P
Pacific region countries and marine-related multilateral environment agreements. IGO, July 2004.
Paracel Islands, CIA Factbook.
- The Paracel Islands are surrounded by productive fishing grounds and by potential oil and gas reserves. In 1932, French Indochina annexed the islands and set up a weather station on Pattle Island; maintenance was continued by its successor, Vietnam. China has occupied the Paracel Islands since 1974, when its troops seized a South Vietnamese garrison occupying the western islands. The islands are claimed by Taiwan and Vietnam.
Peril on the Sea. The Economist, 2 Oct 2003.
-Are terrorists now aiming to block shipping lanes and disrupt the flow of oil and other goods ?
Piracy and Armed Robbery at Sea. IMO Library Services, Information Sheet No. 28, 8 November 2004.
-Facts on piracy and armed robbery at sea. Includes list of incident reports, Maritime committees, conference papers, publications, and additional resources.
Piracy and Maritime Terror in Southeast Asia:Dire Straits. www.iiss.org/stratcom, July 2004.
“…US proposals for a Regional Maritime Security Initiative (RMSI) have provoked controversy amongst South East Asian Government…”
Poon, Derek. Naval Modernization and Power Projection in the South China Sea. Governing the South China Sea. Middlebury College, Winter Term 2006.
- “This website aims to provide an overview on naval and air modernization in the countries bordering the South China Sea.” Keywords: aircraft, defense, military expenditures
Puchala, Donald. Of Pirates and Terrorists: What Experience and History Teach. Contemporary Security Policy, Vol.26, No.1 (April 2005), pp.1–24.
- “Though never eliminated, and ever recurrent, piracy has been periodically suppressed. In light of the present-day challenges of international terrorism, therefore, the history of piracy might be usefully examined for possible lessons about dealing with transitional menacers.” Keywords: privateers, globalization, asymmetrical warfare
Raffael, Paul. The Pirate Hunters. Smithsonia.com; July 25, 2007.
- Describes the recent climb in pirate attacks around the globe and the role of the IMB in reporting and preventing such attacks.
Raman, B. (Institute For Topical Studies, Chennai). Chinese Territorial Assertions: The Case of the Mischief Reef. Security & Political Risk Analysis (SAPRA) India think tank. January 14, 1999.
- “China has ongoing disputes with Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia and Brunei regarding conflicting claims of sovereignty over different islands in the Spratly group in the South China Sea, but its assertion of its claim over the Mischief Reef at the expense of the Philippines is an educative case study of how China doggedly pursues its irredentist territorial claims – by stealth, if possible, and by other means, including force, if necessary.”
RECAAP Information Sharing Center, Annual Report, 2007.
- Subtitled “Adding Value, Charting Trends.” ReCAAP (Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery Against Ships in Asia) is a government-to-goverment agreement to prevent armed robbery against ships in Asia. The ISC serves as a platform for research and information sharing.
Reefs at Risk: A Map-Based Indicator of Threats to the World’s Coral Reefs. World Resources Institute, 1998.
- Published online and in print with the International Center for Living Aquatic Resources Management (ICLARM), the World Conservation Monitoring Center (WCMC), and the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), this is the first global assessment of coral reefs to map areas at risk from overfishing, coastal development, and other human activity.
Ren Xiaofeng, A Chinese Perspective. Marine Policy Volume 29, Issue 2 , March 2005, Pages 139-146.
Regarding the regime of military and intelligence gathering activities in the EEZ, China argues that the freedoms of navigation and overflight in the EEZ have certain restrictions including that the activity must be peaceful and not threaten to use force against the coastal State. This includes military surveys, military maneuvers, and military reconnaissance which are a form of battlefield preparation. These activities are also subject to due regard for the rights of the coastal State. China also argues that there are serious shortcomings regarding the regime of marine scientific research (MSR) in the EEZ and that marine surveys or military surveys carried out by MSR platforms require the consent of the coastal State.
Rethinaraj, T. S. Gopi. China’s Energy and Regional Security Perspectives. Defense & Security Analysis Vol. 19, No. 4, 377-388, December 2003.
Chinese economic growth carry significant implications for energy security in the Asia–Pacific region, despite reported improvements in the country’s overall energy efficiency. China has one of the largest recoverable coal reserves in the world;3 however, its domestic oil and gas production are not sufficient to meet current and the projected future demand
Richardson, Michael. A Time Bomb for Global Trade: Maritime-related Terrorism in an Age of Weapons of Mass Destruction.
The world has not experienced a major terrorist attack using ships or containers – at least not yet. But it is clear that terrorists can see the potential of using the maritime trading system to conceal weapons or agents for attack purposes or to provide funding or support for their operations
Richardson, Michael. China’s rise shifts balance of power in Asia. THE STRAITS TIMES, Tuesday 7 September 2004.
As China’s growing power and influence permeate Asia and the Pacific, countries in the region are recalibrating their relations with Beijing to acknowledge its status and defuse potential conflict. These adjustments signal to both the United States and its ally Japan that the old strategic and economic balance in which they were the dominant players is shifting to include China as an increasingly important pole.
Roach, Ashley. Enhancing Maritime Security in the Straits of Malacca and Singapore. Journal of International Affairs; Vol. 59,1, Fall 2005 pg.97.
- Article examines the various threats posed to shipping and the marine environment in the Straits of Malacca while reviewing the steps needed to give law enforcement officials the means to combat piracy in the area.
Rosenberg, David. A Review Essay on ASEAN-China Relations: Realities and Prospects.
The global implications of China’s rise are nowhere more evident than in its relations with ASEAN. ASEAN-China relations must contend with three formidable challenges: how to cope with a rising China when it becomes a superpower in its own right; in an East Asian region with – for the first time – both a strong China and a strong Japan; and with a United States which aims to maintain its sole superpower status. The major security issues facing ASEAN-China relations are nontraditional ones such as the internal impacts of globalization due to the financial crisis of 1997, the destabilizing world market pressures on domestic society, and the increasing economic competition among member-states that test the evolving bonds of a growing ASEAN. China’s foreign policy reorientation and post-Cold War global market forces have opened an extraordinary window of opportunity for strengthening ASEAN-China relations.
Rosenberg, David. Biodiversity, Geology, and the Wallace Line in Southeast Asia. South China Sea WWW VL. Winter-Spring 2000.
Southeast Asia is an area of extraordinarily high biodiversity. This high diversity in land and sea is a result of three major factors: the overlap of independently evolved species ranges, high rates of local speculation, and differentially high survival among temporally and spatially heterogeneous habitats (McManus 1985).
Rosenberg, David Contested Borderlands of the South China Sea, BBC World Service, 21 April 2009.
On 8 March 2009, the Pentagon reported that five Chinese ships had confronted an unarmed US ocean surveillance ship, the USNS Impeccable, and engaged in “reckless and dangerous maneuvers” about 70 nautical miles or 120 kilometers south of Hainan Island. The Impeccable incident demonstrated how volatile unresolved questions can be. What US military activities are permissible in China’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) in the South China Sea? How does the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) govern territorial claims in these waters?
Rosenberg, David. Coral Reef Pollution in the South China Sea. South China Sea WWW VL. Winter-Spring 2000.
Over 30% of the world’s coral reefs are found in Southeast Asia, especially around the archipelagos of Indonesia and the Philippines (see map: “Coral Reefs of Southeast Asia”). These coral reefs provide a habitat for the highest biological diversity in the world (Wilkinson et al. 1993). Most shallow marine biota reach their peak diversity in these areas. These reefs are under threat from anthropogenic pressures as a result of population growth, urbanization, and economic growth in the area. Reefs are being degraded and damaged by land and sea based human activities, including organic and inorganic pollution, sedimentation, and overfishing.
Rosenberg, David, Christopher Chung. Maritime Security in the South China Sea: Coordinating Coastal and User State Priorities.
Maritime security concerns in the South China Sea are increasing for several reasons: higher volumes of shipping traffic, protection of Exclusive Economic Zone resources, piracy, terrorist threats, greater international scrutiny of ports and shipping, and the modernization of regional naval and coast guard forces. Coastal states and international user states have many overlapping interests in the South China Sea; for example, in promoting safe navigation through its busy sea lanes. On other issues, in particular, anti-piracy or anti-maritime terrorism measures, they have different views about the seriousness of the threat and the responses necessary to address it.
Rosenberg, David, “Environmental Pollution around the South China Sea: Developing a Regional Response to a Regional Problem,” Resource Management in Asia-Pacific Working Paper No. 20, Division of Pacific and Asian History, Research School for Pacific and Asian Studies, The Australian National University, 1999.
- “This paper provides one case study of how the member-nations of ASEAN – the Association of Southeast Asian Nations – are attempting to deal with a major cause of transboundary air pollution, smoke haze from forest fires.” Keywords: greenhouse gas, energy, Indonesia
Rosenberg, David. Dire Straits: Maritime Security in the South China Sea
From the Taiwan Strait to the Strait of Malacca, security concerns are growing around the South China Sea. While the Bush Administration sees a resurgent Chinese military threat across the Taiwan Strait and a terrorist threat in the Strait of Malacca, many countries between the Straits are more concerned about security for their maritime resources from the threats of competitors, traffickers, poachers, and pirates. How can these competing security priorities be resolved?
Rosenberg, David. Managing the Resources of the China Seas: China’s Bilateral Fisheries Agreements with Japan, South Korea, and Vietnam
The press is filled with reports on the multiple conflicts erupting in the China seas: territorial conflicts, resource conflicts, and historical conflicts. There is one area, however, where remarkable progress is being made in cooperative resource management. China has been making slow but steady progress in negotiating a network of bilateral agreements with Japan, South Korea, and Vietnam to manage their common fishery resources.
Rosenberg, David, Why a South China Sea Website? An Introductory Essay, South China Sea WWW Virtual Library. December, 1999.
This website provides information and research resources for students, scholars, journalists, and policy-makers interested in what people and governments around the South China Sea are doing about their regional economic, environment, and security problems.
Rowan, Joshua P. The U.S.-Japan Security Alliance,Asean, and The South China Sea Dispute, Asian Survey, Vol. XLV, no. 3, May/June 2005.
-The situation in the South China Sea—where sovereignty and oil and natural gas interests are converging—creates a flashpoint with significant policy implications for the US, Japan, and other Asian nations. Only the U.S.-Japan security alliance, operating in conjunction with the Association of Southeast
Asian Nations, can safely foster a long-term solution.
Roy, Dennis. Tension in the Taiwan Strait. Dept. of National Security Affairs, Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey. March 2000.
- Roy discusses the PRC’s motivations for threatening Taiwan, the potential impact of economic interchange across the Strait on Taiwan’s security, the possible forms a PRC-Taiwan conflict might take, the role the USA plays in Taiwan’s security, and approaches to alleviating the PRC threat to Taiwan.
San Pablo-Baviera, Aileen. The China factor in US alliances in East Asia and the Asia Pacific. Australian Journal of International Affairs; Vol. 57, No. 2, July 2003, 339-352.
- Seeks to provide an “understanding of the role that China plays in regional security in general, and the influence of such a role on the alliance system in particular.” Keywords: September 11, US-China relations, ASEAN
Saw Swee-Hock, and Sheng Lijun, Eds. ASEAN-China Relations: Realities and Prospects. Singapore: Institute of Southeast Asian Studies; 2005.
- ISEAS conference report on China’s rapid rise and its impact on ASEAN.
Schippke, Wolfgang -The Spratly Islands
-Wolfgang Schippke has conducted research on various largely-undocumented small islands around the world, many of those are in the South China Sea. His study shows great attention to the precise geographical location and history of each Island, as well as the Island’s current human activities.
The website is in English and German. Date: February 22, 1998.
SEA-SPAN-L
- a free moderated electronic news list about environmental change and policy in Southeast Asia. The acronym stands for: Southeast Asian Science-Policy Network. Subscribe at http://www.sea-user.org/news-subscribe.php
Security and Maritime Conflict in East Asia – Publications
- Articles and dissertations on the South China Sea published by the University of Oslo and the International Peace Research Institute of Oslo.
Segal, Gerald. The Myth of Chinese Power: It’s time to see China for what it is. Newsweek International, Sep. 20, 1999.
- On the eve of its 50th anniversary, Segal contends the PRC is neither as militarily powerful, nor as economically important as believed. China has a long way to go before it can challenge the West, or its neighbors in any substantial way.
Sengupta, Somini and Howard W. French. India and China Are Poised to Share Defining Moment. The New York Times, 10 April 2005.
- “Wen Jiabao, prime minister of China, began a four-day visit to India on Saturday just as the two countries – a third of humanity – are coming into their own at the same moment, with the potential for a dynamic shift in the world’s politics and economy.” Keywords: India-China trade, border disputes, resources.
Sharma, O. P. An Indian perspective. Marine Policy Volume 29, Issue 2 , March 2005, Pages 147-151.
- “The 1982 UNCLOS does not curb military activities in foreign EEZs. By specifically prohibiting certain activities in the territorial sea, it follows that such activities are permissible outside of it… However, due to new threats and technological advances, the authority, capability and jurisdiction of coastal States is being enhanced. Thus guidelines are needed to avoid certain contradictions.” Keywords: EEZ regime; An Indian perspective
Shie, Tamara Renee. Ports in a Storm? The Nexus Between Counterterrorism, Counterproliferation, and Maritime Security in Southeast Asia. Issues & Insights, Vol. 4, No. 4, July 2004.
- “This paper recommends greater regional cooperation; an increase in cost burdensharing, technological collaboration, and capacity building; the creation of a truly regional maritime security initiative; and the adherence to and new proposals for UN maritime security conventions.” Keywords: Container Security Initiative, Proliferation Security Initiative, International Shipping and Port Facility Security Code.
Singapore Politics: Terrorism Fears Center on Maritime Piracy. Economist Intelligence Unit; June 9, 2004.
- Article on the need for multilateral cooperation to deal with issues of piracy in the Singapore-Indonesia area.
Singh, Ruchi, Background Report on the USNS Impeccable Incident of March 8, 2009, Middlebury College, June 2009.
A compilation of news reports, journal articles, maps, photos and videos.
Skaridov, Alexander S. Naval activity in the foreign EEZ—the role of terminology in law regime. Marine Policy Volume 29, Issue 2 , March 2005, Pages 153-155.
- “Definitions of terminology is the key to the application of the Law of the Sea. Definitions of a term can be determined from its generic characteristics and specific differences.” Keywords: Russia.
Smith, Gary J., Multilateralism and Regional Security in Asia: The ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) and APEC’s Geopolitical Value, The Weatherhead Center for International Affairs Harvard University, 1997.,
- “Major powers traditionally do not wish to be tied down by middle and small sized powers, but institutions are emerging in Asia, such as the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) and the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) group, in which multiple small and middle sized powers play leading roles.” Keywords: agreements, diplomacy, China.
Snyder, Craig, The Implications of Hydrocarbon Development in the South China Sea, International Journal, LII, Winter 1996-97:
- “This paper will explore how the possibility of economic windfalls due to resource exploitation add to the the difficulty in reaching any agreement among the rival claimants.” Keywords: EEZ, Spratly Islands, oil.
Snyder, Scott, The South China Sea Dispute: Prospects for Preventive Diplomacy, United State Institute of Peace, 1996,
- Outlines the various territorial claims involved in the disputes over the South China Seas and evaluates the prospects for success of several of the proposed resolution mechanisms. Keywords: Spratly Islands, Joint Resource Development, ASEAN, EEZ
Song, Yann-Huei. Declarations and Statements with Respect to the 1982 UNCLOS: Potential Legal Disputes between the United States and China after US Accession to the Convention. Ocean Development & International Law; Nov. 5, 2007.
- “Discusses the implications of US accession to the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea for the future development of Sino-American relations in the areas of ocean law and politics.”
Song, Yann-Huei. The Overall Situation in the South china Sea in the New Millenium: Before and After the September 11 Terrorist Attacks. Ocean Development & International Law, 2003.
- “This contribution reviews the overall situation in the South China Sea (SCS) between 2000 and June 2002.” Keywords: Maritime Security
South China Sea Informal Working Group
The South China Sea Informal Working Group at the University of British Columbia, Canada is a tremendous resource tracking the jurisdictional conflicts in the South China Sea. This website provides detailed information about meetings, seminars and workshops about the South China Sea organized by the Research and Development Agency in Indonesia, along with the Department of Foreign Affairs. It is also a valuable source of similar, relevant updates, publications, papers and online resources.
South China Sea Region,
- US Department of Energy, Energy Information Agency, Country Analysis Brief.
Spratly Islands, CIA Factbook.
- The Spratly Islands consist of more than 100 small islands or reefs. They are surrounded by rich fishing grounds and potentially by gas and oil deposits. They are claimed in their entirety by China, Taiwan, and Vietnam, while portions are claimed by Malaysia and the Philippines. About 45 islands are occupied by relatively small numbers of military forces from China, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Vietnam. Brunei has established a fishing zone that overlaps a southern reef, but has not made any formal claim.
The Spratly Islands Dispute,
- American University, Inventory of Conflict and Environment (ICE) 1997
Spratly (or Spratley) Islands – Google News Search
Spratly Islands, Globalsecurity.org
- Overview, maps, and statistics of the Spratly Islands.
Stankiewicz, Michael, ed., Maritime Shipping in Northeast Asia: Law of the Sea, Sea Lanes, and Security,
– Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation, 1998.
Stenseth, Leni. The Imagined China Threat in the South China Sea. University of Oslo.
- “Some argue that China’s policy is driven by a national ambition to take control of the entire Spratly area by military means. But is this really China’s intention?” Keywords: PRC, Mischief Reef, nationalism
Storey, Ian. The Triborder Sea Area: Maritime Southeast Asia’s Ungoverned Space. Terrorism Monitor; Vol.5, Issue 19, 9/11/2007.
- Focuses on the need to address terrorist threats in the triborder sea area between the Philippines, Malaysia and Indonesia.
Stormont, William G. Confidence Building for Cooperation in an Environment of Conflicting Claims to Jurisdiction. Center for Asian Legal Studies, The University of British Columbia.
- In 1994, the actions of the Managing Political Conflicts in the South China Sea Initiative went further toward furthering its goals of preventing the escalation of tensions to military conflict and promoting an “atmosphere conducive to the resolution of the conflict… than in any year since the project’s inception.” Keywords: Mischief Reef, workshop, ASEAN Regional Forum
Strait Dispute Unlikely To Spark War. Taiwan News, 26 May 2004.
-Despite the continuous flow of harsh rhetoric emanating from the People’s Republic of China and the warnings of numerous pundits at home and abroad, the chances of a conflict breaking out in the Taiwan Strait remain very limited.
Studeman, Michael, Calculating China’s Advances in the South China Sea/ Identifying the Triggers of “Expansionism,” Naval War College Review, 1998.
- “This article examines circumstances surrounding China’s occupation of nine reefs in the Spratly island group in 1988, 1992, and 1995, in support of the thesis that economic threats have been the triggers for China’s appropriation of territory in the South China Sea.” Keywords: PLAN, Mischief Reef, petroleum
Student-Faculty Collaborative Research Projects Online in the South China Sea WWW VL
-Middlebury College, 1999-2008
Study Abroad Asia
-Link here Study Abroad Asia is a part of the Asian Studies WWW Virtual Library Project and of the South Asia WWW Virtual Library. It provides information about US University/ College Study Abroad programs in various regions of Asia such as the Cornell Falcon Program in Japan and the SIT Nepal Program amongst many others.
Su, Steven Wei. The Territorial Dispute over the Tiaoyu/Senkaku Islands: An Update. Ocean Development & International Law, 36:45–61, 2005.
- “This article discusses one of the most difficult disputes in the world, the territorial dispute over the Tiaoyu Islands.” Keywords: Law of the Sea, East China Sea.
Sulu and Sulawesi Seas.
-Surrounded by Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines, the Sulu and Sulawesi Seas contain about 450 species of coral (compared to only 60 in the entire Caribbean). The Sulu Sea’s Tubbataha Reef, with corals covering more than 81,000 acres, is the heart of coral diversity for the region. These seas support one of the world’s largest varieties of reef fish, as well as commercial and community fisheries. In recent years, overfishing and destructive fishing methods including the use of cyanide and dynamite have destroyed large sections of coral and depleted fish populations.
Sumaila, Ussif Rashid and Jennifer Jacquet. When Bad Gets Worse: Corruption and Fisheries. Sea Around Us Project and Fisheries Economics Research Unit, Fisheries Centre, University of British Columbia Vancouver.
- Explores different aspects of the issue of corruption in various sectors of the fishing industry.
Swanström, Niklas. Conflict Management and Negotiations in the South China Sea: The ASEAN Way? In Perspectives on the Conflict in the South China Sea: Workshop Proceedings, Knut Snildal (Comp.), Workshop on the Conflict in the South China Sea, 24-26 April 1999,Oslo, Norway. Hosted by the project Energy and Security in the South China Sea, Center for Development and the Environment, University of Oslo.
- “The purpose in this paper is to study how the conflict management process in the South China Sea (SCS) has been conducted in order to see which strategies have proved to be most successful in reaching a solution or in decreasing the intensity of the conflict, and why.”
