June 2, 2022
‘The Philippines supports AUKUS’. Not so fast
The Philippines was the first from ASEAN to announce support for AUKUS — the tripartite nuclear-powered submarine pact between Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States aimed at countering China in the Indo-Pacific. But the Philippines’ reception of AUKUS has oscillated from warm to cold…
May 27, 2022
Philippines’ Marcos Pledges to Uphold Landmark South China Sea Ruling
The promise came following campaign trail comments advocating a bilateral deal with Beijing over outstanding maritime and territorial disputes.
May 25, 2022
Philippines establishes coast guard outposts in disputed sea
The Philippines has established three coast guard outposts on three islands in the disputed South China Sea to monitor ship movements and promote safety, officials said Friday, amid increasing maritime tensions with China.
May 20, 2022
As Biden visits Asia, China launches South China Sea drills
China is holding military exercises in the disputed South China Sea coinciding with U.S. President Joe Biden's visits to South Korea and Japan that are largely focused on countering the perceived threat from Beijing.
May 17, 2022
Will Europe’s emerging Indo-Pacific presence last?
Russia’s willingness to use force in Europe creates incentives for a division of labour between Europe and the United States. This allows Europe to focus on deterring challenges on NATO’s eastern and northern flank, while the United States focuses on preventing Beijing from turning the Indo-Pacific…
May 13, 2022
Middle-power security agreements help maintain regional maritime order
Amid debate on initiatives such as the Quad and AUKUS, Malaysia and Indonesia are looking for alternative security frameworks based on cooperative principles in line with ASEAN’s aversion to notions of collective security.
May 6, 2022
Vietnam Protests China’s Imposition of Annual South China Sea Fishing Ban
Vietnam’s government has once again rejected China’s imposition of its seasonal fishing ban in the South China Sea. The ban, which is imposed unilaterally each year by Beijing, runs from May to August and applies to all of the waters north of 12 degrees latitude, which includes the bulk of the Gulf…
April 11, 2022
Trying to unscramble Asia’s economic interdependence with China
The security thinking that’s now captured Washington calls on allies and partners everywhere ‘to reinforce, renovate and buttress a world order that favours freedom’. The US Indo-Pacific strategy is shaped around the idea of integrated deterrence which US Secretary of Defense, Lloyd Austin, says…
April 10, 2022
A US Indo-Pacific framework that tries to build out China is unrealistic
When he withdrew the United States from the Trans-Pacific Partnership, former president Donald Trump tore up the playbook for American economic engagement with Asia. In February 2022, his successor, Joe Biden, offered his own strategy for the region — one that blends broadly defined security and…