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Daily News on the Southeast Asian Region
17 July 2020
(pm) - 20 July
2020 (am)
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Greetings
This issue of Daily News Alert includes the following commentaries and citations attributed to researchers at ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute. You can click on their names to go to these articles directly.
This is a daily information alert service containing articles and commentaries from international and regional news sources. The alert is released every Monday to Friday, focussing on Southeast Asia and special topics relevant to ISEAS' research interests. You can click on any of the links below to directly access the subject of your immediate interest. If you think your friends and colleagues would find this alert useful, please invite them to
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Country Studies
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Southeast Asia Countries
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Brunei Darussalam
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Laos
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Timor-Leste (East Timor)
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Region
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 Cambodia
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The World According to Cambodia's CPP: If the West truly wants to change Hun Sen's behavior, it needs to understand how he sees the world. ...understanding how the CPP views the world is important, if only because it is central to explaining Cambodia's eager entry into China's orbit. The purpose is not to defend the CPP worldview, which contains many exaggerations and falsehoods, nor to excuse the party's corruption and repression, but rather to understand how it views its core interests, and how it is likely to respond to Western policies.
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Indonesia
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Editorial: Dynasty in the making: Observing the current political landscape in the Central Java city, Gibran may emerge as the sole candidate for the mayoral post, making the December election simply an expression of how much faith Surkartans have in Gibran to emulate his father, a popular two-term mayor of the city. If elected, Gibran could have the opportunity to follow father's political trajectory.
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OPINION: Show trial offers no justice for Novel Baswedan: The state's failure to find and prosecute perpetrators of the attack on Novel will mean its failure to fulfill his rights to justice and effective remedies, which are protected by Article 8 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and Article 2 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
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Unsecured-loan time bomb ticking amid pandemic: According to banking sector data, KTA lending currently accounts for some Rp 142 trillion (US$9.8 billion) of the Rp 1 quadrillion of outstanding loans in the SME sector, or a total of 14.2 percent. On average, the loans vary between Rp 10 million and Rp 15 million. However, if we assume that the average KTA loan is Rp 15 million, there are some 10 million KTA borrowers in Indonesia today.
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Indonesia Cuts Rates As Virus Batters Economy: Indonesia's central bank on Thursday cut interest rates for the fourth time this year, with Southeast Asia's biggest economy battered by the coronavirus pandemic... Central bank governor Perry Warjiyo said the latest rate cut was a "further step" to boost the struggling economy, adding that there were signs of a recovery as a stimulus plan kicks in and virus restrictions are eased. "But we're not back to pre-pandemic levels," Warjiyo warned.
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Australia's strategic appetite should take more account of Indonesia: Australia's boosting defence capabilities and realigning strategic focus in the face of adverse strategic trends is a perfectly reasonable step. But the focus on Southeast Asia immediately raises the question of where Indonesia fits in. The Strategic Update only mentions Indonesia once alongside Japan and India, whose defence relationships with Australia will be 'vital to regional security'.
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Defense SOEs to reap benefits from government's domestic procurement focus: Although its budget was reduced from Rp 131.18 trillion to Rp 122.44 trillion, the Defense Ministry still has the largest budget of all ministries and state agencies. Defense analyst Curie Maharani of BINUS University said Jokowi's directive should be taken as a note for the Defense Ministry to increase spending amid adverse economic circumstances and to prioritize procurement through the domestic defense industry, which has limited buyers for its products.
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Is the East Indonesia Mujahideen a Threat to Indonesia? The East Indonesia Mujahideen (MIT) remains a small group, but it has achieved a sense of reverence among Indonesian jihadists.
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Digital Economy Rockets 400 Percent Amid Pandemic: Govt: Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto on Friday revealed that Indonesia's e-commerce transactions had spiked by 400 percent following growing demand in online transactions amid the COVID-19 pandemic. "Respondents using digital platforms during the COVID-19 pandemic comprised 51 percent social media users, 45 percent online education platforms, 42 percent e-commerce, 40 percent virtual meetings, and 34 percent e-banking users," said Minister Airlangga in Friday's virtual conference.
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Malaysia
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Pakatan also chose Speaker without taking a vote, says Najib: Opposition politicians kicked up a hue and cry when a motion to appoint former Election Commission chairman Azhar Azizan Harun as the new Speaker was adopted without a vote. "I would like to remind the opposition that when Pakatan Harapan formed the federal government and proposed Tan Sri Ariff as speaker, there was also no vote," he told FMT. "There's even a video of it online, so it's quite hypocritical of them to criticise the appointment of the new speaker when they had done the same thing." Najib also reminded the opposition that Azhar was PH's choice to head the EC.
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马国若闪电大选
谁将是造王者
[Who will be kingmaker if snap election is called in Malaysia]
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受访的新加坡尤索夫伊萨东南亚研究院高级研究员诺沙里尔
·
萨阿（
Norshahril Saat
）博士也认为，慕尤丁的相位能不能撑到
2023
年取决于巫统的态度，任何一个执政联盟都会对国会微弱优势感不安。诺沙里尔认为，闪电选举对国盟和希盟都不利，两个阵营都会面对选区如何在成员党之间分配的棘手问题，而且选举开支很大，必须获国家元首同意才行。
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COMMENT: So many hands on the knife: Who will backstab PN? Like a sick patient, PN is limping on crutches supplied by its partners Umno and PAS. It hobbles here and there, not knowing when it will fall and take so hard a knock that it will not be able to rise again. Every feeble step it takes will be painful because the long knife twisting behind its back is moving deeper and deeper into its political innards. The hands clutching the knife are many, but PN doesn't know who these back-stabbers are.
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COMMENT: Were Sabah and Sarawak promised one-third of seats? In his latest call, Sarawak Chief Minister Abang Johari Openg said: "Sabah and Sarawak are supposed to maintain one-third out of the 222 seats (after Singapore left Malaysia). If not, the power distribution in Parliament will be solely relying on Peninsular Malaysia". This can be unpacked into two parts. First, history, ie, it's the entitlement of Sarawak and Sabah promised in the formation of Malaysia. Second, check and balance, ie, East Malaysia needs veto power to prevent Malaya's bulldozing of constitutional amendments.
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MPIC to come up with solutions on palm oil, rubber industries labour issues: The Ministry of Plantation Industries and Commodities (MPIC) is coming up with strategic solutions to rid the country from allegations regarding labour in the palm oil and rubber industries, said Deputy Minister Willie Mongin. Malaysia according to him, does not condone forced labour, adding that as this is a very delicate issue and requires cooperation from various ministries as well as agencies.
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Sarawak to continue with PPSMI, recognise UEC: Sarawak will continue with the Teaching and Learning of Science and Mathematics in English (PPSMI) programme, Sarawak Assistant Minister for Education, Science and Technological Research Annuar Rapaee said today. The state also stands by its decision to recognise the Unified Examination Certificate (UEC), he said, adding that these decisions show the importance of Sarawak's autonomy over education. This comes after the federal government announced on Thursday that it will not reintroduce the PPSMI.
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Groups moot youth-driven party for new Malaysia: While admitting it would be a hurdle to start such a party, they say it is necessary to bring the younger generation of leaders together to work towards a better future. Challenger Malaysia secretary-general Jean Venisha said the time is ripe for such a shift as recent events have shown how older politicians have failed the younger generation and, in fact, are scorning youth leaders.
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Opposition, govt can now negotiate for reforms, support, says analyst: Fresh polls will not necessarily resolve political instability or bring about a clear majority for a side that Malaysians have been so used to under six decades of Barisan Nasional rule. As such, it is time the country consider the Westminster-style confidence-and-supply agreement, Wong said.
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Gimik politik untuk tekan PM [Political gimmicks to pressure the PM]: Penganalisis politik veteran, Profesor Dr Ahmad Atory Hussain berkata, Sabah dan Sarawak sepatutnya membantu kemenangan mana-mana perikatan politik yang disokong pada Pilihan Raya Umum ke-15 (PRU15) dengan capaian majoriti dua pertiga kerusi Parlimen terlebih dahulu sebelum menuntut perkara besar berkenaan.
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PN dicadang buat PRU di peringkat Parlimen sahaja [PN is proposed for PRU at Parliamentary level only]: Ahmad Shabery berkata, kuasa meminta untuk membubarkan DUN terletak pada Menteri Besar dan terpulang kepada mereka sama ada mahu membubarkan atau tidak sekiranya Dewan Rakyat bubar dalam masa terdekat.
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'Malays need welfare, supportive govt policies': Dr Mahathir said in his 70 years as a politician, he had witnessed how certain races became richer over time while others remained in poverty. "The foreigners who came to Malaysia started working as labourers, but now their children and grandchildren have become rich. "This means they are able to improve themselves, while the Malays are not so skilled in the business sector. "Because of that, they (Malays) could not enrich themselves and that is why we need a government which has a strong Malay element to defend the positions of the Malays," he added.
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Recover, revitalise and reform after the storm: Despite myriad challenges, there are encouraging signs that Malaysia is riding it out comparatively better. The country's economy rests on strong fundamentals. A diversified economic structure, a sound financial system, and effective public health response and proactive macroeconomic policy support have all helped soften the blow. While we expect the economy to see a sharp contraction this year, with GDP shrinking by 3.1% - including a particularly pronounced contraction in the second quarter - and despite the enormous uncertainty over the timing of a return to economic growth, there is light at the end of the tunnel.
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Umno sets claim on contesting Slim seat: Umno intends to defend the Slim state seat in Perak, which it considers its traditional seat, says party vice-president Ismail Sabri Yaakob. Ismail said the seat should be contested by Umno based on the party's winning record in past elections. The seat has been held for four terms by Khusairi Abdul Talib, who died of a heart attack at the age of 59 on Wednesday. The Election Commission will hold a special meeting on Thursday (July 23) to discuss the date for a by-election to elect a new assemblyman to represent the Slim seat. Polling must take place within 60 days of the vacancy.
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Warisan should stay Sabahan, says party man: Senior members said party chairman Liew Vui Keong's comments about expansion had never crossed the minds of top leaders, and was merely a proposal. "Frankly, it is just a mere plan. Haven't really decided yet," he added. He said: "Warisan is a Sabah-based party and as such the struggles are Sabahan. Expanding the party nationally means the party had to overhaul the struggle. This means we must do without some Sabah causes.
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Report: Warisan permanent chair says can consider membership for Dr Mahathir and co: Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and his group of independent MPs can be considered for entry into Parti Warisan Sabah if they are willing to take up the party's "struggle", its permanent chairman Datuk Liew Vui Keong reportedly said today. However, the former federal law minister added that the party constitution will need to be revised, which could also see a name change to reflect its broader scope. "I think the possibility is there. So far, the Parti Warisan Sabah is only focused on the state of Sabah, but the constitution can be changed to make it the Parti Warisan Malaysia.
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Sabah BN plus plus' in the works: Sabah Umno head Bung Moktar Radin, when contacted today, reiterated that his party's starting position in the negotiation was that they will be given the rights to field a candidate for every seat they won in 2018. This will likely create problems for Sabah Umno-Bersatu relations as all six Bersatu and seven state assemblypersons in Sabah won their seats on an Umno ticket before defecting.
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Confused Bersatu grassroots want blackout campaign to press on: BERSATU grassroots members who still support Dr Mahathir Mohamad believe the party can be turned around if its role in Pakatan Harapan's collapse is clearly explained. Kedah members met after Dr Mahathir's launch of the Bersatu Blackout campaign in Alor Star last night said many among the grassroots were confused and wanted explanations about president Muhyiddin Yassin's leadership and the change in federal government.
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New Perikatan order marks end of BN: POST-SHERATON coup, the immediate need for Umno, PAS and Bersatu to have more seats to distribute among themselves will alter the political landscape in massive ways. This piece predicts that the three parties will create "the pool" of 135 of the 165 Peninsula seats, taking away significant number of seats previously contested by Barisan Nasional (BN) component parties.
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Cabaran pengiktirafan dunia [The challenge of world recognition]: Dalam nada tertekan, Menteri UMNO kerajaan Perikatan Nasional (PN) itu dipetik sebagai berkata bahawa perhubungan Malaysia dengan negara-negara itu sedang diuji.
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Opinion: The Muhyiddin paradox in Pahang's Malay heartland: The Muhyiddin paradox in Pahang's Malay heartland is that a majority in the community want him to continue as Prime Minister. But if Bersatu is not with Muafakat Nasional, they would not support his party.
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Azmin sidelining Umno, PAS in Selangor, say party leaders: SENIOR minister Mohamed Azmin Ali has been accused of isolating Umno and PAS in Selangor after holding a state development meeting without party representatives earlier this week. This has led the Gombak divisions of both parties to declare that they will only work with each other under their Muafakat Nasional pact.
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Caranya Umno habisi Bersatu [How Umno will finish off Bersatu]: Kalau Bersatu dapat dihabisi, maka Umno boleh kembali mengambil posisi sebagai parti yang mendominasi politik Malaysia - melalui sentimen Melayu. Umno mahu kembali menjadi parti paling berkuasa. Bagi tujuan itu, ada dua jalan yang boleh dipilih. Pertama mencekik Bersatu dalam PRU.
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空中楼阁般的难民工作权
[Refugees' rights to work are an illusion]:
难民署登记了难民和寻求庇护者，就说明这些人有别于居无定所的无证移工，轻易可以联系得到，不必担心他们半途跑人；加上他们本来就需要工作，而许多本国雇主也乐意聘用他们，因为少了申请外籍移工的繁文缛节，更免了人头税，可说互惠互利。
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Malaysia's media crackdowns are being driven by an insecure government highly sensitive to criticism: There's another reason for the return of media crackdowns and online-driven activity beyond just the government's desire to control the media. It is also tactical as it allows government ministers to respond with firm statements asking security forces to intervene -- enabling them to look strong, coherent and nationalistic.
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Myanmar
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In the wake of the Coronavirus, questions are raised about China's relationship with Myanmar: Firstly, there is a possibility that China will seek to become more engaged in Myanmar's ethnic areas. Secondly, President Xi reportedly made a telephone call recently to Myanmar President U Win Myint to remind Myanmar about the raft of infrastructure and communications projects, many of which are lined up for a band of territory that stretches from Yunnan, China border to the Indian Ocean. He reportedly called to fast-track the projects.
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More paper shuffling than progress? The Industrial Zone Law was enacted in May 2020 to revamp the operations and regulatory procedures of existing and future, industrial estates in Myanmar in the hopes of catching its more industrialised neighbours. To do so, clear and well thought out policy is essential to fix and improve Myanmar's industrial parks that are beset by opaque land ownership and speculation, squatters, poor electrical and transport infrastructure and usually a lack of waste water treatment plants. Instead, the new law puts a heavy focus on forming seemingly endless committees at national, then state/regional level, without creating a centralised and full-time bureau...
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Philippines
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Save the MSMEs: Figures from the Department of Trade and Industry showed that of the 1.42 million registered businesses nationwide, 99 percent belong to the MSME sector, nearly nine-tenths of which are microenterprises. Three out of every five employed Filipinos work in MSMEs, earning them the label the "backbone of the economy." However, the COVID-19 pandemic has dealt a severe blow to MSMEs, majority of which are in Metro Manila, Calabarzon, and Central Luzon - areas that suffered the most from the severe lockdown starting in the middle of March and was eased only this month.
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Digital payment grows in Philippines amid COVID-19 fears: Thailand and Indonesia are now ahead of the Philippines in using digital money. But the pandemic has come as a powerful driver for electronic payment. The lockdown imposed in mid-March forced most shops to close and made it difficult for consumers to pay at bank or store counters.
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Singapore
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Why "Economically Free" Singapore Stands Alone: As the world economy faces new challenges from expanding Chinese influence, free and open Singapore matters more than ever to the United States. As America's proven partner in Southeast Asia and beyond, Singapore has consistently punched above its weight in regional and global affairs related to trade and security initiatives.
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Thailand
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Editorial: Energy post are shuffle test: In every cabinet reshuffle, the top position in the Energy Ministry, like the Transport Ministry, is a prime target for politicians who see it as a "treasure trove''. The forthcoming reshuffle is no different. Some powerful political factions are already pulling out all the stops in their efforts to take up the energy portfolio. The most attractive element of the Energy Ministry is its state enterprises. Anyone who takes the helm of the ministry also takes control of those wealthy state enterprises.
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PM's Office Minister Tewan to resign: The Chart Pattana Party has passed a resolution that its leader Tewan Liptapanlop should resign from the position of Prime Minister's Office minister, party adviser Suwat Liptapanlop said on Monday. Mr Suwat, chairman of the party's advisory committee, said Mr Tewan would submit his resignation to Distat Hotrakitya, the prime minister's secretary-general, at 1pm on Monday. It would take effect on Tuesday. Mr Suwat said the party's decision that Mr Tewan resign would help pave the way for Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha to reshuffle the cabinet without any worries.
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Rumblings of revolt against government get louder: There are several key events that led to students' large street protest on Saturday.The turning point was when the Constitutional Court disbanded the Future Forward Party in February. Before that, Thailand's judiciary had already been widely criticised for taking sides with the military since it toppled an elected government in 2014.
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OPINION: Thailand's rulers must act fast to reverse COVID-19 economic damage: The exodus seemed partly performance based. Thailand's economy is expected to shrink 8.1% this year, putting it on track to become Southeast Asia's worst performer just as Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha's cabinet celebrates its anniversary. The reshuffle, though, is "more about political consolidation than formulating new ways of thinking about economic policy," says Bob Herrera-Lim from Teneo Research.
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Thailand's historic LGBT bill exposes rifts inside community: The standoff could further stall LGBT rights, as 54 legislators from the Move Forward Party are expected to vote "no" for the Civil Partnership Bill, making its passage uncertain. Other parties including the largest opposition Pheu Thai Party could join hands with Move Forward. Pheu Thai has 134 seats of the 500 lower house seats, according to the parliament's website.
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Young Thai protesters inspired by Hong Kong demand change but fear blowback: Student-led protests have flickered at campuses across Thailand since last year's elections, won by former junta chief Prayuth Chan-ocha. Saturday's event in central Bangkok drew thousands, and appeared to borrow heavily from last year's massive rallies in Hong Kong for its imagery.
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Thailand forges new path for food exports to China amid coronavirus pandemic: Thailand is turning to a less-travelled path to bypass supply-chain roadblocks and deliver perishables to China, its biggest customer in Asia. Most agricultural and food products have traditionally been delivered to China from Thai farms and warehouses by trucks going through either Vietnam or Laos. Ships and airplanes are also used, but the Covid-19 pandemic has upended logistics worldwide, resulting in border delays, fewer flights and difficulty handling items that aren't suited for sea vessels. One solution s tarted this month, when Thailand began a two-mode system by trucking products to Vietnam, then moving the goods into containers on trains, which complete the deliveries to China.
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Prayut government lacking in ethics: poll: The Super Poll Research Centre surveyed the new generation's views on politicians from July 15 to 17. The survey showed that 82.8 per cent of respondents consider politicians in the Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha government as not having ethics, while only 17.2 per cent said they were ethical.
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COVID-19, electric vehicles to reshape Thailand's auto industry: The COVID-19 pandemic is accelerating the remaking of Thailand's automotive industry, the backbone of Southeast Asia's auto sector, as factory shutdowns compound a shift toward electric vehicles... But there's a catch: Thailand's shift toward electric vehicles (EVs) could pummel the local auto industry because it is dominated by hundreds of parts makers, while EVs require just 10% to 20% as many of parts as internal-combustion vehicles.
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Thailand's cabinet reshuffle leaves investors anxious amid economic gloom: The resignation of four economic ministers has sparked anxiety about the future of investments from China and Japan. Their replacements will have to oversee the recovery of Southeast Asia's worst-performing economy from the damage caused by Covid-19.
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No One Knows What Thailand Is Doing Right, but So Far, It's Working: No one knows exactly why Thailand has been spared. Is it the social distancing embedded in Thai culture - the habit of greeting others with a wai, a prayer-like motion, rather than a full embrace - that has prevented the runaway transmission of the coronavirus here? Did Thailand's early adoption of face masks, combined with a robust health care system, blunt the virus's impact? Was it the outdoor lifestyle of many Thais, or their relatively low rates of pre-existing conditions?
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Vietnam
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50
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As Vietnam takes more assertive approach to South China Sea, Beijing tries to manage tensions: Chinese diplomat meets with Vietnamese counterpart to discuss the waterway, while Beijing-backed investment institution loans US$100 million to bank in Vietnam. Moves come just days after US secretary of state rejects most of China's claims to South China Sea.
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Vietnam to Fine Drivers With License Plates That Lack Map of South China Sea Islets: Police in Vietnam will begin fining drivers for using an older version of license plates showing a map of the country that does not include the disputed Spratly and Paracel island chains, local news reported Friday... The police warning comes on the heels of the Communications and Information Ministry's recent dispatch to the Ministries of the Police, Trade and Industry, and Natural Resources and Environment, instructing them to correct instances in their jurisdictions where maps of Vietnam that do not depict the disputed territories are used.
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ASEAN/Southeast Asia
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52
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Asean in the Mekong sub-regional integration: This article was adapted from his remarks at The Asean Forum on Sub-Regional Development: Converging Mekong Sub-Regional Cooperation with Asean Goals, which was conducted via videoconference on July 14....
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53
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Huawei 5G dominance threatened in Southeast Asia: Now that Southeast Asia's richest and most technologically advanced nation has opted for the European companies, the next focus is other countries in the region. Companies and individuals are tending to make greater use of the internet for remote work and education, e-commerce, and video streaming due to the coronavirus pandemic. Southeast Asia's telecom operators are gearing up to launch 5G services because the current situation has amplified demands for industrial and commercial high-speed internet infrastructure.
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The Rising Demand For Air Conditioners: "Growing demand for air conditioners is one of the most critical blind spots in today's energy debate. Setting higher efficiency standards for cooling is one for the easiest steps governments can take to reduce the need for new power plants, cut emissions and reduce costs at the same time," said Fatih Birol, Executive Director, IEA. Southeast Asia already uses about 60 percent of its electricity for ACs alone according to a 2018 white paper by Eco-Business Research and the Kigali Cooling Efficiency Program (K-CEP).
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ASEAN Trade Measures And COVID-19: According to an International Trade Center (ITC) study, a total of 295 trade-related measures were implemented by 139 countries and territories... The ASEAN 10 represented about 10 percent of all measures reported by the ITC (28) with a balanced mix of 15 liberalising measures and 13 that were restrictive. Indonesia, Vietnam and Thailand were the countries that issued the highest number of measures (five each) followed by Malaysia (three), Singapore, Cambodia, Myanmar and the Philippines (two) and Lao PDR (one).
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New hate speech rules threaten Asian democracy: Southeast Asia is experiencing new forms of hate speech that are increasingly played out over social media and a wide range of increasingly accessible digital platforms. Updated measures to tackle new forms of hate must move away from outdated policies focused on narrow definitions of hate speech. Although regulation of hate speech is intended to protect the civil rights of its targeted victim, when such regulations are too narrowly framed, they can be weaponised against vulnerable populations and used to threaten democracy.
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To thrive in e-commerce, SMEs need the right skills and govt help: A recent survey of Asean small and medium-sized businesses showed that eight in 10 have made technology their top investment priority. This is not a surprise given the rapid growth in e-commerce, even before the Covid-19 pandemic.
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Why Asean should treat the Mekong like the South China Sea: The Southeast Asian bloc's forums have helped balance Chinese assertiveness in the disputed South China Sea. But in the Mekong Basin, where China holds the throats of half of Asean in its hands, its divisions leave it exposed.
[This is an edited excerpt of a presentation given at the Asean Forum on Sub-Regional Development organised by the Vietnam's Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Hanoi on 14 July, 2020.]
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ASEAN, India to further strengthen strategic partnership: ASEAN and India noted the progress in the implementation of decisions made by Leaders at the 16th ASEAN-India Summit last year and the implementation of the ASEAN-India Plan of Action. The two sides reiterated their commitment to finalising the new Plan of Action for the period 2021-2025, to be adopted at the ASEAN-India Ministerial Meeting in September this year.
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Asia Pacific
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COVIDcast: Malcolm Turnbull on geopolitics and the pandemic: In this episode of COVIDcast, Hervé Lemahieu, Director of the Power and Diplomacy Program at the Lowy Institute, sat down with the Honourable Malcolm Turnbull, Prime Minister of Australia from 2015 to 2018, to discuss the geopolitical challenges Australia must confront in the wake of the pandemic. Turnbull launched his memoir, A Bigger Picture, in April this year, which vividly illustrates dealings with world leaders, and he spoke at length on a wide range of foreign policy issues.
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Piracy in Asian Waters Rises to Highest Level in Five Years, Data Shows: A total 51 incidents were reported in the region in the January to June period, 50 of which were actual and one was an attempt, according to data from ReCAAP ISC, a piracy information group with 20 member nations, mostly in Asia. That compared with 28 incidents reported in the same period a year earlier and is the highest tally since 114 recorded in the first six months of 2015, the data showed. The incidents occurred in the Singapore Strait and South China Sea, as well as waters off countries including Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Vietnam.
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East/South China Sea
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US-China emergency channels for S.China Sea needed now: What actions will the US possibly take to support its new position? There is a chance that military options might be undertaken. The US feels uncomfortable about China's construction of islands and reefs in the South China Sea, as well as corresponding military deployments there in recent years. From Western perspectives, the value of the South China Sea in the new major power competition is as strategic as the importance of the Malta Channel or the Strait of Gibraltar to the global oceans. Therefore, the US has ratcheted up its so-called freedom of navigation operations in the South China Sea.
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'Ugly face': U.S. and China trade barbs in Myanmar as South China Sea rift deepens: The U.S. statement drew parallels between China's actions in the South China Sea and Hong Kong with large-scale Chinese investments projects in Myanmar that the United States warned could become debt-traps, along with trafficking of women from Myanmar to China as brides, and the inflow of drugs from China into Myanmar.
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64
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Preserving sovereignty through Malaysian leadership, ASEAN unity of purpose: In 2010, Beijing's top diplomat famously told Southeast Asian counterparts: "China is a big country and other countries are small countries, and that's just a fact." Over the past 10 years, this has been Beijing's mindset toward the South China Sea. Under international law, Beijing's maritime claims in the South China Sea are simply not credible. Recent actions by one nation should not compromise the sovereign rights of other nations.
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Editorial: Dialogue is urgently needed to avoid the crossing of red lines: With an increasing risk of military conflict in the South China Sea between China and the United States, there is every need for a diplomatic solution, no matter how remote that may appear.
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66
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Opinion: Washington's double standards clear as it wades into South China Sea dispute: The US is not a party to territorial disputes in the region, nor has it ratified the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. Instead, by supporting claimant states, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is opening up a new battlefront between Washington and Beijing.
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67
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US-China tensions: why is Malaysia so quiet about the South China Sea? Malaysia and Brunei have been less vocal than Vietnam and the Philippines in questioning China's maritime claims, even after Mike Pompeo's statement. The Malaysian foreign minister has come under fire for claiming Chinese ships have not intruded into the country's waters for the past 100 days.
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Eight Chinese Fighter Jets Show up at Woody Island in the South China Sea: Eight Chinese fighter jets were visible Friday at its key military base in the disputed Paracel Islands, as two U.S. aircraft carriers performed their second exercise in the South China Sea in two weeks amid mounting tensions between Washington and Beijing. [...] Experts said it was the most fighter aircraft that have been spotted at one time at Woody Island, which is China's largest military base and settlement in the Paracels.
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Viet Nam reaffirms sovereignty over Spratly and Paracels islands: Viet Nam has a full legal foundation and historical evidence to back up its sovereignty claims over the Truong Sa (Spratly) and Hoàng Sa (Paracel) islands and calls for all countries to respect international law. The foreign ministry spokesperson Lê Thị Thu Hang made the remarks during Thursday's press briefing in response to Chinese foreign spokeswoman Hua Chunying's series of tweets on the South China Sea (known in Viet Nam as the East Sea).
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US labels Chinese fishing fleets a 'tool of violent state coercion': Indonesia's strong economic ties with China and its determinedly non-aligned status mean it has to be careful, as do its neighbours, said Malcolm Cook, visiting fellow at Singapore's ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute. "One of the problems for south-east Asian nations' response to this clarified US position is that it is clearly part of the escalating US-China rivalry. South-east Asian countries are very uncomfortable about aligning themselves - or being seen to be doing so - in that rivalry," Mr Cook said.
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71
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Region's claimant states unlikely to rock the boat: Malaysia is unlikely to "become very gung-ho and push forward and confront China", Universiti Malaya's Institute of China Studies director Ngeow Chow-Bing said. "The US statement is a formal expression of what Washington has already been practising for years." Hanoi-based analyst Ha Hoang Hop said he does not expect the US' stance to make any difference on the ground. "The US will continue to exercise limited Fonops (freedom of navigation operations) and possibly take other actions. "Even though the risk of military conflict is higher, I expect China and the US to hedge these risks."
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Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) / Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP)
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RCEP agreement could be new booster for regional development, say officials, scholars: Chheang Vannarith, president of the Asian Vision Institute, a think tank in Phnom Penh, said the RCEP would provide economic impetus for regional countries to bounce back together from the economic recession caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. "It will send a clear signal that regional economic integration in Asia remains robust and vibrant although protectionism and unilateralism are on the rise in the United States and other regions," he told Xinhua.
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