Japan is now considering future weapon transfers to other Asian countries as it builds alliances for a potential war with China. Soldiers of the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force training in Oct. 2008. Earlier today in Okinawa, Japanese officials met with representatives from the 10 member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations to expand […]
China’s Indo-Pacific naval exercise, which I first analysed in this post, is continuing to make waves, with David Wroe of the Sydney Morning Herald providing this good wrap-up on the implications for Australia. But what are we to make of the latest twist being reported in the Jakarta Post? The report quotes an Indonesian military […]
As US Secretary of State John Kerry held talks with Chinese leaders, state media blamed Washington for failing to calm “flaring regional tensions” in East Asia. Many US and Asian observers point the finger at China’s rapid military modernisation and increasing assertiveness. But the official Xinhua news agency said Kerry’s visit took place “amid formidable […]
Recent talks between visiting US secretary of state John Kerry and Chinese leaders indicate that tensions in the South China Sea remain the top China issue for Washington, reports Duowei News, an outlet run by overseas Chinese. Kerry arrived in Beijing on Friday and met separately with Chinese president Xi Jinping and premier Li Keqiang. […]
Over at The Week, Think Progress’s Zack Beauchamp has a provocative piece arguing that “China is not replacing the United States as the global hegemon. And it never will.” Specifically, Beauchamp posits that “China faces too many internal problems and regional rivals to ever make a real play for global leadership. And even if Beijing […]
The Australian public is being reminded of Indonesia’s importance to the country’s foreign and defence policy—past, present and future. Last Thursday, many Australian viewers switched their televisions over to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) in an attempt to escape from the media frenzy surrounding the release of Australian citizen Schapelle Corby from prison in Indonesia. They found […]
Australia scrambled an air force surveillance plane earlier this month to monitor an unannounced Chinese military exercise that took the emerging superpower’s ships closer to Australian territory than ever before. In what observers say is a significant strategic development, China carried out combat simulations at the beginning of the month between Christmas Island and Indonesia […]
JAKARTA — U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry says unannounced, unilateral actions in contested waters of the South China Sea challenge regional stability. After meeting with leaders in Beijing to discuss rival maritime claims between China, the Philippines, Vietnam, and Malaysia, Kerry then traveled to Indonesia on Saturday, where officials are working with the Association […]
BEIJING, Feb. 14 (Xinhua) — China and the United States on Friday agreed to advance a new model of ties between major powers as U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry visited Beijing for talks. “China is firmly committed to building a new model of major-country relationship between China and the United States together with the […]
BEIJING, Feb. 14 (Xinhua) — Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Friday stated China’s basic view and policy on the South China Sea during talks with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry. Wang said the overall situation in the South China Sea is stable. China is capable and confident of working with members of the […]