When the elephants dance….China, the United States and the South China Sea, by Geoffrey Till

This paper will focus on the symbolic aspect of this island dispute for China and for the United States, a country that is not a claimant but which appears nevertheless to be getting ever more involved in the conduct of the dispute and in discussions about its final possible resolution

16/08/2011

Weekly News 15/8 - 22/8

- (Bernama 18/8) South China Sea Dispute has no impact on Pan-Bei Gulf Economic Cooperation. - (Taiwan News 18/8) Philippine president to make 5-day visit to China:  - (Council on Foreign Relations 17/8) A Bid to Boost U.S.-China Relations: Biden's visit marks the first time a senior U.S. official will spend a substantial amount of time with China's president-in-waiting. "We're investing in...

15/08/2011

Approach for the implementation of regional cooperative activities in the South China Sea: An analysis, by Vu Hai Dang

This paper would like to invite the workshop to reflect on an approach for future initiatives in cooperative activities in the South China Sea region to avoid negative consequences and enhance their effectiveness. This approach is proposed based on the general knowledge relating to marine regional cooperation with consideration of the particularities of the South China Sea’s situation

08/08/2011

Weekly News 8/8 - 15/8

- (Brookings 11/8) New Challenges in Predicting China’s Upcoming Political Succession - (Eurasia Review 11/8) RisingTensions In Asia Pacific Region – Analysis; - South China Sea: Reducing The China-Vietnam Tension – Analysis - (Chosunilbo 11/8) Experts Warn of Shifting Regional Power Balance: Pundits were busy Wednesday when China began tests of its first aircraft carrier in the West Sea.  - (Gulf...

08/08/2011

All for one, one for all: promoting economic activities in the South China Sea, by Nazery Khalid

This paper argues in favour of promoting economic cooperation in South China Sea as a means to reduce the notably rising tension among nations staking territorial claims and protecting their interests in the sea. As the potential for conflict in the sea increases, arising from adversarial posturing and hardline positions taken by several nations with interest in the sea,there is an urgent need to cool...

04/08/2011

Implementing CBMS in the 2002 DOC: A roadmap to managing the South China Sea dispute, by Ian Storey

Tensions are rising in the South China Sea due a combination of factors including the failure of ASEAN and China to implement cooperative confidence building measures (CBMs) outlined in the 2002 Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC). There is an urgent need for ASEAN and China to move forward with the concrete implementation of the DOC. This paper recommends how some of...

02/08/2011

Perspectives and proposed approach on cooperation for regional security and development in the South China Sea, by Alberto A. Encomienda

This academic paper provides personal perspectives and practical insights into the following topics: (i) Recent developments in the South China Sea and their implications for regional security and prosperity; (ii) Cooperation in the South China Sea for regional security and development.

02/08/2011

Weekly News 1/8 - 8/8

  - (Asia Times 5/8) Deep-sea mining stirs risk concerns: The emerging trend towards more deep-sea mining threatens to stir new conflicts among competing resource-hungry countries, including those already at loggerheads over potentially oil-and-gas rich maritime areas in the South China Sea.  - (Jakarta Post 5/8) For ASEAN, talk is a real bargain: Talk is cheap, but if it means preventing nations...

01/08/2011

Weekly News 25/7 - 1/8

- (NBR Special Report 7/2011) From Disputed Waters to Seas of Opportunity: Overcoming Barriers to Maritime Cooperation in East and Southeast Asia -(Daily Times 29/7) China defends carrier plans, neighbours fret over buildup - China’s neighbours are worried its aircraft carrier programme may in time intimidate regional rivals but its military on Thursday defended the plan as vital for maritime security. -(Atimes...

25/07/2011

The Impact of Artificial Islands on Territorial Disputes Over The Sparatly Islands, by Zou Keyuan

  Abstract: The issue of artificial islands in the South China Sea has little been detailed discussed in the context of territorial and maritime disputes. Even in international law, the term “artificial islands” remains controversial and there is no universally accepted definition of it, though several provisions of the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea mention “artificial islands”.

21/07/2011