china



STORY OF THE DAY • Apr 05, 2021 • 8 min read

Geopolitics How much is fish driving Chinese aggression in the South China Sea?

By Ashley Lampard • Apr 05, 2021
A massive decrease in Chinese fishing fleet activity throughout 2020 may not provide the full picture, with a recent ramping up of aggression in the South China Sea leaving many once again questioning China’s true motivations in the disputed waters

STORY OF THE DAY • Apr 05, 2021 • 4 min read

Business Facing pressure at home, Chinese tech giants expand in Singapore

By Martin Abbugao/AFP • Apr 05, 2021
Chinese tech giants like Tencent and TikTok owner ByteDance are expanding in Singapore as they face a crackdown at home and growing pressure in other key markets – but they may struggle to find talent in the city-state

STORY OF THE DAY • Mar 17, 2021 • 5 min read

Myanmar coup Anti-China outrage pulls Beijing into Myanmar coup crisis

By Aidan Jones/AFP • Mar 17, 2021
As Chinese factories are torched in Myanmar under the newly-imposed martial law, Beijing has been pulled into the crisis. Now facing an unravelling country it had once hoped to include in China's big plans for Asia.

Feb 22, 2021 • 8 min read
Analysis

Thailand’s rising tension between public and state relations with China

As Thailand's economy has grown increasingly reliant on Chinese tourism and investment in recent decades, so too has public distrust of the Asian giant's influence in the kingdom – a tension that risks spilling over says columnist Professor Mark S. Cogan
By Mark S. Cogan • Feb 22, 2021

Feb 17, 2021 • 9 min read
History

How the 1979 Sino-Vietnamese War shaped the course of world history

February 17 marks 42 years since the Chinese invasion of Vietnam, as Beijing retaliated against Hanoi's toppling of the Khmer Rouge. A short-lived but bloody war, it would prove to be a pivotal moment in perhaps the most consequential year in recent history – 1979
By Hoang Minh Vu • Feb 17, 2021

Jan 27, 2021 • 7 min read
Geopolitics

Why the U.S., and not ASEAN, is the answer for Vietnam’s South China Sea dispute

The South China Sea issue has long proved a sticking point for ASEAN, unable to forge a united front against Chinese claims. Researcher Nguyen Hoang Anh Thu says the political block isn't equipped to ward off Beijing, and Vietnam should instead seek a US alliance
By Nguyen Hoang Anh Thu • Jan 27, 2021

Jan 25, 2021 • 2 min read
Geopolitics

US warships conduct exercises in South China Sea

In the first routine operation in the region under new US President Joe Biden, an American aircraft carrier group sailed into the South China Sea as part of a so-called "freedom of navigation" exercise that has irked leaders in Beijing
By Agence France-Presse • Jan 25, 2021

Jan 07, 2021 • 4 min read
Opinion

As Chinese UUV found in Indonesian waters, a strong message must be sent

In late December, A Chinese Unmanned Underwater Vehicle was found maneuvering illegally in Indonesian waters. International Law lecturer Aristyo Rizka Darmawan says that Jakarta must send a firm message to Beijing to prevent further intrusions
By Aristyo Rizka Darmawan • Jan 07, 2021

Dec 29, 2020 • 5 min read
Analysis

Seafaring slavery aboard Chinese fishing vessels in the Indo-Pacific

Over the course of this year, separate incidents of alleged forced labour, trafficking, disappearances and killings aboard Chinese fishing vessels around Southeast Asia have led to growing pressure to tackle the rampant human rights abuses being conducted at sea
By Rebekah Baynard-Smith • Dec 29, 2020

Dec 21, 2020 • 7 min read
Analysis

What will India’s withdrawal from the RCEP mean for Southeast Asia?

Marred by domestic concerns and tension with China, in 2019 India declared that it was withdrawing from the RCEP. Regarded as a crucial counterbalance to Beijing in Southeast Asia, how will this decision impact power dynamics in the region for years to come?
By Jennifer Chance • Dec 21, 2020

Nov 19, 2020 • 3 min read
RCEP

Xi touts China’s huge economy as base of free trade in APEC speech

Following the signing of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, President Xi Jinping pegged China as the pivot point for global free trade, vowing to keep his "super-sized" economy open and warning against protectionism in a global economy eviscerated by Covid-19
By Agence France-Presse • Nov 19, 2020