Without strict maritime law to monitor fishing activities in common waters, over exploitation and diplomatic wrangling can ensue. The Philippines and China can adopt informal mechanisms, which can even serve as the bedrock for more robust cooperation.

The White House’s effort to hammer the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement in Maui failed. As time is running out for President Obama’s legacy achievement, both Washington and Beijing are reassessing their options.

In the South China Sea dispute, the US position has been inconsistent with itself and with norms of international law, breeding misunderstanding and suspicion. The result has raised the political temperature in the region, and could lead to undesirable results for all parties.

As the South China Sea’s most promising near-term developable gas field in the South China Sea, Sampaguita could offer a solution of cooperation, peace, and legitimacy to Chinese claims near the Philippines.

The Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C. carries deep symbolism, both in the U.S. political heritage, and classical Greek aesthetics. Vasilis Trigkas proposes that this monument be a site for President Xi and Obama to deliver an alternative narrative for China-U.S. relations.

The new AIIB reflects China’s opportunity to assist the developing world, but how China cooperates with India, and U.S. interests in the Asia Pacific, will determine the effectiveness of the new Bank.

The key legal framework for the China-initiated regional multilateral institution – the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) – was inked by representatives of the bank’s 57 founding members in Beijing last Monday. For China and the U.S., the AIIB is not about win-lose. A win-win result can be achieved if both sides are more open-minded.

East Asia has avoided major military conflicts since the 1970’s. It is owing to the maturity and good sense of most of the states of the region, their emphasis on economic growth over settling scores, and the American alliances and security presence that have deterred military action and provided comfort to most peoples and states. But above all else, it is due to the reconciliation of the Asia-Pacific’s major powers, the United States and China.

The past two years witnessed the Chinese leadership enunciating a “Chinese Dream” visions for the nation and offering to share the prospects of prosperity and stability with the entire Asia Pacific region and beyond.

China-U.S. competition and rivalry in the South China Sea is structural, strategic, and irreconcilable. Preventing conflicts there from damaging bilateral ties is a practical imperative for decision-makers in both countries.