By Gregory Poling Beijing is fast approaching a December 15 deadline to submit its defense in the arbitration case against its South China Sea claims brought by the Philippines. That case, brought under the UN Convention on the Law of…
By John Schaus As heads of state seek good-news deliverables at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, East Asia Summit, and Group of 20 leaders’ meetings, a longer-term issue is shaping the drivers of peace and conflict in maritime Southeast Asia. Growing…
By John Hamre As President Obama travels on a crucial trip to the region for the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation Forum, East Asia Summit, and G-20 meeting, the United States and all of the countries in the region are faced…
By Nigel Cory Thankfully there have been no confirmed cases of Ebola in Southeast Asia, with a few people testing negative after reporting symptoms common to the disease. Nine people arriving in Malaysia from West Africa with fevers tested negative…
By Bruno Hellendorff & Truong-Minh Vu Vietnamese prime minister Nguyen Tan Dung this week will lead a high-level delegation on a tour of three European countries and the Vatican. In addition to discussions on economic cooperation, security will also be…
Who is he? Francis Jardeleza is the newest associate justice of the Philippines’ 15-member Supreme Court. Before President Benigno Aquino appointed him on August 19, Jardeleza had served as the Philippines’ solicitor general since 2012. Jardeleza is a graduate of…
By Dylan Kean President Benigno Aquino III on July 21 signed into law Republic Act 10641, known as “An Act Allowing the Full Entry of Foreign Banks in the Philippines.” This law amended a previous legislation that limited foreign ownership…
Who is he? Lt. Gen. Gregorio Catapang Jr., 55, is the newly appointed Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), replacing General Emmanuel Bautista who served for 18 months – the longest term of any chief…
By Carl Thayer I would like to flesh out David Brown’s proposal by offering the following: the prime aim of United States maritime strategy in the South China Sea should be to create circumstances where China would have to accept…
By David Brown True to an annual rhythm enforced by the typhoon season, China last month pulled its deep-sea drilling rig from Vietnam’s claimed exclusive economic zone (EEZ). Analysts immediately began debating who “won” or “lost,” but in truth, the…
