The bubbling cauldron
On April 22 last year, at the Western Pacific Naval Symposium in Qingdao, China, 21 Pacific countries signed the “Code for Unplanned Encounters at Sea (Cues)” to generate mutual understanding and international co-operation in regards to the use of the seas. Cues is not legally binding but its role is clear: to reduce tension that results from maritime conflicts arising out of overlapping interests…