Armed with your questions, David Cohen and Peter Martin from Sinocentric are conducting a series of interviews on behalf of The Interpreter with Chinese intellectuals and academics.
We'll be speaking next Tuesday to Tang Qifang, a Southeast Asia specialist at the foreign ministry-affiliated China Institute of International Studies. We invite readers to submit questions for the interview at blogeditor@lowyinstitute.org .
Southeast Asia is China's natural backyard. China has extensive land borders with the region, and depends upon Southeast Asia's sea corridors for economic power and security interests. China's energy supplies depend on shipments of oil through the Strait of Malacca, while its naval ambitions rely on the ability to operate in the South China Sea.
China has been accused of economic imperialism by its Southeast Asian neighbours. Over the last year, an increasingly self-confident China has become more assertive over its 'rights and interests', getting into a series of spats with its neighbours, such as the recent standoff with Vietnam over the two countries' unresolved maritime border in the South China Sea. There's an ongoing debate among China-watchers over whether the South China Sea has been declared a 'core interest', a phrase that implies a willingness to go to war.
As China's 'peaceful intentions' have come to seem open to doubt, Southeast Asian nations have become eager to hedge their bets, giving other powers like the US and India a chance to bolster their presence in the region.
At the intersection of three major powers, Southeast Asia promises to be one of the most strategically important regions of the 21st century. Whether it will be, as Robert Kaplan recently argued in Foreign Policy, 'the future of conflict' depends to a large extent on the stance that China takes.
Send your questions to blogeditor@lowyinstitute.org .
Photo by Flickr user tim.md.
5 comments:
America is the big dark demon behind the latest uproar in South East Asia. America action to make war with other countries to feed its thirst for oil and to prevent others such as China or Russia from acquiring it, is the main motivation behind its foreign policy in many parts of the world.
China is a new up and coming world superpower economically and militarily. Obviously, America see this as very intimidating and threatening. It hates competion. Just like any big country, China consume large quantity of oil. China is the world second biggest consumtion of oil to power those factories and automobiles. In order to maintain its economic growth, China must look around for more fuel if it were to sustain this growth. Surprisingly enough, there are huge quantity of this stuffs sitting right in its frontyard in South China Sea. China feels that South China Sea is its territory since historical time. Due to centuries of tumoil, China lost control of it and now have the opportunity to reclaim it. This is part of " One China" policy. This is why China made such a huge claim extending far into the shore of 6 countries of Southeast Asia. This has infuriated those Souteast Asian nations that are effected by China claimed. What is there for them to do? How about call up America for assistence.
America also see an opportunity for oil and a chance to insert its influence in the region and at the same time, contain China, killing 3 birds with one stone, as they say. America has so far, successfully armed Taiwan to the teeth to prevent China from influencing Southeas Asia. America has huge propaganda generating machine churning up anti-China rethorics that spread all over the world.
God forbid, but the next big military conflicts between the 2 giants could be in Southeast Asia. They will undoubtedly, drag other little nations into their conflict. Vietnam is spending $2 billions dollar purchasing submarines, while Phillipine is spending $100 millions on warships and fighter planes. Even Thailand is jumping in the bandwagon, eventhough its coast is not effect by China claim. Nevertheless, Thailand is America and the west playground therefore feel the need to be pro-active in self defense. Thailand will be spending $30 billions dollars in the next 10 years to buy used submarine from Germany and to upgrade its navy. This all has to do with China expansion.
Can America protect its Asian allies consider its state of economy and debt ceiling. Since war on terror started since 2001, America is in debt of $1.5 trillion, while China saw it growth rose exponentially. China is incrementally increasing it military spending with little or no transparency. This is a very concern for America. China appear to do things "in your face" unexpectedly. As Mao Zedong once said, " There can never be one tiger in a mountain."
I wonder who the author of this article; well said. I am sure you don't want to claim your writing if you are from America. There are three writers in Khmerization that dare to speak out many times against anybody such as Warrior Blood, True Khmer and School Vice. Who could it be?
I think the first comment from Khmerization writing or School Vice. They can write very well.
I agree with the First comment above..! America is evil government...
Cambodia needs to join Miss.Universe so China and Cambodia can be on the same stage!
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