This RAND primer describes the development of littoral states' respective claims to portions of the South China Sea, including islands, rocks, and low-tide elevations.

This 2-page primer from the Congressional Research Service is a succinct introduction to the territorial disputes in the South China Sea.

This timeline published by the Council on Foreign Relations charts the broad strokes of Asian maritime disputes since the nineteenth century.

This United States Department of State document assesses the consistency of Chinese maritime claims with international law.

This report by the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative and the Center for Advanced Defense Studies describes the structure, subsidies, and ownership networks of China’s maritime militia in the South China Sea.

This visual guide from Harvard's Belfer Center describes how Freedom of Navigation Operations (FONOPs) are used by the US Navy to challenge maritime claims deemed excessive under international law.

Twitter thread of infographics by the Indo-Pacific Defense Forum that does a great job of introducing the Chinese Coast Guard (CCG).

The full text of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

All proceedings—including the final ruling—of the Permanent Court of Arbitration's ruling on the legality of China's maritime claims in the South China Sea.

Great introduction to the Chinese Maritime Militia (PAFMM), by Shuxian Luo, U.S. Naval War College, and Jonathan G. Panter, Columbia University.

A primer on the evolution of the People’s Republic of China’s (PRC) maritime strategy that outlines how the PLAN has grown and modernized.

This report presents a model agreement to manage the South China Sea disputes, by the CSIS Expert Working Group on the South China Sea.

This blueprint for future naval innovation may be the hedge the United States needs to deter China in the South China Sea.

A policy outline that explains how supporting the ability of SE Asian countries to regulate and police illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing will also help counter Chinese gray zone tactics.

This study examines recent incidents of gray zone coercion in maritime Asia and draws lessons for policymakers.

Bill Hayton outlines how claimants could overcome their disagreements by disaggregating claims and employing a ‘Track Two Tribunal.’

Maritime COIN aims to shine a bright light on the PRC’s illegal activities to harass, intimidate, and bully other states in the South China Sea region into accepting China’s excessive claims to the entire South China Sea. The project will also develop strategic, operational, tactical, and force structure recommendations on how to thwart China’s illegal efforts.

New aerial images of Beijing’s manmade islands in the South China Sea provide greater detail about their infrastructure and defenses.

This site disseminates information on key Philippine maritime and territorial concerns.

Infographic from environmental NGO Oceana explaining the basics of AIS.

News aggregator for South China Sea-related stories.

The paper is an elaborate description of how assertive transparency constitutes a formidable state policy and strategy against China’s comprehensive gray zone maneuvers in the West Philippine Sea.

Analysis of the history of the Paracel Island group leading up to the 1974 battle in which China expelled South Vietnamese troops and took full control of the archipelago.

Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative report tracking the dramatic increase in PRC and Philippine ships during resupply missions at Second Thomas Shoal over time.

How does a government respond to a threat or coercion by a larger and better-resourced military? That is a question faced by countries across the Indo-Pacific when it comes to actions conducted by the People’s Republic of China (PRC). Taiwan and the Philippines have experienced similar, yet unique, forms of PRC coercion that have resulted in both capitals developing analogous responses that fall within an analytical spectrum. This report focuses on how these two Indo-Pacific countries responded to actions conducted by the military apparatus of the PRC since 2022.

Ray Powell is the Director of SeaLight, a maritime transparency initiative of the Gordian Knot Center for National Security Innovation at Stanford University, and a member of the South China Sea NewsWire Advisory Board. This interview was conducted on March 12, 2024.

Managing Chinese Gray Zone Activity in the South China Sea and Indian Ocean Region

Infographic of China's artificial islands in the South China Sea overlaid with the Philippines' rights under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.

In the South China Sea, the Chinese leadership is intent on controlling all the rocks, reefs, and resources in the waters encompassed by what has become known as the ‘nine-dash’ or ‘U-shaped’ line. This line, which first appeared on an official map published by the Republic of China (ROC) in 1948, has no legal or historical basis. It is the product of misunderstandings and mistranslations by officials and private individuals in China during the 1930s. Unfortunately, this line is the basis for ongoing confrontations and escalating geopolitical tension between the People’s Republic of China (PRC), its Southeast Asian neighbours and other countries.

The authors identify approaches for the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command and other elements of the U.S. military to counter and deter Chinese maritime gray zone operations.

This lecture by Justice Antonio T. Carpio (Ret.) of the Supreme Court of the Philippines explains the legal position of the Philippines in the South China Sea

Ray Powell, a former U.S. Air Force colonel, tracks the maneuvers of ships and other vessels operating in the South China Sea on a daily basis as the team lead for Stanford University's Project Myoushu. Ray joins Eric & Cobus from Palo Alto to break down the different territorial claims and why this burgeoning maritime conflict is so incredibly important. Podcast is available here: https://chinaglobalsouth.com/podcasts/a-primer-on-the-escalating-tensions-in-the-south-china-sea/

Ray Powell joins the program to discuss his recent work “Game Changer: The Philippines’ Assertive Transparency Campaign: How the Philippines Rewrote the Counter Gray Zone Playbook in 2023.”

Headstart: Karen Davila talks to Maritime Security Expert Ray Powell for his insights on the latest incident of 'dangerous maneuvers' by China in the West Philippine Sea.

Philippine vlogger and journalist Richard Heydarian talks to SeaLight Director Ray Powell about ongoing tensions in the West Philippine Sea.

Join hosts Ray Powell and Jim Carouso as they delve into the crucial issues defining the 21st century's pivotal region--one that spans from Hollywood to Bollywood. Learn to navigate its most important geopolitical, economic, military, environmental and cultural challenges, with a practical emphasis on why it matters. Hosted by seasoned diplomatic and national security practitioners, each episode offers insightful analysis and thought-provoking discussions. From bustling cities like Beijing, Mumbai and Tokyo, through the diverse countries of Southeast Asia, down to the Australian Outback and the pristine islands of the South Pacific, expert guests help Jim and Ray explore the region's defining issues, emergent crises and future trajectories. Discover the interplay of the U.S.-China strategic competition against the interests of rapidly emerging powers like India and Indonesia. Explore the complexities of regional alliances old and new like ASEAN, AUKUS and "the Quad". Understand the forces driving hotspots like the Korean Peninsula, Taiwan Strait, South China Sea and the China-India border ... and most importantly, why we should care.

Well-produced Wendover Productions overview of the South China Sea dispute.

Jim Carouso and Ray Powell interview the Philippine Coast Guard's spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea, Commodore Jay Tarriela, about China's continuing harassment of Philippine ships at a time when the mist of the previous day's water-cannoning near Scarborough Shoal was still dissipating. They discuss the importance of countering Chinese aggression and protecting the international rules-based order. They ask Jay to weigh the benefits of the Philippines' transparency campaign against its risks, and to comment on ASEAN's reluctance to publicly back Manila in its maritime struggles and its inability to produce a South China Sea Code of Conduct.

Filipino fishermen from Zambales speak out and tell us their experiences with the China Coast Guard and maritime militia, which continue to encroach on the West Philippine Sea.

The U.S. could be drawn into a conflict between China and the Philippines that's been roiling the South China Sea.

Ray Powell and Jim Carouso discuss the recent tense and sometimes violent maritime confrontations between China and the Philippines with Southeast Asia expert Greg Poling, author of "On Dangerous Ground: America's Century in the South China Sea". They consider what these developments mean for America's long-standing alliance commitment to the Philippines, which Greg asserts is finally being treated like a "real ally" on equivalent footing with more developed countries like Japan.

Explore information about the South China Sea’s disputed rocks, reefs, and submerged shoals. Made by the Asia Maritime Transparancy Initative (AMTI) at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).

Interactive map with satellite imagery of over 90 outposts built on nearly 70 disputed features in the South China Sea. Made by the Asia Maritime Transparancy Initative (AMTI) at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).

Interactive map made by the Institute for China-America Studies (ICAS), covering the various maritime claims in the South China Sea, as well as US legal responses and freedom of navigation operations.

Interactive map that monitors the activities of more than 65,000 commercial fishing vessels, from 2012 to the present. Made by Global Fishing Watch, an independent, international nonprofit organization.

Maps that explore how Chinese deployment of various weapons systems on South China Sea outposts is improving its military power projection capabilities.

This National University of Singapore (NUS) project involved a satellite image-based mapping of all visible insular geographic features in the SCS, including natural and man-made features. Note that the project ended in 2016, and therefore lacks imagery and descriptions of much of the infrastructure on the features.

The South China Sea Data Initiative (SCSDI) is a project from Emory University and the University of California, San Diego, documenting conflict in the South China Sea. Their dataset currently consists of 514 geo-coded incidents.

Detailed dataset covering 75 maritime incidents in the South China Sea 2010-2020, compiled by the ChinaPower Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).

Dataset covering number of vessels entering the contiguous zone or territorial sea around the Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands between 2008-2022, compiled by the ChinaPower Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), based on data released by the Japanese Coast Guard.

A short video explainer about why the Philippines took China to international arbitration, why it won, and why it was such a big deal.