Militarization
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ANALYSIS | What does it mean for the region? World cuts military spending but not Asia
WASHINGTON DC — For the second year in a row, the world is spending a little less on the military. Asia, however, has failed to get the memo. The region is spending more at a time when many others are spending less. Last year, Asia saw a 3.6 percent increase in military spending, according to […]
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Are U.S. Security Forces a Threat to Philippine Sovereignty? A Call for Principled Statesmanship
Philippine undersecretary of defense Lorenzo Batino said April 11 that negotiators had reached “consensus on key points” of a new deal to allow a greater U.S. rotational military presence in the Philippines. But this raises a dilemma for Philippine lawmakers attempting to define and craft “an independent and nationalistic” foreign policy. At what point should […]
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Growing Muscle: China’s Neighbors Gear Up for a Fight
China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Militarization, Modernization, Phiippines, South China Sea Dispute, Taiwan, VietnamTAIPEI — The Asia-Pacific naval market is heating up, with massive quantities of new ships to boost regional navies in coming years. According to AMI International, a US-based naval analysis firm, Asia-Pacific has already surpassed Europe as the world’s second largest naval market. AMI projects the region will spend $200 billion on new ships and […]
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China Mixing Military Modernization, ‘Tailored Coercion’
TAIPEI — China’s military modernization efforts over the past 20 years have been marked by broad efforts, according to an expert, as opposed to focusing on specific services. “So, we see new naval forces, air forces, ground forces and missile forces,” said Dean Cheng, a China military specialist at the Heritage Foundation. That level of […]
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Tighter Budgets Limit Southeast Asian Plans
China, Indonesia, Militarization, Modernization, Philippines, Singapore, South China Sea Dispute, Taiwan, VietnamTAIPEI — In much of Southeast Asia, budgets are smaller and ambitions more limited compared with neighbors to the north, and many countries are trying to rid themselves of much older equipment. But Singapore and Vietnam are generally better equipped and have more extensive plans. Malaysia: Shifting Plans Tight budgets are forcing Kuala Lumpur to […]
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Can the Chinese and US Air Forces Get Along?
Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel’s visit to the PLAN aircraft carrier Liaoning has received a great deal of attention in the last few days. As Shannon Tiezi points out, Hagel will struggle to improve ties with Beijing while also increasing coordination with Tokyo. And yet the project of engaging with the Chinese military is not […]
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Jakarta seeks clarification from Beijing on claims in South China Sea
Arbitration, China, Gas, Indonesia, Memorial, Militarization, Natuna, Oil, Philippines, South China Sea Dispute, UNCLOSJAKARTA — Indonesia is seeking clarity on China’s intent behind its maritime claims in the South China Sea to avoid the risk of miscalculations in a zone rich in natural gas, Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa said. Indonesia wants an explanation for a map outlining China’s assertions in the South China Sea that appears on […]
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New defense deal pressed Accord With US Must Be Based On Mutual Interest
Manila, Philippines — Lawmakers yesterday asked the Aquino government to expedite the signing of a new Agreement on Enhanced Defense Cooperation (AEDC) with the United States based on “mutual interest” in the wake of Washington’s vow to defend its Southeast Asian allies against China’s aggressive action in pursuing claims over disputed islands in the West […]
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Jakarta rejects China’s ‘nine-dash line’
ASEAN, China, Code of Conduct, Indonesia, Jakarta, Militarization, Mischief Reef, Natuna Islands, Nine Dash Line, South China Sea Dispute, UNCLOSIn a significant policy shift, Indonesian officials on March 12 announced that China’s nine-dash line map outlining its claims in the South China Sea overlaps with Indonesia’s Riau province, which includes the Natuna Island chain. For over two decades, Indonesia has positioned itself as an independent mediator in the South China Sea disputes between its […]
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What the Philippines can learn from the South China Sea and Ukraine crises
China, Crimea, Militarization, Philippines, Power Dynamics, South China Sea, South China Sea Dispute, Ukraine, USAHONOLULU, March 21, 2014 — The modern world that emerged from the end of the Cold War and the disastrous terrorist attacks of 9/11 has deceived the United States and her traditional allies into assuming that war between states was a thing of the past. As the world sees Russian advances in Eastern Europe and […]