Nine Dash Line — 9DASHLINE

No land in sight: Prospects of a South China Sea Code of Conduct

Written by Dr Apila Sangtam

The differing stances on the legal nature of the COC and China's assertive actions in contested waters pose significant obstacles to reaching a comprehensive and effective agreement.

Southeast Asia9DLAugust 3, 20239DashLine, Apila Sangtam, ASEAN Post-Ministerial Conference with China, ASEAN, China, Jakarta, Code of Conduct (COC), south china sea, Wang Yi, Qin Gang, Beijing, Vietnam, Johnson Reef, the Philippines, Mischief Reef, Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC), Ian Storey, ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute, Singapore, Arbitration Tribunal under Annex VII of UNCLOS, UNCLOS, Spratly Islands, Le Thu Huong, Australian Strategic Policy Institute, Arbitral Tribunal's Award in 2016, nine-dash line, international law, Li Keqiang, 37th ASEAN Summit, Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), Southeast Asia, Malaysia, Indonesia, Covid-19 pandemic, Myanmar, 2021 military coup, v, transnational crime, marine environmental protection, maritime safety, oil and gas, militarising, Air Defence Identification Zone (ADIZ), Paracel Islands, Hanoi, 2016 South China Sea Award, grey zone, Chinese fishing boats, Chinese research vessel, No land in sight: Prospects for the South China Sea Code of Conduct, Nine Dash Line

Elephant in the room: Indonesia hesitates to strike India-Russia missile deal

Written by Andi Raihanah Ashar

Southeast Asian countries like Indonesia are unlikely to pursue a missile deal involving an India-Russian joint venture as long as they have to put their relationship with the US at risk.

Faultlines9DLApril 25, 20239DashLine, Elephant in the room: Indonesia hesitates to strike India-Russia missile deal, Andi Raihanah Ashar, Indonesia, China, Russia, India, Act East, strategic partner, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, defence exports, arms sales, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, New Delhi, BrahMos Aerospace, defence industry, Defence Research and Development Organisation, NPO Mashinostroyenia (NPOM), sanctions, Russian war against Ukraine, interoperability, India’s defence industry, Beijing, military equipment, defence budget, deterrence, cruise missile, supersonic cruise missile, United States International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), hypersonic missile, Atul D. Rane, Philippines, Philippine Marine Corps, sea-denial capability, Manila, Luzon, Palawan, South China Sea, Vietnam, Malaysia, territorial disputes, nine-dash line, Jakarta, National Armed Forces (TNI), Minimum Essential Force (MEF), Andika Perkasa, Prabowo Subianto, France, Qatar, Germany, Turkey, procurement, Rajnath Singh, Dahnil Anzar Simanjuntak, coastal defence, original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), PT Len Industri, Joko Widodo, Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA), Washington, USA, Iran, North Korea, Sukhoi Su-27 SK/SKM, Su-30MKK/MK2, Mil Mi-17V5, Mil Mi35P, P-800 Oniks (3M55), army, navy, air force, KRI Oswald Siahaan, US Senate, Sukhoi Su-35, F-5 Tiger, Lockheed Martin F-16V, 22 BMP-3F, 21 BT-3F, Su-27/30, Belarus, Harry Roque, BrahMos, NPOM, Mashinostroyenia, Ukraine, Southeast Asia, International Traffic in Arms Regulations, ITAR, Palawan Islands, Nine Dash Line, Widodo, CAATSA, Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act, Sukhoi, Maritime Security and Counterterrorism, Modi

In Conversation: James Borton on 'Dispatches from the South China Sea: Navigating to Common Ground'

9DASHLINE recently sat down with James Borton to discuss his fascinating new book Dispatches from the South China Sea: Navigating to Common Ground, in which he argues that the South China Sea can become a body of water that unites, rather than divides.

Could minilateralism work in the South China Sea?

Written by Huynh Tam Sang

The time is ripe for Indonesia and its counterparts to work closely and effectively. Leaders in Jakarta should forge a shared perception of unity among participants by highlighting the importance of working hand-in-hand as no country can navigate the South China Sea challenges alone.

The team behind 9DASHLINE

As we bid adieu to a busy and rewarding year for our team, 9DL’s leadership — David MacSweeney [Founder], Dr Manali Kumar [Editor-in-Chief], and Dr Zsuzsa Anna Ferenczy [Head of the Associates’ Network] — answer some frequently asked questions.

South China Sea dispute: The three challenges to ASEAN’s position

Written by Kalvin Fung

ASEAN members such as Indonesia might find themselves mired in a quagmire: recognising a regime lambasted for its terrible human rights record might save ASEAN unity but could draw further condemnation from the West and international media; rejecting the junta might jeopardise regional unity and delay the long-awaited COC.

The 2016 South China Sea arbitration award: Can the past and present foretell the future?

Written by James Borton and Lucio Blanco Pitlo III

Sustained domestic pressure, efforts by other littoral states to align their claims with UNCLOS, and a growing chorus of countries referencing the award in their note verbales strengthen the hands of leaders who may come out more assertively on the issue.

Russia’s conduct in the South China Sea

Written by Nivedita Kapoor

In the long term, Russia has the potential to become a regional energy supplier as well as provide connectivity via the Arctic Northern Sea Route (instead of via the Straits of Malacca), which could mitigate the contradictions in the SCS.

Southeast Asia9DLMay 24, 20219DASHLINE, Nine Dash Line, Russia, China, South China Sea, ASEAN, South East Asia, Soviet Union, Vietnam, Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei, Taiwan, Cold War, UNCLOS, Malacca, Northern Sea Route, Rosneft, Ukraine, Sea of Azov, Kerch Strait, Black Sea, Duterte, EEZ

Realising the Great Change: Beijing’s South China Sea lawfare strategy

Written by Ryan Lucas

Too often, foreign policy analysts have focused principally on the hard power component of China’s ambitions in the South China Sea. This security-centric approach, while important, risks downplaying a critical piece of China’s South China Sea strategy in the post-pandemic era.

Russia and China present a united front to the west – but there’s plenty of potential for friction

Written by Natasha Kuhrt

Nor has Russia been able to implement many of its ambitious plans for its ailing far eastern region, which was once central to the Asian pivot. By continuing with its Sinocentric approach, Moscow ensures the continuing overdependence on China, and so the impossibility of modernisation and diversification of the economy.

Whitsun Reef: The next escalation point?

Written by Jay L Batongbacal

Manila must resume its original policy of standing by international law, reinforce its alliance with the US and strategic partnerships with middle powers like Japan and Australia, and deepen friendships with other external parties such as the UK and the EU.

Elevating India-Vietnam maritime cooperation in the Indo-Pacific theatre

Written by Xuan Dung Phan

India should aid Vietnam in further developing infrastructure in the deep-water Cam Ranh Bay port (Hanoi has reportedly asked New Delhi for such assistance) and, having established a network of military facilities overseas and drastically modernised its naval assets, India is certainly in a position to lend its support.

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What the numbers can (and can’t) tell us about the South China Sea dispute

Written by Andrew Chubb

This brief, broad-brush picture emerges from the Maritime Assertiveness Times Series (MATS) project, which is compiling corresponding data on other states in the South China Sea, as well as an East China Sea series. Data collection and coding is still in progress, but once complete, the project will enable us to ask an array of new questions on the dynamics of maritime disputes in East Asia.

The United States has a new South China Sea policy

Written by Drake Long

The new US policy should be viewed as one more part of a coordinated effort across multiple governments to push back against China’s claims with similar diplomatic approaches and language, emphasising UNCLOS and the 2016 PCA award specifically.

Editor's Picks, Southeast Asia9DLJuly 17, 2020South China Sea, China, Covid-19, Malaysia, Vietnam, 9-Dash Line, Nine Dash Line, UNCLOS