Tempted first by the lucrative spice trade, the Europeans began establishing themselves in Southeast Asia from the 16th century. After the Portuguese established a colony in M… See more

The U-shaped, tongue-like line on the Chinese national map reached deep into the South China Sea; a visual representation of China’s professed right to waters som… See more

By the late 1970s, the South China Sea had become one of the world’s most prominent trade routes, and Southeast Asian nations were discovering potentially lucrative oil and gas de… See more

After the confrontation at Scarborough Shoal, the Philippines began arbitral proceedings against China at the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague. Th… See more