ASEAN
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Has China forgotten its commitments?
Ngo Huu Phuoc: China’s behavior has violated the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and the basic principles of international law on friendly relations between countries that are prescribed in the UN Charter and codified in the Declaration of the UN General Assembly, dated 24/10/1970. Under the provisions of the UNCLOS, […]
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Xinhua: ASEAN Should Avoid Being Divided by South China Sea Issue
It was a busy week in China news, with the China-Vietnam stand-off continuing, the U.S. charging five PLA officers with cybercrimes, and a terrorist attack bringing tragedy to Xinjiang. Below, some stories you may have missed on the developments: Xinhua responds to the news that Vietnam and the Philippines are growing closer together in the […]
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South China Sea Dispute: China Unchallenged By ASEAN – Analysis
The coincidence of the China-Vietnam tussle and the ASEAN Summit of 2014 re-focused discussions on the South China Sea dispute but failed to create a significant impact. The foreign ministers of the ASEAN countries issued a standalone declaration that called for “restraint by all parties involved in the maritime dispute and to avoid resorting to […]
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Why Did China Set Up an Oil Rig Within Vietnamese Waters?
The who, what, where, when and how of China’s HD-981 oil rig foray into Vietnamese waters have been addressed comprehensively, both by commentators here at The Diplomat and elsewhere. The enduring question, as with many of China’s provocative actions in the Asia-Pacific, remains why? The opacity of China’s internal decision-making processes makes it rather difficult to conclusively answer that question, but a good amount […]
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ASEAN Leaders Summit to Take Place Amid South China Sea Concerns
Leaders from the ten member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) will meet in in Napyidaw, Myanmar this weekend. The meeting is historic due to its venue: Myanmar is hosting an ASEAN summit for the first time. However, the meeting unfortunately coincides with two major maritime disputes between two ASEAN states and […]
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Indonesia Stresses Importance of Code of Conduct in South China Sea
Naypyidaw, Myanmar. Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa said on Friday that it was important for members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and China “to quickly conclude” the talks on a code of conduct on the South China Sea. “The recent incident in the South China Sea reminded us of the importance of concluding […]
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PNoy to push for early conclusion of code of conduct at ASEAN Summit
President Benigno Aquino III will be pushing for the early conclusion of the drafting of the set of rules meant to avoid conflict in the South China Sea at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit in Myanmar. “I am sure the President will be bringing up this agenda item. I think he will […]
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Carlisle: China’s Aggressive Stance on Islands Causes ‘Concern’
The Air Force’s top Pacific Commander said China’s behavior in the Pacific is both provocative and cooperative regarding its military posture and stance on disputed territories in the region. “I think the territorial disputes and the way they are being handled are things we have concern over. At the same time, they are engaging. There […]
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A “Weak” America is Making Asia Uneasy
Chinese actions in maritime Asia are raising questions about American willingness and ability to act decisively in the region. That ambiguity is bad news for members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), traditionally dependent on the U.S. security umbrella and more recently enjoying rapid expansion of trade with China. Chinese perceptions of American […]
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Asean-China looks for common grounds
Next Monday the senior officials from Asean and China will be meeting in Pattaya after they met last September at Suzhou, China where they kicked off official consultation on the process of formulating code of conducts (CoC) for the South China Sea. It was a turning point as China expressed the readiness to engage Asean […]