Despite the May holiday, it was a busy week for regional news on China and Southeast Asia.
A good deal is happening to suggest China is giving second thoughts to the core principles of its foreign policy. News below shows that once again disputes in the South China Sea are abroil. China is sending tour boats to islands that Vietnam also claims as its own, armed military helicopters to support counterinsurgents in Myanmar, and crack troops of soldiers to disputed territories with India.
Along with these changes to the status quo come a flurry of analyses – many listed below – on China’s role in the region and how its leaders think about foreign policy.
Lastly, the Guardian is proving that it is leading the way in reporting on the region. Check out their excellent articles below on environmental degradation in the Mekong region and China’s footprint in Africa.
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CHINA IN THE REGION & WORLD
China imposes 15-mile fishing rule in Panatag Shoal – Philippine Star China virtually occupied Panatag shoal (Scarborough Shoal) since last year after President Benigno Aquino III ordered the withdrawal of the country’s vessels following a tense standoff triggered by the apprehension of Chinese fishermen and seizure of their fishing vessels by the passing Philippine Navy flagship BRP Gregorio del Pilar, while conducting illegal poaching and illegal fishing activities in the area in April last year.
Chinese Tourist Boat HeadsToward Disputed Islands NY Times Vietnam criticized a cruise ship’s trip to the Paracels in the South China Sea, arguing that Vietnam’s sovereignty was “incontestable.”
Have an island dispute with China? Lawyer up – The Diplomat For many politicians, territorial disputes are a chance to flex military muscles and look tough. But with the Philippines’ latest move on the South China Sea – taking China to an international arbitration panel over its maritime claims – the smaller nation has been pretty frank about its position of weakness. EBSE will post more on this critical issue next week
China sends armed helicopters to Myanmar Separatists – IHS Janes Myanmar’s insurgent United Wa State Army (UWSA) has for the first time acquired an armed rotary-wing aviation capability with assistance from China: the latest move in a programme of rapid rearmament. China delivered several Mil Mi-17 ‘Hip’ medium-transport helicopters armed with TY-90 air-to-air missiles to the Wa in late February and early March, according to both Myanmar ethnic minority and Myanmar government sources.
India and China square off: High stakes – The Economist Just what is going on is far from clear. China has so many other difficulties elsewhere around its perimeter—relations with Japan and the Philippines souring, for example; violent tension in its far-western province of Xinjiang—it seems odd timing to choose to add another clash. Nor is it obvious that China could welcome the most likely domestic outcome in India: a stronger call for more spending on military capacity along the border. India’s reliance on a nuclear deterrent may now look insufficient: there are already calls for it to spend more on conventional forces, too, and they are likely to grow louder.
Will China extend its influence in the Indian Ocean by building a naval base in Gwadar, Pakistan? – Council on Foreign Relations To date, Chinese officials have asserted that their interest in Gwadar is strictly a commercial effort to provide another energy corridor for Middle East oil, and Pakistani government officials stridently affirm this position. New Delhi, on the other hand, has expressed “concern” about the true motivations in developing Gwadar, suspecting that it is a Sino-Pak effort at encirclement.
China’s Model of Development and the “Beijing Consensus” – Council on Foreign Relations Joshua Kurlantzick discusses the China model of economic development, which he describes as, “economic liberalization without political liberalization.”
What’s really at the core of China’s Interests? – ChinaFile A decade of cultivating the image a of a friendly neighbor intent on a peaceful rise appears to have been squandered. Vietnam, the Philippines, Mongolia, India, Myanmar are have all had run-ins with China over territorial and business disputes. There’s a growing sense that China is starting to act like a bully and that’s given the U.S. an opening. So, instead of strengthening China’s role, China’s foreign policy has ended up creating a new opportunity for the U.S. in the region. Oops.
China’s Changing Role in Asia – Carnegie Endowment for Peace While China’s economic strength is transforming its position in Asia, territorial disputes and other contentious issues are also shaping Beijing’s relations with its neighbors.
China’s New Leadership: Approaches to International Affairs – Chatham House (pdf report)
Praetorian China? – Project Syndicate Do China’s rulers have full civilian control of their country’s military? As recent incidents in the South and East China Seas have shown, the Chinese state apparatus is largely detached from the military, while the party’s top civilian leaders, despite their nominal prerogatives, have only a loose grip on the generals.
Paper Tiger by David Kang – Foreign Policy Are tensions high in Asia? It certainly appears so. Over the last few months, North Korea has tested missiles and threatened the United States with nuclear war. China spars regularly with Japan over ownership of a group of disputed islands, and with several Southeast Asian countries over other sparsely inhabited rocks in the South China Sea. Meanwhile, the United States is in the midst of a well-publicized “pivot” to East Asia, and continues to beef up its military deployments to the region. David Kang once theorized that a strong China would reinforce peace in the region. Has he changed his mind?
When China Met Africa – watch the film here – The Guardian Our new film on demand is the revealing documentary about China’s commercial involvement in Africa. The Guardian ran several features this week on China’s Africa footprint.Reading this on mobile? See the film hereTying in with the Guardian’s revealing China in Africa series, here’s an opportunity to watch an eye-opening documentary about just what it means. When China Met Africa, directed by Marc and Nick Francis, follows various Chinese enterprises underway in Zambia – from large-scale roadbuilding to small-scale crop-growing – and underscores the uneasy relationship between the two.
Ghana plays ball as China splashes cash on gyms and stadiums – The Guardian Chinese arms manufacturer PTI has paid for stadiums and gyms but its interest in the African nation is more than sportingBarely audible above the din of schoolchildren enjoying their afternoon dip in the pool, Eric Sarpong – an engineer in the Ghanaian armed forces – explains why he loves swimming. It’s not just a question of exercise, he says, but also focus, and it keeps him away from the more negative distractions that get some of his army colleagues into trouble.
Domestic critics carp over extent of China’s munificence towards Africa – The Guardian Beijing stresses opponents of aid to Africa fail to grasp nuances of co-operation and mutual benefit. Is it pure altruism or thinly veiled self-interest? Neither, according to Beijing: aid to Africa, which has doubled in the last few years, is about co-operation and mutual benefit. But if the outside world has become increasingly suspicious about China’s involvement with Africa – prompting accusations that its aid strategy is solely about pursuing raw materials or finding work for Chinese firms – some at home have the opposite concern: that it is too generous.
China is plundering the planet’s seas – The Atlantic China is dramatically under-reporting what it’s taking from the world’s seas. The average it told the UN Food and Agriculture Organization over the last decade was 368,000 tons each year. A recent European Parliament report puts that number at 4.6 million tons — some 12.5 times more than what China reported.
CHINA DOMESTIC
Fighting Corruption in China, One Special License Plate at a Time – NY Times Cars that will not receive military plates unless they are officially purchased as military equipment include models made by Bentley, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Jaguar, Porsche and Land Rover, Gen. Zhao Keshi, director of the army’s General Logistics Department, said in an earlier Xinhua report. Private vehicles and those of local officials will be ineligible for the new plates, he said, and anyone caught leasing, lending or stealing the new plates will be punished.
Extinction nears for China’s ‘River Pig’ the Finless Porpoise – NY Times The ecology of the Yangtze is struggling against an onslaught of human activity: overfishing, including electro-fishing, which that stuns and kills the porpoise; sand dredging; heavy pollution; dams that change the water temperature and affect breeding patterns and block migration; and injury or death from ever-increasing river traffic, according to multiple reports in the Chinese media. EBSE blogger Zhou Dequn posted on Yangtze porpoise extinction in mid-April here.
China arrests more suspects after Xinjiang clash – Huffington Post A total of 21 people died in last Tuesday’s violence in a town near Kashgar city. It was the highest death toll for a single incident in months in Xinjiang, which sees recurrent violence pitting members of the Turkic Muslim Uighur (pronounced WEE’-gur) group against the authorities and majority ethnic Han Chinese migrants. Beijing says China faces an organized terrorist threat from radical Muslim groups in the region.
Why has water-rich Yunnan become a drought hotspot? – ChinaFile Yunnan’s ample precipitation has allowed the province to overlook the consequences of water pollution. Many rivers and lakes, including Dianchi Lake outside the provincial capital Kunming, are now polluted. In the dry season, some areas have no drinkable water. EBSE posted on this earlier in the week. Kunming’s rainy season started on May 1 with near continuous drizzles for the first three days of the month. Will need many many more days like these to alleviate the drought.
Perverse Advantage: A new book lays out the scale of China’s industrial subsidies – The Economist CHINA is the workshop to the world. It is the global economy’s most formidable exporter and its largest manufacturer. The explanations for its success range from a seemingly endless supply of cheap labour to an artificially undervalued currency. A provocative new book* by Usha and George Haley, of West Virginia University and the University of New Haven respectively, points to another reason for China’s industrial dominance: subsidies.
Political reform in China won’t be driven by crises says theorist – South China Morning Post The troubled Wukan model shows that China’s political reform can’t be propelled by crises in governance, but only by gradual democratic development focusing on improving the way officials are elected and monitored in office, says a leading political theorist.
Being a Chinese official: Not all its cracked up to be – The Atlantic Life as a Chinese government official isn’t what it used to be. Lavish, liquor-heavy banquets have been outlawed. It will soon be harder to get those handy military license plates, useful for avoiding hassle from traffic police. And these days, with China’s army of voracious and ever-watchful bloggers, every inappropriate smile, public temper tantrum, or luxury watch collection soon gets seen by the entire country. These guys led high-flying lives for a long time, but are the festivities really over or just changing venues?
Chinese Way of Doing Business: In Cash We Trust – NY Times For all China’s modern trappings, many experts say mutual wariness between the government and its citizens means the country still prefers to pay for things the old-fashioned way.
The long battle over China’s white pollution – TeaLeaf Nation In the past weeks, Chinese citizens have learnt that the styrofoam boxes from which they eat their lunches will soon be legal. On February 16, the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), China’s highest economic policy-making body, changed the Industrial Restructuring Catalog (2011) and removed disposable foam plastic tableware from the list of banned products. On May 1, the fourteen-year ban will be formally removed.
REGION
Impact of deforestation on wildlife in the greater Mekong – in pictures – The Guardian Cambodia, Laos, Burma, Thailand and Vietnam could be left with little more than 10-20% of their original forest cover by 2030
Lasting progress in conservation depends on cross-sector synergies – The Guardian Conventional segregated approaches often hinder conservation and development work, but integrating them with livelihoods and public health activities can deliver lasting impactFor a community dependent on natural resources to flourish it must promote both the immediate goals of better health and economic conditions and the long-term goals of environmental conservation. Bringing about sustainable development can be a fine balancing act. Focusing too much on any single area often comes at the expense of another.
Greater Mekong countries ‘lost one-third of forest cover in 40 years’ – The Guardian Cambodia, Laos, Burma, Thailand and Vietnam have lost nearly 40m ha of forest cover since 1980, a new report showsFive Asian countries have lost nearly one-third of their forests in the last 35 years and could be left with little more than 10-20% of their original cover by 2030 – with devastating effects on wildlife and humans, a new report suggests.
GMS Statistics – GMS Environment Operations Center The EOC has developed an online portal that enables viewers to browse and views a variety of key environmental, socio-demographic and economic indicators for the six countries of the Greater Mekong Subregion.
Sea Power and American Interests in the Western Pacific – RAND China sees American sea power in East Asian waters as threatening to itself, its regional aspirations, and possibly its global access. So it is mounting a challenge with anti-ship missiles, submarines, and a growing fleet of its own. However, the United States will not relinquish its sea power, which it sees as needed to maintain its influence and stability, despite China’s growing might, in this vital region.
Development Asia Magazine Probes Region’s Rising Inequality – ADB The future prosperity of the Asia-Pacific region is threatened by a deepening divide between rich and poor, according to the latest issue of Development Asia magazine, which examines in a series of articles the causes and consequences of rising inequality, and options for governments to close income gaps.
A New World’s New Development Bank – Project Syndicate The significance of the decision by the BRICS to create a new development bank that they will fund cannot be overemphasized. Emerging markets and developing countries are taking the future into their own hands – at a time when rich countries are muddling through their own self-inflicted problems.
ASEAN Infrastructure Fund Readies $1 Billion Pipeline for Lending Operations – ADB The ASEAN Infrastructure Fund Limited is set to begin its lending operations in the second half of 2013, with a pipeline of around $1 billion in projects for the next three years.
ASEAN Chairman’s Statement on the Twenty-Second Summit, April 2013 – Council on Foreign Relations Sultan of Brunei Hassanal Bolkiah gave this statement at the end of the twenty-second Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit, on April 24 to 25, 2013. The theme of the conference was “Our People, Our Future Together.”
IMF Calls for Preemptive Austerity in Asia – WSJ In Europe, the debate of latehas been about whether there’s been too much austerity. In relatively healthy Asia, the talk is that there isn’t enough. In its latest assessment of Asia’s economic prospects, the International Monetary Fund tells the fast-growth economies of Asia that now is the time to start paring deficits, raising and broadening taxes, and saving money for a rainy day. The IMF notes that governments in Asia have been spending more than they used to, even though most economies in the region are at full capacity with plenty of jobs and little excess capacity. In IMF-wonk speak, the report tells Asia’s policy makers it’s time for “rebuilding fiscal space.”
CAMBODIA
April editorial: Domestic violence in Cambodia – Sea Globe Editorial We can’t continue to ignore the fact that domestic abuse is a plague on our houses. EBSE blogger John Lichtefeld discusses Cambodia’s human rights record here.
LAOS
Fears grow for abducted campaigner Sombath – BBC It is a case that a decent detective would crack in a week. Sombath Somphone’s abduction was caught on camera and took place on a busy road at a police checkpoint.But more than four months after Laos’ leading development worker disappeared, the authorities say they have no leads and yet need no outside help finding him.
Laos leads the way for fish futures in Asean – Vientiane Times
MYANMAR
Thein Sein resigns as chairman of Burma’s ruling party – DVB President Thein Sein resigned on Thursday as chairman of the leading Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) and will be replaced by his political rival and party vice-chairman Shwe Mann, according to the Union Daily.Thein Sein is technically barred from taking part in “party activities” during his term of office under Burma’s 2008 constitution, but has continued to lead the USDP since becoming president in March 2011. Despite mounting criticism over his dual role, Thein Sein was re-elected as party chairman in October last year.
From prison to parliament – Sea Globe Editorial National League for Democracy MP Phyo Min Thein discusses torture, ethnic violence and Myanmar’s long road towards democracy
Democratic Platitudes Will Not Reverse Myanmar’s Spiral – Council on Foreign Relations Joshua Kurlantzick says more is needed from Myanmar president U Thein Sein and opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi to foster tolerance and and reconciliation in the ethnically divided country.
Ford Rolls Into Myanmar’s Rusty Auto Market – WSJ Taking advantage of Myanmar’s aged car fleet – dominated by rusty Japanese models from the 1980s, with air conditioning often a rare luxury – Ford Motor Co. launched operations in the Southeast Asian market on Tuesday.
The dirty fossil fuel secret behind Burma’s democratic fairytale – Guardian The South-east Asian country’s untapped natural wealth is being opened up, regardless of the environmental and human costs. New evidence has emerged that the systematic violence against ethnic Rohingya in Burma – “described as genocidal by some experts” – is being actively supported by state agencies. But the violence’s links to the country’s ambitions to rapidly expand fossil fuel production, at massive cost to local populations and to the environment, have been largely overlooked.
On the deck– Sea Globe Editorial British filmmakers shine a light on Yangon’s struggling skateboard culture
PHILIPPINES
China, Philippines Try Basketball Diplomacy – WSJ The Philippines will field two platoons–the Gilas Pilipinas national men’s basketball team and a selection of players from the Philippine Basketball Association, Asia’s oldest play-for-pay league–to skirmish with the China’s Shanghai Sharks, a team owned by former National Basketball Association veteran Yao Ming.
Locked ‘n’ loaded – Sea Globe Editorial A series of high-profile shooting sprees has prompted a temporary tightening of gun laws in the Philippines in the run up to national elections
Regional Roundup for Week of 5.17.2013
