While land reclamation and island-building have had the most visible impact on the South China Sea's fragile coral reef ecosystem, China's illegal but still active giant clam harvesting industry is actually the most destructive. (Image credit: CSIS Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative and Maxar Technologies)

China's maritime militia is a key asymmetric advantage in its strategy to dominate its maritime approaches, and especially its vast claim to nearly the entire South China Sea, yet the exact size and composition of this expanding paramilitary force is an enigma. Let's go over what we do know.

For the past week the Chinese research vessel Ke Xue San Hao has been surveying the reefs and shoals west of the Philippine island of Palawan.

Recent debate which casts the Philippines' assertive transparency campaign as as a "failure" for not deterring Beijing's South China Sea aggression risks missing the forest for the trees. Manila has gained much by turning on the cameras.

President Marcos laid out the principled high ground upon which the Philippines stands at Second Thomas Shoal. His spokespeople should avoid yielding it back by excusing Beijing's mendacity.

A new satellite photo of the maritime militia swarm at Whitsun Reef shows how China is committed to maintaining its effective control over this maritime feature within the Philippines' exclusive economic zone. How long before its other vessel swarms at features even closer to the Philippine archipelago--Sabina Shoal and Iroquois Reef--grow to look like this?

Is China building another artificial feature at Sabina Shoal? The Philippines certainly suspects it has those designs. With everything else swirling around the South China Sea, why should this be what we're talking about now? SeaLight explains below.

Cartographic expansionism describes the gray zone tactic in which an aggressor nation manipulates maps to mark out, advance and expand its vast territorial and maritime claims.

Satellite images show how China is slowly stealing Iroquois Reef from the Philippines.

SeaLight Director Ray Powell and his co-host, former senior U.S. diplomat Jim Carouso discuss his week's upcoming U.S.-Japan-Philippines trilateral leaders summit with expert guests Chris Johnstone and Dindo Manhit.

Analysts say removing Manila’s coastguard ship from South China Sea hotspot an ‘option’, but miscalculation risks drawing in the US.

Army secretary envisions keeping Typhon in Indo-Pacific for 6 months or longer.

China has intensified its efforts to assert control over energy-rich regions of the South China Sea.

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said Thursday that Malaysia will not bow to demands by China to stop its oil and gas exploration in the South China Sea as the activities are within the country’s waters.

Manila’s alliance with the US may be one reason China is taking a much tougher stance, but Hanoi’s island-building could still be a problem.

Just over 55 kilometers (30 nautical miles) away from the nearest Philippine shore off Palawan on Aug. 26, a 12,000-ton People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy Type 055 guided-missile destroyer with bow No. 105 was closely tailing a pair of much smaller Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) ships.

Vietnam and the Philippines agreed on Friday to advance defence and military relations and deepen collaboration on maritime security, in a significant step by two countries long at odds with Beijing over its actions in the South China Sea.

hina on Thursday told the Philippines to "immediately withdraw" its coastguard ship from hotly contested Sabina Shoal in the South China Sea after a helicopter airdropped supplies for the ship's crew.

China released on Friday its first survey report of the South China Sea’s disputed Sabina Shoal, saying there was no scientific or factual basis for reef damage claims made by the Philippines.

As two U.S. aircraft carrier battle groups patrolled the Indian Ocean this week in an explicit effort to deter Iran from striking Israel and sparking a major regional conflict, a very different military messaging effort was underway in a luxury conference centre in Manila.