News
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Stage set for Cold War 2.0 in Indo-Pacific: Is India ready to tackle massive Chinese naval expansion?
The defining feature of the 21st century has been the remarkable rise of China. In the four decades since Deng Xiao Ping initiated the Four modernisations, its northward trajectory has been so staggering that even though it is now the second largest economy in the world, its growth rate of over 6% is considered slow. Cold War 2.0, Indo-Pacific, India,…
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Cambodia’s Hun Sen meets Xi Jinping on Beijing visit
BEIJING — Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen has met with Chinese President Xi Jinping during a visit to Beijing that reinforces ties between China and its closest ally in Southeast Asia. Hun Sen also is to meet Premier Li Keqiang and other leaders during his four-day visit, which started Monday. Cambodia has grown increasingly close to China in recent years…
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ASEAN meet rocks no boats on Rakhine, South China Sea
Foreign ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations on Friday hewed to the group’s practice of reaching the least provocative consensus possible in discussions of such divisive issues as Myanmar’s Rakhine crisis and China’s territorial claims in the South China Sea. A two-day Foreign Ministers’ Retreat was the regional group’s first meeting since Thailand took over its annual chairmanship.…
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US, Britain conduct joint navy drills in South China Sea amid worries about China’s military power
The deputy head of a Chinese military academy told an audience that tensions in the South China Sea could be resolved by sinking a pair of U.S. aircraft carriers. U.S. and British navy ships conducted joint drills in the South China Sea last week in what they called a sign of their shared emphasis on regional peace and stability amid…
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Duterte remains committed to continue dialogue with China on WPS
President Duterte is committed to continue the country’s dialogue with China as part of his unwavering effort to defend national interests in the West Philippine Sea. According to Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo, the President would keep the lines of communication with China open as he remained steadfast in protecting the country’s territorial integrity and sovereignty. “The President’s stance on defending…
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A war zone in disguise?
A non-government organization in the US described the Philippines as “a war zone in disguise.” Whether a valid description or not, the NGO claim somehow has a ring of truth in it, some local observers say. The short news runner below the main CNN Philippines coverage did not give enough details on the claim of the NGO—nor its identity. Watching…
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China, Cambodia to enhance exchanges
Cooperation with China will benefit Cambodia’s economy and reduce Western pressure, Chinese experts said on Sunday as Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen kicked off his four-day visit to China on Sunday. Cambodia has been a vital force, trusting and supporting China in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and in the construction of the China-proposed Belt and Road…
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Pentagon report outlines China’s new muscular military
A new report on China’s military from the Defense Intelligence Agency comes to a troubling conclusion: The People’s Liberation Army is gaining the characteristic technology and deployment ability to put them on par with Western nations. Chinese leader Xi Jinping has worked to model his military after Western powers, eschewing the Maoist strategies that left China with a force best…
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What lies ahead for the Philippines on China’s Belt and Road Initiative?
PRESIDENT Rodrigo R. Duterte sought warmer ties with China at the outset of his presidency, at a time when China was on its way with its ambitious global infrastructure program called the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). Agenda 2020 logo The Philippine government’s Build, Build, Build infrastructure program thus coincides with China’s BRI, which is seen by the Philippine government…
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Fortress Singapore? Why a British Base Won’t Deter China A giant waste of time?
It’s not surprising that China isn’t happy that Britain may build new bases in the Pacific. What’s surprising is that Britain thinks that building a base in Singapore will accomplish anything. Defense Secretary Gavin Williamson raised eyebrows when he told the Sunday Telegraph that Britain might establish bases in the Caribbean and the Pacific. The Pacific bases reportedly would be…
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DLSU, Sussex Academic Press to launch new book on South China Sea
MANILA — A new book on the South China Sea will be launched at the De La Salle University (DLSU) in Manila this week. The book, entitled “The South China Sea Arbitration: Understanding the Awards and Debating with China,” is written by Dr. Alfredo C. Robles Jr. and jointly published by DLSU Publishing House and Sussex Academic Press in United…
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Vietnam Gains Bargaining Power Over China in Conduct at Sea Talks
Vietnam’s tough stance against China over sovereignty of the South China Sea will put Beijing on the defensive during regional talks on easing the regional maritime dispute, people who follow the process say. Officials in Hanoi have suggested establishing a code of conduct that, among other things, would bar construction on artificial islands in the South China Sea and ban…