Vietnam
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Malaysia joins forces with Philippines and Vietnam against China in sea dispute
China, Diplomatic Relations, Foreign Policy, Malaysia, Militarization, Philippines, President Benigno Aquino III, South China Sea Dispute, USA, VietnamThe 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 the disputed […]
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China cannot get very far with fear strategy
Not long ago, China was a soft-power juggernaut. Media accounts highlighted Chinese leaders’ thoughtful forays abroad, depicting policymakers that were respectful of others’ opinions, willing to listen, humble to a fault, and reluctant to dispense unsolicited advice. Here was a country that was content to allow its own example of success to speak for itself. […]
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China vows closer cooperation with Vietnam
BEIJING, Feb. 23 (Xinhua) — Chinese top political advisor Yu Zhengsheng pledged on Sunday to step up cooperation with the Vietnam Fatherland Front (VFF), and enhance bilateral ties. Yu, chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), made the remarks while having talks with Nguyen Thien Nhan, president of the […]
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Vietnam joins submarine arms race amid South China Sea tensions
Vietnam finally has a new weapon against the Chinese maritime expansion after receiving its first Kilo-class submarine from Russia on the last day of 2013, according to the Washington-based Strategy Page on Feb. 20. The submarine is the first of six 2,300-tonne Kilo-class submarines to arrive in Vietnam after the country signed a US$2.1 billion […]
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Obama seeks to avoid “clash of civilisations” between China and the West
ADIZ, Air Defense Identification Zone, Brunei, China, Diplomatic Relations, Malaysia, Militarization, Philippines, South China Sea Dispute, USA, VietnamOn the next day after President Barack Obama delivered his State of the Union (SotU) 2014, which did not mention anything about the tension in East Asia, not even the Trans-Pacific Partnership, the Tokyo-based The Diplomat published an article to ask whether Obama “has abandoned the Pivot to Asia”: “… he couldn’t make room for […]
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REMEMBER 1979 | Vietnamese, Filipinos issue pointed reminder to China of perils of war
MANILA – Marking the 35th anniversary of the short but bloody China-Vietnam border war, Vietnamese living in the Philippines linked arms Monday with Filipino activists in reminding Beijing to stop using force to assert its will on its neighbors in pushing its territorial claims. In a mass action outside the Chinese consulate in Makati City, […]
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Vietnam and China: A Dangerous Incident
In early January 2014, video of a recent CCTV4 documentary “Blue Frontiers Guard” appeared online, providing a detailed history of the China Marine Surveillance (CMS) spanning from roughly 2007 up until the present. The documentary, in Chinese with English subtitles, begins with footage of an incident that occurred on June 30, 2007 between various government […]
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Hegemony vs. Cooperation in enclosed seas
Arbitration, ASEAN, China, Code of Conduct, Diplomatic Relations, History, itlos, Malaysia, Nine Dash Line, UNCLOS, VietnamDuring President Ferdinand Marcos’ State Visit to China in 1975 to establish diplomatic relations, among China’s leaders he met was First Vice-Premier Deng Xiaoping. During this meeting, Marcos raised the issue of the Spratlys but Deng said that this issue should be left to future generations to discuss. China lays claim to all of the […]
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Lessons from the Battle of the Paracel Islands
ADIZ, Air Defense Identification Zone, China, Hainan Fishing Laws, Military Conflict, Naval Showdown, Parcel Islands, PLAN, South China Sea Dispute, USA, USN, VietnamOn January 16, 1974, the Republic of Vietnam Navy (RVN) discovered the presence of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) in the Crescent Group in the western Paracel Islands, which was held by South Vietnam. This was an unexpected development, because notwithstanding the reduced U.S. military assistance to Saigon after the signing of the Paris […]
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China to Start Regular Patrols from Island in South China Sea
BEIJING — China will base a 5,000-ton civilian patrol ship on one of the main islands it controls in the disputed South China Sea and begin regular patrols, an official newspaper said on Tuesday. The move is likely to add fuel to territorial disputes with neighbors. The China Ocean News, published by the State Oceanic Administration, […]