RULES AND ORDER
2023-06-03 | BY Lei Xiaolu
The international order should not be based solely on the national interests of any single country, or following the standards of a few countries, but rather on the common interests of all countries. The international order based on international law provides a strong mechanism for safeguarding the common interests of all countries. Only by adhering to the multilateralism mechanism with the United Nations as the core, and the rules of international law, can we truly maintain lasting peace, prosperity and stability of the world. If the U.S. “FON” and “rules-based maritime order” have similar connotations, or if it really wants its position to be understood and accepted, it should seriously consider the positions and concerns of other countries on the right of navigation on an equal footing, and solve problems through bilateral and multilateral arrangements, instead of demanding other States to act according to its standards and interpretations in an imperious tone.
2023-04-06 | BY Hu Bo, Yan Yan, Lei Xiaolu, Zheng Zhihua
On April 3rd, the SCSPI delegation visited Manila and attended an open forum titled “7th Bilateral Consultations Mechanism (BCM) on the South China Sea (SCS): PH-CN Relations Against Stress on the SCS” with Philippines local media, organized by the Asian Century Philippines Strategic Studies (ACPH).
2022-11-14 | BY Hu Bo
Confidence-building measures (CBMs) are planned procedures to prevent hostilities, avert escalation, reduce military tension, and build mutual trust between countries. They have been applied since the dawn of civilization on all continents. In the South China Sea, CBMs are generally evaluated as a little low, especially in the context of rapidly expanding economic relations. Moreover, there is a wide range of doubts about why China and ASEAN member states have taken so long to conclude the Code of Conduct (COC).
2022-10-20 | BY Yan Yan
With the opening of a new round of face-to-face negotiation and the gradual progress of the second reading, it is foreseeable that the debate over the rules and order of the South China Sea in the post-epidemic era around the COC will become one of the most complicated factors affecting the region.
2022-09-13 | BY Hu Bo
In China’s surrounding waters, including the South China Sea and the East China Sea, despite the growing competition as well as sea and air encounters between two militaries, we should admit, that most of the encounters, more than ten times per day and thousands of times every year, are safe and professional.
2022-08-19 | BY Hu Bo, Lei Xiaolu, Yan Yan
Since 2018, the negotiation on the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea (COC) accelerates and entered second reading. Despite the impact of COVID-19, all the parties still expressed the need of speeding up the negotiation of the COC.
2022-06-18 | BY Mark Hoskin
Drawing a comparison with the US’ own history as a development of the often-repeated boilerplate statement concerning Taiwan should be considered further and widely discussed, even if people might not agree with China’s statement for strategic or political reasons.
2022-05-05 | BY Mark J. Valencia
The U.S. is setting a dangerous example by unilaterally asserting and implementing its interpretations of terms in a treaty it has not ratified. If many coastal states enact unilateral national legislation prohibiting certain military and intelligence gathering activities by drones in and above their jurisdictional zones, then the prohibition against conducting such missions could become part of customary international law through state practice, despite the opposition of a few countries like the U.S. and its allies.
2022-03-21 | BY Hu Bo
In recent years, amid the backdrop of intensified China-US military competition, both sides agree on strengthening maritime crisis management. Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Joe Biden emphasized the importance of managing competition in the video call for multiple times. Before the new progress, it is necessary to summarize current mechanisms for China-US maritime crisis management.
2022-02-08 | BY Lei Xiaolu
It has been recently reported that the 400-ton armed fishing vessel TK 1482 ordered by the Vietnamese militia is about to be launched. It is not unusual that militia could be equipped with military weapons to support or replace regular military forces in warfare. While in peacetime, this practice is very rare.
The use of weapons on the well-equipped militia vessels would entail the risk of causing significant harm to regional security and stability.