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BRIC Seeks Global Voice at
First Summit
(Reuters, Jun. 14, 2009) The leaders of the
world's biggest emerging markets -- Brazil, Russia, India and China -- meet
in the coming week for their first formal summit, seeking a louder voice on
the global stage.
Taiwan Likely to Boost South
China Sea Presence
(AFP, Jun. 14, 2009) Taiwan's
coastguard said it was likely to increase its presence in a disputed South China Sea archipelago, in response to a significant
rise in the number of foreign fishing boats there.
China, Turkmenistan Seals $3
Billion Energy Loan
(AP, Jun. 6, 2009) China
will lend energy-rich Turkmenistan
$3 billion to develop its vast South Yolotan
natural gas field, Turkmen state media reported.
Asian Countries Finalize
Details on Crisis Funds
(Reuters, May 4, 2009) Japan,
China and South Korea
finalized the details of an emergency US$120 billion liquidity fund for 13
Asian countries, a key regional initiative to counter the global economic
downturn.
Russia and China Announce
New Era of Military Cooperation
(Times, Apr. 29, 2009) Russia
and China
announced plans for an intensified programme of
military cooperation as part of a burgeoning “strategic partnership.”
China’s ‘Checkbook
Diplomacy’ in Fiji under Fire
(Sydney Morning Herald, Apr. 21, 2009) Australia
has been pressing China to curb its support for Fiji over concerns that
Beijing is propping up the military regime by supplying hundreds of millions
of dollars in aid.
China to Set Up US$10 Bil.
ASEAN Fund
(Reuters, Apr. 19, 2009) China will set up a US$10 billion
China-ASEAN investment cooperation fund to support infrastructure projects in
the region, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao
said.
Russia, China Stage War
Games in Central Asia
(Reuters, Apr. 18, 2009) China, Russia,
Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan
took part in war games in the first such exercise since Kyrgyzstan said in February it would shut the
last U.S. air base in Central Asia.
Southeast Asia Military
Delegates Tour China Base
(AP, Mar. 31, 2009) Top Southeast Asian military
brass toured a tank base north of Beijing, highlighting China's growing
engagement with a region that has long felt neglected by the United States.
Australia Blocks China’s
Purchase of Mining Company
(New York Times, Mar. 28, 2009)
Citing national security, Australia blocked one of several acquisitions China
is seeking in the country’s natural resources sector.
China Arms Spend Prompts
South Korea Arms Race Warning
(Reuters, Mar. 5, 2009) South Korea's President Lee Myung-bak warned on Thursday of the danger of a North
Asia arms race after China
announced another double-digit rise in annual military spending.
Chinese Officials Protest
Sinking of Cargo Ship by Russians
(New York Times, Feb. 21, 2009) A senior Chinese
Foreign Ministry official said Friday that Russia had an unacceptable
response after one of its warships sank a Chinese cargo vessel last Saturday.
China Pursues Latin America Ties
(BBC, Feb. 9, 2009) China
has stepped up its efforts to strengthen ties with Latin
America. It is rare for two of its top leaders to descend on the
region almost at the same time.
India Denies Chinese Sub Reports
(BBC, Feb. 5, 2009) Indian naval officials have
denied media reports that Chinese warships forced an Indian submarine to
surface in a stand-off in waters off Somalia.
Vietnam and China Demarcate
Land Border
(AP, Jan. 1, 2009) Vietnam
and China
have completed the demarcation of their long-disputed land border in what
they hailed as an event of "great historic significance" 30 years
after their brief but bloody border war.

Sino-Russian Baby Comes of
Age By M K Bhadrakumar
(Asia Times, Jun. 13, 2009) If
all the world's a stage and the regional organizations are players who make
their exits and entrances, the SCO is doing remarkably well playing many
parts. That it has finally reached adulthood is beyond dispute.
Emerging Powers Prepare to
Meet in Russia By Clifford J. Levy
(New York Times, Jun. 16, 2009) While China’s
official news media often give sizable attention to coming international
gatherings, they have offered little coverage of the BRIC summit meeting. The
silence reflected a desire not to raise hopes for the meeting.
Mining Giant Scraps China
Deal By David Barboza and Michael Wines (New York Times, Jun. 6, 2009) The Chinese government’s largest
investment in a Western company, a proposed $19.5 billion stake in the
Australian-British mining giant Rio Tinto,
collapsed.
Australia Feels Chill as
China’s Economic Shadow Grows By Michael Wines (New York Times, Jun 3, 2009) A few months
after the first of the deals was announced, a sharp initial backlash has
given way to a more subtle queasiness over whether Australia’s place in the
region is about to be altered by the new Chinese giant looming over its
horizon.
China’s Strategy toward
Central America: The Costa Rican Nexus By
Daniel Erikson (China
Brief, Jamestown Foundation, May 27, 2009) China correctly views Costa Rica’s
2007 conversion as a major victory that they have time to savor and deepen
before conducting their outreach to other countries in the region with
renewed intensity.
Chinese Support Crucial to
Sri Lankan Victory Over Tamils By Jeremy Page (Times, May 16, 2009) With Sri Lanka’s military claiming
to be on the verge of at last crushing the Tamil Tigers, many are asking if
that victory has come thanks only to a life-saving
injection of Chinese weaponry.
Asian Naval Programs
Confident Despite Economy By Wendell Minnick (DefenseNews, May 11, 2009) Confidence
in Asian naval and maritime defense markets appears undaunted by the economic
crisis savaging defense budgets around the world.
Australia Bulks Up By
Andrew Shearer
(Wall Street Journal Asia, May 6,2009) Asia has
long looked to the United
States to underwrite two critical public
goods: free trade and security. Now there is anxiety in the region about its
continuing willingness and ability to so, and governments are looking for
ways to adapt.
Australia Tries to Placate
China over Navy Expansion By Rob Taylor (Reuters, May 1, 2009) Australia
sought to reassure China
that plans to double its attack submarine fleet and buy warships capable of
carrying ballistic missile shields in a $72 billion military upgrade were not
aimed at Beijing.
Impeccable Affair and
Renewed Rivalry in the South China Sea By
Ian Storey (China Brief, Jamestown
Foundation, Apr. 30, 2009) Over the past two years the South China Sea
dispute has moved from the back to the middle burner of Asian security
issues; if present trends continue, it may not be long before it is seen once
again as a major potential regional flashpoint.
China Tires of Pyongyang’s
Antics By Shen Dingli
(Asia Times, Apr. 28, 2009) If North Korea
continues to recklessly jeopardize China's
legitimate security interests while still receiving Chinese aid, Beijing will inevitably be forced to review its
relationship with Pyongyang.
Despite Setback, Asean Has
Important Role By Simon Tay
(YaleGlobal, Apr. 27,
2009) Asean fosters coordination and stability not only
among its members through agreements and summits, but also by bringing
nations such as China, Japan, and South Korea into a forum for dialogue and
consultation on regional issues.
China Concerns Shape New
Paper on Defense By Greg Ansley
(New Zealand Herald, Apr. 27, 2009) Australia is
about to release a new defense white paper shaped by growing concerns about
the rise of China and emerging threats to the nation's maritime approaches
and trade routes.
India Upset with China Over
Sri Lanka Crisis
(Times of India,
Apr. 26, 2009) China's
declaration of support for the Sri Lankan government against the LTTE, apart
from sticking out like a sore thumb in the eyes of the world, has further
fuelled India’s
mortal distrust of its largest and most powerful neighbor.
Cash-Rich China Courts the
Caspian By M K Bhadrakumar
(Asia Times, Apr. 18, 2009) The global downturn
is spreading to Central Asia. It may lead to
a marked shift of fortune in the Great Game for control of Caspian energy reserves.
Deals Help China Expand Its
Sway in Latin America By Simon Romero and
Alexei Barrionuevo (New
York Times, Apr. 16, 2009) As Washington tries to rebuild its strained
relationships in Latin America, China is stepping in vigorously,
offering countries across the region large amounts of money while they
struggle with sharply slowing economies.
Constructing Asia’s Missing
Links By Fidel Ramos
(Taipei Times, Apr. 16, 2009) If Asia is to begin
to build the type of dense institutional infrastructure that has brought
Europe peace and prosperity, the flashpoint between China and Taiwan will need to be
transformed into a foundation stone of regional cooperation.
China Keeps Chavez Close,
But Not Too Close
(AFP, Apr. 11, 2009) Despite his gushing
compliments this week, Beijing has been
careful to keep Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez at a distance as it tries
not to jeopardise its relations with Washington, analysts
say.
China, Philippines Stoke
Island Tensions By Joel D Adriano
(Asia Times, Mar. 27, 2009) The Philippines
stirred a diplomat hornet's nest with China
and others when it passed a new law this month that defines its national
maritime boundaries to include the long-disputed and potentially fuel-rich Spratly islands in the South China
Sea.
China’s Maturing
Relationship with Latin America By Evan Ellis
(China Brief, Jamestown Foundation, Mar. 18,
2009) When President Hu traveled to the region in
November 2008 to attend the APEC summit in Lima, Peru, the trip highlighted
how far China’s relationship with Latin America had evolved in only four
years.
India Frets Over Obama’s
Chinamania By M K Bhadrakumar
(Asia Times, Mar. 14, 2009) The intensity of
US-China traffic is in sharp contrast with the virtual absence of high-level
political exchanges between the Indian leadership and Obama.
Asia Pacific Joint Security
Statement Takes Aim at China’s Military Build-up By
Greg Sheridan (The Australian, Mar. 9, 2009)
The statement commits Australia
and ROK to greater co-operation in security and global matters, and provides
for substantially enhanced intelligence sharing. Most significantly, it
locates the joint security statement in the context of both nations being
military allies of the US.
US Strength Crucial to Asia
Peace By James Holmes
(Taipei Times, Mar. 5, 2009) Should allies and
friends in the region conclude the US has become an untrustworthy
partner, they will fend for themselves. That’s the logic of self-help, of
threat and response.
When Allies Drift Apart By
Shawn W Crispin
(Asia Times, Feb. 14, 2009) The US has lost
substantial regional ground to China,
which has leveraged soft power initiatives and economic integration into hard
power gains, including unprecedented joint naval and later this year special
forces operations with Thailand.
Recent Trends in
Russo-Chinese Military Relations By
Stephen Blank (China Brief, Jamestown
Foundation, Jan. 22, 2009) Moscow’s arms sales to China is falling victim to
its angst at the United States and its arms producers’ need for cash even as
it builds up a formidable military force that it knows one day could be deployed
against it.
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