Beijing’s assertive territorial claims in the South China Sea have garnered international attention and raised concerns among neighboring countries. If left unchecked, the situation could potentially lead to a full-blown conflict that could disrupt the fragile regional stability.  As China continues to flex its muscles and bully its neighbors out of their rightful sovereignty over parts of the South China …

Recent developments have once again brought attention to how tense the South China Sea still is. On August 6, 2023, the Chinese Coast Guard used water cannon at Philippine ships delivering supplies to the Spratly Islands’ Second Thomas Shoal. In retaliation, the Philippines denounced China’s actions as “illegal” and “dangerous,” accusing it of putting lives in danger and breaking international …

Philippines – Now that Duterte’s successor is being elected, observers believe there is a chance for a reset of the Philippines’ ties with both big countries, and the election’s result might upset Asia‘s power balance. How it plays out may depend on the goals of current presidential frontrunner Ferdinand Marcos Jr., the son and namesake of the Philippines’ late ousted …

Vietnam – According to the official media, Vietnam has decided to put the Sony’s action film Uncharted on ban from local release due to a sequence in which a map depicts a disputed line drawn by China to lay its claim to huge swaths of the South China Sea (Mar 12). Tom Holland, Mark Walhberg, and Antonio Banderas feature in …

Indonesia – Antony Blinken, the Secretary of State of the United States, paid a visit in Indonesia, beginning off a tour to Southeast Asia aimed at boosting relations in a region that has emerged as a geopolitical battlefield between the United States and China. In his first trip to Southeast Asia since US President Joe Biden took office in January, Blinken will begin his …

Philippines – Three Chinese Coast Guard ships halted and deployed water cannons on two Manila supply boats on their route to a Philippine-occupied island in the South China Sea, which the Philippines denounced “in the strongest terms,” according to its top diplomat. No one was injured in the November 16 incident at the Second Thomas Shoal, according to Teodoro Locsin , …

The Chinese embassy in Australia denounced on Friday the “unfounded allegations” leveled against China by Australia’s defence and foreign ministers and their US counterparts after their annual meeting in Washington. In a statement released after the Australia-US Ministerial Consultations, the two nations voiced worry over China’s “expansive maritime claims in the South China Sea that lack legal foundation” and declared …

The Association of Southeast Nations (Asean) should stop China from tampering with the regional code of conduct, former senior diplomat Albert del Rosario said on Thursday (Aug. 26). China has used the code of conduct and its predecessor, the 2002 Declaration of Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea, as a way to legitimize its illegal nine-dash line claim …

The US welcomes competition and is not seeking confrontation with Beijing, but would speak out on matters such as maritime conflicts in the South China Sea, Vice President Kamala Harris said as she wrapped off a tour to Southeast Asia. Harris criticized China of pressuring its Southeast Asian neighbors during trips to Singapore and Vietnam, prompting strong rebukes from Beijing, which …

The Philippines and Australia have communicated genuine worry over the “hazardous and coercive” utilization of coast watch vessels and sea volunteer armies in the South China Sea and the proceeding with militarization of questioned highlights. In a joint proclamation toward the finish of the fifth Philippines-Australia Ministerial Meeting where Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr., Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne, …