United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) — 9DASHLINE

Artificial Islands, real power: reshaping maritime order in the South China Sea

Written by Gilang Kembara

China’s island-building strategy in the South China Sea is not only reshaping the maritime order, but also provoking responses from regional claimants and external actors — whether through competition, imitation, or resistance — that unintentionally reinforce a practice-based order in which behaviour, rather than legal norms, determines outcomes.

The South China Sea Code as a test of ASEAN’s agency

Written by Dr. Aniello Iannone

Ultimately, the COC’s relevance will depend on whether it can institutionalise guardrails that shape incentives at sea, reduce the frequency and severity of grey-zone encounters, and make de-escalation after incidents more predictable.

Waves of waste: Addressing Vietnam’s marine plastic pollution challenge

Written by Thu Nguyen Hoang Anh

Based on estimates from the Vietnam National Plastics Action Partnership, if the country’s current systems are not improved, the volume of plastics in its waterways could double by 2030.

Emerging Issues, Southeast Asia9DLMay 13, 20259DASHLINE, Waves of waste: Addressing Vietnam’s marine plastic pollution challenge, THU NGUYEN HOANG ANH, Vietnam, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, G7, marine plastic pollution reduction, plastic, plastic pollution, pollution, environmental pollution, marine pollution, waste, global marine plastic pollution, waste management, consumption, international cooperation, coastal, island, marine resources, marine ecosystems, fisheries, plastic debris, climate change, urbanisation, marine litter, United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL), Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and Their Disposal, soft law, National Action Plan for Management of Marine Plastic Litter by 2030, 2020 Law on Environmental Protection, People’s Committees, recycling, reuse, single-use plastic, transnational, ASEAN, Australasian Recycling Label (ARL), Japan’s Plastics Smart campaign, Thu Nguyen Hoang Anh

In Forum: 2024 — the South China Sea at a crossroads

The South China Sea remains one of the most potentially explosive regions in the world. What role can regional actors and organisations play in de-escalating the conflict and putting an end to the escalatory trends witnessed in 2023?

We invite several experts to assess the prospects for stability in 2024.

Editor's Picks, Pacific9DLFebruary 2, 2024In Forum: 2024 — South China Sea at a crossroads, 9DASHLINE, south china sea, SCS, China, Philippine, Philippine navy, The Philippines, vessels, Chinese vessels, freedom of navigation, United States, trade, shipping, US-China competition, escalation, CYBER, ELINA NOOR, non-claimant states, Code of Conduct (CoC), Code of Conduct (CoC) negotiations, military, international law, cross-domain, ASEAN, norms of responsible state behaviour, 2015 United Nations Group of Governmental Experts of Developments in the Field of Information and Telecommunications in the Context of International Security, APILA SANGTAM, Beijing, Vietnam, India, Manila, United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), UNCLOS, 2016 Arbitral Award, comprehensive strategic partnership, 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty, grey zone, Exclusive Economic Zones, Indonesia, Malaysia, NONG HONG, geopolitical rivalry, naval, military exercises, oil and gas exploitation, COLLIN KOH, unilateral, multilateral, littorals, Second Thomas Shoal, Taiwan, PRATNASHREE BASU, Belt and Road Initiative, strategic autonomy, de-escalation, containment, Japan, rules-based order, UN, United Nations, In Forum: 2024 — the South China Sea at a crossroads