ASEAN
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Countering China in the South China Sea
On March 18, officials from China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) will meet in Singapore to discuss steps towards an elusive code of conduct in the contentious South China Sea dispute. If the past is any indicator, China will ensure that such diplomacy will produce little significant progress even as it continues […]
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India expresses concern over territorial row in Southeast Asia
NEW DELHI, India – India is concerned about the possible impact of the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea) dispute on trade and is urging claimants to follow the international law in addressing the issue. Shri Anil Wadhwa, Secretary (East) of India’s Ministry of External Affairs, said on Thursday that sea lanes and communication lines […]
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ASEAN Military Chiefs Endorse Early South China Sea Code
NAYPYITAW — Military chiefs from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN, have renewed their group’s call for an early conclusion to talks over a Code of Conduct in the disputed South China Sea. After hosting a meeting in Naypyitaw Wednesday, Burmese Army Chief, General Min Aung Hlaing, said a Code of Conduct is […]
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‘Speak Softly and Carry a Big Stick’: What is Malaysia Playing At?
For the past two years China has dispatched a flotilla of People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) warships to the farthest reaches of the South China Sea to assert Beijing’s claim to “indisputable sovereignty” over the waters and features lying within its nine-dashed line. Beijing’s ambitious claim covers an estimated eighty percent of the South China […]
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Why China Isn’t Interested in a South China Sea Code of Conduct
According to Reuters, ASEAN officials say that they will meet with Chinese representatives in Singapore beginning March 18 to try and make some progress on talks to establish a “code of conduct” in the South China Sea. China agreed to discuss a South China Sea code of conduct at the ASEAN forum last July, a […]
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China’s assertiveness hardens Malaysian stance in sea dispute
KUALA LUMPUR: The submerged reef would be easy to miss, under turquoise seas about 80 km (50 miles) off Malaysia’s Borneo island state of Sarawak. But two Chinese naval exercises in less than a year around the James Shoal have shocked Malaysia and led to a significant shift in its approach to China’s claims to […]
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South China Sea Disputes Enter a Dangerous Phase: The U.S. Pivot Gathers Steam
“At what point do you say: ‘Enough is enough’?” Philippine President Benigno Aquino exclaimed in an exclusive interview with the New York Times. It was a forceful call for international support amid intensifying territorial disputes with China. Quite shockingly, he even compared China to Nazi Germany, cautioning the Western powers against appeasing Beijing over disputed […]
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US envoy warns against altering status quo in South China Sea
The United States’ top envoy to the Philippines on Monday warned against changing the status quo in the disputed South China Sea and other contested areas in the region and called on all rival nations to adhere to international law. Defying China’s position against Washington’s involvement in the disputes, US Ambassador Philip Goldberg maintained that […]
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Japan Prepares For War With China
Japan is now considering future weapon transfers to other Asian countries as it builds alliances for a potential war with China. Soldiers of the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force training in Oct. 2008. Earlier today in Okinawa, Japanese officials met with representatives from the 10 member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations to expand […]