ASEAN At A Crossroads: Safeguarding Centrality Amid South China Sea Tensions – OpEd
“Recent maritime incidents highlight the challenges of achieving ASEAN solidarity. According to data from the Information Sharing Centre of the Cooperation Regional Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in Asia, there were seventy-two encounters between fishing vessels and maritime militias in contested waters during the first half of 2025. The Philippines and Vietnam experienced the majority of these confrontations, accounting for nearly sixty percent of the recorded protests against Chinese maritime activities. The uneven distribution of these encounters highlights the varying stakes each state claims and complicates efforts to formulate a unified ASEAN response.”
“…ASEAN’s central role in the South China Sea dispute is both essential and at risk in 2025. The bloc’s effectiveness in maintaining regional order depends on its ability to harmonize differing national interests with a unified, rule-based approach. Without significant reforms—such as establishing cohesive legal frameworks, improving decision-making processes, and implementing practical incident-management protocols—ASEAN faces the danger of marginalization as great-power rivalry intensifies.”