A counterargument to Xinhua’s Institute report on history of South China Sea: History distorted, law perverted

Recently, the Xinhua Institute (under China’s Xinhua News Agency) released a 33-page report titled “Historical and Legal Basis of China's Territorial Sovereignty and Maritime Rights in the South China Sea.” Xinhua Institute claims that this is a “comprehensive historical-legal assessment” intended to reinforce China’s positions in the South China Sea. However, beneath its veneer of “scholarship,” the...

05/12/2025

China's Nature Reserve at Scarborough Shoal: Purpose, Predictions and Impacts

On September 9, 2025, the State Council of China enacted Document No. 87 [2025], approving the Huangyan Dao (Scarborough Shoal) Nature Reserve. Just a day later, China's National Forestry and Grassland Administration issued Communiqué No. 12, specifiying the size, scope, and functional components of the protected zone. This is China's notable legal measures at the Scaborough after laying out baselines...

05/12/2025

The Dynamics of Japan-U.S. Relations: Strategic Autonomy or Strategic Dependence?

After more than seven decades since its establishment in 1951, the Japan - US alliance has become a stable pillar of the security structure of the Indo-Pacific region. However, in the face of recent strategic changes, especially the rise of China and increasing instability in the region, Tokyo has been gradually shifting its strategy towards more “autonomy”. The article focuses on examining Japan's...

05/12/2025

The 2023-2025 Red Sea Crisis and Implications for the Indo-Pacific

The Red Sea is one of the world's most heavily trafficked shipping lanes, with around 30% of global container traffic regularly passing through each year1. However, it also faces multiple maritime security issues. The 2023-2025 Red Sea crisis, which accumulates multiple layers of threats in the maritime domain, originates from deeper regional tension, and is implicated by big powers’ interference and...

05/10/2025

International Law and Critical Infrastructure: The Merits and the Gaps

There has not been a universal definition of “critical infrastructure” in maritime domain, but many can agree that such concept should include fixed platforms, including installations, and submarine cables . To protect these two types of infrastructure, the sole subjects of this essay, international law has introduced several instruments, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the...

16/09/2025

How International Law Addresses Piracy and Current Limits

International law addresses piracy through various ways, especially via the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea 1982 (hereby referred to as UNCLOS) as well as multiple instruments under the International Maritime Organization (IMO), including treaties, guidelines, codes of conducts or recommendations, etc. These documents provide the definition of piracy and how parties should address...

27/08/2025

UNCLOS’ Values and Viet Nam’s National Interests after 30

Viet Nam signed the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) in 1982 and ratified the document in 1994. Since then, the Convention has allowed Viet Nam to: (i) established domestic maritime regulations in line with international standards; (ii) manage maritime disputes with others; and (iii) exert influence in the international system via platforms based on UNCLOS. These are in line...

09/07/2025

Deep-Sea Mining and the United States’ Seabed Strategy under Trump 2.0

On April 24, 2025, the U.S. President issued the Executive Order “Unleashing America’s Offshore Critical Minerals and Resources” [1]. The order not only reflects a part of Trump administration 2.0’s policy regarding natural resources but also signals a strategic move to address U.S geopolitical and techno-economic interests, as well as domestic political priorities. It seeks to enhance U.S. mineral...

12/05/2025

An assessment of Cambodia-US Relations under the Trump Administrations

The relations between Cambodia and the US have undergone many ups and downs since the normalization of diplomatic relations in 1993 and has been influenced by many factors such as history, differences in political freedom, democracy, human rights, and relations with China. During the first term of US President Donald Trump (Trump 1.0), these factors continued to have profound impacts on the two countries'...

25/03/2025

50 Days of Trump: The South China Sea in the United States’ Foreign Policy

After 50 days in office, the Trump 2.0 Administration has undertaken major shifts in foreign policy, inducing much uncertainty and confusion to allies and adversaries alike. Nevertheless, the United States’ engagement in the South China Sea under Trump 2.0 – or “Trump 2.0’s South China Sea policy” – remain relatively stable. What are the reasons behind this tendency, and will such stability persist...

15/03/2025