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Beijing's Disinformation Campaign Against West Philippine Sea Transparency
Beijing's Disinformation Campaign Against West Philippine Sea Transparency
On July 4th, Executive Director Ray Powell issues a public statement of Beijing's campaign to discredit SeaLight and the Philippines' transparency program.
JUL 6, 2025
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Iran’s Maritime Gray Zone: Tactics, Threats and the Strait of Hormuz
Iran’s maritime gray zone activities have long been central to its approach towards the Persian Gulf at large. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy and the regular Iranian Navy both play key roles, often coordinating with regional partners and, increasingly, with Russia and China.
JUN 25, 2025
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Gray Zone Tactics Playbook: Intrusive Surveying
China's oceanographic survey activities routinely conflate legitimate scientific research with assertion of excessive maritime claims and collection of military intelligence--a classic gray zone tactic.
JUN 3, 2025
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China's Escalating Gray Zone Campaign Against Japan's Senkaku Islands
A recent incident around the contested Senkaku Islands highlight's Tokyo's need for more and better options to counter Beijing's maritime aggression.
MAY 21, 2025

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What is SeaLight?

SeaLight is committed to lighting up the maritime gray zone so that bullies and criminals can no longer hide in the darkness while they harass law-abiding fisherfolk; destroy the marine environment and fish stocks; prevent legitimate exploration and survey activities; and violate international law and other countries' sovereign rights.
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Latest Resources

South China Sea-related materials, maps, media, databases, and more. Collected and curated in our searchable research library.
China Maritime Report No. 46: China's Fishermen Spies: Intelligence Specialists in the Maritime Militia
Published JUN 22, 2025
Collecting and reporting maritime intelligence is a core mission of China’s maritime militia.
Securing The Indo-Pacific Amid Rising Tensions
Published JUN 4, 2025
The Mission Ready Podcast sits down with Ray Powell, a retired U.S. Air Force officer with 35 years of experience, to unpack key issues shaping the region: ➡️ U.S.–China relations & historical context ➡️ Defense strategy shifts in the Philippines ➡️ Multinational military exercises like Balikatan ➡️ Maritime transparency and public-private partnerships ➡️ China’s civil-military fusion strategy
Chinese Aggression Fuels Indo-Pacific Grey Zone Wars
Published JUN 4, 2025
China’s approach in the South China Sea is becoming far more aggressive. How does America view the rise of grey zone conflicts in the Indo-Pacific? In this illuminating episode, Ray Powell and James Carouso, hosts of the “Why Should We Care About the Indo-Pacific?” podcast, dive into the critical importance of this region for global security and its implications for the second term of the Trump administration.
Shedding Light on China’s Gray Zone Activities in the Indo-Pacific
Published JUN 4, 2025
On this episode of the Defense Tech Underground , SeaLight Director Ray Powell describes his 35 year career in the United States Air Force, his path to Stanford, and his journey to founding SeaLight. He explains China’s gray zone tactics in the South China Sea and SeaLight’s efforts to shed light on those activities. Ray offers insight into needed countermeasures to build up readiness and deterrence as well as the broader geopolitical landscape in the Indo-Pacific.
China's Fishermen Spies: Intelligence Specialists in the Maritime Militia
Published APR 26, 2025
China Maritime Report No. 46 from the U.S. Naval War College's China Maritime Studies Institute
China Global South Podcast: South China Sea
Published APR 19, 2025
Ray Powell, director of the Sealight initiative at Stanford University's Gordian Knott Center for National Security Innovation and host of the "Why Should We Care About the Indo-Pacific Podcast," joins Eric and CGSP Southeast Asia Editor Edwin Shri Bimo to discuss why the national security team in Washington remains appears to be more committed to the Philippines than other alliance partners.
South China Sea: Escalating tensions between China and the Philippines | 101 East Documentary
Published APR 5, 2025
Al Jazeera documentary on the tensions between the Philippines and China over the South China Sea.
ASPI: Pressure Points
Published MAR 26, 2025
Pressure Points by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute analyzes the Chinese military's use of air and maritime coercion to enforce Beijing's excessive territorial claims and advance China's security and defense interests in the Indo-Pacific.
Submarine Cable Map
Published MAR 25, 2025
The Submarine Cable Map is a free and regularly updated resource from TeleGeography.
Taiwan Security Monitor
Published MAR 25, 2025
Taiwan Security Monitor (TSM) is a student-driven research initiative dedicated to informing and improving the public discourse on cross-Strait security issues. Focused on the intersection of open-source research, geospatial data, and policy analysis, TSM provides timely and valuable insights into the evolving cross-Strait security landscape. TSM’s lines of effort includes tracking major military movements, maintaining a comprehensive repository of resources related to cross-Strait security, analyzing visual imagery, and compiling historical data on foreign military sales to Taiwan. By leveraging open-source intelligence (OSINT) tools and techniques, TSM’s team of student researchers monitor key developments and present clear, data-driven insights for policymakers, journalists, researchers, and the public. TSM is directed by Dr. Michael Hunzeker, an associate professor at George Mason University’s Schar School of Government and Policy.
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In The News

Our finds on the latest articles and information from outside of the SeaLight team.
China Blasts US Ally Over Spying in Air Defense Zone
Published JUL 14, 2025
China has accused Japan—a United States treaty ally in Northeast Asia—of sending spy planes to its so-called Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) over the contested East China Sea.
Philippine Coast Guard Intercepts Chinese Spy Ship
Published JUL 14, 2025
Philippine Coast Guard Intercepts Chinese Spy Ship Aaron-Matthew Lariosa July 13, 2025 8:18 AM BRP Teresa Magbanua (MRRV-9701) hails the People’s Liberation Army Navy Type 815G-class electronic surveillance ship Tianwangxing on July 12, 2025. Philippine Coast Guard photo A Philippine Coast Guard cutter intercepted a Chinese Navy spy ship within Manila’s western exclusive economic zone over the weekend.
Vietnam Intercepts China Research Ship Near Coast
Published JUL 9, 2025
Vietnam recently deployed a ship to intercept a Chinese survey vessel operating off its east coast, according to ship tracking data. The Chinese vessel spent much of the second half of June within Vietnam's maritime zone, in what Hanoi says is a violation of its sovereignty.
Japan in talks to transfer warships, surveillance aircraft to the Philippines
Published JUL 7, 2025
Japan is in talks with the Philippines over a potential transfer of used navy destroyers and maritime surveillance aircraft, as part of Tokyo’s efforts to bolster Manila’s defense capabilities amid China’s growing assertiveness in the region.
South China Sea: US aircraft carrier marks American commitment but also ‘crowded’ region
Published JUL 5, 2025
The USS George Washington’s Manila port call comes just days after China deployed two of its carriers to the Western Pacific for military drills
Chinese consulate asks NZ film festival to can Philippine doco
Published JUL 5, 2025
Chinese officials have asked that a Filipino documentary be removed from future screenings at the New Zealand Doc Edge Festival, saying doing so would be in the interest of Chinese-New Zealand relations.
Does Australia see China as a threat?
Published JUN 30, 2025
Squaring the circle between public opinion and political rhetoric.
First 5 U.S.-made Harpoon missile launcher vehicles arrive in Taiwan
Published JUN 29, 2025
The first five land-based Harpoon anti-ship missile launcher vehicles, along with a radar truck, have arrived in Taiwan from the United States, a source familiar with the matter told CNA Saturday.
West PH Sea: Recent US-PH-Japan sea drills viewed as ‘counter-China’ effort
Published JUN 25, 2025
The Philippines joined the recently-concluded coast guard drills of the United States and Japan in what experts see as a “counter-China” move and a nod to “minilateralism” amid the regional power’s growing aggression.
China elbows its way into South Korean waters
Published JUN 25, 2025
Satellite photos reveal China is using the cover of global turmoil to push its boundaries deeper into neighbouring territory.
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JUL 12, 2023
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