean
    • China
    • South China Sea
    • Southeast Asia

    ASEAN, China and the trust deficit

    Rahman Yaacob
    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
    • China
    • Indonesia
    • South China Sea
    • Recommendations

    The Fix: Explaining Indonesia’s silence in the North Natuna Sea

    Aristyo Rizka Darmawan
    Your weekly Interpreter feature about issues, resources or helpful distractions that might otherwise be missed.
  • 17 Jul 2023
    • China
    • Philippines
    • South China Sea
    • Vietnam

    It might be plastic fantastic, but Barbie lends cartoonish credibility to China’s nine-dash line

    Donald R Rothwell
    Barbie does her dash with Vietnam, showing how maps have meaning.
  • 14 Jul 2023
    • China
    • India
    • Philippines
    • South China Sea

    Despite the excitement, India’s South China Sea policy remains unchanged

    Abhijit Singh
    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
    • Asean
    • India
    • India's Navy
    • South China Sea
    • Defence & Security

    Acting East on the seas: India’s naval cooperation with ASEAN

    Moksh Suri
    Strengthening defence ties is smooth sailing compared to wider regional integration efforts by New Delhi with Southeast Asia.
  • 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.
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