https://www.scmp.com/rss/322653/feed en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Mengzhen Liu Mengzhen Liu The decades-long negotiations on a code of conduct in the South China Sea may finally come to an end this year. Several parties involved, including China and the Philippines, have expressed confidence in reaching a final conclusion to the proposed set of rules in the contested waterways in the coming months. In March, Beijing signalled its hope of concluding negotiations with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations by the end of the year while Manila has repeatedly expressed its intention to... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3349697/without-restraint-beijing-and-manila-cant-deliver-south-china-sea-code?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3349697/without-restraint-beijing-and-manila-cant-deliver-south-china-sea-code?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 16 Apr 2026 21:30:10 +0000 Nong Hong Nong Hong China’s decision to establish a national nature reserve at Scarborough Shoal – known as Huangyan Island in China and Panatag Shoal in the Philippines – has hit regional headlines as the plan involving the contested South China Sea feature swiftly became a diplomatic flashpoint. Approved by China’s State Council and announced by the National Forestry and Grassland Administration, the plan covers some 3,500 hectares of ecologically sensitive reef and waters, divided into “core” and “experimental”... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3325981/what-scarborough-nature-reserve-plan-means-south-china-sea?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3325981/what-scarborough-nature-reserve-plan-means-south-china-sea?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 23 Sep 2025 21:30:09 +0000 Joseph Sipalan Joseph Sipalan For half a century, Malaysia’s economy has been buoyed by oil and gas, the vast reserves off its shores enabling it to ride out global downturns and sustain growth. Today, these resources are throwing the nation a lifeline once more as global economic waters become ever choppier. But smooth sailing ahead is far from guaranteed. An estimated 3.6 billion barrels of oil and more than 40 trillion cubic feet of natural gas lie under the contested waters of the South China Sea – a maritime expanse... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3322859/malaysias-energy-future-adrift-south-china-sea-can-it-defend-its-oil-wealth?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3322859/malaysias-energy-future-adrift-south-china-sea-can-it-defend-its-oil-wealth?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 23 Aug 2025 00:00:09 +0000 Zhihua Zheng Zhihua Zheng Few disputes in Asia are as enduring – and as polarising – as those over the South China Sea. For more than a decade, two sharply opposed narratives have dominated. In one, Beijing is seen as using force, or the threat of force, to change the status quo, undermining peace and stability. In the other, China is portrayed as exercising restraint, acting within its rights and working to safeguard regional stability. These perspectives are not merely different; they are mutually exclusive. One side’s... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3322260/how-beijing-and-other-south-china-sea-claimants-can-see-eye-eye?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3322260/how-beijing-and-other-south-china-sea-claimants-can-see-eye-eye?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 19 Aug 2025 12:30:08 +0000 Riaz Khokhar Riaz Khokhar On June 22, the US military launched an attack on Iran, striking nuclear sites like the deeply buried Fordow enrichment plant with massive bunker-busting bombs. In tandem with an Israeli air campaign, this was the biggest Western military action against Tehran since 1979. US President Donald Trump immediately hailed the raid as a “spectacular military success”, boasting on national television that Iran’s key enrichment installations had been “completely and totally obliterated”. Some quickly... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3316043/us-attack-iran-shakes-east-asias-faith-non-proliferation-norms?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3316043/us-attack-iran-shakes-east-asias-faith-non-proliferation-norms?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 29 Jun 2025 21:30:08 +0000 Lucio Blanco Pitlo III Lucio Blanco Pitlo III June 9 marks the 50th anniversary of Philippines-China relations, ties steeped in history but marred by friction in recent years. Sadly, an overemphasis on the intractable sea dispute has polluted broader connections, stunting economic cooperation and stigmatising people-to-people exchanges. This is irrational and unproductive. For Manila to make the sea row front and centre of ties is a tragedy of its foreign policy. For China to see its smaller neighbour as a mere pawn in its great power... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3313073/50-years-history-manila-and-beijing-should-do-better-diplomacy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3313073/50-years-history-manila-and-beijing-should-do-better-diplomacy?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 05 Jun 2025 21:30:07 +0000 Asma Khalid Asma Khalid Last month, Cambodia allowed foreign warships from multiple nations to access its Ream naval base in a clear bid to show it is not merely a Chinese outpost. A Vietnamese gunboat docked on April 27, following the arrival of two Japanese minesweepers after Cambodia inaugurated the upgraded facility. Russian naval vessels also docked at Ream during a visit that began in late April. The Phnom Penh Post reported that Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet “welcomes requests from all nations” to dock and... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3309574/align-security-interests-china-and-asean-must-close-trust-gaps?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3309574/align-security-interests-china-and-asean-must-close-trust-gaps?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 13 May 2025 01:30:09 +0000 Raissa Robles Raissa Robles A symbolic battle over flags on a disputed reef has reignited tensions between China and the Philippines, exposing the challenges to achieving maritime stability even as Beijing pledges to complete a long-delayed Code of Conduct aimed at preventing conflict in the South China Sea. Two weeks after Chinese coastguard personnel posed with their national flag on Sandy Cay – asserting “indisputable sovereignty” over the reef, which it refers to as Tiexian Jiao – Philippine navy, coastguard and police... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3308243/why-sandy-cay-matters-philippines-and-china-stake-rival-claims-south-china-sea-dispute?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3308243/why-sandy-cay-matters-philippines-and-china-stake-rival-claims-south-china-sea-dispute?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 28 Apr 2025 11:50:31 +0000 Chinese President Xi Jinping’s recent Southeast Asian tour has put the South China Sea – a simmering cauldron of territorial and maritime disputes – back into focus. Amid joint statements brimming with diplomatic finesse, Beijing is sending a clear message: it seeks to manage tensions and not escalate them while keeping its strategic compass firmly pointed towards cooperation and regional stability. The statements – issued alongside Hanoi and Kuala Lumpur – emphasise peaceful dispute resolution,... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3307310/beijings-approach-south-china-sea-tensions-reduce-now-resolve-later?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3307310/beijings-approach-south-china-sea-tensions-reduce-now-resolve-later?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 23 Apr 2025 21:30:08 +0000 Nearly 100 days in, Donald Trump’s second term as US president has been defined by his determination to upend the established order on nearly all fronts of domestic and foreign policy. In the second of this series, we look at the extent to which the president’s actions have unravelled and possibly broken relations with Washington’s closest allies. As former US president Joe Biden’s administration wound down in January, China faced more pressure on multiple fronts – diplomatic, economic and... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3307657/donald-trumps-tariffs-hit-us-allies-hard-will-china-make-inroads?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3307657/donald-trumps-tariffs-hit-us-allies-hard-will-china-make-inroads?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 23 Apr 2025 15:11:06 +0000 Chinese President Xi Jinping’s recent Southeast Asian tour has put the South China Sea – a simmering cauldron of territorial and maritime disputes – back into focus. Amid joint statements brimming with diplomatic finesse, Beijing is sending a clear message: it seeks to manage tensions and not escalate them while keeping its strategic compass firmly pointed towards cooperation and regional stability. The statements – issued alongside Hanoi and Kuala Lumpur – emphasise peaceful dispute resolution,... https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3307405/xis-approach-south-china-sea-tensions-reduce-now-resolve-later?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3307405/xis-approach-south-china-sea-tensions-reduce-now-resolve-later?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 22 Apr 2025 07:06:46 +0000 For nearly 30 years, China and Southeast Asian nations have wrestled to craft a set of rules to tame persistent tensions in the South China Sea, one of the world’s busiest and most contested waterways. China’s top diplomat Wang Yi declared a milestone last month when announcing the completion of the third reading of the long-awaited Code of Conduct (COC), adding to hopes that Malaysia’s Asean chairmanship this year could speed up the protracted negotiations ahead of a 2026 deadline. However,... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3305473/beijing-declared-milestone-south-china-sea-code-conduct-it-progress-or-tactic?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3305473/beijing-declared-milestone-south-china-sea-code-conduct-it-progress-or-tactic?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 08 Apr 2025 01:00:14 +0000 A combination of poor diplomacy and deep mistrust among South China Sea claimant states could escalate tensions into a “crisis”, an expert has warned while urging more measures to protect “aggrieved” countries. Lucio Pitlo, a research fellow at the Manila-based Asia-Pacific Pathways to Progress Foundation think tank, told a conference in China on Friday there was a consensus that the situation in the disputed waters had become “increasingly untenable”. “The risk is increasing,” he said,... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3304612/south-china-sea-poor-diplomacy-and-deep-mistrust-could-escalate-crisis-expert-warns?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3304612/south-china-sea-poor-diplomacy-and-deep-mistrust-could-escalate-crisis-expert-warns?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 01 Apr 2025 01:00:14 +0000 Armed with “more diverse tools”, Beijing will not sit idle this time if Manila launches a second high-profile arbitration case against Beijing over the South China Sea, according to a leading Chinese maritime expert. The Philippines is considering another legal challenge against Beijing over the disputed waterway. One option is for the Philippines to sue China for the alleged extraction of giant clams and substantial ecological harm to coral reefs within Manila’s exclusive economic zone. In an... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3299096/china-ensure-cost-outweighs-gains-if-manila-launches-new-south-china-sea-case-expert?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3299096/china-ensure-cost-outweighs-gains-if-manila-launches-new-south-china-sea-case-expert?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 18 Feb 2025 04:47:20 +0000 The South China Sea has long been a stage for US-China rivalry, its critical shipping lanes, rich resources and competing territorial claims making it a geopolitical flashpoint. Last year, tensions escalated as China intensified its actions in the disputed waters, including announcing baselines around Scarborough Shoal and stepping up reef patrols. Simultaneously, the United States maintained its freedom of navigation operations, signalling support for regional allies and challenging Beijing’s... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3295077/how-trump-could-upend-south-china-sea-calculations-all-round?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3295077/how-trump-could-upend-south-china-sea-calculations-all-round?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 19 Jan 2025 21:30:07 +0000 The risk of a China-US conflict in the South China Sea is set to rise in 2025, fuelled by incoming president Donald Trump’s expected assertive and confrontational approach, a prominent Chinese scholar has warned. Wu Shicun, founder of the National Institute for South China Sea Studies and a former policy adviser to Beijing, said the new Trump administration “will be more impulsive and aggressive” than its predecessor on issues relating to the disputed waterway. In an article published on... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3293586/south-china-sea-conflict-risks-rise-trumps-second-term-academic-forecasts?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3293586/south-china-sea-conflict-risks-rise-trumps-second-term-academic-forecasts?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 06 Jan 2025 14:00:09 +0000 Global Impact is a weekly curated newsletter featuring a news topic originating in China with a significant macro impact for our newsreaders around the world. Sign up now! With tensions in the South China Sea showing no signs of abating, countries with claims in the disputed waterway are seeking whatever means they can to stay ahead of the competition, including conducting joint exercises and forming deeper alliances. Last month, President Xi Jinping urged the United States to exercise “extreme... https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3289920/waves-continue-south-china-sea-china-warns-against-provocative-actions?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3289920/waves-continue-south-china-sea-china-warns-against-provocative-actions?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 09 Dec 2024 06:00:14 +0000 Sitting 100km (62 miles) off the coast of Malaysia’s Sarawak state, the Luconia Shoals have become yet another source of tension in the South China Sea between Beijing and its neighbours. The shoals are off the northwestern coast of Borneo and fall well within Malaysia’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ), giving Kuala Lumpur exclusive sovereign rights over the natural resources. But China objects to Malaysia’s exploration activities based on its “nine-dash line” claim of sovereignty over the Spratly... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3280575/who-winning-fight-south-china-seas-resources?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3280575/who-winning-fight-south-china-seas-resources?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 01 Oct 2024 01:00:12 +0000 Chinese analysts have said the risk of conflict in the South China Sea is low despite the warning by the Philippine defence minister that it would be an “act of war” if Beijing removed a ship moored at a disputed atoll. Gilberto Teodoro Jnr told CBS that “if China were to take the Sierra Madre, that is a clear act of war on the Philippine vessel”, adding that in such an event, the United States would be expected to step in to help its ally. The BRP Sierra Madre, a World War II-era warship, was... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3279190/why-latest-philippine-warning-south-china-sea-war-may-not-be-cause-serious-alarm?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3279190/why-latest-philippine-warning-south-china-sea-war-may-not-be-cause-serious-alarm?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 19 Sep 2024 12:50:36 +0000 As doubts grow over Asean’s ability to secure an agreement with Beijing to prevent conflict in the South China Sea, analysts urge the Philippines to focus on mini-lateral agreements with neighbours like Vietnam and Malaysia to counter China’s increasing assertiveness. Dindo Manhit, president of Manila-based think tank Stratbase ADR Institute, told This Week in Asia that mini-lateral partnerships with like-minded countries were Manila’s best course of action to defend its national interests and... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3278297/south-china-sea-manila-urged-form-smaller-defence-pacts-asean-negotiations-stall?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3278297/south-china-sea-manila-urged-form-smaller-defence-pacts-asean-negotiations-stall?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 13 Sep 2024 06:30:08 +0000 The South China Sea is claimed by almost every country in the region but its ripple effects are felt well beyond the fiercely contested waterway. In the second of a three-part series, Orange Wang investigates the meaning of China’s nine-dash line. The U-shaped nine-dash line that outlines China’s claims in the South China Sea is a long-standing bone of contention among the other claimants over the vast waterway and has been open to several interpretations. The conventional wisdom is that Beijing... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3275865/what-beijings-9-dash-line-south-china-sea-and-what-does-it-mean?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3275865/what-beijings-9-dash-line-south-china-sea-and-what-does-it-mean?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 04 Sep 2024 22:00:10 +0000 Washington’s No 2 diplomat concluded his Pacific tour on Friday with a focus on tensions in the South China Sea and boosting Nato’s ties in the Indo-Pacific vis-à-vis Beijing amid controversy over support for Taiwan at a high-profile regional gathering. US Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell had been travelling in the strategically vital region since Wednesday for the Pacific Islands Forum leaders’ summit in Tonga. The US is one of the PIF’s more than 20 dialogue partners, alongside China,... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3276663/no-2-us-diplomat-ends-pacific-tour-bolster-regional-ties-taiwan-flap-rankles-beijing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3276663/no-2-us-diplomat-ends-pacific-tour-bolster-regional-ties-taiwan-flap-rankles-beijing?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 30 Aug 2024 20:18:38 +0000 Hanoi stockbroker Mai Xuan Huu is a member of Vietnam’s upwardly mobile middle class, whose fortunes are tightly bound to the country’s political stability – and economic growth that’s been averaging a brisk 4.5 per cent annually. But the 33-year-old now harbours concerns for his homeland, which has benefited in recent years from companies relocating their supply chains outside China to skirt US tariffs arising from the pair’s damaging trade war. A leadership transition in Hanoi, marked by an... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3275689/south-china-sea-stakes-ratchet-ever-higher-vietnam-seeks-out-calmer-waters?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3275689/south-china-sea-stakes-ratchet-ever-higher-vietnam-seeks-out-calmer-waters?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 24 Aug 2024 01:00:17 +0000 Ramped-up mainland Chinese patrols in the Taiwan Strait signal Beijing’s resolve to intensify maritime control amid heightened tensions with Taipei, according to analysts. The mainland’s Ministry of Transport said it had carried out a patrol and law enforcement operation in the Taiwan Strait on the weekend, in an operation designed to “enhance maritime traffic control and emergency rescue capabilities”. Observers said the 30-hour exercise starting Saturday was the latest in integrated mainland... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3275086/integrated-patrols-signal-beijing-asserting-claims-taiwan-strait-south-china-sea?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3275086/integrated-patrols-signal-beijing-asserting-claims-taiwan-strait-south-china-sea?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 19 Aug 2024 14:00:07 +0000 China will take “resolute and strong measures” against encroaching Philippine coastguard ships at disputed Sabina Shoal in the South China Sea, the foreign ministry said on Friday. Asked about the ongoing stand-off, ministry spokesman Lin Jian accused the Philippine coastguard vessel stationed at the lagoon by Sabina Shoal of “seriously infringing China’s sovereignty, seriously violating the declaration on the DOC and seriously threatening peace and stability in the South China Sea”. The DOC... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3274839/china-vows-strong-measures-against-philippines-over-encroaching-ships-south-china-sea?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3274839/china-vows-strong-measures-against-philippines-over-encroaching-ships-south-china-sea?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 16 Aug 2024 15:45:09 +0000 A recent incident involving Chinese air force actions in the South China Sea has intensified concerns in the Philippines that Beijing’s aggressive maritime tactics in the disputed territory could increasingly be used in the sky. Analysts said Manila must urgently establish clear rules of engagement and bolster its air force capabilities to manage potential future conflicts. However, they did not believe it would lead to the country invoking its Mutual Defence Treaty (MDT) with the United States,... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3274215/south-china-sea-how-will-manila-answer-beijing-shifts-tactics-water-sky?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3274215/south-china-sea-how-will-manila-answer-beijing-shifts-tactics-water-sky?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 12 Aug 2024 10:12:09 +0000 China has been investing heavily in scientific research in the South China Sea in recent years, opening up a new front in its push to establish sovereignty in the areas as tensions with other claimant countries have escalated. One of the clearest cases has emerged in recent months with a Chinese study reporting on the degradation of an ecosystem around a Philippine-controlled reef. That research was soon followed by a separate and contrasting study that described the “excellent” environmental... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3270831/south-china-sea-beijing-bankrolls-science-missions-conflict-heats-waterway?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3270831/south-china-sea-beijing-bankrolls-science-missions-conflict-heats-waterway?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 09 Aug 2024 01:00:10 +0000 Tensions are mounting in the South China Sea – a hotly contested and globally significant waterway that’s become a flashpoint for conflict. In the final instalment of a four-part series we look at the role of a rising auxiliary force in the region. China’s fleets of civilian vessels and fishing boats known as the maritime militia have become more visible as confrontations have grown between Beijing and Manila in the South China Sea. On several occasions, the crews of these boats have been... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3272432/south-china-sea-what-beijings-maritime-militia-and-how-does-it-support-pla?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3272432/south-china-sea-what-beijings-maritime-militia-and-how-does-it-support-pla?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 02 Aug 2024 22:00:14 +0000 Beijing should set a definitive time frame for Manila to withdraw from Second Thomas Shoal, a move that would be a big step towards ending the long-standing “cat-and-mouse game” over the contentious submerged reef, a leading Chinese maritime expert said. Describing persistent confrontation over the shoal as “a bleeding wound”, Wu Shicun, founder of the Hainan-based National Institute for South China Sea Studies, told Chinese news outlet Guancha there was an urgent need to conclusively settle... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3270758/south-china-sea-beijing-urged-create-deadline-philippines-withdraw-shoal?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3270758/south-china-sea-beijing-urged-create-deadline-philippines-withdraw-shoal?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 17 Jul 2024 05:59:41 +0000 Global Impact is a weekly curated newsletter featuring a news topic originating in China with a significant macro impact for our newsreaders around the world. Sign up now! The recent clash in the South China Sea – one of the most intense skirmishes in recent memory – revealed the fragility of peace in this volatile region. Following the incident, officials from China and the Philippines convened in Manila, striving to navigate their stark maritime disagreements over this strategic and... https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3270433/south-china-sea-clash-raises-stakes-even-higher-scepticism-surrounds-manilla-talks?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3270433/south-china-sea-clash-raises-stakes-even-higher-scepticism-surrounds-manilla-talks?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 15 Jul 2024 06:00:11 +0000 Soon after his landslide victory in 2022, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr vowed not to allow “a single millimetre” of the nation’s coastal rights to be “trampled upon”. Crucially, he invoked the “very important” 2016 Hague ruling which rejected the bulk of China’s expansive claims over the South China Sea. “We will use it to continue to assert our territorial rights. It is not a claim. It is already our territorial right,” he said, emphasising the final and binding nature of the... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3269978/south-china-sea-marcos-has-resisted-drastic-moves-so-far-how-long?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3269978/south-china-sea-marcos-has-resisted-drastic-moves-so-far-how-long?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 12 Jul 2024 21:30:09 +0000 Despite pledges to de-escalate tensions in the South China Sea, analysts and sources familiar with Beijing and Manila’s negotiations allege that China is exploiting the bilateral talks as a strategy to legitimise its control over disputed maritime territory in the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone. Following the latest round of the China-Philippines Bilateral Consultation Mechanism (BCM) on the South China Sea, held in Manila on July 2, the Philippine government acknowledged that “significant... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3269649/south-china-sea-beijing-abusing-philippines-talks-mask-its-policy-aggression?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3269649/south-china-sea-beijing-abusing-philippines-talks-mask-its-policy-aggression?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 09 Jul 2024 00:00:15 +0000 Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr is busy playing down the risks of a major conflict in the South China Sea after yet another dangerous clash, this time with axe-wielding Chinese maritime forces that left injuries, including one Filipino soldier who lost his thumb. “We are not in the business to instigate wars,” Marcos Jnr told troops at a military base in Palawan, which embraces the South China Sea. “We refuse to play by the rules that force us to choose sides in a great power... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3268145/doubts-about-us-behind-marcos-downplay-latest-south-china-sea-clash?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3268145/doubts-about-us-behind-marcos-downplay-latest-south-china-sea-clash?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 28 Jun 2024 21:30:09 +0000 Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr is busy playing down the risks of a major conflict in the South China Sea after yet another dangerous clash, this time with axe-wielding Chinese maritime forces that left injuries, including one Filipino soldier who lost his thumb. “We are not in the business to instigate wars,” Marcos Jnr told troops at a military base in Palawan, which embraces the South China Sea. “We refuse to play by the rules that force us to choose sides in a great power... https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3268225/doubts-about-us-behind-marcos-downplay-latest-south-china-sea-clash?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3268225/doubts-about-us-behind-marcos-downplay-latest-south-china-sea-clash?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 27 Jun 2024 06:30:09 +0000 Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim recently talked down the Philippine approach to disputes with China in the South China Sea and talked up Malaysia’s “more aggressive way of diplomatic engagement” as being more successful. With Malaysia set to chair Asean next year, Anwar’s statement carried immense strategic significance. Speaking at the 37th Asia-Pacific Roundtable in Kuala Lumpur earlier this month, Anwar admitted that Malaysia and China had also faced “some very serious issues” but... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3266516/asean-all-adrift-over-south-china-sea-consensus?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3266516/asean-all-adrift-over-south-china-sea-consensus?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 16 Jun 2024 21:30:09 +0000 Malaysia should take a more proactive approach to defending its rights in the South China Sea, an American expert on China who has advised the Pentagon warned – urging the Southeast Asian nation to reject Beijing’s “excessive claims” over the disputed waters and protect its own long-term strategic goals. Prioritising short-term trade benefits poses serious risks that could ultimately result in greater long-term costs, said Toshi Yoshihara, a senior fellow at the Washington -based Centre for... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3265240/malaysia-urged-follow-philippines-lead-and-get-tougher-beijing-over-south-china-sea-claims?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3265240/malaysia-urged-follow-philippines-lead-and-get-tougher-beijing-over-south-china-sea-claims?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 04 Jun 2024 03:00:09 +0000 Raising tensions in the South China Sea is “the last thing we would like”, said Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr recently, when pressed on whether Manila would adopt more aggressive tactics, such as the water cannons used by the Chinese. “And that [using water cannons] will certainly do that,” he said, dismissing the idea. In recent months, Chinese maritime forces have repeatedly aimed water cannons at Philippine resupply and patrol missions in the disputed South China Sea, damaging... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3263847/south-china-sea-beijing-can-ill-afford-be-seen-bully?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3263847/south-china-sea-beijing-can-ill-afford-be-seen-bully?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 27 May 2024 21:30:08 +0000 Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr could be falling prey to “cognitive warfare”, analysts say, by calling for a full investigation into allegations that a high-ranking Philippine navy officer made a secret deal with Beijing regarding conduct in the South China Sea. Unlike other senior Philippine officials, who have dismissed the Chinese embassy’s transcript and audio of the supposed conversation as fabricated, Marcos Jnr said he wanted to hear the recording himself before making any... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3263381/south-china-sea-chinese-cognitive-warfare-fears-philippines-marcos-calls-deal-probe?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3263381/south-china-sea-chinese-cognitive-warfare-fears-philippines-marcos-calls-deal-probe?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 21 May 2024 00:00:25 +0000 There seems little room for compromise amid tensions in the South China Sea between China and the Philippines. All the while, the space to prevent an escalation, or worse, appears to be narrowing. Pointing to historical rights dating back centuries, Beijing claims the fishing, navigation and resource development rights over much of the disputed waters. Manila in turn asserts that the disputed area is clearly within its UN-mandated 200 nautical mile exclusive economic zone. While China mostly... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3262816/south-china-sea-why-philippines-needs-chinese-energy-deal?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3262816/south-china-sea-why-philippines-needs-chinese-energy-deal?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 19 May 2024 21:30:14 +0000 Beijing’s threat to publish recordings of a phone conversation with a Philippine military official about a deal over disputed territory in the South China Sea is an unusual expression of frustration and could add to frictions with Manila, observers say. According to a Bloomberg report on Monday, Beijing said that it would soon release the audio of a purported phone call with Vice Admiral Alberto Carlos, head of the Philippine military’s Western Command which oversees Manila’s defence of the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3262077/beijings-threat-release-audio-spratly-deal-shows-chinas-frustration-philippines?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3262077/beijings-threat-release-audio-spratly-deal-shows-chinas-frustration-philippines?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 09 May 2024 14:00:34 +0000 As disputes in the South China Sea risk escalating into open conflict, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations must reassert its centrality to prevent the region from becoming a theatre of war, and a pawn on someone else’s chessboard. With pro-Palestinian encampments proliferating across US campuses, comparisons to the anti-Vietnam war protests of the 1960s have emerged. The Biden administration’s reluctance to rein in Israel’s destruction of the Gaza Strip has divided the nation and sparked... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3261604/asean-must-calm-south-china-sea-waters-or-risk-asias-ukraine?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3261604/asean-must-calm-south-china-sea-waters-or-risk-asias-ukraine?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 07 May 2024 21:30:26 +0000 The Philippine ambassador to the United States has reassured that bilateral relations between the two countries would remain strong should Donald Trump win the US presidential election in November, a view supported by many analysts who see it aligning with Trump’s aggressive stance towards China. However, some experts cautioned that there could be major shifts under a second Trump administration, including troop withdrawals and changes to mutual defence agreements, underscoring the... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3261068/south-china-sea-how-trump-win-could-reshape-us-philippines-alliance?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3261068/south-china-sea-how-trump-win-could-reshape-us-philippines-alliance?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 02 May 2024 04:00:11 +0000 Senior Colonel Zhou Bo (retired) is a senior fellow with the Centre for International Security and Strategy at Tsinghua University. He spent four decades with the People’s Liberation Army, mainly in diplomatic roles. For other interviews in the Open Questions series, click here. China and the Philippines have been in a row for some time over disputed islands in the South China Sea. Do you see the situation continuing and what is China’s strategy? China has never used force against the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3260690/china-used-water-cannon-deterrence-against-philippine-ships-pla-senior-colonel-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3260690/china-used-water-cannon-deterrence-against-philippine-ships-pla-senior-colonel-says?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 28 Apr 2024 22:00:34 +0000 China should ramp up the pressure to dissuade the Philippines from seeking a second arbitration on the disputed South China Sea, an observer said, warning that it might encourage other rival claimants to follow suit. Wu Shicun, the founding president of China’s National Institute for South China Sea Studies, referred to a 2016 Hague tribunal ruling in Manila’s favour. “The 2016 arbitration ruling has already had a negative impact that can hardly be fully erased, but it’s very important for China... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3260685/south-china-sea-beijing-urged-step-pressure-philippines-over-rival-claims-or-risk-domino-effect?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3260685/south-china-sea-beijing-urged-step-pressure-philippines-over-rival-claims-or-risk-domino-effect?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 28 Apr 2024 14:00:13 +0000 Last week, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr said he had no plans to “create any more [military] bases or give [Americans] access to any more bases”. Last year, Manila granted US troops access to four military bases, in addition to five existing locations under the countries’ Enhanced Defence Cooperation Agreement (EDCA), signed in 2014. The timing of his comments were telling. Marcos Jnr had just returned from a high-profile White House visit for the inaugural Japan-Philippines-US... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3259529/south-china-sea-doesnt-have-define-sino-philippine-relations?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3259529/south-china-sea-doesnt-have-define-sino-philippine-relations?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 21 Apr 2024 21:30:26 +0000 US President Joe Biden, meeting on Thursday with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr at the White House, said their trilateral summit represented a “new era of a partnership” designed to show strong support for the Philippines as it comes under growing pressure from China. In a show of unity with Manila, the leaders also announced a series of security, economic and diplomatic initiatives, including a “Luzon Economic Corridor as part of a Group of 7... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3258571/biden-kishida-marcos-jnr-trilateral-show-support-philippines-amid-confrontations-china-us-officials?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3258571/biden-kishida-marcos-jnr-trilateral-show-support-philippines-amid-confrontations-china-us-officials?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 11 Apr 2024 09:00:43 +0000 The creation of rules to cover the disputed South China Sea faces “unprecedented difficulties”, and a long-delayed regional code of conduct may have hit a snag, according to a leading Chinese maritime expert. Speaking at a seminar on Friday about the situation in the South China Sea, Wu Shicun, founding president of China’s National Institute for South China Sea Studies in Hainan, expressed pessimism about progress of the South China Sea Code of Conduct (COC), a decade-long negotiation between... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3257527/south-china-sea-writing-rule-book-disputed-waterway-delayed-lack-trust-and-momentum-says-maritime?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3257527/south-china-sea-writing-rule-book-disputed-waterway-delayed-lack-trust-and-momentum-says-maritime?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 02 Apr 2024 06:00:13 +0000 Earlier this month, US ambassador to China Nicholas Burns discussed US-China relations at a seminar hosted by the East-West Centre in Hawaii. Startlingly, he claimed that Second Thomas Shoal and Scarborough Shoal were “the sovereign territory of the Philippines”. His baffling remark was in response to questions by East-West Centre president Suzanne Vares-Lum on South China Sea tensions between China and the Philippines. Burns said the US was “very concerned” about China’s “coercive pressure”,... https://www.scmp.com/comment/asia-opinion/article/3256837/why-did-us-diplomat-say-scarborough-shoal-belonged-philippines?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/asia-opinion/article/3256837/why-did-us-diplomat-say-scarborough-shoal-belonged-philippines?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 29 Mar 2024 21:30:19 +0000 China’s decision to draw a new territorial line in southern waters it shares with Vietnam has raised regional concerns that similar tactics could be used in the South China Sea. Earlier this month, Beijing declared a set of seven base points along its southern coast to demarcate its territorial waters and sovereignty over airspace, seabed and subsoil in the Gulf of Tonkin, known in China as the Beibu Gulf. Previously, China had not specified a baseline but, under the United Nations Convention on... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3255978/china-has-drawn-its-territorial-line-gulf-tonkin-south-china-sea-next?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3255978/china-has-drawn-its-territorial-line-gulf-tonkin-south-china-sea-next?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 19 Mar 2024 15:00:12 +0000 Looking at the Philippines’ recent actions at Scarborough Shoal and Second Thomas Shoal, it is clear the Marcos Jnr administration has adopted a new playbook for the South China Sea. On the one hand, Manila is following the examples of China and Vietnam by subsidising its fishermen, enabling them to be at the forefront of “grey zone” operations at sea. On the other hand, it is adopting an “assertive transparency” strategy, increasing exposure and even creating opportunities for accidents that... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3254428/philippines-new-playbook-threat-south-china-sea-peace?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3254428/philippines-new-playbook-threat-south-china-sea-peace?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 10 Mar 2024 01:00:21 +0000