South China Sea NewsWire
The aggregator service for balanced and insightful news
Security
Australia must act fast on joint patrols with the Philippines
13 October, 2023
Philippines Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo and Australian counterpart Penny Wong discussed the West Philippines Sea and South China Sea, highlighting the ongoing danger from China’s aggressive behavior. Tensions between the two countries have increased since August, and Manalo suggested Australia should operationalize its commitment to joint patrols with the Philippines, despite potential impact on its relationship with China.
Security
Locsin sees Chinese vessels harassing PH ships up close
7 October, 2023
During the current week, a warship from the Chinese Navy engaged in surveillance activities targeting the BRP Sindangan (MRRV-4407), which is one of the two vessels belonging to the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) assigned to accompany Filipino boats transporting provisions to a minor military outpost situated near Ayungin (Second Thomas) Shoal.
Security
3 Filipino fishermen die near Scarborough Shoal after being hit by foreign oil tanker
4 October, 2023
The fishermen died after their boat was hit by an oil tanker registered under the Marshall Islands’ flag, the Philippine coastguard said on Wednesday. It said the incident occurred about 160km from Scarborough Shoal on Monday and that 11 crew members had survived the sinking.
Diplomacy
China Withdraws East China Sea Rig Movement Plan That Might Have Been in Japan’s EEZ
22 September, 2023
China’s Maritime Safety Administration on Thursday withdrew an earlier announcement that equipment used for extracting resources such as natural gas would be moved within the East China Sea. According to Japanese government sources, this location was on Japan’s side of the Japan-China median line in waters northeast of the Senkaku Islands in Okinawa Prefecture.
Diplomacy
China sees ‘Cold War mentality’ in US-Vietnam pact, Vietnamese disagree
16 September, 2023
Pulled in opposite directions by Washington and Beijing, everyday Vietnamese people say staying neutral is best.
Diplomacy
U.S. upgrades Vietnam ties as Biden blasts China for ‘changing rules’
11 September, 2023
U.S. President Joe Biden denied trying to “hurt” China as he upgraded ties with Vietnam on Sunday, seeking to boost trade while navigating a thicket of challenges from human rights to climate and geoeconomic competition.
Science
Chinese scientists mark tech first with underwater survey near South China Sea’s Scarborough Shoal
11 September, 2023
‘Entirely home-grown technology’ used as Chinese marine geologists explore 100km stretch along disputed Scarborough Shoal. Made in China devices not only cheaper but seen as capable of evading technological sanctions as the US and its allies step up containment drive.
Diplomacy
U.S.-China rivalry dominates ASEAN talks as summits wrap up
8 September, 2023
Concerns about geopolitical rivalries overshadowed three days of meetings this week between top officials and leaders from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and its global partners, with this year’s chair Indonesia calling on world leaders to step back from confrontation.
Diplomacy
ASEAN risks irrelevance from ‘damaging’ non-response to tensions
6 September, 2023
With ASEAN centrality at stake, it would be a ‘huge miss’ if the bloc does not even issue a statement to uphold international law, observers say. Conflicting claims and a reluctance to ‘stick their necks out’ against China are seen as among the reasons for a lack of a unified ASEAN stance.
Analysis
Commentary
Podcasts
Videos
Conferences
Recommended Books
China’s ‘blue dragon’ strategy in the Indo-Pacific | The Strategist
China is advancing its ‘blue dragon’ strategy to compete with the US and undermine President Joe Biden’s Indo-Pacific policy. The plan targets three bodies of water in the Indo-Pacific region and major river systems in Southeast and South Asia. Despite Washington’s public denial of a containment policy against China, the US continues its global spy operations and has increased its defensive military posture in the Indo-Pacific.
The Case for Joint Patrols in the South China Sea | Geopolitical Monitor
Philippines-China relations are deteriorating with every passing month, and the October 22 collisions attest to that. The incidents can either be viewed as proof that the Philippines urgently needs diplomacy with China or, perhaps, to begin employing “diplomacy by other means.” Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. has lost all hope in the former option, saying that Beijing’s diplomatic outreach to Manila is “all for a show”; instead, he favors consulting with allies and partners to conduct multilateral joint patrols in the West Philippine Sea with the hope of altering Chinese behavior.
This episode of the Ke Kumu podcast by the Daniel K. Inouye Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies features Dr. Alexander Vuving, who discusses conflicts in the South China Sea.
This episode of Asia Unscripted from the US-Asia Institute features James Borton and Rodger Baker, the co-authors of the South China Sea Maritime Survey, a survey that aims to “underscore the urgency to examine the benefits and prospects of science-led initiatives in light of the unfolding climate and ecological changes occurring in the region.”
Philippine Coast Guard releases video of sea collisions
CSIS hosts Thirteenth Annual South China Sea Conference
Asian Territorial and Maritime Disputes: A Critical Introduction by Moises de Souza, Gregory Coutaz, and Dean Karalekas This volume is designed to be a practical, yet critical, introduction to the main maritime and territorial disputes in the Indo-Pacific region. With a team of contributors made up of both senior and early-career scholars, diplomats, and legal specialists, the book provides a wide range of insights that go beyond what is provided in the media.
Dispatches from the South China Sea: Navigating to Common Ground by James Borton This book’s blend of participatory research and field reportage paves the way for a transformation of policy and provides a basis for the eventual resolution of some of today’s major maritime conflicts.
On Dangerous Ground: America’s Century in the South China Sea by Gregory Poling The author’s weeping and comprehensive understanding of America policy offers insightful understanding of all the various claimant nations issues in the contested waters since the nineteenth century.
Each month, South China Sea NewsWire identifies and features the most crucial articles on political, economic, and other developments in the South China Sea and surrounding regions. We provide top-level summaries of articles for easy access to selected news, conferences, podcasts, videos and integrated media. We offer a reading experience that favors discovery over opinion. South China Sea NewsWire is powered by article data from the Perigon News API. Perigon’s AI-enriched technology provides structured, intelligently classified news data in real time from over 80,000 global sources.
