An aerial photo taken though a glass window of a Taiwanese military plane shows the view of Itu Aba, which the Taiwanese call Taiping, at the South China Sea, March 23, 2016. Photo: Reuters/Ministry Of Foreign Affairs A Taiwanese group has intervened in the Philippines' international court case against China's claims in the South China Sea, pressing Taipei's position that Taiwan is entitled to a swathe of the disputed waterway as an economic zone. The unusual submission has emerged just as judges at the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague are poised to rule on the Philippines' landmark case, brought under the United Nations' Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). The move could delay the judges' ruling, now expected within two months, and potentially complicates worsening territorial disputes roiling across the vital trade route. Last month, the judges allowed written evidence from the government-linked Chinese (Taiwan) Society of International Law, even though Taiwan … [Read more...] about Taiwan enters South China Sea legal fray, as group seeks to sway international court
South china sea
Indonesia’s Pertamina plans to develop South China Sea border areas
Energy company Pertamina plans to explore for oil and gas in areas close to Indonesia's maritime border in the South China Sea to assert the country's territorial rights, the upstream director of the state-owned company said. "The government needs to have activities around the borders and one of Pertamina's strategies is to support this," Syamsu Alam told Reuters in an interview on Monday. He said Indonesia had lost sovereignty over two disputed islands in the past because it was not developing those areas. "So, like the South China Sea and the borders in North Kalimantan, we need to have some activities there," he said. China claims 90 percent of the South China Sea, which is believed to be rich in oil and gas, with overlapping claims from Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam and Taiwan. Its reclamation of rocky outcrops and development of infrastructure there has caused alarm around the region. Indonesia is not a claimant and has projected itself as an honest broker in … [Read more...] about Indonesia’s Pertamina plans to develop South China Sea border areas
China expresses anger at G7 statement on East, South China Seas
China's expressed anger on Tuesday after foreign ministers from the Group of Seven (G7) advanced economies said they strongly opposed provocation in the East and South China Seas, where China is locked in territorial disputes. "We urge the G7 member states to honor their commitment of not taking sides on issues involving territorial disputes," China's foreign ministry said in a statement. The G7 should focus on global economic governance and cooperation against the backdrop of weak economic growth rather than hyping up disputes and provoking problems, it added. On Monday, G7 foreign ministers said after meeting in the Japanese city of Hiroshima that they opposed "any intimidating coercive or provocative unilateral actions that could alter the status quo and increase tensions" in the East and South China Seas. China claims almost the entire South China Sea, believed to have huge deposits of oil and gas, and is building islands on reefs to bolster its claims. Brunei, Malaysia, the … [Read more...] about China expresses anger at G7 statement on East, South China Seas
Philippines gets U.S. military aid boost amid South China Sea dispute
The United States has allocated more than $120 million in military aid to the Philippines this year, the biggest in about 15 years, a senior Filipino diplomat said on Friday, amid rising tension with China over the disputed South China Sea. Jose Cuisia, Manila's ambassador to Washington, said Manila was also in talks with the United States to acquire a fourth Hamilton-class cutter to strengthen the Philippine capability to patrol the waters. "We got the largest-ever allocation from the U.S. government this year to enhance defense and security of our country," he told members of the American Chamber of Commerce in Manila. Cuisia said Manila received $79 million in annual military aid this year compared to about $50 million in 2015. He said Manila would get an additional $42 million from the new U.S. Southeast Asia Maritime Initiative, a maritime capacity-building program announced by U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter, who is visiting Manila next week. The two amounts represent the … [Read more...] about Philippines gets U.S. military aid boost amid South China Sea dispute
Workshop on the South China Sea in Australia
"South China Sea and Australia's regional security environment" was the theme of a workshop held in Canberra (Australia) on 28 March. About 50 scholars, diplomats, international commentators and experts in the field of law, military, police security attended the workshop. Speakers presented the origin of disputes in the South China Sea, the role of international law and governance, the view of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and U.S. interests in the South China Sea, Australia's involvement in the South China Sea and some proposed solutions. Vietnam's representative presented the process of maritime claims in the South China Sea and the legal documents to prove Vietnam's sovereignty over the two archipelagos in the South China Sea. Vietnam's presentation has received the warmly supports from the participants. Mai Chi … [Read more...] about Workshop on the South China Sea in Australia