This RAND primer describes the development of littoral states' respective claims to portions of the South China Sea, including islands, rocks, and low-tide elevations.

This 2-page primer from the Congressional Research Service is a succinct introduction to the territorial disputes in the South China Sea.

This timeline published by the Council on Foreign Relations charts the broad strokes of Asian maritime disputes since the nineteenth century.

This United States Department of State document assesses the consistency of Chinese maritime claims with international law.

This report by the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative and the Center for Advanced Defense Studies describes the structure, subsidies, and ownership networks of China’s maritime militia in the South China Sea.

This visual guide from Harvard's Belfer Center describes how Freedom of Navigation Operations (FONOPs) are used by the US Navy to challenge maritime claims deemed excessive under international law.

Twitter thread of infographics by the Indo-Pacific Defense Forum that does a great job of introducing the Chinese Coast Guard (CCG).

The full text of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

All proceedings—including the final ruling—of the Permanent Court of Arbitration's ruling on the legality of China's maritime claims in the South China Sea.

Great introduction to the Chinese Maritime Militia (PAFMM), by Shuxian Luo, U.S. Naval War College, and Jonathan G. Panter, Columbia University.

A primer on the evolution of the People’s Republic of China’s (PRC) maritime strategy that outlines how the PLAN has grown and modernized.

This report presents a model agreement to manage the South China Sea disputes, by the CSIS Expert Working Group on the South China Sea.

This blueprint for future naval innovation may be the hedge the United States needs to deter China in the South China Sea.

A policy outline that explains how supporting the ability of SE Asian countries to regulate and police illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing will also help counter Chinese gray zone tactics.

This study examines recent incidents of gray zone coercion in maritime Asia and draws lessons for policymakers.

Bill Hayton outlines how claimants could overcome their disagreements by disaggregating claims and employing a ‘Track Two Tribunal.’

Maritime COIN aims to shine a bright light on the PRC’s illegal activities to harass, intimidate, and bully other states in the South China Sea region into accepting China’s excessive claims to the entire South China Sea. The project will also develop strategic, operational, tactical, and force structure recommendations on how to thwart China’s illegal efforts.

New aerial images of Beijing’s manmade islands in the South China Sea provide greater detail about their infrastructure and defenses.

This site disseminates information on key Philippine maritime and territorial concerns.

Infographic from environmental NGO Oceana explaining the basics of AIS.

News aggregator for South China Sea-related stories.

This lecture by Justice Antonio T. Carpio (Ret.) of the Supreme Court of the Philippines explains the legal position of the Philippines in the South China Sea

Ray Powell, a former U.S. Air Force colonel, tracks the maneuvers of ships and other vessels operating in the South China Sea on a daily basis as the team lead for Stanford University's Project Myoushu. Ray joins Eric & Cobus from Palo Alto to break down the different territorial claims and why this burgeoning maritime conflict is so incredibly important. Podcast is available here: https://chinaglobalsouth.com/podcasts/a-primer-on-the-escalating-tensions-in-the-south-china-sea/

Explore information about the South China Sea’s disputed rocks, reefs, and submerged shoals. Made by the Asia Maritime Transparancy Initative (AMTI) at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).

Interactive map with satellite imagery of over 90 outposts built on nearly 70 disputed features in the South China Sea. Made by the Asia Maritime Transparancy Initative (AMTI) at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).

Interactive map made by the Institute for China-America Studies (ICAS), covering the various maritime claims in the South China Sea, as well as US legal responses and freedom of navigation operations.

Interactive map that monitors the activities of more than 65,000 commercial fishing vessels, from 2012 to the present. Made by Global Fishing Watch, an independent, international nonprofit organization.

Maps that explore how Chinese deployment of various weapons systems on South China Sea outposts is improving its military power projection capabilities.

This National University of Singapore (NUS) project involved a satellite image-based mapping of all visible insular geographic features in the SCS, including natural and man-made features. Note that the project ended in 2016, and therefore lacks imagery and descriptions of much of the infrastructure on the features.

The South China Sea Data Initiative (SCSDI) is a project from Emory University and the University of California, San Diego, documenting conflict in the South China Sea. Their dataset currently consists of 514 geo-coded incidents.

Detailed dataset covering 75 maritime incidents in the South China Sea 2010-2020, compiled by the ChinaPower Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).

Dataset covering number of vessels entering the contiguous zone or territorial sea around the Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands between 2008-2022, compiled by the ChinaPower Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), based on data released by the Japanese Coast Guard.

A short video explainer about why the Philippines took China to international arbitration, why it won, and why it was such a big deal.