2 days ago
China's war of ideas in the South China Sea
A Chinese Coast Guard ship, left, used a water cannon and sideswiped a Philippine fisheries vessel on a research mission near one of three sandbars called Sandy Cay in the disputed South China Sea on May 21, 2025. © AP
James Borton is a non-resident senior fellow at Johns Hopkins Strategic Advanced International Studies Foreign Policy Institute and the author of "Harvesting the Waves: How Blue Parks Shape Policy, Politics, and Peacebuilding in the South China Sea." Sherry Chen is presently pursuing a dual degree between Columbia University and Sciences Po Paris, and she is a research associate at the South China Sea NewsWire.
While naval patrols and island-building dominate headlines about the South China Sea, China is waging another, quieter campaign -- one that unfolds not at sea, but in seminar rooms, policy briefings and academic dialogues. At the forefront of this campaign are state-aligned Chinese think tanks that are steadily shaping the narrative surrounding Beijing's maritime ambitions.
