EDITORIAL: Regional unity to fend off BeijingPhilippine Department of Foreign Affairs spokesman for maritime affairs Rogelio Villanueva on Monday said that Manila’s claims in the South China Sea are backed by international law. Beijing has occupied a growing number of reefs and shoals in the South China Sea through land reclamation and has militarized several of them, installing radar systems, runways, missile batteries and military ports, among other facilities. Beijing often invokes international conventions when they support its narrative, but dismisses or discredits them when they do not. Nations in the Indo-Pacific region must demonstrate unity and resolve in responding to China’s actions if they hope to prevent consolidation of control in the South China Sea. What remains lacking is a unified framework among Indo-Pacific states that have territorial claims in the South China Sea.

Source: Taipei Times March 18, 2026 17:31 UTC