Weekly News 16 - 23/1

- (Minda News 16/1) Situation in South China Sea ‘peaceful and stable’: as countries involved held their meeting here on the implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in South China Sea. - (Philippines Daily Inquirer 17/1) DFA: Expect friendly exchanges with China: “the two sides had friendly and constructive talks and affirmed the commitment of the two governments to promote...

15/01/2012

Straight baselines around insular formations not constituting an archipelagic state, by Erik Franckx & Marco Benatar

I. Introduction The South China Sea (SCS) dispute has proven to be a hotbed for a variety of juridical quarrels, ranging from the extent of maritime zones[1], to territorial insular claims[2] and navigational rights.[3] One of the outlying issues that warrants closer examination concerns the baselines to be drawn around mid-ocean SCS islands.[4] As a starting position, one would surmise the applicability...

11/01/2012

UNCLOS and maritime security in the South China Sea, by Nguyen Thi Lan Anh

Maritime security is a relatively new concept and there are several approaches on its definition within the overall concept of security in international relations. Maritime security is developed to emphasize the importance of maintaining good order at sea in terms of the use and management of the marine resources for human development. In a hotspot like the South China Sea, where sovereignty disputes...

11/01/2012

Exclusive Economic Zone in Major Media and Academic Journals in 2011: South China Sea and Other Seas, by Yearn Hong Choi

Introduction Every coastal nation attempts to expand its sea territory by extending or expanding exclusive economic zone to the maximum possible. The EEZ was a new concept and a specific legal regime in the Law of the Sea Convention, building on the “exclusive fishing zones” and “fishing conservation zones” already in existence. The EEZ regime in the Convention was primarily aimed at living resources...

10/01/2012

VN calls for strong regional coordination

A senior Vietnamese parliamentarian has called for an enhancement of coordination between the Asia-Pacific Parliamentary Forum (APPF) and other mechanisms in the region, in order to develop regional potential. National Assembly Vice Chairwoman Tong Thi Phong made the appeal at the plenary session of the 20 th APPF meeting in Tokyo on Jan. 9, adding that APPF needs to adjust its structure to follow...

10/01/2012

Weekly News 9 - 16/1

- (Minda News 11/1) China adopting new security concept to resolve the tension in West Philippine Sea that focuses on peaceful negotiations as a paramount solution. - (PhilStar 11/1) China has lost diplomatic row: Beijing seems to not realize that it has lost diplomatic esteem with its unfounded “nine-dash line” claim over the entire South China Sea. No country would want to be regarded by the...

09/01/2012

Weekly News 3 - 9/1

- (News.com 6/1) Obama wants a lean, mean military machine: Barack Obama has unveiled a strategy for a leaner US military focused on countering China's rising power while signalling a shift away from large ground wars against insurgents. - (Daily Pioneer 5/1) The dragon should breathe easy: Whether it is the border dispute along the Line of Actual Control or India’s proposal to explore the South...

03/01/2012

Growing tension in South China Sea – Causes and Cures, by S. D. Pradhan

The recent escalation in tension in South China Sea has indicated the need for objectively looking at the causes of dispute and the recent developments both negative and positive with a view to suggest measures todiffuse the situation, which according to some security experts has the potentials to escalate into an armed conflict and to help the involved nations to find a permanent solution.

26/12/2011

Abstract of The Risk of Applying Realpolitik in Resolving the South China Sea Dispute: Possible Implications on Regional Security. by Renato De Castro

Located in the heart of Southeast Asia, the South China Sea is a semi-enclosed sea surrounded by China and several smaller and weaker Southeast Asian powers such as the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Brunei.  Since the mid-1970s, these littoral states have been locked in a chronic competition as each one seek to extend its sovereignty and jurisdictional claims over more than a hundred islets,...

26/12/2011

Weekly News 26/12 - 2/1

- (India Today 29/12) China's aggreession brings India-Japan closer: - (Foreign Policy 29/12) How did the Obama Administration impact Asia?:  - (Radiance Weekly 29/12) SOUTH CHINA SEA TURMOIL \'Cold War\' heats-up as Obama declares to assert against China: In the light of US president Barack Obama’s bid to assert against China, SYYED MANSOOR AGHA observes that China’s present attitude towards...

25/12/2011