HONG KONG — There’s no question that Sun Tzu’s “Art of War” is a brilliant strategy manual. Everyone from Oracle’s Larry Ellison to the New England Patriots’ Coach Belichick has cited the ancient general’s maxims. Even Gen. Norman Schwartzkopf was a Sun Tzu devotee. But when it comes to China’s foreign policy, Sun Tzu’s theories […]
TOKYO: Cam Ranh Bay, in southern Vietnam on the South China Sea, is a good natural harbor. Its mouth is about one kilometer wide so the harbor is somewhat protected from waves. The bay was one of the key Soviet strongholds during the Cold War. The Vietnamese military has a base on the bay to […]
BRUSSELS—The European Union has a “vital interest” in a secure and open maritime trade routes even as it expressed alarm at the escalating tension in the South China Sea. “As far as maritime security is concerned, I strongly believe that the EU has a vital interest in a securre, open and clean maritime environment that […]
Recent attempts by China to challenge territorial rights in the East China Sea are the latest chapters in an ongoing story of two heavily contested parts of the western Pacific Ocean. The East and South China Seas have become flashpoints for trouble between a host of neighbouring countries, and experts worry that the chances for […]
Paul Reichler, a Washington-based lawyer, has spent much of his career representing small countries against big ones: Nicaragua versus the U.S.; Georgia versus Russia; Mauritius versus the U.K., Bangladesh versus India. His first big victory made headlines in the 1980s when the International Court of Justice in The Hague ruled that U.S. support for Contra […]
In response to the government shutdown at home, President Obama decided last week to cancel his planned participation in a series of Asian and Pacific summits. Unsurprisingly, the decision has provoked considerable consternation abroad as the United States’ allies fret about American dependability, particularly in the shadow of a rising and increasingly assertive China. Perhaps the […]
MANILA, Philippines – China’s territorial claims in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea) does not give it the right to the hotly contested territory because they are “just mere claims” and do not adhere to international laws. “There is a fundamental difference between entitlements and claims under international law,” Assistant Secretary Henry Bensurto Jr. […]
China has to learn to “play by the rules” and the Philippines must sharply boost its defences to keep South China Sea territorial spats from escalating, two former US officials said on Friday. The Philippines has consistently accused China of aggressively pressing its claim to most of the South China Sea, even up to the […]
In 1980, Indonesia and Malaysia were prepared to sell off both Thailand’s interest as a front line state and the related concerns of Singapore and the Philippines. Indonesia and Malaysia’s interests were more abstract. Their priority was to assure the long-term preservation and expansion of ASEAN and to keep outside powers from interfering. Addressing their […]
Rafael M. Alunan III Asian Institute of Management October, 4, 2013 Former President FVR; former Prime Minister Cesar Virata; distinguished speakers (who will be properly introduced later); members of the Cabinet and sub-Cabinet, past and present; the national security sector; diplomatic corps; members of academe and the business community: Good morning! This is the […]