South China Sea

Summer in the South China Sea—a hardened U.S. policy, extensive naval operations and a Twitter skirmish.

Vietnam and China have sparred over competing claims in the South China Sea for nearly 50 years. Recently, Vietnamese officials have begun initiating legal proceedings against China to try and change their unfavorable position in the region.

State parties to the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea have a lawful and peaceful way to uphold the international rule of law and counter China’s disregard of a 2016 arbitral tribunal’s legally binding ruling on the South China Sea.

In the first weeks of May, U.S. vessels have been busy all over the South China Sea, drawing China’s ire and frustration. From May 2 to May 8, the destroyer USS William P. Lawrence joined ships from the Philippines, India and Japan in transiting through the South China Sea, performing formation exercises and other low-profile drills during the voyage.