In The News

US and Vietnam to Discuss Curbing China’s Sea Claims

David Brown September 25, 2014
Vietnamese Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh and US Secretary of State John Kerry will meet in Washington early October. The two nations, at war more than 40 years ago, now find common interest in protecting open sea lanes in the South China Sea. China asserts sweeping claims, going as far as to construct new islets and impose limitations on the use of other nations’ exclusive economic zones. China...

China's Island Factory

Rupert Wingfield-Hayes September 9, 2014
Since 2012, China’s Communist Party has regarded the South China Sea as a “core national interest” – a list that has also included Taiwan, Tibet and Xinjiang. Using its large cash reserve, labor and skills, China is constructing new islands on at least five submerged reefs in the South China Sea to support its territorial claims, reports Rupert Wingfield-Hayes for BBC News. The Philippines Navy...

ASEAN Paralysis Gives China Free Hand in South China Sea

Bertil Lintner August 12, 2014
The United States would prefer that ASEAN, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, unite in demanding an end to China’s assertiveness in the South China Sea. But two principles, consensus decision-making and non-interference in the internal affairs of member states, guide ASEAN. “In effect, ASEAN finds it impossible to take any unified stand in regional conflicts – or address bilateral issues...

If Australia Wants to Avoid Regional Turmoil, It Needs to Turn to ASEAN

John Blaxland August 8, 2014
As China encroaches on the ocean territory of its neighbors, unity among members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN, could protect borders in dispute, suggests John Blaxland, former Australian intelligence officer, for the Guardian. China’s approach is calculated, using tactics that draw international ire but not action, even from the countries under attack: “water cannons to...

Agreement Reached on Deep Sea Mining

David Shukman April 28, 2014
A Canadian mining firm has finalized a deal for deep-sea mining with Papua New Guinea, despite environmentalists’ warnings of long-term damage. Environmentalists note that much of the sea floor has yet to be explored. “The mine will target an area of hydrothermal vents where superheated, highly acidic water emerges from the seabed, where it encounters far colder and more alkaline seawater,...

Chinese Premier Li Warns Southeast Asia Nations Against “Provocations”

Andrew Browne April 11, 2014
The message from Chinese Premier Li Keqiang at the Boao Forum for Asia was meant to reassure China’s nervous neighbors: China is committed to peaceful development and supports initiatives that strengthen maritime cooperation, yet would respond to “provocations” that destabilize the South China Sea. “China's definition of what constitutes a provocation is linked to its claims to what it calls...

United Nations: Climate Impacts “Overwhelming”

Matt McGrath March 31, 2014
The impacts of climate change are severe and already underway – with higher risks of flooding, wildfires, food and water shortages, and property damage, suggests a report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change of the United Nations. The report is based on more than 12,000 peer-reviewed studies. Researchers anticipate high costs for adaptation and disaster relief. “Humans may be able...