South China Sea (SCS)
-
Free and Open Indo-Pacific/FOIP
After maritime exercise with Allies and Partners, Philippines seeks South China Sea talks with PRC
Reuters Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has called for talks with the People’s Republic of China (PRC) to prevent more incidents of Beijing’s vessels ramming and firing water cannons at Philippine boats in the South China Sea. Manila is exhausting all options for discussions with the Chinese leadership to ease tensions in the waterway, Marcos said. He said he hoped…
Read More -
Free and Open Indo-Pacific/FOIP
PLA’s coordinated coercion aims to erode international law
FORUM Staff International leaders have for years denounced China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) for unsafe intercepts of military aircraft in international airspace and risky maneuvers on the high seas, as well as the Chinese coast guard and maritime militia’s aggressive tactics in the waters of sovereign nations. The coercive and dangerous moves are part of a concerted attempt to discourage…
Read More -
Free and Open Indo-Pacific/FOIP
Philippines strongly protests latest Chinese coast guard assault on resupply vessel
Voice of America The Philippines summoned a Chinese envoy over the China coast guard’s “aggressive actions” near a South China Sea reef in late March 2024. It was the latest of Beijing’s repeated confrontations with Philippine vessels over the People’s Republic of China’s (PRC) expansive and arbitrary territorial claims in the strategic waterway. The Chinese coast guard fires water cannons…
Read More -
Across The Region
Protecting Sea Lines of Communication
The oceans and seas that dominate the Indo-Pacific present a challenge of immense proportions to safeguarding sovereignty and upholding freedom of navigation and commerce — an obstacle that military planners call the “tyranny of distance.” Increasingly, satellites, sensors, uncrewed aerial and surface vessels, and other technologies — combined with comprehensive information-sharing endeavors among like-minded nations — are key to bridging…
Read More -
Features
Upholding International Norms in the Skies
FORUM Staff A People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) fighter jet intercepted a Canadian Armed Forces CP-140 Aurora aircraft multiple times in international airspace in October 2023 in a “dangerous and reckless” manner, yet another example of Beijing’s disregard for freedom of navigation and aircrew safety, officials said. Such unsafe and unprofessional activities risk midair collisions and escalation. The nonstandard intercepts…
Read More -
Free and Open Indo-Pacific/FOIP
Hanoi, Manila to boost maritime domain awareness, South China Sea cooperation
Maria T. Reyes Recent steps by the Philippines and Vietnam to deepen cooperation could expand maritime domain awareness and help ensure a rules-based order in the South China Sea amid Beijing’s militarization of the strategic waterway, analysts say. The Southeast Asian nations agreed to boost collaboration between their coast guards and to “promote trust, confidence and understanding through dialogue and…
Read More -
Features
Shared Vision
FORUM Staff Deterring war is the main reason to prepare for war, Gen. Romeo Brawner, Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief of staff, told FORUM on the sidelines of the May 2023 Land Forces Pacific (LANPAC) Symposium & Exposition in Hawaii. Multilateral training and exercises are gaining headway with widespread acceptance among like-minded militaries throughout the Indo-Pacific, Brawner said…
Read More -
Conflicts - Tensions
PRC’s global security initiative contradicts actions
Dr. Jinghao Zhou The People’s Republic of China’s (PRC) foreign ministry released a paper in February 2023 addressing international security challenges and solutions. The Global Security Initiative (GSI) reflected a speech by Chinese Communist Party (CCP) General Secretary Xi Jinping 10 months earlier in which he unveiled his GSI proposal. It is imperative that those who question recent CCP actions…
Read More -
Conflicts - Tensions
Philippines upgrading South China Sea outposts amid sovereignty concerns
Maria T. Reyes The Philippines will upgrade its South China Sea military outposts, officials say, a move that comes as the Chinese coast guard continues to harass Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) vessels within Manila’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ). AFP Chief of Staff Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. in January 2024 announced planned enhancements for nine reefs and islands, including…
Read More -
Northeast Asia
Keen Edge 24 sharpens Australian, Japanese and U.S. defense skills
FORUM Staff Australian Defence Force (ADF), Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF) and United States military personnel strengthened joint operational capabilities, refined command and control procedures, and enhanced interoperability during Keen Edge 24. Participants in the early February 2024 command post exercise, part of an annual bilateral series that alternates with Keen Sword field training exercises, used computer simulations to rehearse…
Read More