China's war of ideas in the South China Sea

Beijing uses think tanks to legitimize its maritime claims and shape global perception

James Borton and Sherry Chen

July 18, 2025 17:05 JST

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.