South China Sea NewsWire Archive
Monthly Archive of Previous News Articles
Diplomacy
Vietnam Opposes New China Map Claiming South China Sea Islands
31 August, 2023
Vietnam said China’s official map released this week violates its sovereignty over the Spratly and Paracel Islands and jurisdiction over its waters, according to a statement posted on the nation’s government news website. China’s sovereignty and maritime claims based on the nine-dotted line on the map are “invalid,” said the statement.
Diplomacy
Indonesia’s ‘significant’ South China Sea comments not a sign of ‘nascent alliance’ with US
31 August, 2023
Indonesia’s joint statement with the US on the South China Sea is seen as a move to increase support for Southeast Asian claimants, analysts say. The ‘important and necessary’ statement is also a significant shift from Indonesia’s previous neutral stance on the territorial dispute.
Security
US given OK to enforce maritime law around Palau as Washington vies with China for Pacific influence
29 August, 2023
The United States has signed a new agreement with Palau, which gives Coast Guard ships the authorization to unilaterally enforce maritime regulations in the tiny Pacific island nation’s exclusive economic zone.
Diplomacy
China warns of external influence ahead of South China Sea code of conduct talks
20 August, 2023
Beijing is willing to speed up talks with ASEAN on a long-delayed South China Sea code of conduct, the Chinese foreign minister said on the weekend while warning against external interference in the region.
Business
ONGC Videsh secures 3-year extension for Vietnamese oil block in South China Sea
20 August, 2023
India’s ONGC Videsh Ltd (OVL) has secured another three-year extension to explore oil and gas in a Vietnamese block in the contested waters of the South China Sea. This is the eighth extension for OVL, the overseas arm of state-owned Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC).
Security
U.S., Japan and Australia to hold joint drills as tensions rise in South China Sea
18 August, 2023
The U.S., Japan and Australia will hold joint naval drills on Wednesday as tensions rise in the South China Sea. Japan’s defense ministry has scrambled fighter jets in response to two Russian spy planes that it has identified flying back and forth between the Sea of Japan and the East China Sea, as well as Russian and Chinese warships conducting joint maritime patrols in the Pacific Ocean.
Diplomacy
US, Japan and South Korea to deepen security ties to deter China
16 August, 2023
The US, Japan and South Korea are set to create a leader-level hotline and hold annual joint military exercises as part of a historic trilateral agreement to help Washington and its Asian allies boost deterrence against North Korea and China. The leaders will unveil a broad set of “Camp David principles” as well as a document laying out co-operation on security.
Business
Philippines told to start drilling oil at Reed Bank amid rising tensions
15 August, 2023
A former Philippines Supreme Court justice on Tuesday renewed his call for the Philippines to start oil exploration at Reed Bank in the South China Sea in an area of almost 9,000 square kilometers amid China’s alleged muscle-flexing.
Security
US and China spar over Philippine shipwreck-turned-military outpost
9 August, 2023
The South China Sea remains a serious potential flashpoint between China and Southeast Asian countries. The Philippines President, Ferdinand Marcos Jr., is now increasingly accusing China of aggression.
Security
Philippines says China used a water-cannon on boat in South China Sea
6 August, 2023
The Philippines has accused China’s coastguard of using a water cannon to block a Philippine military supply boat in the South China Sea. The confrontation occurred near the Second Thomas Shoal, a submerged reef where a handful of its troops live on a rusty World War II-era ship that was intentionally grounded in 1999.
Diplomacy
Philippine Senate Passes Resolution Condemning Beijing’s South China Sea ‘Incursions’
2 August, 2023
The Philippine Senate has unanimously voted unanimously to adopt a resolution condemning China for its “continued harassment” of Filipino fishermen and “incursions” into Philippine-claimed waters in the contested South China Sea. The resolution also urged President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to take appropriate action in asserting and securing the country’s sovereign rights, initially through dialogue with Beijing.
Security
China Is Testing How Hard It Can Push in the South China Sea Before Someone Pushes Back
1 August, 2023
Experts say China is trying to provoke a military response from opposing claimants in the South China Sea, but so far none of the nations involved have militarily engaged with China over the issue. China is also trying to avoid becoming the first one to fire a shot.
