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Diverging Paths? Singapore-China Relations and the East Asian Maritime Domain

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Singapore and China are experiencing an unprecedented period of friction in their usually calm bilateral relations. Much of the divergence is over issues relating to the South China Sea, despite the fact that Singapore is not party to the sovereignty disputes. In particular, the two sides differ in their interpretations of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and over regarding China’s reclamation of features in the South China Sea. Behind these differences lie divergent perspectives on the existing international order, international law, the management of maritime issues, and Singapore’s strategic partnership with the United States.… Read More »Diverging Paths? Singapore-China Relations and the East Asian Maritime Domain

The Role of History and Law in the South China Sea and Arctic Ocean

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The law of the sea regime is in the early phases of a significant shift and subject to increased tension in its central normative structure. This has been the case many times historically, with each phase of the law moving in a path-dependent fashion through different international political environments. Though the law of the sea today has greater impact and causal effect on strategically driven state conduct than at any other point in history, evidence for this emerging change in the maritime legal regime is materializing in several key domains. Major states are now grappling with how to reason with,… Read More »The Role of History and Law in the South China Sea and Arctic Ocean

Anatomy of the Code of Conduct Framework for the South China Sea

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In Manila on August 6, 2017, the foreign ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and China endorsed a framework for a code of conduct in the South China Sea (CoC). The framework had earlier been approved by senior officials from ASEAN and China at a meeting in Guiyang, China, on May 19. Statements by the two sides were broadly welcoming of the framework. In their joint communiqué—which was delayed for nearly 24 hours due to differences between some member states on how the South China Sea dispute should be characterized—the ASEAN foreign ministers said they were “encouraged”… Read More »Anatomy of the Code of Conduct Framework for the South China Sea

Japan-Malaysia Cooperation in the New Security Landscape of the Indo-Pacific

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The year 2017 marks the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Malaysia and Japan. Relations between the two countries have remained robust since Malaysia’s adoption of its “Look East policy” in the 1980s, which has sent thousands of Malaysian students to receive education and training in Japan. In addition, Japan has contributed to safety of navigation initiatives in the Strait of Malacca since the early 1970s and participated in regional and international efforts to combat piracy and armed robberies at sea. Japan has also been keen on promoting cooperation in other areas such as maritime security, peacekeeping,… Read More »Japan-Malaysia Cooperation in the New Security Landscape of the Indo-Pacific

Japanese Maritime Assistance: A Status Quo Plus

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The prospect of a “normal” Japan is welcomed by some and approached cautiously by others; the related debate over whether Japan is undergoing defense policy revolution or evolution is well-developed among regional specialists. Neither interpretation seems entirely faithful to empirical evidence. If we take Japan’s maritime cooperation with Southeast Asia as emblematic of Tokyo’s expanding role in regional security, we can argue that Tokyo is ushering in important but incremental changes to defense policy that are consistently anchored to established institutional patterns. Firmly biased toward tightly civilian-controlled, nonmilitarized approaches to security, these patterns place limits on future defense options that… Read More »Japanese Maritime Assistance: A Status Quo Plus

Asia Policy Roundtable: India and China at Sea

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The July 2016 issue of Asia Policy, a peer-reviewed and policy-relevant academic journal published by the National Bureau of Asian Research, features a roundtable on “India and China at Sea: A Contest of Status and Legitimacy in the Indian Ocean.” David Brewster, You Ji, Zhu Li, Pramit Pal Chaudhuri, Abhijit Singh, Raja Menon, Darshana M. Baruah, John W. Garver, and Rory Medcalf contributed to the conversation on these two critical naval powers’ interests and roles. India and China at Sea: A Contest of Status and Legitimacy in the Indian Ocean David Brewster China’s Emerging Indo-Pacific Naval Strategy You Ji The Maritime Silk Road… Read More »Asia Policy Roundtable: India and China at Sea

Chinese icebreaker, Xuelong

China’s New Arctic Policy: Legal Questions and Practical Challenges

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This article expands on the discussion of shipping-related issues in a report by the Institute for China-America Studies, “China’s Interests in the Arctic: Opportunities and Challenges” (March 2018). China issued its first official Arctic policy in a white paper published on January 26, 2018. The Chinese media and academics were truly thrilled—both by the content of the policy and by the fact that it had been formalized and published—and reacted immediately with overwhelmingly positive reporting and analysis. Meanwhile, the international community, especially the Arctic states, quickly added their views on the white paper. Of the Arctic five (the five states… Read More »China’s New Arctic Policy: Legal Questions and Practical Challenges

Taiwan’s Policy Evolution after the South China Sea Arbitration

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On July 12, 2016, an arbitral panel constituted under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) delivered its merits and award in the case brought by the Philippines against China over disputed territory in the South China Sea. In response to the decision, Taiwan’s government stated, “We absolutely will not accept the tribunal’s decision and we maintain that the ruling is not legally binding on the ROC [Republic of China].” Despite this initial rejection of the ruling, President Tsai Ing-wen approved a new South China Sea policy that does not directly challenge the arbitration decision. This… Read More »Taiwan’s Policy Evolution after the South China Sea Arbitration

China-Russia Naval Cooperation in East Asia: Implications for Japan

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During the evening of June 8, 2016, three Russian naval vessels, including a destroyer, entered the contiguous zone around the Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands in the East China Sea. Shortly afterward, a Chinese frigate also entered the area and proceeded toward the Russian ships, as if intending to meet with them. This represented the first instance of a Chinese military vessel entering the contiguous zone around the Japanese-administered Senkaku Islands, which are claimed by China as the Diaoyu Islands. Just as worrying, it appeared to show that Russia, which officially remains neutral with regard to the territorial dispute, had begun to coordinate… Read More »China-Russia Naval Cooperation in East Asia: Implications for Japan

China and Russia in the Western Pacific: Implications for Japan and the United States

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China’s growing maritime power is changing the military balance among Asian countries. The continental power of Russia and China dominates the Asian landmass, while the maritime power of the United States and Japan secures freedom of the seas in the western Pacific. Neither side can project sufficient conventional power into the realm of the other.[1] After the Cuban missile crisis of 1962, the Soviet Union learned the importance of sea power and by the early 1970s had developed the world’s second-largest navy. By the 1980s, the Soviet Union had reinforced its naval and air forces in the Far East, both… Read More »China and Russia in the Western Pacific: Implications for Japan and the United States