As the coronavirus continues to spread across the globe, China is taking advantage of the chaos and the preoccupation of governments with battling the pandemic. Beijing has long been opportunistic, so it is using what it sees as a unique confluence of circumstances to strengthen its strategic,...
Donald Trump is making political waves by deploying warships. But is the United States gambling with its credibility as an international force for order? Since 2002, the most important security conference in the Asia-Pacific region has been held annually at the Shangri-La Hotel in Singapore....
Obama leaves a mixed legacy in the Asia Pacific. A Trump administration may reverse much of it. Presidential transitions are seldom flawless affairs. Yet, by all accounts, Donald J. Trump’s has been a mess. Trump has not taken to the role of president-elect well, either acting as if the...
With President-elect Donald Trump taking office, the possibility of a declining US commitment to Southeast Asia has become a concern. This year will kick-start with, arguably, one of the highest-profile news stories in modern history: the inauguration of Donald Trump as 45th president of the...
Recent war games between China and Russia are a statement more about China’s commitment to its claims in the South China Sea and less about a rising partnership between Beijing and Moscow. Elements of the Chinese and Russian navies just completed an eight-day joint exercise in the South China...
China’s military strategy takes a substantial leap with the construction of its first overseas military installation in Djibouti. The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) of China will soon take control of a dual-use port facility in Djibouti. Designed to serve both military and civilian...
Beijing calls out nationalism elsewhere but exploits and encourages its own. Often feeling insecure from Western-induced barbs, the Chinese Community Party (CCP) is taking its turn for viewing the other side from a pedestal. The rise of Donald Trump and Brexit have allowed the CCP a renewed...
For peace to prevail, China must show restraint with its territorial disputes in the Asia Pacific. In April, Chinese President Xi Jinping announced a new security doctrine proposing an international system for security governance based on Asian features, which included openness and...
While China has been gaining territory in the South China Sea, it has been losing amity among its allies in Southeast Asia. Territorial spats between China and its Southeast Asian neighbors over Beijing’s infamous “nine-dash line” dotted across the South China Sea have substantially soured...
Given the factors involved in US-China relations, territorial disputes in the South China Sea will not lead to open conflict. On October 26, true to its prior announcement, the Obama administration had a US Navy warship enter waters near the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea. The move was...
