Weekly Bulletin 9/6-15/6

Vietnam demands China withdraw oil rig at UNCLOS meeting; PH files protest vs China’s reclamation project in South China Sea reef; UN supports Vietnam’s South China Sea stance…

18/06/2014

Vietnam persists with peaceful solution to East Sea tension

China’s illegal placement of its oil rig in Vietnam’s exclusive economic zone and continental shelf will be discussed at an annual dialogue on bilateral partnership this week, Foreign Ministry’s Spokesman Le Hai Binh has said.

17/06/2014

Weekly News 16/6-22/6

-(Reuters 19/6) Philippines, U.S. to hold naval drills near disputed shoal in South China Sea: Philippine and American troops are set to hold naval exercises this month near a disputed shoal, which will almost certainly anger China with tension already high in the South China Sea. -(The National Interest 19/6) As Tensions Rise in the South China Sea Rise: The Philippines' Military Modernizes -(VOV...

16/06/2014

US: China 'occupying' South China Sea areas, breaking vows

The reported Chinese reclamation work and large scale construction of outposts in the South China Sea are an affront to the multilateral Declaration of Conduct that China agreed to follow, a top official of the US Department of State said.

14/06/2014

Vietnam spars with China at UN in maritime spat

Vietnam has hit back against China at the UN headquarters in New York, ordering Beijing to withdraw an oil rig and stop "interfering" with maritime safety in an ongoing territorial row.

12/06/2014

The Paracels: Forty Years On

China’s act of locating its oil rig in contested waters in the Paracels is more than a dispute over sovereignty. It is also a dispute about international law of the sea.

11/06/2014

The Paracels: Does China have ‘undisputed sovereignty’?

China should admit that sovereignty over the Paracels is disputed and withdraw its oil rig from its current location because any drilling that causes permanent change to the seabed in the disputed water is not allowed under international law.

11/06/2014

Weekly Bulletin 2/6-8/6

Vietnam sends another diplomatic note opposing China; China again dismisses Philippine court case in sea dispute; Tony Abbott issues clear signal to China; G7 'deeply concerned' at tensions in East, South China Seas…

11/06/2014

Italian PM voices concern about East Sea situation

Visiting Italian Prime Minister Matteo Ranzi has raised his deep concern about the East Sea situation and asked all parties to resolve disputes through peaceful measures during talks with his Vietnamese counterpart in Hanoi.

10/06/2014

The danger of convoluting everything into sovereignty disputes

Much of the tensions in the South China Sea could be resolved by applying UNCLOS’s dispute settlement procedure to matters relating to maritime delimitation and cooperation in disputed areas.

10/06/2014