A reef in the disputed Spratly Islands, where China has been building up its military infrastructure and presence. Photo: AFP
South China Sea safeguards ‘not strong enough’ to stop international tensions escalating
- Observers call for greater efforts to agree on a code of conduct for the disputed waters, which have become a major forum for the US-China rivalry
- Talks on the code between China and Asean have been going on for years, but have yet to resolve some major points of disagreement
A reef in the disputed Spratly Islands, where China has been building up its military infrastructure and presence. Photo: AFP