Tensions have eased slightly in the South China Sea as Manila and Beijing appear to have come to an agreement on the humanitarian delivery of supplies to the Philippines’ beleaguered outpost, the rusting and rapidly deteriorating remains of a WWII-era warship that was intentionally grounded on Second Thomas Shoal. To be sure, this new development in the long-running maritime […]

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As the tragic bloodletting in Ukraine continues to unfold with new intensity, the world awaits the upcoming winter with a new sense of dread and foreboding. On the other side of Eurasia, China has sought to portray itself as an island of stability amidst a turbulent sea.  While an encouraging statement was made recently by a rather […]

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The launch of China’s third aircraft carrier, Fujian, provides a welcome respite to a country struggling to adapt to the evolving challenge of Covid. China’s self-imposed target of maintaining “zero-Covid” has stirred plenty of internal frustration. But “naval nationalism” – the phenomenon in which people feel united by the site of such a symbol of national […]

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Although naval warfare has not figured as a major component of the war in Ukraine, maritime strategists are rightly evaluating the recently intensifying air and naval combat near Snake Island off of Odessa. That small-scale but deadly fighting has seemingly witnessed a naval first: the sinking of small patrol boats by suicide drone (loitering munition) attacks, for […]

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Between the Olympics and the Ukraine-Russia crisis, the 50th anniversary of US president Richard Nixon’s visit to China has not received the attention it deserves. That event not only helped transform China and US-China relations, but it played a major role in “winning” the Cold War and ushering in a new, multipolar, globalized system.  Yet as the […]

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The perennially tense relationship between Tokyo and Moscow has taken a significant turn for the worse in recent months and Asia-Pacific strategists should assess the relevant dangers. On October 19, ten Russian and Chinese warships passed through the Tsugaru Strait, a relatively narrow sea passage separating the main Japanese islands of Hokkaido and Honshu.  While the passage […]

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