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ISEAS Library
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Daily News on the Southeast Asian Region
16 July 2020
(pm) - 17 July
2020 (am)
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Greetings
This issue of Daily News Alert includes one citation of
ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute
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Country Studies
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Southeast Asia Countries
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 Cambodia
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1
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The new normal - Taking stock of Cambodia's real estate sector: For some 10 years now, the sector grouped together with construction has been the largest among four economic pillars which maintained the gross domestic product (GDP) at an average seven per cent. Investments grew exponentially, driven mostly by Chinese investors, which helped to raise the profile and landscape of the country, and inadvertently the land price, particularly where mixed developments and public infrastructure projects were concerned.
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Indonesia
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Novel Baswedan: Indonesian policemen jailed for acid attack on investigator: The attack on Novel Baswedan three years ago left him blind in one eye, and is suspected to be connected to corruption cases he was working on. The officers were arrested after President Joko Widodo ordered the case re-opened. But the victim's lawyer said the sentences - two years and one-and-a-half years - were too short.
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3
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Editorial: SMEs safeguard economy: On e-commerce and social media platforms, merchants have transformed their businesses and now focus on high-demand items from face masks and frozen or ready-to-cook meals to home decor and hygiene products, as consumer behavior shifts. The speed at which SMEs are adapting to new consumer demand and digitalization is a breath of fresh air in the middle of massive layoffs and business closures all over the world. SMEs, which account for 60 percent of Indonesia's gross domestic product (GDP)...
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4
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Pandemic disrupts food distribution across country, minister says: The logistics disruption due to social restrictions to contain COVID-19 has affected the food distribution to many regions in Indonesia, particularly the eastern parts, Agriculture Minister Syahrul Yasin Limpo said. The pandemic restriction led to a decline in the number of ships delivering food to eastern Indonesia to six ships per month from 48 ships per month in normal times, according to the minister.
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Pandemic erases $5.9b of Indonesia's tourism revenue: The hotel and restaurant industry has lost nearly Rp 70 trillion in revenue as leisure travel has come to a complete halt, while aviation and tour operators have lost Rp 15 trillion in revenue, according to data from the Indonesian Hotel and Restaurant Association (PHRI).
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Responding to fundamental crisis within Islam: The fundamentalist/supremacist view of Islam that these obsolete and problematic tenets of Islamic orthodoxy endorse may be readily harnessed to serve the interests of those with a political agenda. This is evident from history and the savage conflicts now roiling much of the Islamic world. In 2017, the young adult movement of NU published an 8,000-word analysis of the manner in which state and non-state actors have systematically "weaponized" orthodox Islamic teachings.
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7
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Ruling PDI-P recommends Jokowi's son Gibran to run in Surakarta mayoral race: The ruling Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) has recommended President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo's eldest son, Gibran Rakabuming Raka, and Teguh Prakosa, the secretary of the party's branch in Surakarta, to run as a pair in the upcoming mayoral race in the Central Java city. Surakarta Mayor FX Hadi Rudyatmo, who confirmed news of the pairing, said Gibran and Teguh's nomination would be officially announced by the PDI-P through an online meeting Friday afternoon.
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8
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Pembubaran Lembaga Nonstruktural [Dissolution of non-structural agencies]: Menpan-RB menyatakan, evaluasi terhadap LNS yang diusulkan dibubarkan akan dimulai dari LNS yang dibentuk dengan PP dan perpres. Alasannya, lebih mudah proses pembubarannya, tidak dengan harus persetujuan DPR. Ini ternyata tak sejalan dengan pernyataan kepala Staf Kepresidenan (14/7) ketika membocorkan tiga nama LNS, yang dikatakan masuk daftar LNS yang dibubarkan.
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Indonesian coal plant taints South Korea's green pledge: state-run Korea Electric Power Corp. (KEPCO) has confirmed it will partner Indonesia to add two more 1,000 megawatt units to the complex in Suralaya, which residents fear will further increase water and air pollution in the area... Many residents in Suralaya, on the western tip of Java, Indonesia's most populous island, worry that the expanded coal complex will lock in decades of pollution that has plagued the once pristine village since the power complex began operating in 1984.
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COVID-19 punishes Indonesian commodity exporters: As a commodity exporter, Indonesia is being severely hit by the decline in commodity demand. The commodity sector has an oversized weight in Indonesian government revenue. Non-tax revenue from oil and gas, mining and forestry represented 9.4 per cent of the central government budget in 2018, with tax revenue from oil and gas adding another 3.3 per cent. While Indonesia has been a net importer of oil since 2003, tax and non-tax revenue from the sector still plays a vital role in the central government budget. Oil, natural gas, mining and forestry also contribute to local government budgets at the district and provincial levels.
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Indonesia seeks to conclude trade negotiation with EU next year to bolster recovery: The Indonesia-EU Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (IEU-CEPA), Indonesia's largest bilateral trade negotiation to date, was expected to boost trade, investment and tourism for the country, said Rizal Affandi Lukman, undersecretary of international economic cooperation at the Office of the Coordinating Economic Minister... After nine rounds of negotiation since 2016, Indonesia and the EU were supposed to hold the 10th round in March. However, with the pandemic limiting mobility, both sides chose to hold a virtual intersession meeting from June 15 to June 26. Indonesia initially planned to seal the pact this year.
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12
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Writing History in Premodern Java: The earliest history of the island is difficult to trace, because so few written texts have survived for more than a few centuries in its tropical climate. The perishability of written documents in island Southeast Asia is a crucial factor in the development of its history, as Alex West recently discussed. Here I examine the practices of writing in Java and nearby societies, with a particular emphasis on material aspects and consequences for the development of Javanese history.
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13
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World Bank: 3 Keys to Rebuild Indonesia Economy: The World Bank's head representative for Indonesia, Satu Kahkonen, said the crisis due to Covid-19 pandemic presents both challenges and opportunities. He said that there are three key reforms for Indonesia to seize opportunities for rebuilding the economy.
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Laos
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Laos Has Tackled COVID-19, But It Is Drowning In Debt To International Finance: But the coronavirus recession will strike Laos very hard. In April, Anousone Khamsingsavath, director-general of the Department of Labor Skill Development at the Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare, said, "Poverty in Laos will be exacerbated because large numbers of people have been laid off from their jobs." Her ministry "reported recently that the unemployment rate had surged from the average of 2 percent to 25 percent at present," according to the Vientiane Times. The World Bank noted that while Laos has "so far avoided a health crisis," it has not been "immune from the global economic downturn." Growth rates, which had been estimated before the pandemic to be secure at 7 percent, will collapse to near zero as a consequence of the global coronavirus recession. Most terrifyingly, this will mean that Laos, which had a relatively stable economy, will slip into debt and chaos.
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Lao Capital Residents Fight Land Grab, Reject Offered Compensation: Residents of the Lao capital Vientiane are resisting seizure of their land by a Lao-China joint venture building an expressway, saying they had been promised earlier their land would not be taken, and calling offers of compensation unacceptably low, Lao sources say.
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Malaysia
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Muhyiddin unofficially wins Bersatu presidency uncontested, says party election committee chairman: Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin has unofficially retained his Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) presidency after becoming the sole candidate for the post in next month's party elections. Also winning the Deputy President's post uncontested (unofficially) is Perak Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Ahmad Faizal Azumu, who is also the sole candidate for the post. Checks on the Bersatu Party Elections Committee (JPP) website show that both the top two posts only have one candidate each listed.
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Perak MB Ahmad Faizal confirms securing Bersatu deputy president's post: Perak Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Ahmad Faizal Azumu today confirmed that he has secured Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) deputy president's post. Ahmad Faizal said that he had volunteered for the post. "I was informed yesterday, only one candidate volunteered for the post and this has allowed me to be named as the party deputy president when the time comes. "
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Warning of rise of self-censorship as govt targets social-media users: MALAYSIANS will start to practise increased self-censorship when the authorities crack down on social media commentators, a prominent lawyer said. If the witch-hunt on social media continues, Malaysians would not be able to express themselves freely, said Andrew Khoo.
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19
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新国大选成绩打乱了巫统的算盘
[Singapore election results disrupts Umno's plans]:
在大多数人的思维里，疫情原本是给执政者加分的利器，但是人民似乎不会卖政府的账。新加坡政府财力雄厚，其所给予该国人民的补助远远超过我国政对人民的援助。新国人民得到较多的东西倘且没有相应的在选举中给予支持。更何况是财务状况捉襟见肘的我国政府，在大选所能得到的支持率必然需打个折。于是乎，本来热切期盼早日举行大选的巫统，此刻也不敢继续冒然前进。
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INTERACTIVE: Can Malaysia's Gen-Z survive Covid-19's economic fallout? According to consumer trends research firm Wunderman Thompson Intelligence (WTI), Gen Z in Malaysia and many other countries will find it tougher to get access to education, career and financial opportunities. "In the near-term, Gen Z will be hostage to the tight economy, lack of jobs, limits to study due to family finances and an inability to travel because of border closures. "In the longer term, it could spur a rethink of motivations and ambitions for career and life," said WTI's Asia Pacific director Chen May Yee, calling this the "big question".
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21
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Youth insecurity in Malaysia: As the clouds of economic crisis darken, a generation of Malaysian youth - a 9.5 million strong demographic - head into a recession with fairly bleak prospects. Unemployment rates among those between the ages of 15 and 24 have consistently hovered over three times the national average throughout the decade. A 2018 survey by the Credit Counselling and Debit Management Agency revealed that 58 per cent of young working adults lacked the financial resilience to cover three months' worth of expenses if retrenched. These adverse economic conditions are attributed to a toxic combination of stagnating wages, increasing costs of living and poor financial behaviour.
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22
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Federal alliance with PAS no threat to GPS in Sarawak, say analysts: "PAS is too focused on states like Kelantan, Terengganu and Kedah, and I doubt it even rates its chances of winning support in Sarawak which is multiracial and where non-Muslims form the majority," said Universiti Malaya's Awang Azman Pawi. He said that in Sarawak, Muslim Bumiputeras still backed PBB, the lynchpin of GPS. "This means PAS will not be able to bring their agenda to Sarawak," Awang Azman said, adding also that PAS was unlikely to contest there as both parties are components of the ruling federal coalition.
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Selangor says no to proposal to revert ECRL to original alignment: State Local Government, Public Transport and New Village Development Committee chairman Ng Sze Han said this was because the original alignment passed through water catchment areas in Selangor... At the same time, Ng also said that if the transport ministry intends to continue the ECRL project with the original alignment plan, economic issues related to the areas of the previously proposed routes should be resolved wisely.
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马国国盟政府巧计保政权
[Malaysia's Perikatan government holds on to power]:
对于慕尤丁一方来说，这项由他亲自提出的更换正副议长议案，可说是一举多得又
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保险
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的动作。之所以一举多得，首先乃是这一招，就把阿兹哈从对于选举事宜举足轻重的选委会主席职位上拉了下来，让国盟政府可以安排自己人出任该职，以便能够在即将来临的大选里，充分发挥执政优势。
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Selangor State Assembly approves motion to create anti-party hopping law: The Selangor State Assembly today approved a motion urging the federal government to enact an anti-party hopping bill. Meanwhile, Selangor State Assembly Speaker Ng Suee Lim said the motion was approved as a call to any elected representative who leave the party to vacate the seat in order to defend the mandate given via the general election.
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US order puts Malaysia glove industry under pressure over alleged labour abuses: Malaysia's medical glove industry was under pressure to crack down on labour abuses today after the United States blocked imports from the world's largest manufacturer, with demand for the product surging due to the coronavirus pandemic. The United States did not say why it had placed a detention order on imports of products made by subsidiaries of Malaysia's Top Glove, but such orders are used against firms suspected of using forced labour.
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Resisting male-violence in Malaysian politics: Derogatory remarks, which in turn prompt lengthy justification for such slurs, could also serve as filibuster in an attempt to delay the passing of a bill or a deliberation of any matter in the Dewan Rakyat. Equally serious is the repercussions these negative remarks have for the larger society. They would lend legitimacy to gender prejudice and ethnic bigotry that still exist in society.
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28
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This two-majority government should stop acting like it has 90% support: It is then quite unfortunate for analysts and politicians to only view PN's 111-109 majority vote in Parliament as a telltale sign of PN's weakness rather than the blossoming of democracy in Malaysia. An almost 50-50 split of Parliament would not only encourage bipartisanship amongst MPs but also pave the way for scrutiny of government policies based on the very concept of check and balance that the legislative body stands for.
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中立的国会议长：可能吗
[A neutral Speaker in Parliament: is it possible]
？我们与香港一样，没有确保议长的中立性的常规做法。比较近期的三位现任及前议长，即班迪卡阿敏，莫哈末阿里夫和阿兹哈哈伦。班迪卡在出任议长期间，除了保留党员的身份外，都辞去所有巫统党职，但是在
2018
大选前，他却表态有意竞选。而在国阵失去中央政权后，班迪卡却被委任为巫统最高理事会成员。他的举动说明，辞去巫统党职只是暂时性，换言之，他在国会做出的决定都会决定他未来政途。
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30
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The snap election proposal on Muhyiddin's desk: On his relatively poor showing among Chinese Malaysians, Muhyiddin is said to have told his cabinet not to give up the Chinese. If he is really serious about being a prime minister for all Malaysians, he needs to work much harder to win the hearts of Chinese voters. ... But the question is, can he handle the power-hungry Umno? His biggest challenge now is to persuade his allies, in particular Umno, to agree to contesting in the election under the "Perikatan Nasional" banner and settle the most intricate seat allocation issue.
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Malaysia's population is estimated at 32.7m, including 3m non-citizens: Malaysia's population this year is estimated at 32.7 million, up from 32.5 million in 2019, with an annual growth rate of 0.4 per cent. The country's Chief Statistician Datuk Seri Mohd Uzir Mahidin said the slower rate in the nation's population growth was due to the decrease in the number of non-citizens from 3.1 million in 2019 to three million this year. "This is in line with the closure of our national borders and the return of foreigners to their respective countries during the movement control order (MCO) period following the Covid-19 pandemic," he said while presenting the findings in an online press conference on Wednesday (July 15).
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Sawit punca rezeki bantu pembangunan negara [Oil palm source of revenue to help national development]: Jumlah eksport minyak dan produk hasil sawit pada 2018 sekitar RM62 bilion dengan jumlah dagangan eksport minyak sawit 15.35 juta tan. Sebanyak 18 juta tan dicatat pada 2019. Nilai eksport pada 2018 sedikit merosot disebabkan harga komoditi rendah di pasaran dunia. Justeru, turun naik pasaran komoditi minyak sawit dunia mempunyai kesan dan pengaruh besar terhadap kestabilan ekonomi negara.
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Myanmar
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Chinese-Backed Copper Exploration Plans in Myanmar Rekindle Fears: The recent approval of plans by a Chinese-backed mining firm to explore a vast swathe of northwestern Myanmar for copper has alarmed residents who fear losing their farms in a repeat of earlier bitter clashes over land rights, pollution, and compensation that gripped the region. The multinational firm with links to a Chinese state-owned resource exploration firm began initial operations early this year to explore 750 square kilometers (290 square miles) of land in the Sagaing region, home to Letpadaung - a name that symbolizes social unrest over Chinese copper mining after years of protest.
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Thousands More Myanmar Villagers Flee Armed Conflict in Rakhine State: "Some people fled to Maungdaw, and some villagers fled to Rathedaung and Buthidaung. Some fled all the way to Sittwe. In total, there were around 3,000 people," said Kyaw Min Khaing, a volunteer who is assisting the displaced civilians in Sittwe... On July 13 alone, more than 2,000 civilians from four Rathedaung communities and over 80 people from Maungdaw's Aung Thukha village fled to Rakhine's capital Sittwe, volunteers helping the displaced villagers said.
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Philippines
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35
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Why Did Congress Deny ABS-CBN A Franchise? Is the denial of the ABS-CBN Franchise application just about the vagaries, whims, and caprices of members of Congress? At the end of the congressional hearings on the ABS-CBN franchise application - where the media network was given the wide latitude and opportunity to defend itself against the alleged violations it is being accused of - the Committee on Franchises' Technical Working Group (TWG) recommended the denial of the franchise application of ABS-CBN Corporation based on following grounds...
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Thailand
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Covid success coming at a heavy price: It was a matter of time before the government of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha became a victim of its own misguided success in handling the coronavirus pandemic. By presiding over a public mindset of "zero" local virus infections, the government raised unrealistic expectations at a high price. The fiasco that transpired in Rayong last week, when an infected Egyptian air force official was allowed to roam in a shopping mall and thereby fuelled fears of "second wave" infections, should serve as a wake-up call for an overdue change in virus-fighting strategy.
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Editorial: Vicious cycle strikes again: In fact, such turbulence had been anticipated since day one when the Prayut government was formed last year, as it was known that the powerful politicians in the Sam Mitr faction were disappointed as they felt they did not get the cabinet positions they deserved. Gen Prayut, the former army chief, had no political base of his own and had to depend on these politicians in his endeavour to get the country's top job.
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Govt lines up digital hub: The government is pinning its hopes on two major projects to achieve its goal of becoming a digital hub in Asean. A Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite business is being funded through an amendment to the Space Affairs Act and the country is expanding its submarine cable capacity to make it more efficient for Thais to access digital infrastructure at an affordable price, says Digital Economy and Society (DES) Minister Buddhipongse Punnakanta.
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OPINION: Thailand's LGBTQ movement must embrace bill to legalize same-sex unions: While this bill does not end the fight for equality, it will help to lower resistance among the general public to granting more rights to LGBTQ people and reduce fear and prejudice among conservative and religious groups. Winning over the general public is one thing. Another challenge for the LGBTQ community is to resolve internal conflicts.
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Prayut faces high-stakes Cabinet reshuffle: A shake-up in the Cabinet would allow Mr Prayut to show that he is doing something about the crisis, said Mr Stithorn Thananithichot, a political scientist at King Prajadhipok Institute. He told The Straits Times: "If he doesn't drop Somkid, how can he say he is responding to the new normal?" But he added that the Premier would need to act fast to restore confidence... While there is reportedly fierce jockeying within Palang Pracharath for vacated seats, pundits expect Mr Prayut to give the most important posts to outsiders with economic or business credentials. There is little fat available for pork barrel politics, because the tumultuous global economy will punish fiscal mistakes heavily.
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Timor-Leste (East Timor)
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41
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The UN at 75: Stock-taking of UN story in Timor-Leste: In the case of Timor-Leste, in the first two and a half years of its transition from the UN's control to independence, the state of Timor-Leste depended entirely on international development assistance, bilateral and multilateral, as well as support from international NGOs, where they created the impetus behind the transition. Timor-Leste was widely considered as a liberal peace state-building success story, compared to other UN state building in other parts of the world.
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Vietnam
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42
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How close can US and Vietnam be? In fact, China would like to see well-developed Vietnam-US relations. As China's important neighbor, Vietnam's development will benefit the overall prosperity and stability of China's periphery. However, the US has forcibly interfered in the affairs of the Southeast Asian countries, including Vietnam. This is neither peaceful development nor reciprocal treatment. Vietnam must have been familiar with the US' tricks. The US' policies toward Southeast Asia have been inconsistent, completely driven by the US' interests. Washington does not care about morality and justice at all. When Trump took office, he did not pay much attention to Southeast Asia. Vietnam has long been a country the US wants to take advantage of to geopolitically contain China. However, once Vietnam and the US have conflicts, the US will not hesitate to wave its stick at it. Vietnam has been threatened by the US' trade sanctions for many times.
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ASEAN/Southeast Asia
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43
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Vietnam seen as investment magnet as virus saps ageing Thailand: The Thai stock market is mature so would not move up much, while Thailand's economy had long passed its peak, [prominent investor Niwes Hemvachiravarakorn] warned. An ageing society and no technological advantages have put the Thai economy on a slowing growth path, he added. In contrast, Vietnam is on the path of high economic growth once experienced by South Korea, Taiwan, Malaysia and Thailand. The Vietnamese economy has continued to expand during the virus outbreak while Thailand has suffered a sharp economic contraction.
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44
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A collective ASEAN response to COVID-19: When COVID-19 cases first appeared in the ASEAN region early in 2020, there were fears that public health systems would be overwhelmed. Responses around the region have varied. After decisive action - and missteps - in the initial months, Vietnam, Thailand, Brunei, Malaysia, and Singapore are now cautiously relaxing restrictions while working to avert a second wave. Indonesia and the Philippines continue to see significantly higher infection and death rates, leading to strong criticism against the Jokowi and Duterte administrations.
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45
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SE Asia Firms Step Up Amid Protective Gear Shortage: Around the world, medical workers on the frontlines of the coronavirus pandemic are facing a serious shortage of protective equipment. In Southeast Asia governments have turned to businesses to tackle the problem. And companies from a range of industries are stepping up.
[3-minute video clip]
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46
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Asia should beware rise of racism fuelled by emerging technologies, UN report says: Examples include mass surveillance of Uygurs in Xinjiang, Indonesia's internet blackouts in Papua and the spread of hate speech in Myanmar. Considerable work still needs to be done to address the region's issues, says UN special rapporteur on prejudice E. Tendayi Achiume.
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47
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Can Asean ride on China's second-quarter economic rebound?:The world's second-largest economy expanded 3.2 per cent, which analysts say is a sign of hope for Southeast Asian nations relying on it for growth. But while some say this could help cushion the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, others have adopted a more cautious tone.
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Asia Pacific
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Australia plans new defence 'shield' against China. Big questions remain: Australia is seriously worried about its defence. This is clear from Canberra's new defence policy review, released earlier this month. But it is not clear what it plans to do about it. The Defence Strategic Update 2020 carries a lot of messages, not all of them credible or mutually consistent. However, the implications for Australia's neighbours in Asia are plain.
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EU Shows Scant Regard For Quad's 'Contain China' Propaganda: Here, the sequencing of economic recovery also becomes important. If China recovers faster from the outbreak, which seems likely, its already advantaged economic position in the region gets reinforced. According to a June survey by the ASEAN Studies Centre at ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute in Singapore, even before COVID-19 hit, 79.2% of Southeast Asian policy elites viewed China as the most influential economic power in the region, compared to just 7.9% for the US and 3.9% for Japan. (The relative rating is 0.1% for India). All in all, the pandemic's long-lasting effect on regional politics in Asia will be that it has punctured the aura of American competence and left the Quad rudderless.
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East/South China Sea
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50
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美国的南中国海声明及其企图
[US statement and attempts on South China Sea]:
在内容上，蓬佩奥所发布的南中国海声明主体包括四个部分。其一是基于
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印太战略
"
价值观，对中国的南中国海主张与相关行为进行指责。蓬佩奥在这一部分，首先再度阐述了特朗普政府
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印太战略
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的
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自由
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与
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开放
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核心价值观，而具体来看则包括维护地区和平与稳定、基于国际法下的
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航行自由
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、商业与投资往来自由及反对以武力或恫吓手段解决争端等；其次，蓬佩奥将矛头指向中国，认为中国的南中国海权利主张和行为，破坏了东南亚有关国家的相关主张及有关海域权益，并指责中国以地区
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强权
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来取代国际法。
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51
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US to strengthen electronic-warfare abilities in South China Sea: Two special units will be deployed to the Indo-Pacific region as early as 2021, to operate over various domains from electronic and cyber warfare to precision missile targeting. At least one of them will be stationed around the South China Sea. Disrupting Chinese military communications through "deception" will be an effective response to an emergency in the South China Sea, a former U.S. Navy officer said.
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South China Sea: New US Policy And Its Implications: The new policy statement called out Chinese coercive actions against its Southeast Asian neighbours and promised support in protection of their respective maritime rights. The stronger US stance came after a landmark US-Japan-Australia joint statement of 7 July, condemning Chinese actions in the region. The trilateral declaration was followed by unilateral statements by Japan, Australia and India, among others, along the same tone.
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53
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US shift on South China Sea may help Asean's quiet 'lawfare' resolve dispute: A new arbitration case may be the best way to persuade China that dispute resolution through international law is the best way to peace in the waters.
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54
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Will South China Sea's rival claimants be emboldened by US policy shift? Jay Batongbacal, director of the Institute for Maritime Affairs and Law of the Sea at the University of the Philippines, also said the tougher US stance "gives the Asean states some leverage in negotiations because they know that their positions have wider international support than China's".
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No recent China intrusions? Malaysian minister's claims rebutted by predecessor: Malaysian Foreign Minister Hishammuddin Hussein said China's coast guard and navy vessels have not been seen encroaching into Malaysian waters in the last 100 days, but his predecessor has rebutted this view. Datuk Seri Hishammuddin stated on Wednesday that the lack of intrusions was due to strengthened bilateral relations in the 100 days since he took over the Foreign Ministry as part of the four-month-old Perikatan Nasional government...
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'New' US South China Sea policy oozes hypocrisy: Pompeo's over-hyped statement seems aimed at worsening tensions in the region.
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Washington aims to create a geopolitical fault line in Southeast Asia: Why stir things up and also agitate regional countries against China? What impacts might the latest US actions cause for the regional maritime order and China-US relations?First, the US is forcing Southeast Asian countries to take its side, not China's. To any unbiased observers, the situation in the South China Sea has greatly improved over the past several years due to China's restraints and the efforts of other claimants.
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OPINION: Malaysia and Vietnam must unite against China, not fight each other: Malaysia-Vietnam cooperation is particularly urgent in light of high-stakes negotiations for a Code of Conduct in the South China Sea, expected to be finalized by next year. Though the pandemic has disrupted the negation process, Southeast Asian claimant states should push for a robust agreement which will reduce the threat of military conflict, constrain China's coercive actions in the disputed areas and discourage further unilateral action by competing claimant states.
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Can China's Military Bases In the South China Sea Be Defended From Attack? In recent years the People's Republic of China has laid claim to ninety percent of the South China Sea, buttressing this claim by creating artificial islands with dredging equipment. These claims run roughshod over Beijing's neighbors, which have competing claims. The discovery in 2016 that China had militarized these artificial islands was not exactly surprising, but just how useful are these islands in defense of China's strategic goals?
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Maritime Power and the Pandemic: US' Loss; China's Gain? This commentary argues that China took advantage of the COVID-19 pandemic to advance its strategic position in the region. The ultimate goal for the Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) is to break out of the 'first island chain', which starts from Japan and ends at the Philippines, covering all of China's 'near-seas'. It will allow China a gateway to the Pacific Ocean, and a platform to further challenge the US.
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