With every tweet, Donald Trump seems to be eroding America’s leadership position within the rubrics of the liberal international order. His latest tirade that “trade wars are good, and easy to win” has more than sullied America’s position as the bastion of free trade in the world. To be fair, his poise towards economic protectionism was not unexpected.
On Thursday, the Philippines announced that it was in talks with a Chinese state firm for joint exploration of the South China Sea. The aim of this joint exploration is to look for and extract energy resources such as oil and gas in the area. The proposed deal was described by President Rodrigo Duterte as a ‘co-ownership’ of the disputed areas."Now their (Beijing's) offer is joint exploration, which is like co-ownership. It's like the two of us would be the owners.
The rivalry between China and the United States seems to be heating up – this time outside of the economic sphere. Just a couple of months after President Trump’s speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos where he called out China on their alleged unfair trade practices, US admiral Harry Harris has come out saying that the US must prepare for the possibility of war with China.
In recent times, China has been strengthening its relations with Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) member states. The two parties have agreed on a series of new initiatives to grow bilateral ties and towards the later part of this year, are expected to hold their first joint naval drills.
As both Japan and China seek to exert their geopolitical ambitions on the region, competition between the two countries is heating up.Japan – along with South Korea – is a key ally of the United States (US) in the region and plays a major role in the US’ plans of minimising Chinese influence in the Indo-Pacific region. Meanwhile, China are working hard to realise their Belt and Road Initiative projects.
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) prides itself on its ability to stave off geopolitical advances by greater powers by vehemently holding on to the principle of centrality. The notion, as was once illustrated by noted Singaporean diplomat, Bilahari Kausikan, is a “fluid” concept.Kausikan makes it clear that centrality is a means for ASEAN states to better serve national interests as well as for great powers to achieve their goals and ambitions.
2018 marks the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between Cambodia and China. Chinese Premier Li Keqiang visited Cambodia in January 2018 and oversaw the signing of 19 new deals to celebrate this milestone.
Never one to be shy at taking shots at China, United States (US) President, Donald Trump has rocked the boat again with his recent speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos last month.
Recent reports that China’s military and naval facilities are nearing completion have not fazed the Philippines, who have not taken any form of military action to halt the further progress of China into the waters of the South China Sea (SCS).
The main conclusion drawn from the visit by ASEAN leaders to India last week is that India is finally recognising ASEAN’s geostrategic potency and wants to capitalise on it. In doing so, India must play catch up with China.
During its recent Republic Day celebrations, India hosted all 10 ASEAN heads of state as its chief guests. Aside from being the guests of honour at the Republic Day celebrations, on the agenda was also the ASEAN-India Commemorative Summit, celebrating the 25-year relationship between India and ASEAN.
India’s Republic Day is a big deal for a nation of 1.3 billion. It was on this day in 1950, when the constitution of India came into effect, marking the moment when the country became a full-fledged republic. The celebrations are nothing short of grand – with patriotic military parades embodying Indian pride and valour.However, this year’s edition is an even bigger deal than usual.
