https://www.scmp.com/rss/45057/feed The Paracel Islands, known as the Xisha Islands in China and the Hoang Sa Archipelago in Vietnam, is a group of more than 30 islands in the South China Sea located between the coastlines of Vietnam and China. They are currently controlled by China but also claimed by Taiwan and Vietnam. The islands were the scene of a naval battle between China and then South Vietnam in January 1974, after which China gained control of the entire archipelago. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Orange Wang Orange Wang Beijing and Hanoi have bolstered their commitment to demarcation talks over a contested stretch of water in the South China Sea, pledging to “better” navigate bilateral frictions in the area, according to a joint communique. The document also said the countries’ ruling communist parties had agreed to shore up each other’s leadership at home with the adoption of a new five-year action plan. Published on Friday as To Lam, Vietnam’s top leader, wrapped up his four-day visit to China, the communique... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3350516/smoother-waters-china-and-vietnam-vow-better-navigate-south-china-sea-frictions?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3350516/smoother-waters-china-and-vietnam-vow-better-navigate-south-china-sea-frictions?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 17 Apr 2026 12:12:52 +0000 Laura Zhou Laura Zhou The strategic value to Beijing of a new military base in the contested Paracel Islands is likely to be limited, according to Chinese observers, as the South China Sea remains a focal point of regional tensions. The assessment comes amid rising concern over China’s land reclamation at Antelope Reef, believed to be its most significant project in the strategic waters since it declared a halt to such activities about a decade ago. The Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative (AMTI) of the Centre for... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3347748/why-military-base-contested-paracels-will-be-limited-value-beijing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3347748/why-military-base-contested-paracels-will-be-limited-value-beijing?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 24 Mar 2026 14:00:08 +0000 William Zheng William Zheng Beijing has defended ongoing land-reclamation activities in the contested Paracel Islands in the South China Sea, saying they are aimed at improving living conditions and boosting the local economy. “The Xisha Islands are an inherent part of China’s territory and there is no dispute about it,” foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian said on Monday, using the Chinese name for the archipelago. “China’s necessary construction activities on its own territory are aimed at improving the living conditions... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3347603/no-dispute-about-it-beijing-defends-construction-paracel-islands-south-china-sea?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3347603/no-dispute-about-it-beijing-defends-construction-paracel-islands-south-china-sea?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 23 Mar 2026 11:01:20 +0000 Laura Zhou Laura Zhou Hanoi has protested to Beijing over Chinese land-reclamation activities in the disputed Paracel Islands in the South China Sea, following reports of accelerated dredging and landfill operations at Antelope Reef. “Vietnam resolutely opposes such activities, makes representations and affirms its position on this matter,” Vietnamese foreign ministry spokeswoman Pham Thu Hang said on Saturday. She said Hanoi had “ample historical evidence and legal grounds” to assert sovereignty over the Paracel... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3347467/vietnam-protests-chinas-paracels-build-escalates-antelope-reef?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3347467/vietnam-protests-chinas-paracels-build-escalates-antelope-reef?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 22 Mar 2026 07:00:08 +0000 Amber Wang Amber Wang Chinese and Vietnamese personnel will carry out a joint naval patrol and training exercise in the Gulf of Tonkin this week, extending a practice that has continued despite long-standing competing maritime claims. The joint manoeuvres will take place as part of the China-Vietnam Border Defence Friendship Exchange, which will include medical and cultural exchange events, China’s defence ministry said on Sunday. They will be conducted in waters off China’s Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region and... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3346656/joint-patrols-china-vietnam-steers-course-between-two-powers?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3346656/joint-patrols-china-vietnam-steers-course-between-two-powers?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 15 Mar 2026 11:00:12 +0000 Laura Zhou Laura Zhou China and Vietnam are to hold their first high-level ministerial talks under a new platform next week. This comes as the neighbours seek to cement their strategic alignment despite heightened tensions over Beijing’s purported new land reclamation work in the disputed South China Sea. According to the Chinese foreign ministry, Foreign Minister Wang Yi, Public Security Minister Wang Xiaohong and Defence Minister Dong Jun will be in Vietnam from Sunday to Tuesday to meet their respective... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3346539/will-paracels-dispute-overshadow-china-and-vietnams-drive-stronger-strategic-ties?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3346539/will-paracels-dispute-overshadow-china-and-vietnams-drive-stronger-strategic-ties?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 13 Mar 2026 13:00:08 +0000 Vanessa Cai Vanessa Cai In January, the US-based magazine Newsweek reported that China had started dredging sand on an obscure feature in the Paracel Islands, the disputed archipelago known as Xisha by the Chinese and Hoang Sa in Vietnam. More recent satellite images suggest that China has significantly expanded its reclamation, with the once-submerged Antelope Reef appearing to have a substantially larger surface area. The reef, one of more than 30 islands that make up the Paracels in the South China Sea, is claimed... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3346476/whats-important-about-antelope-reef-south-china-seas-paracel-islands?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3346476/whats-important-about-antelope-reef-south-china-seas-paracel-islands?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 13 Mar 2026 07:59:20 +0000 Laura Zhou Laura Zhou China has significantly stepped up its land reclamation activities on a disputed shoal in the South China Sea, according to satellite images. One image, reportedly taken on Monday, suggested that the surface area of Antelope Reef, once a mostly submerged feature in the Paracel Islands, had expanded substantially. The picture, published on social media by Damien Symon, a researcher with global intelligence research network The Intel Lab, also showed more than 30 vessels, believed to be dredgers... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3346257/beijing-stepping-island-building-south-china-sea-after-10-year-pause?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3346257/beijing-stepping-island-building-south-china-sea-after-10-year-pause?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 12 Mar 2026 01:00:08 +0000 William Zheng William Zheng Xiao Jie, a senior official in the Chinese province of Hainan who played a leading role in building reefs in disputed territories in the South China Sea, has been detained on suspicion of corruption. Xiao, 66, became the first Communist Party chief and mayor of Sansha when it was established as a prefecture-level city in 2012 to administer territories held by Beijing, including the Spratly Islands, Paracel Islands and Macclesfield Bank. He was accused of “serious violations of discipline and... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3342648/hainan-official-who-played-key-role-building-south-china-sea-reefs-faces-corruption-probe?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3342648/hainan-official-who-played-key-role-building-south-china-sea-reefs-faces-corruption-probe?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 06 Feb 2026 09:00:10 +0000 Laura Zhou Laura Zhou China is recruiting social workers for disputed islands in the South China Sea. According to a notice published on Monday, the government of Sansha, the authority set up to administer the disputed territories, said it was looking for 11 “community workers” to post on eight reefs and islands in the Paracel and the Spratly islands. The territories include Woody Island, the administrative centre of the disputed territories, and Mischief Reef, which is home to a large military base. The notice was... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3339921/beijing-looks-social-workers-place-disputed-south-china-sea-islands?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3339921/beijing-looks-social-workers-place-disputed-south-china-sea-islands?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 15 Jan 2026 06:00:14 +0000 Laura Zhou Laura Zhou China has launched a fresh food supply service for residents of Woody Island, part of the hotly contested Paracel Islands in the South China Sea. A flight carrying fresh fruit, vegetables and meat landed on Woody Island – known as Yongxing Island in Chinese – on Tuesday, according to local state broadcaster Sansha TV. Woody Island is the largest outcrop in the Paracels, which are called the Xisha Islands in China. The island hosts the government of Sansha, which was established to administer... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3339176/china-launches-woody-island-fresh-food-link-disputed-paracels-hub-expands?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3339176/china-launches-woody-island-fresh-food-link-disputed-paracels-hub-expands?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 08 Jan 2026 08:57:54 +0000 Cao Jiaxuan Cao Jiaxuan China has opened a new shopping centre on Woody Island in the disputed Paracel Islands, bolstering its civilian presence on the strategically vital South China Sea outpost. The Sansha City Commercial Centre opened to business on Thursday, according to the local government. The over 6,000 square metre (64,600 sq ft) complex is the latest addition to China’s civilian infrastructure on what it calls Yongxing Island, following its first hardware store last year and a hotpot restaurant in 2023. Woody... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3337811/china-opens-shopping-centre-woody-island-disputed-paracels-south-china-sea?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3337811/china-opens-shopping-centre-woody-island-disputed-paracels-south-china-sea?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 26 Dec 2025 10:00:13 +0000 Laura Zhou Laura Zhou China has launched a campaign to preserve historical sites on the disputed Woody Island, or Yongxing Island in Chinese, as Beijing looks to cement its territorial claims in the South China Sea. A team of conservation scientists and technicians from the Hainan Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology spent six days reinforcing a monument that marked China’s takeover of the Paracel Islands, known as the Xisha Islands in China, after World War II, according to the government of the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3333579/beijing-launches-historic-preservation-campaign-cement-south-china-sea-claims?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3333579/beijing-launches-historic-preservation-campaign-cement-south-china-sea-claims?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 21 Nov 2025 00:00:29 +0000 Seong Hyeon Choi,Zhao Ziwen Seong Hyeon Choi,Zhao Ziwen China and Australia exchanged accusations on Monday after an encounter over the disputed South China Sea, with the PLA’s Southern Theatre Command Air Force saying that it drove away a P-8A military aircraft that illegally intruded into Chinese airspace. “The People’s Liberation Army Southern Theatre Command organised naval and air forces to track and monitor the intruder in accordance with regulations, implement effective countermeasures, and issue warnings to drive it away,” Senior Colonel Li... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3329696/china-australia-trade-blame-after-pla-jet-releases-flares-mid-air-encounter?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3329696/china-australia-trade-blame-after-pla-jet-releases-flares-mid-air-encounter?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 20 Oct 2025 11:06:02 +0000 Laura Zhou Laura Zhou China’s designation of a national nature reserve in the contested Scarborough Shoal – and its punitive measures for unauthorised entry – have prompted strong pushback from the Philippines, with analysts warning the move could escalate tensions in the strategically important waterway. Beijing’s announcement of the decision on Wednesday marked its latest efforts to consolidate its claims in the contested area that is now a focal point of intense confrontations between the two countries and could... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3325243/why-chinas-new-plan-bolster-its-south-china-sea-claims-has-manila-worried?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3325243/why-chinas-new-plan-bolster-its-south-china-sea-claims-has-manila-worried?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 12 Sep 2025 02:00:22 +0000 Stephen Chen Stephen Chen Four years after the USS Connecticut, one of the most advanced nuclear submarines in the US Navy, slammed into an uncharted seamount in the South China Sea, the site of that near-catastrophic grounding may now become a deadly minefield for future naval battles. Chinese military scientists are proposing to transform the dangerous underwater terrain where the Connecticut crashed into a strategically engineered kill zone, packed with powerful mines designed to exploit the very same acoustic blind... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3323577/how-china-could-turn-paracel-islands-submarine-kill-zone-south-china-sea?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3323577/how-china-could-turn-paracel-islands-submarine-kill-zone-south-china-sea?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 31 Aug 2025 08:00:12 +0000 Reuters Reuters Vietnam has significantly expanded island-building work in areas it claims in the Spratly Islands chain of the disputed South China Sea and will match and likely surpass the scale of such activity there by China, a US think tank reported on Friday. Recent satellite imagery showed that since the start of this year, Vietnam has expanded island-building to eight features previously untouched by a round of reclamation that began in 2021, the report from Washington’s Centre for Strategic and... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3322916/vietnams-island-building-disputed-south-china-sea-set-eclipse-beijings-efforts-report?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3322916/vietnams-island-building-disputed-south-china-sea-set-eclipse-beijings-efforts-report?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 23 Aug 2025 08:18:08 +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 Vanessa Cai Vanessa Cai China urged the United States to restrain frontline forces on Friday after a US destroyer entered disputed waters in the South China Sea. Chinese defence ministry spokesman Jiang Bin said China had expressed “strong dissatisfaction and firm opposition” and had lodged stern representations with the United States over the matter. “We urge the US to effectively restrain its frontline forces and immediately cease its related acts of infringement and provocation against China,” Jiang said. “The... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3322017/china-tells-us-rein-frontline-forces-after-scarborough-shoal-infringement?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3322017/china-tells-us-rein-frontline-forces-after-scarborough-shoal-infringement?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 15 Aug 2025 09:37:50 +0000 Disputes in the South China Sea have heightened insecurity in the Indo-Pacific, with claimant nations pursuing diplomatic and legal resolutions, including arbitration, while non-claimant states have advocated for freedom of navigation and compliance with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (Unclos). Over the years, Asean and China have sought to maintain peace and stability by resolving long-standing territorial disputes peacefully, first with the Declaration on the Conduct of... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3300611/south-china-sea-asean-beijing-need-recalibrated-approach-reach-binding-code-conduct?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3300611/south-china-sea-asean-beijing-need-recalibrated-approach-reach-binding-code-conduct?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 02 Mar 2025 06:00:17 +0000 The US has accused China of “unsafe and irresponsible” action during a close encounter between a PLA helicopter and a Philippine plane over the South China Sea on Tuesday. In a statement on Wednesday, Washington also pledged continued support for American allies to ensure a “free and open Indo-Pacific”. “The United States stands with its ally the Philippines to condemn the unsafe and irresponsible actions by the Chinese People’s Liberation Army-Navy to interfere with a Philippine maritime air... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3299413/unsafe-and-irresponsible-us-weighs-china-philippines-aerial-encounter-over-shoal?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3299413/unsafe-and-irresponsible-us-weighs-china-philippines-aerial-encounter-over-shoal?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 20 Feb 2025 06:56:19 +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 China and Australia traded accusations on Thursday over military activities in the South China Sea, with Beijing saying an Australian military plane “deliberately” intruded into Chinese airspace and Canberra suggesting that a Chinese fighter jet conducted “unsafe” manoeuvres. The Chinese foreign ministry said China expelled the Australian plane after it “deliberately intruded into the airspace of China’s Paracel Islands without China’s permission and violated China’s sovereignty” on... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3298572/south-china-sea-china-slams-australian-military-plane-intruding-its-airspace?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3298572/south-china-sea-china-slams-australian-military-plane-intruding-its-airspace?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 13 Feb 2025 13:18:37 +0000 China has submitted a copy of the geographic coordinates and nautical charts for sea territory surrounding Scarborough Shoal with the United Nations, a move experts said followed international practice but could be challenged by the US’ incoming Trump administration. On Monday, Geng Shuang, China’s deputy permanent representative to the UN, submitted the statement regarding the announced baselines to the UN, which will publish the declaration and the charts on its website, according to a... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3289219/south-china-sea-beijing-submits-scarborough-shoal-baseline-documents-un?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3289219/south-china-sea-beijing-submits-scarborough-shoal-baseline-documents-un?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 04 Dec 2024 00:00:17 +0000 A recent landmark dialogue on the South China Sea has underscored the lingering ideological divisions over the disputed waterway, with officials from Manila condemning Beijing’s provocative tactics and Chinese academics defending them on sovereignty grounds. Held from November 6 to 8 in Manila, the dialogue was the first such event in the Philippines involving experts from both claimant states. Among them, Hu Bo, director of the Centre for Maritime Strategy Studies at Peking University’s... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3287097/philippines-south-china-sea-forum-deep-divisions-surface-clash-narratives?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3287097/philippines-south-china-sea-forum-deep-divisions-surface-clash-narratives?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 19 Nov 2024 00:00:12 +0000 China’s continued detention of Vietnamese fishermen serves as a warning to Hanoi against persisting with land reclamation activities in the South China Sea, analysts say, noting that while the arrest of fishermen is a common occurrence, Hanoi’s public appeals to Beijing for their release are a new development. On October 31, Vietnam protested China’s alleged detention of its fishermen and vessels in the disputed Paracel Islands, urging Beijing to “immediately release” them, claiming they were... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3285786/south-china-sea-beijings-detention-vietnamese-fishermen-sparks-tensions-challenges-unclos?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3285786/south-china-sea-beijings-detention-vietnamese-fishermen-sparks-tensions-challenges-unclos?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 08 Nov 2024 08:59:51 +0000 An injection of US$8 million by the US into the Philippine coastguard has shone the spotlight on Manila’s maritime strategy amid its ongoing territorial row with Beijing in the South China Sea while also bringing attention to similar fleets of claimant states in the region. Observers say that coastguard fleet sizes and capabilities in the disputed waterway vary according to each nation’s history and strategic interests, with states such as Indonesia and Malaysia relying more on their navies to... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3284596/south-china-sea-how-does-philippines-coastguard-measure-against-others?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3284596/south-china-sea-how-does-philippines-coastguard-measure-against-others?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 31 Oct 2024 07:24:25 +0000 Chinese Premier Li Qiang is visiting Vietnam this week amid a sustained effort by Beijing to court its neighbour. The trip also offers a chance to mend ties following a recent incident in the South China Sea where Hanoi accused Chinese coastguards of beating Vietnamese fishermen and removing their equipment. Li’s visit, which will include meetings with the country’s leader To Lam and Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, will start on Saturday after the end of a regional forum in Laos. It is the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3282009/vietnam-trip-offers-chinese-premier-li-qiang-chance-ease-tensions-after-attack-fishermen?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3282009/vietnam-trip-offers-chinese-premier-li-qiang-chance-ease-tensions-after-attack-fishermen?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 11 Oct 2024 14:00:09 +0000 It is the stuff of science fiction. A giant whirlpool, spanning hundreds of kilometres, suddenly appears in the ocean, threatening anything in its path. But now, after the declassification of a Chinese operation, it appears this particular whirlpool was all too real. And it could be the explanation behind an international incident involving an American nuclear-powered submarine. In September 2021, a massive operation was launched by China to hunt and record an enormous whirlpool, more than 200km... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3281796/was-doomed-us-submarine-caught-monster-whirlpool-south-china-sea?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3281796/was-doomed-us-submarine-caught-monster-whirlpool-south-china-sea?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 10 Oct 2024 22:00:09 +0000 Beijing’s playing down of a recent confrontation in the South China Sea in which Vietnam claimed its fishermen were violently beaten by personnel from Chinese ships reflects a consistent strategy to convince the Chinese people of the superpower’s reasonable behaviour in the disputed waterway. Observers also say the latest incident could be the “tip of the iceberg”, and Hanoi could pivot from its low-key diplomatic approach to its maritime dispute with Beijing if similar incidents were to... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3280944/china-downplaying-restrained-clash-vietnamese-fishermen-near-paracel-islands?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3280944/china-downplaying-restrained-clash-vietnamese-fishermen-near-paracel-islands?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 03 Oct 2024 09:30:08 +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 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 Vietnam’s To Lam embarked on his first foreign visit as Communist Party chief on Sunday, selecting China as the destination of his maiden diplomatic trip. Lam is continuing a tradition of close contact with Vietnam’s northern neighbour that was followed by his predecessor, Nguyen Phu Trong, who died of “old age” at 80 on July 19. Following are data points and background on the China-Vietnam relationship, as well as a brief summary of areas discussed during the current visit to China: Vietnam is... https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3275156/china-extends-close-ties-new-vietnam-leader-visits?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3275156/china-extends-close-ties-new-vietnam-leader-visits?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 20 Aug 2024 09:00:44 +0000 China has confirmed the discovery of a major gas field in the South China Sea, state media reported on Wednesday. Called Lingshui 36-1, the field is estimated to contain more than 100 billion cubic metres of natural gas and is the world’s first “ultra-shallow gas field in ultra-deep waters”, China’s official Xinhua News Agency reported. The latest “major exploration breakthrough” was announced by the China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC) in June, and the discovery was reviewed and... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3273626/china-confirms-discovery-major-natural-gas-field-south-china-sea?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3273626/china-confirms-discovery-major-natural-gas-field-south-china-sea?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 08 Aug 2024 02:00:13 +0000 China has opened a hardware store on a disputed South China Sea island, according to the local government, as Beijing ramps up efforts to expand civilian facilities and cement claims in the strategically important waterway. Covering an area of about 100 square metres (1,076 square feet), the Xinyi Hardware Store is located on Woody Island in the Paracel Islands, a contested archipelago known in Chinese as the Xisha Islands and in Vietnamese as the Hoang Sa Islands. The store, situated next to... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3273082/south-china-sea-beijing-opens-hardware-store-disputed-woody-island?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3273082/south-china-sea-beijing-opens-hardware-store-disputed-woody-island?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 03 Aug 2024 08:11:06 +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 The Chinese military has deployed the nation’s biggest hospital ship to the South China Sea for its maiden mission. The Silk Road Ark made its public debut last week as it set sail from a naval port in Zhanjiang in Guangdong province in southern China, heading for the islands and reefs in the Paracel Islands, known in China as the Xisha Islands, and the Spratly Islands (Nansha in Chinese), to provide medical services, according to state media. The voyage comes at a time of increasing tension in... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3270598/south-china-sea-pla-deploys-new-hospital-ship-islands-and-reefs-contested-waters?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3270598/south-china-sea-pla-deploys-new-hospital-ship-islands-and-reefs-contested-waters?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 16 Jul 2024 08:00:09 +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 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 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 China’s thriving black market for jewellery made from giant clams continues to drive the destruction of biodiverse coral reefs in Indonesian and Philippine waters as Chinese marine scientists are urged to participate in joint efforts to survey the damage in contested seas. Over 20,000 acres of coral reefs have been destroyed mainly due to illegal demand for giant clams, according to a study by the US think-tank CSIS Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative, which says they are bound for China where... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3255353/china-urged-save-coral-reefs-asian-waters-amid-booming-illegal-trade-giant-clams?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3255353/china-urged-save-coral-reefs-asian-waters-amid-booming-illegal-trade-giant-clams?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 14 Mar 2024 08:30:17 +0000 Beijing hit out at Washington on the weekend, describing it as “the biggest disrupter of peace” in the South China Sea after a US warship entered waters near disputed islands. The Chinese military said it “warned off” a US destroyer that “illegally” entered its territorial waters near the Xisha Islands, also known as the Paracels, on Saturday. The People’s Liberation Army Southern Theatre Command said it responded by mobilising naval and air forces to “track and monitor” the US vessel in the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3242849/beijing-rebukes-washington-after-warning-us-warship-south-china-sea?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3242849/beijing-rebukes-washington-after-warning-us-warship-south-china-sea?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 26 Nov 2023 05:30:05 +0000 Beijing has hit back at Ottawa over a mid-air encounter between a Canadian aircraft and PLA fighter jets over the South China Sea late last month, describing the Canadian action as provocative. Chinese defence ministry spokesman Zhang Xiaogang said on Saturday that a Canadian helicopter conducted flights of “unknown intent” to approach the airspace around the Paracel Islands, known in China as the Xisha. Zhang said the People’s Liberation Army’s naval and air forces had identified the Canadian... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3240397/china-hits-back-after-canada-accuses-pla-jets-unsafe-south-china-sea-moves?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3240397/china-hits-back-after-canada-accuses-pla-jets-unsafe-south-china-sea-moves?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 05 Nov 2023 10:00:25 +0000 China appears to be building a runway on an island also claimed by Vietnam, according to satellite images, in Beijing’s latest move to build military facilities in contested South China Sea territory. A new airstrip started to appear in mid-July on Triton Island, the southernmost and westernmost of the Paracel Islands, known in Chinese as the Xisha Islands and in Vietnamese as the Hoang Sa Islands. Vietnam also claims the islands, as does Taipei, whose South China Sea claims mostly overlap with... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3231431/south-china-sea-beijing-appears-be-building-runway-disputed-island-claimed-vietnam?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3231431/south-china-sea-beijing-appears-be-building-runway-disputed-island-claimed-vietnam?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 17 Aug 2023 11:00:43 +0000 As Asean foreign ministers gather in Jakarta this week, the focus will be on discussions with China’s foreign policy chief Wang Yi on the South China Sea code of conduct. Wang is representing Beijing in place of foreign minister Qin Gang, absent because of health reasons. Wang’s presence shows China’s acknowledgement of the significance of the code of conduct talks and its engagement with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. Since the 2018 adoption of the “single draft negotiating text”,... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3227449/what-south-china-sea-code-conduct-talks-should-focus-instead-dispute-resolution?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3227449/what-south-china-sea-code-conduct-talks-should-focus-instead-dispute-resolution?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 13 Jul 2023 17:00:13 +0000 China and Vietnam have agreed to cooperate on an “effective code of conduct in the South China Sea” and “low sensitivity” marine areas, in the latest show of strong ties between the Asian neighbours despite territorial disputes. In a joint statement following a high-profile visit to China by Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, the two sides reaffirmed their pledge to work together to reach “a substantive and effective code of conduct in the South China Sea that is consistent with... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3226180/china-vietnam-reaffirm-pledge-work-together-south-china-sea-code-conduct?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3226180/china-vietnam-reaffirm-pledge-work-together-south-china-sea-code-conduct?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 30 Jun 2023 14:00:14 +0000 China has sent its maritime patrol ship the Haixun 03 to the disputed Paracel Islands in the South China Sea to bolster its claims to the area. The vessel arrived on Sunday at Woody Island, known as Yongxing Island in Chinese, and will patrol the surrounding waters until early July, Chinese state media reported on Monday. The assignment comes as South China Sea claimant countries are scrambling to reinforce their claims before a code of conduct for activities in the waters is finalised. The... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3223847/china-sends-new-patrol-ship-haixun-03-south-china-sea-mission?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3223847/china-sends-new-patrol-ship-haixun-03-south-china-sea-mission?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 13 Jun 2023 01:00:21 +0000 One of the most important security conferences on the international calendar gets under way for the 20th time in Singapore on June 2, bringing together defence ministers, military personnel and policy watchers. In the second of a three-part series, Jack Lau examines what message General Li Shangfu is likely to bring to his first forum as China’s defence chief. At the Shangri-La Dialogue security forum a year ago, China’s General Wei Fenghe proudly assured a hall of defence analysts, journalists... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3222535/what-message-does-china-defence-chief-li-shangfu-have-shangri-la-dialogue?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3222535/what-message-does-china-defence-chief-li-shangfu-have-shangri-la-dialogue?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 01 Jun 2023 14:00:09 +0000 A Chinese research ship and five escort vessels were in Vietnam’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) on Friday close to gas blocks operated by Russian firms in the South China Sea, a day after Vietnam urged the ships to leave. The Chinese vessel Xiang Yang Hong 10 began operating in Vietnam’s EEZ on May 7, representing the most significant incursion since 2019, according to Ray Powell, who leads Stanford University’s Project Myoushu on the South China Sea. He said China’s conduct and Vietnam’s... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3221987/chinese-ships-ignore-vietnam-demand-leave-area-close-russian-run-gas-fields-worrying-escalation?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3221987/chinese-ships-ignore-vietnam-demand-leave-area-close-russian-run-gas-fields-worrying-escalation?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 26 May 2023 13:31:15 +0000 China and Asean have been trying to agree on a robust code of conduct in the South China Sea since 2002, when they concluded a non-binding and ambiguous declaration. A draft negotiating text produced in 2018 was a smorgasbord of contradictory positions, and as the frequency and severity of incidents in disputed waters increase, so have calls for a rapid agreement on a code of conduct. Clearly, realistic compromises are necessary. The main issues are the definition of the code’s geographic scope... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3216418/south-china-sea-asean-needs-compromise-china-settle-protracted-code-conduct-dispute?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3216418/south-china-sea-asean-needs-compromise-china-settle-protracted-code-conduct-dispute?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 11 Apr 2023 00:15:08 +0000