Regional Issues

[ News ] [ Papers ]

Beijing Claims to Plant Flag under South China Sea
(Reuters, Aug. 27, 2010) China said it had used a small, manned submarine to plant the national flag deep beneath the South China Sea, where Beijing has tussled with Washington and Southeast Asian nations over territorial disputes.

U.S. Announces New Joint Exercise with South Korea
(Reuters, Aug. 18, 2010) The U.S. military will conduct an anti-submarine warfare exercise with South Korea early next month, sending a message to the North that Washington is committed to defending its ally, the Pentagon said.

PLA Urges Tough Stance against US Exercises in Region
(Reuters, Aug. 13, 2010) China’s People Liberation Army (PLA) demanded a tough response to US plans to send an aircraft carrier to naval exercises near its coast, saying that “respect” was at stake.

Chinese Admiral Says U.S., South Korea Drills ‘Fresh Provocation’ to China (Bloomberg, Aug. 12, 2010) A U.S. decision to use a nuclear- powered aircraft carrier in joint naval drills with South Korea in the Yellow Sea would be “a fresh provocation” to China and its surrounding region, Rear Admiral Yang Yi wrote in a commentary published in China Daily.

US Navy Destroyer Docks in Vietnam for Four-Day Visit
(VoA, Aug. 10, 2010) The visit by the guided-missile USS John S. McCain comes amid escalating tensions with China over a territorial dispute in the South China Sea.

China Shaken by US Move to Sign Nuclear Deal with Vietnam
(Times of India, Aug. 6, 2010) China, which has recently dominated the security situation in North Asia, appeared shaken by a surprise move by the US administration to begin negotiations for a civilian nuclear deal with Vietnam.

Vietnam Says China Violates Its Sovereignty in Sea
(Reuters, Aug. 5, 2010) Vietnam accused China of violating its sovereignty by conducting seismic exploration near disputed islands in the South China Sea.

U.S. to Send Aircraft Carrier into Waters off China for Drills
(Bloomberg, Aug. 5, 2010) The U.S. will send a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier to South Korea’s west coast in the coming months for more joint drills that have sparked opposition from China.

Beijing Urges Seoul to Refrain from West Sea Drill
(Chosun Ilbo, Jul. 8, 2010) China has asked the South Korean government through a diplomatic channel to refrain from a join exercise with the U.S. in the West Sea this month.

Opposition in ASEAN Nations As China Free-Trade Agreement Comes into Force (Bloomberg, Jan. 2, 2009) A FTA between China and ASEAN came into force, consolidating a sixfold surge in economic activity over the past decade between countries representing a quarter of the world’s population.

ASEAN-China Open Free Trade Area
(AFP, Dec. 29, 2009) China and Southeast Asia establish the world's biggest free trade area (FTA), liberalizing billions of dollars in goods and investments covering a market of 1.7 billion consumers.

FTA Pushes ASEAN Ties By Zheng Anguang
(Xinhua, Aug. 24, 2010) Washington's intention to sow discord between China and Southeast Asian countries will be in vain. China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) are beginning to harvest tangible economic benefits two decades after a dialogue mechanism between the two was initiated.

For China, Will Money Bring Power? By Piers Brendon
(New York Times, Aug. 22, 2010) China may well keep its promise, for the moment at least, to follow the path of peaceful development. We can’t know, of course. But doom-merchants predicting that China will topple America from its pre-eminence should recognize that history is not necessarily on their side.

Rising China Tests the Waters By Abraham M Denmark and Daniel M Kliman (Asia Times, Aug. 20, 2010) An anemic international reaction will embolden China, not only in the South China Sea, but elsewhere as well. Insistence on open access to the South China Sea, if backed by US and regional action, will incline China to reassess its approach.

Hawks vs. Doves: Beijing Debates “Core Interests” and Sino-U.S. Relations By Willy Lam (China Brief 10(17), Jamestown Foundation, Aug. 19, 2010) An intriguing divergence of views has been exposed within China’s foreign-policy establishment on how to handle the country’s worsening ties with the United States that may highlight a growing dissonance between China’s civilian and military establishments.

Singapore’s Tightrope Walk on Taiwan By Ernest Z. Bower and Charles Freeman (ABS-CBN, Aug. 19, 2010) Singapore’s policy toward Taiwan is an example of the tightrope that Southeast Asian countries must walk in the new era of an increasingly powerful China asserting itself – particularly in relation to its “core interests,” including Tibet, Taiwan and the South China Sea.

The Chinese Military Challenge
(Wall Street Journal, Aug. 19, 2010) Considering that the Pentagon's annual report on China's military power tells us little that we didn't already know, we'll put the delay down to the Obama Administration's reluctance to offend Beijing's sensitivities. That may be the most alarming fact of all.

China and the US Battle to Assert Presence in South China Sea By Peter Ford (Christian Science Monitor, Aug. 17, 2010) US warships are currently staging their third set of exercises in less than a month off the coast of China, in a show of force that has prompted sharp criticism from Beijing and fears of prolonged maritime tensions in the region.

The Gathering Storm: China’s Challenge to US Power in Asia By John Mearsheimer (University of Sydney, Aug. 4, 2010) The picture I have painted this evening of what is likely to happen if China continues its impressive economic growth is not a pretty one. Indeed, it is downright depressing.

US Dips into Mekong Politics By Simon Roughneen
(Asia Times, Aug. 14, 2010) China's dam-building on the upper reaches of the Mekong River is raising hackles with countries downstream and providing the United States with another strategic theater to counterbalance China's growing influence in Southeast Asia.

US-Vietnam Ties Strengthen with Military Exercises, to China’s Chagrin By Donald Kirk (Christien Science Monitor, Aug. 12, 2010) In the latest twist to Southeast Asia's blood-stained history, this week the USS John McCain is training Vietnamese forces in the South China Sea in search-and-rescue.

Power Game in Asia Trips Nuclear Non-Proliferation By Harsh V. Pant (YaleGlobal, Aug. 12, 2010) While China plans to assist Pakistan’s nuclear program, even Japan, a long-time critic of proliferation, may now aid India’s nuclear program as a balancing act.

Concerned about China’s Rise, Southeast Asian Nations Build Up Militaries By John Pomfret (Washington Post, Aug. 9, 2010) The nations of Southeast Asia are building up their militaries, buying submarines and jet fighters at a record pace and edging closer strategically to the United States as a hedge against China's rise and its claims to all of the South China Sea.

Former Enemies US, Vietnam Now Military Mates By Margie Mason
(AP, Aug. 7, 2010) Cold War enemies the United States and Vietnam demonstrated their blossoming military relations as a U.S. nuclear supercarrier floated in waters off the Southeast Asian nation's coast — sending a message that China is not the region's only big player.

Asia-US Bond Remains Strong By Tommy Koh
(PacNet #33, Jul. 22, 2010) My conclusion is that all the countries in Asia, including China, view the US as a stakeholder in Asia’s peace and prosperity. No one in Asia is seeking to exclude the US from the region.

China’s Cheonan Problem By Bonnie S. Glaser and Grad Glosserman
(PacNet #31, Jun. 18, 2010) Historians may well look back at the sinking of the South Korean corvette Cheonan in March 2010 as a turning point in China’s relations with Asia and the wider world.

Panda-Hugger Hangover By Christian Caryl
(Foreign Policy, Aug. 4, 2010) Until recently, the Chinese were earning praise for their shrewd handling of Southeast Asia. Not anymore.

U.S. Enlists China’s Worried Neighbors By Alan Dupont
(The Australian, Aug. 3, 2010) Like two circling titans, the US and China have now locked arms in a struggle for global pre-eminence that will define international politics and power for the next half century.

India Digs Under Top of the World to Match Rival By Lydia Polgreen
(New York Times, Aug. 1, 2010) India is racing to match China for regional and global power, building and bolstering airstrips and army outposts, shoring up neglected roads and building a tunnel to bypass the deadly Rohtang Pass.

Beijing Claims ‘Indisputable Sovereignty’ Over South China Sea By John Pomfret (Washington Post, Jul. 30, 2010) The Chinese military declared that China had "indisputable sovereignty" over the South China Sea but insisted it would continue to allow others to freely navigate one of the busiest waterways in the world.

U.S. Takes a Tougher Tone with China By John Pomfret
(Washington Post, Jul. 30, 2010) The Obama administration has adopted a tougher tone with China in recent weeks as part of a diplomatic balancing act in which the United States welcomes China's rise in some areas but also confronts Beijing when it butts up against American interests.

China Warns U.S. to Stay Out of Islands Dispute By Andrew Jacobs
(New York Times, Jul. 27, 2010) The Chinese government reacted angrily to an announcement by Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton that Washington might step into a long-simmering territorial dispute between China and its smaller neighbors in the South China Sea.

China Rejects U.S. Efforts in Maritime Spat By Jay Solomon
(Wall Street Journal, Jul. 25, 2010) The U.S. shouldn't internationalize the South China Sea issue, China Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi said. Mr. Yang said the best way to solve the disputes relevant to the South China Sea was through bilateral negotiations between China and the countries involved.

China: US Comments on S China Sea Are An ‘Attack’
(AP, Jul. 25, 2010) The Chinese foreign ministry accused U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton of an "attack" on China for her recent comments that competing claims over South China Sea island chains should be resolved without coercion or threat.

Offering to Aid Talks, U.S. Challenges China on Disputed Islands By Mark Landler (New York Times, Jul. 24, 2010) Opening a new source of potential friction with China, the Obama administration said that it would step into a tangled dispute between China and its smaller Asian neighbors over a string of strategically significant islands in the South China Sea.

U.S. Continues Effort to Counter China’s Influence in Asia By John Pomfret (Washington Post, Jul. 23, 2010) The Obama administration's announcement that it will resume relations with Indonesia's special forces is the most significant move yet by the United States to strengthen ties in East Asia as a hedge against China's rise.

On North Korea and More, China Flexes Its Muscles By Ishaan Tharoor (Time, Jul. 22, 2010) U.S. implicit hegemony is being steadily challenged by an ascendant China, charged by a feeling of historical grievance and an eagerness to assert itself on the global stage.

China Warily Eyes U.S.-Korea Drills By Elisabeth Bumiller and Edward Wong (New York Times, Jul. 21, 2010) The United States and South Korea announced that the first in a series of large-scale naval exercises off Japan and the Korean Peninsula would begin next week, despite objections from China.

U.S. Criticism of China May Overshadow Asian Security Meeting
(Bloomberg, Jul. 16, 2010) U.S. criticism of China’s military buildup may overshadow Asia’s biggest security forum next week after the sinking of a South Korean warship showed the potential for conflict in waters vital to world trade.

How Serious Is the Chinese Challenge? Part I By Bruce Stokes
(YaleGlobal, Jul. 13, 2010) Possible scenarios for how China might apply its newfound power are countless, and responses from US, European and Asian neighbors could do as much, if not more, than China to upset the status quo.

Full Steam Ahead for China’s Territorial Ambitions By Peter Hartcher (Sydney Morning Herald, Jul. 13, 2010) In an assertive redefinition of its place in the world, China has put the South China Sea into its "core national interest" category of non-negotiable territorial claims - in the same league as Taiwan and Tibet.

Aims and Motives of China’s East China Sea Live Fire Drills By Russell Hsiao (China Brief, Jamestown Foundation, Jul. 9, 2010) In spite of a lack of expert agreement over Chinese intentions, one aspect of the exercise seems clear, the combined arms exercise demonstrates the PLA’s growing integrated war-fighting capabilities.

US Misses History Lessons on Korea By Sung-Yoon Lee
(Asia Times, Jul. 2, 2010) It's also important for Washington to hold quiet consultations with Beijing to envision and prepare jointly for a unified Korea under Seoul's initiative, a new polity that will necessarily remain free, peaceful, capitalist, pro-US and pro-China.

Regional Overview: They’re (Not Quite) Baaaack! By Ralph A. Cossa and Brad Glosserman (Comparative Connections 12(1), Apr. 14, 2010) Speculation about the “changing balance of power” in Asia continues as a result of China’s economic resilience and apparent newfound confidence, although it still seems premature to announce that the Middle Kingdom is back, given the challenges highlighted at this year’s National Peoples’ Congress.

The Changing State of US-Asia Ties By Simon Tay
(PacNet #15, Pacific Forum, CSIS, Mar. 30, 2010) US President Barack Obama’s decision to postpone his visit to Indonesia and Australia was understandable but neither insignificant nor without consequence.

Xinjiang—Where China’s Worry Interests the World By Christopher M. Clarke (YaleGlobal, Mar. 19, 2010) Xinjiang is likely to remain a sore spot for Beijing as it worries about pressure from all sides regionally and tries to dampen unrest internally.

Asia-Pacific Security: Community, Concert or What? By Amitav Acharya (PacNet #11, Pacific Forum, CSIS, Mar. 12, 2010) I argue that while a concert recognizes the de facto inequality of nations and is useful in regulating relations among the great powers themselves, it is likely to fail if it tries to manage the Asia-Pacific region as a great power club.

Nepal: Caught Between the Ambitions of China and India By Jyoti Thottam (Time, Mar. 2, 2010) India has just launched a plan to spend $361 million over the next several years on roads and rail links in the terai; China, meanwhile, recently increased its annual aid to Nepal by 50% to about $22 million.

New World Order without a Hegemon: Compete and Cooperate By Dilip Hiro (YaleGlobal, Feb. 24, 2010) The US, China, EU, Russia, India, and Brazil are emerging as the key players whose relationships will define the future of global relations. While the era of unrivalled American supremacy is over, a new pattern of relations is emerging.

Globalization in Trouble—Part II By David Dapice
(YaleGlobal, Feb. 15, 2010) Free trade works well when there is relatively full employment. With rising unemployment globally, the tendency toward protectionism is bound to rise. Indeed, there are signs that it may already be here.

China Intensifies Tug of War with India on Nepal By Jim Yardley
(New York Times, Feb. 18, 2010) If it once regarded Nepal with intermittent interest, China is now exerting itself more broadly toward its small Himalayan neighbor, analysts say.

India Worries As China Builds Ports in South Asia By Vikas Bajaj
(New York Times, Feb. 16, 2010) As trade in the region grows more lucrative, China has been developing port facilities in Pakistan, Bangladesh and Myanmar, and it is planning to build railroad lines in Nepal.

Australia’s Old Ties with U.S. Deepened in the Past Decade By John Pomfret (Washington Post, Feb. 14, 2010) Behind the scenes, the United States and Australia were working to strengthen their security and intelligence ties with a view to countering a rising China.

Globalization in Trouble—Part I By Bernard K. Gordon
(YaleGlobal, Feb. 12, 2010) While still too early to tell, if burden-sharing transforms into burden-shifting, the prognosis for free trade, let alone security, is bleak.

As Obama Bets on Asia, Regional Players Hedge By Jim Hoagland
(Washington Post, Feb. 14, 2010) These are clear signs of Indian hedging: seeking allies for worst-case scenarios while accommodating China on economic matters.

Demonizing China: Pundits Get Its Role in Africa Wrong By Barry Sautman and Yan Hairong (YaleGlobal, Feb. 10, 2010) China may be the newest scapegoat for Africa’s development problems, but in the end, the debate on China’s involvement in Africa misses the point – that of improving the lot of the poorest continent in the world.

A Reality Check in Asia By Brad Glosserman
(PacNet #5A, Pacific Forum, CSIS, Feb. 8, 2010) There is a growing sense that we are witnesses to the first stages in a fundamental transition in the way the world works. This is a compelling portrait – but it is simplistic.

China Casts Nervous Eye at Erstwhile Ally Myanmar By Ben Blanchard (Reuters, Jan. 25, 2010) China's fear is that the kind of unrest seen last August in Kokang will be repeated with any one of a number of different ethnic rebel militias, and spill into its territory again.

China-ASEAN Pact Offers More Than Win-Win By Brantly Womack
(Asia Times, Jan. 7, 2010) The formal inauguration of the ASEAN-China Free Trade Area (ACFTA) on January 1 marks the culmination of arguably the most successful big-power diplomacy of the post-Cold War era.