In June, Beijing raised the “administrative status of the Xisha, Zhongsha and Nansha islands” from a county-level administrative office to prefectural-level city named Sansha based on Woody (Yongxing) Island in the Paracels (Xisha) archipelago in the South China Sea. In July, the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) garrison in the newly created city also based on Woody …
The United States in the South China Sea Disputes
In June, I attended the Berlin Conference on Asian Security, organized by the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik, SWP) and the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung. I participated in a panel on the South China Sea and presented a paper entitled “The United States in the South China Sea Disputes.” In the paper, I reviewed the …
Sage advice for graduate school applicants
Over at Duck of Minerva, Georgetown University’s Dan Nexon has authored a post with excellent tips for those considering applying to PhD program in Political Science. Having served on graduate admissions committees, his advice is spot on.
Overlapping Claims and Major Powers
Yesterday, the head of PetroVietnam, Vietnam’s state-owned oil company, gave a briefing in response to CNOOC’s announcement of new blocks in the South China Sea. The briefing included a map, shown below, which indicates the extent to which China’s blocks overlap with Vietnam’s. It also shows which foreign oil companies are targeted by CNOOC’s announcement — Gazprom, …
The South China Sea Oil Card
Over the weekend, the China National Offshore Oil Company (CNOOC) quietly announced that nine new blocks in the South China Sea were now open to foreign oil companies for exploration and development. This move reflects one of the starkest efforts by China to assert its maritime rights in these disputed waters – and constitutes a direct challenge …
How to Defuse South China Sea Conflicts
Yesterday, I published a short piece in the Asian Wall Street Journal, “How to Defuse South China Sea Conflicts.” The op-ed explores the lessons that can be learned from the standoff between China and the Philippines over Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea. Read it here.
Model Worker
The folks at , a website and research firm that tracks the Chinese media and Internet, published its annual last week. The awards contain a “a list of the best specialist websites, blogs and online sources of information about China.” Yours truly was listed as one of ten runner-ups for China-related tweeters. The collection of …
The PLA in the South China Sea
In early June, an article in the New York Times quoted a TV interview with Gen.Ma Xiaotian, a Deputy Chief of the General Staff in the People’s Liberation Army. The Times, however, did not discuss the most interesting part of what he said. The rest of the interview illuminated China’s strategy in the South China Sea, especially an …
Japan, China’s Maritime Step
Many of the most salient disputes between China and its neighbors involve maritime issues. Moreover, as demonstrated by the current standoff between Beijing and Manila over Scarborough Shoal, China is often seen as assertive and uncompromising. Nevertheless, maritime talks held with Japan this week suggest that China can be more flexible in managing its maritime …
The Asian Arms Race That Wasn’t
My colleague Vipin Narang and I have written a piece on the test of India’s Agni V missile and the potential for an arms race in Asia. The piece, “The Asian Arms Race That Wasn’t,” was published by Foreign Policy.