Journal of International Studies

Vietnam is once more the scene of superpower confrontation, as deep rifts continue to churn the waters of the South China Sea. However, Vietnam can now deal with ambitious global powers from a position of independence and relative geopolitical strength.  The escalating rivalry between China and United States offers both risks and rewards to the leaders in Hanoi, as the world's two most powerful countries seek deeper strategic and economic influence in Southeast Asia.  Chinese Premier Li Keqiang's high-profile visit last week to Hanoi highlights Vietnam's importance to China's regional ambitions. The visit was aimed at improving China's often-turbulent relationship with neighboring Vietnam.  Li returned to Beijing with an impressive set of economic and political agreements, including an arrangement to begin joint exploration of natural resources in the Gulf of Tonkin, where the two countries dispute their maritime border. The cooperation coul...

During Premier Li Keqiang’s visit to Southeast Asia earlier this month, Chinese press and media commentators went into overdrive in describing the major agreements that had been reached between China, Brunei and Vietnam to advance maritime cooperation and joint development. On October 13 , for example,  Xinhua  urged other regional states to follow suit and “take up the magic wand of joint development.” A day later,  Xinhua   also reported  a “breakthrough in bilateral cooperation” between Beijing and Hanoi. Hua Yiwen, identified as an expert on global issues,  wrote  in the  People's Daily Online  last Friday that Li “put forward three ‘breakthrough’ ideas to handle maritime disputes in a peaceful manner: controlling divergence, exploring joint development, and promoting maritime cooperation.” In the article, Hua also argued that members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) who were not parties to the S...

One of the more curious aspects of China’s greater assertiveness in recent years has been its comprehensiveness. Historically Chinese leaders have pursued a divide and conquer policy towards their neighbors, and with great success. Over the last year or two, however, China has seemingly tangled with just about anyone and everyone (arguably excluding Russia and Pakistan). In certain cases, like the incident last year where it issued new  visas that sported an expansive map  of China on it, Beijing has simultaneously angered most of its neighbors with a single, pointless action. The results have been all too predictable: China’s neighbors  have increasingly banded together  in an attempt to offset Beijing’s superior power. Thus, we’ve witnessed developments like India’s Look East policy finally gaining some traction, while Japan has greatly expanded its influence in ASEAN. At the same time, China's neighbors have increasingly  courted external powers...

On September 3, Philippine Secretary of Defense Voltaire Gazmin presented aerial photographs taken of Scarborough Shoal to a congressional hearing. These photographs were taken by the Philippines Air Force a few days earlier and showed what appeared to be thirty concrete blocks, two vertical posts and a white bouy in the lagoon. Secretary Gazmin speculated that the concrete blocks “could be a prelude to construction” and were a violation of the 2002 Declaration on Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea. A day later, the Department of National Defense reported that new photographs had identified a total of 75 concrete blocks at Scarborough Shoal. Secretary of Foreign Affairs Alberto del Rosario announced that the Philippines intended to file a diplomatic protest with China. An official Chinese spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs responded to a question about the concrete blocks by stating, “what the Philippine side said is not true.” China released its own pho...

Southeast Asia’s annual summit season has just ended. Indonesia hosted the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum, while Brunei, as current chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), hosted the ASEAN Summit, East Asia Summit and other related ASEAN meetings. Media coverage contrasted President Barack Obama’s “no show” with President Xi Jinping’s successful debut in the region. Xi became the first person to address a joint sitting of Indonesia’s parliament, and also paid a state visit to Malaysia. Much of the media coverage and commentary by analysts rightly stressed Xi’s major economic initiatives, including the  establishment  of an Asian infrastructure development bank and a new 100 billion yuan ($US16.3 billion)  currency swap agreement  between the Chinese and Indonesian central banks. Little notice was given to Beijing's defense and security agenda, however. For example, in Xi’s address to the Indonesian parliament on October ...