IMOA
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China May Be More Assertive, But Is It Really Ready to Lead?
Activist, assertive, and audacious: This is the People’s Republic of China as it celebrates its 70th anniversary in grand style. From the Belt and Road Initiative and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank to the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and the Xiangshan Forum, China’s convening power and capacity to provide both economic and security goods are on full display. In an…
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Duterte to press for greater peace, prosperity in Asia-Pacific
NONTHABURI, Thailand — Pushing for greater peace, security, and prosperity in the Asia Pacific will be part of President Duterte’s agenda when he attends the regional summit here. The President arrived in Bangkok on Friday evening to join other leaders for the 35th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit and related meetings from November 2 to 4. This…
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Why China gets it wrong in SE Asia
For all the money, time and effort China has invested in Southeast Asia, its grand plans for the neighboring region are by nearly all accounts not going as well as planned. As regional leaders gather in Bangkok for this weekend’s Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit, an occasion US President Donald Trump has opted to give an undiplomatic…
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U.S. NOT WILLING TO BECOME ‘A REAL ENEMY OF CHINA,’ STATE MEDIA SAYS AMID TENSIONS ON HUMAN RIGHTS, TAIWAN
Chinese state media has hit out at the U.S. Senate after lawmakers passed a new act expressing its support for the independent island nation of Taiwan, which Beijing considers a wayward part of a unified China. The latest U.S. move comes amid tensions over American support for anti-Beijing protesters in Hong Kong, China’s oppression of Muslim residents in the…
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Duterte and the South China Sea: A Carousel of Partnerships
Earlier this year, I outlined the roots of the ongoing dispute over the South China Sea and the upending of traditional Philippine foreign policy by incumbent President Rodrigo Duterte, wherein he spurned the country’s long-time pro-American stance in favour of improving relations with Beijing. However, despite the apparent warming of relations with China, it would appear that circumstances have…
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What Does ASEAN’s Evolving Approach to the South China Sea Issue Mean for Vietnam?
Though the regional grouping continues to have difficulties on the issue, it nonetheless remains important to Hanoi’s calculations. While a range of issues will be in discussion during this weekend’s summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the South China Sea will be among them. And for Vietnam in particular, how ASEAN manages the issue will be…
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Who’s bullying who in the South China Sea?
The United States and China are accusing each other of ‘bullying’ in the South China Sea. The epithet is being thrown around rather loosely. But there is some truth to these mutual accusations. Bullying is the practice of influencing another party to do something it does not want to do by using threats or actual force. Synonyms include coercion…
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Carpio shares ways for ASEAN to deal with Chinese intimidation in South China Sea
Retired Associate Justice Antonio Carpio proposes several actions on what ASEAN can do to deal with China’s intimidation in the South China Sea. One of his proposals is the signing of a convention that territorial disputes in the Spratlys will be resolved amicably through negotiations or arbitration. https://news.abs-cbn.com/video/news/10/31/19/carpio-shares-ways-for-asean-to-deal-with-chinese-intimidation-in-south-china-sea
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Beijing’s ‘good faith’ needed for SCS code to work–del Rosario
BEIJING should participate in “good faith” if the proposed Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) Code of Conduct (COC) on the South China Sea is going to work, according to a former Philippine diplomat. Former Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario said in a statement that China already had a record of “duplicitous behavior” which will not reach a compromise…
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Can ASEAN and China finish South China Sea code of conduct by 2022?
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations and China have a 2022 deadline to come up with a code of conduct to help minimize tensions in the South China Sea. But foreign policy analyst Renato de Castro doubts the code of conduct will be effective, considering it will not solve disputes in the South China Sea. He also notes how China…