Reuters JANUARY 7, 2019 / 1:26 AM / 19 DAYS AGO

BEIJING (Reuters) – A U.S. guided-missile destroyer sailed near disputed islands in the South China Sea in what China called a “provocation” as U.S. officials joined talks in Beijing during a truce in a bitter trade war.

Last update 18:15 | 11/01/2019  vietnamnet

The promulgation of Resolution 36-NQ/TW at the eighth session of the 12th Party Central Committee in October 2018 on the marine economic development strategy illustrates Vietnam’s broad strategic vision of turning the country into a strong maritime nation.

In an article titled “Proactively enhancing and expanding external relations and international cooperation in maritime issues” published on Nhan dan (People) newspaper on January 11, Deputy Foreign Minister Le Hoai Trung said the resolution affirms Vietnam’s special attention to this matter.

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This post is reprinted from Michael Green’s foreword to the newly released report from CSIS, China’s Maritime Silk Road: Strategic and Economic Implications for the Indo-Pacific Region.

Challenging the Pacific Powers: China’s Strategic Inroads in Context

The Pacific Islands are emerging as yet another arena of competition between China, the United States, and other powers. Beijing’s influence in the region has surged over the last decade alongside its rapidly growing aid and infrastructure investments. On the sidelines of the 2018 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Papua New Guinea, President Xi Jinping held a high-level meeting with Pacific Island leaders, announcing new partnerships and signing many of them up as official participants in China’s Belt and Road Initiative.

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Jun 4th, 2018 5 min read

Commentary By

Theodore R. Bromund, Ph.D.@Bromund

Senior Research Fellow in Anglo-American Relations

James Jay Carafano@JJCarafano

Vice President, Kathryn and Shelby Cullom Davis Institute

Brett D. Schaefer

Senior Research Fellow in International Regulatory Affairs

KEY TAKEAWAYS

U.S. accession would provide no benefits not already available to the U.S., while creating unnecessary burdens and risks.

The U.S. does not need to join the convention in order to access oil and gas resources on its extended continental shelf, in the Arctic, or in the Gulf of Mexico.

Despite subsequent changes in 1994 that led the Clinton administration to support U.S. accession, the Trump administration should oppose accession to this treaty.

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November 20, 2018  |  AMTI BRIEF

Recent satellite imagery of Bombay Reef in the Paracel Islands shows that China has installed a new platform at the largely untouched South China Sea feature, which is also claimed by Taiwan and Vietnam. The modest new structure appears to be anchored on the north edge of the reef and is topped by a radome and solar panels. The development is interesting given Bombay Reef’s strategic location, and the possibility that the structure’s rapid deployment could be repeated in other parts of the South China Sea.

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