Analysis
-
Freedom of Navigation and China: What Should Europe Do?
Analysis, China, EEZ, Foreign Relations, Japan, Philippines, South China Sea Dispute, UNCLOS, USA, VietnamEurope should take note of the challenge that China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi set the United States at the ASEAN Foreign Ministers Meeting earlier this month. In remarks to the press, Wang challenged Washington’s advocacy of high seas freedoms by arguing that the “current situation of the South China Sea is generally stable, and the […]
-
Hard-headed realism needed in the South China Sea
Hopes of resolving the South China Sea’s bitter territorial disputes have once again proven illusory. Meeting in Myanmar over the week-end, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) shied away from backing the Filipino proposal for a freeze on destabilising unilateral challenges to the territorial status quo. Although this is typical of ASEAN’s limp diplomacy, […]
-
Who is China to act like a leader?
After weeks of trying to gain an insight into the thought process of the military junta in Thailand, it seems there is always someone around here who needs a wakeup call. Although I wanted to question the wit of those who approved visa-free entry to Chinese without reciprocal action from our giant neighbour to the […]
-
South China Sea: China’s Unfolding Strategic Blueprint For Full-Spectrum Dominance – Analysis
Analysis, China, Diplomatic Relations, Japan, Oil Rig, Philippines, South China Sea Dispute, USA, Vietnam, WarSouth China Sea has emerged as an explosive regional and global flashpoint endangering the security and stability of the wider Indo Pacific region. This arises mainly from China’s propensity to use force to settle territorial disputes. Paracel Islands under full military occupation of China and Spratlys Islands under partial military occupation of China coupled with […]
-
This Map Shows Why The South China Sea Could Lead To The Next World War
The South China Sea is a powder keg of territorial claims mixed with oil and gas resources. Almost every country in the area has a longstanding animus toward at least one of its neighbors. China claims 90% of the Sea, and Beijing is viewed with fear and suspicion throughout the region. The U.S. and Chinese […]
-
China’s gigantic hoax
China’s leaders may yet relive Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tale about vanity, featuring an unclad emperor who couldn’t see his own nakedness, thanks to Supreme Court Associate Justice Antonio Carpio. In a diligently researched 62-page treatise titled “Historical facts, Historical Lies, and Historical Rights in the West Philippine Sea,” Carpio called China’s claim to the […]
-
Where does South Korea Stand on the South China Sea Dispute?
In May the world was jolted to learn that China sank Vietnamese vessels that were trying to stop Beijing from putting an oil rig in the South China Sea (SCS). Along with its vast reserves of untapped natural gas, the South China Sea is also important as a shipping route. The Republic of Korea (ROK), […]
-
China and the United States: Destined to cooperate over ‘core interests’
The 21st century will be defined by the relationship between the American superpower and rising China. A new Cold War would threaten the world order while a mutually beneficial association could bring all prosperity. The latter scenario is more likely. The geography, economies, and energy resources of the US and China align their “core interests.” […]
-
Why Doesn’t Russia Support China in the South China Sea?
Recently, tensions over maritime disputes in the South China Sea seem to have surpassed even those caused by the Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands. China and Vietnam are embroiled in their worst political conflict in decades over an oil drilling platform near the Paracel Islands. The resulting anti-China protests in Vietnam brought China-Vietnam relations to a temporary halt. […]
-
Analysis: South China Sea dispute pits power-hungry China against weaker regional neighbours
The dispute over the South China Sea pits China against its smaller, weaker regional neighbours. Vietnam is one of them, and right now there is a concerning flash point that could have deep, significant implications for the region. Around Vietnam you find propaganda billboards denouncing China’s actions after it built a billion-dollar oil rig about […]