Did the Philippines Outmaneuver China on Sandy Cay? | Taiwan Talks EP619

Host: Yin Khvat

The Chinese Coast Guard has unfurled a Chinese flag on Sandy Cay, with reports claiming Beijing has “seized” the sandbank. However, Sandy Cay is within Manila’s exclusive 12-nautical-mile economic zone, as defined by the UN's Convention on the Law of the Sea. The Hague's Permanent Court of Arbitration also ruled in 2016 that Sandy Cay is part of Thitu Island, which has been controlled by the Philippines since the 1970s. In the rest of the show, we discuss the U.S. and Philippines’ expanding cooperation with Japan, Australia, the UK and Canada, as well as the new defense assets being tested at this year’s Balikatan military exercise.

Our guests:

Lai I-chung
- Prospect Foundation President

Tony Hu
- Former U.S. Department of Defense senior director for China, Taiwan and Mongolia

Chapters
00:00:00 – China Reacts to Philippine-U.S. Drills
00:01:13 – Sandy Cay Is Latest Flashpoint
00:08:58 – Chinese Carrier Transits Luzon Strait
00:12:09 – International Cooperation in Balikatan
00:19:21 – U.S. Deploys New Military Assets