Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative

In the past two and a half months, the Philippines has increased its patrols across the South China Sea beyond anything seen in recent years. AMTI tracks their activities and their encounters with Chinese vessels in a new feature.

On March 20, Secretary of National Defense Delfin Lorenzana officially informed the Philippine nation about the presence of around 220 Chinese fishing vessels moored in line at Whitsun Reef (called Julian Felipe Reef in the Philippines). The reef is a wide boomerang-shaped shallow coral reef at the northeast end of Union Banks, located approximately 175 […]

Last month, the top leaders of Australia, India, Japan, and the United States assembled for the first leader-level summit of the so-called “Quad.”  This dialogue partnership dates to 2007 and is built on a foundation laid during the cooperative response to the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. After wallowing in diplomatic doldrums, the recurring ministerial-level events […]

AMTI has identified 14 Chinese maritime militia vessels in photos and video taken by Philippine patrols at Whitsun Reef in the South China Sea. AIS data and satellite imagery confirm their names, homeports, and the sustained presence of Chinese fishing fleets at Union Banks

On its surface, the situation in the South China Sea has not changed much compared to that before the passage of China’s Coast Guard Law, which took effect on February 1, 2021. China is still using grey zone tactics to scare away fishers and harass resource exploration projects from other territorial claimants in the South […]

Whitstun Reef, named Julian Felipe Reef in the Philippines after the late composer of the Philippine national anthem, is becoming a new flashpoint in the South China Sea. The massing of about 220 Chinese fishing vessels in the reef in the past several weeks raises worries about China’s growing activities in the contested sea. The […]

China’s new Coast Guard Law has drawn concern and criticism from the United States, Japan, the Philippines, and others for its strong language on the use of force. But how does it compare to those of other coastguards in the region?

Since taking office, Joseph Biden’s administration has overseen a renaissance in American commitment to multilateral diplomacy. In its first month in office, the new American leadership has embarked on a global charm offensive to restore frayed international ties following four years of Trumpian unilateralism and protectionism. Within a single week, President Biden held crucial talks […]

The bellicose tone emanating from Beijing in the last couple years has led to a pooling of resources by some other countries in the region, notably India, Japan, the United States, and Australia.  This can be seen in the revival of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, or Quad, in November 2017. This new version of the […]

Committing resources to such pandemic-centered foreign policy framework would go a long way to recapturing U.S. leadership in Southeast Asia.