Law of the Sea

Tribunal ruling a game changer (Straits Times, 14 July 2016) The final award in the Philippines versus China arbitration was the most anticipated decision of any international court or tribunal in the area of the law of the sea since the entry into force of the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the…

Testing the Rule of Law in the South China Sea (NYT, 12 July 2016) How China reacts to the sweeping legal defeat over its claims to the South China Sea will tell the world a lot about its approach to international law, the use — measured or otherwise — of its enormous power, and its global ambitions.…

G-7 to express ‘strong opposition’ to militarization of South China Sea (Japan Times, 24 May 2016) The Group of Seven leaders meeting in Japan this week will express “strong opposition” to island construction and militarization of outposts in the South China Sea in a veiled criticism of Beijing’s actions to assert its claims to disputed…

South China Sea dispute: China claims support of 40 countries (Economic Times, 20 May 2016) China today claimed it had the backing of over 40 countries in its campaign to shore up support for its stand opposing arbitration by a UN tribunal to end the dispute with its neighbours over the strategic South China Sea. China, which…

India’s different stands on South China Sea lead to confusion (Economic Times, 4 May 2016) On April 18, foreign ministers of India, China and Russia stated after an RIC meeting in Moscow that “Russia, India and China are committed to maintaining a legal order for the seas and oceans based on the principles of international law,…

Timor-Leste tests the waters of UN law in maritime dispute with Australia (Channel News Asia, 23 April 2016) Amid the tension of other ongoing maritime disputes in the region, particularly over the South China Sea, Timor-Leste’s Foreign Minister Hernani Coelho told Channel News Asia that this test of international maritime law would set an interesting…

China’s actions in South China Sea far bigger than other claimants, says US official (Straits Times, 30 March 2016) China’s campaign of land reclamation and military construction on features in disputed waters of the South China Sea “vastly outstrips what all other claimants have done over the past several decades”, a senior US official has…

Indonesia and Malaysia protest ‘trespass’ of Chinese boats (Asian Correspondent, 30 March 2016) Indonesia has demanded that the Chinese government explain the “encroachment” of its coast guard vessel, claiming that it had interfered with Indonesia’s seizing of a Chinese boat that was fishing illegally in its waters. According to the Jakarta Post, Indonesian Foreign Affairs Minister Retno…

Philippines asks China to respect sea dispute arbitration (Channel News Asia, 27 February 2016) The Philippines has urged China to respect a forthcoming ruling by an arbitration court in The Hague on a territorial dispute in the South China Sea after Beijing accused Manila of “political provocation”. China claims almost the entire South China Sea,…

China Urges U.S. to Stand down on South China Sea Issue (Xinhua, 29 February 2016) China has urged the United States to not position itself as the “international judge” on the South China Sea issue. Hong Lei, a spokesperson of the Foreign Ministry, made the remarks at a daily press briefing after Daniel Kritenbrink, U.S. White…

Singapore will work to formulate Code of Conduct in South China Sea: Vivian Balakrishnan (Channel News Asia, 27 February 2016) As country coordinator of ASEAN-China relations, Singapore will focus on the formulation of the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea, said Foreign Affairs Minister Dr Vivian Balakrishnan on Saturday (Feb 27). Speaking to…

South China Sea arbitration: What may follow (Straits Times, 23 January 2016) The Permanent Court of Arbitration at the Hague is expected to make a final decision this year on the Philippines’ maritime dispute with China in the South China Sea. Its decision will have a significant impact on China and its ties with other…