Viewing Maritime Forces Modernization in the Asia-Pacific in Perspective

By Collin Koh Swee Lean

January 6, 2018

Maritime force buildup cannot be seen in quantitative terms only. In the foreseeable future, Asia-Pacific navies will continue to gravitate towards large, multi-role surface and subsurface platforms that exist in smaller numbers but being each vastly more superior than their older predecessors.

ASEAN’S Long March to a Code of Conduct in the South China Sea

By Carlyle A. Thayer

July 18, 2017

If the past is prologue, China’s disregard for the Award and its continual militarization of its features in the South China Sea means that ASEAN’s Long March for a COC will remain a protracted one.

The East China Sea: Chinese Efforts to Establish a “New Normal” and Prospects for Peaceful Management

By Tetsuo Kotani

July 8, 2017

As the world turns its attention from Chinese militarization of the South China Sea islets to North Korean nuclear and missile provocations, China is making every effort to establish a “new normal” in the East China Sea with more frequent military ...

Unreliable evidence and the South China Sea problem

By Bill Hayton

November 15, 2016

A review of the verifiable evidence tells a different history about the islands in the South China Sea than that found in the most of the commonly used reference texts.

Joint Development in the South China Sea: Lessons from the Past and Future Prospect

By Yanmei Xie

November 15, 2016

The South China Sea is often said to be rich in hydrocarbon reserves, although most of the deposits are unconfirmed, due in part to the multiple claims laid over them by several coastal economies.