In the "ASEAN Perspective on the South China Sea" series, we collect wisdom and insights from former diplomats and scholars from ASEAN member countries. In an interview with Global Times (GT) reporter Su Yaxuan, Hassan Wirajuda (Wirajuda), former foreign minister of Indonesia, said that no country, including China, wants to see an area of potential conflict develop into open conflict, which would ultimately harm all involved, especially since countries in the East Asian region are closely interconnected.
It is expected that India under Modi's third term will not be soft and accommodating on China. If China engages with India skillfully, things will improve: Indian scholar
In the coming five years, the border issue will not become a bigger disturbance between China and India. The real issue is that India and China still do not fully understand each other, and this requires much more engagement.
For many, SAARC has long been a failed and brain-dead cause. To a large extent, the redemption of SAARC now depends on the strong desires of the new governments in South Asia. But the most crucial ingredient in rebooting the regional cooperation is in the hands of New Delhi.
How the US balances ideological differences with India and utilizes India as a vanguard against China will, to some extent, determine the direction of India-China relations.
ASEAN's inclusivity, the "ASEAN way" of doing things, its propensity to engage with different actors, to look for common areas of cooperation rather than magnify areas of difference, have served the region well.
The Philippine action of aiming guns at the CCG during this incident is a significant move with clear wartime implications.
Squad's actions in the areas around China are likely to become more provocative, increasing the risk of military friction between the four countries – the US, Australia, Philippines and Japan – and China and seriously undermining regional peace and stability.
Russian President Vladimir Putin will pay a state visit to China from May 16 to 17, a little more than a week after starting his new term in office. This highlights how much great significance Russia attaches to developing its relations with China. Ahead of Putin's trip, Alexey Maslov (Maslov), Director of the Institute of Asian and African Studies of Moscow State University, shared his opinions on topics, including China-Russia relations and Russia's development, with Global Times (GT) reporters Xia Wenxin and Yang Sheng.
As China-Philippines tensions heat up, what insights can be drawn from past periods of friendly ties? Bobby M. Tuazon (Tuazon), director for Policy Studies of Philippine think tank Center for People Empowerment in Governance, former Chairman of Political Science Program at University of the Philippines, told Global Times (GT) reporter Li Aixin that 99 percent of Filipinos forget that China exported oil and rice to the Philippines at a very low price at the beginning of their diplomatic relationship when the Philippines' development faced huge challenges. While the US gives bullets, powder, cannons and missiles to the Philippines, it has nothing to give in terms of food.
The Japanese side should not play word games on the "mutually beneficial relationship based on common strategic interests" and say one thing but do another.
The Philippines should seriously consider the consequences of the US' Typhon Missile System deployment and think again before proactively tuning itself as cannon fodder for the US.
Lambasted at the time as being an Anglo, white man's club, hearkening back to times past, the AUKUS is now on the verge of falling over. And Australia will be its main victim.
China's sovereignty claim over the South China Sea is not a modern issue, nor is it directly related to the rise of contemporary China. Some Western scholars, especially those who do not understand the history, regard China's claim as baseless, which shows their ignorance.
Today, the series of bilateral or minilateral security cooperation frameworks established by the US in the Asia-Pacific, including the US-Japan-Philippines cooperation, serve as main pillars for the US empire.
No military posturing and provocative language by any party at the behest of external powers should be allowed to distract, let alone disrupt, the overall symbiotic China-ASEAN partnership.
China and Sri Lanka should continue to carry forward the spirit of the Rubber-Rice Pact, jointly tackle challenges, share opportunities and seek common development.
In the face of the blue economy era that sees greater emphasis and dependence on maritime cooperation, pragmatically advancing the integration of the China-ASEAN blue economy not only helps unleash the potential of blue economy cooperation, but also injects new vitality into regional economic integration.
There's no necessity for ASEAN to appoint a spokesperson that represents an external power, including the US.
Manila is getting cocky. Emboldened by US support, it is attempting to forcibly change the status quo in the South China Sea and reach a new breakthrough in Ren'ai Jiao.
India hopes that the Philippines will engage in a long-term entanglement with China in the South China Sea, depleting China's strategic resources, tarnishing China's image in the international community, and diverting China's attention in India-related issues. This delusion will not succeed.
The important thing about this meeting on matters of common concern is that when two sides are cooperating, they learn to trust each other, they learn to work together and that will be the best outcome.
From the perspective of South Korea, making unilateral concessions will only make Japan act in a more arrogant fashion. Even though the two countries have to cooperate where cooperation is needed, Seoul must not waver in its principles on historical and territorial disputes.
By offering security commitments to Manila, the US has firmly controlled the Philippines, thus making the Southeast Asian country a screw in Washington's "hegemonic aircraft carrier."
In light of the Chinese police cooperating with Kiribati, the US once again turned its attention to this Pacific Island nation, and "cautioned" countries in the region against assistance from Chinese security forces, according to a Reuters report on Monday.
Since last year, the Philippines has made continuous moves exacerbating the South China Sea issue. Just recently, on February 19, the Philippines and the US conducted the second phase of a third joint patrol. Then, on February 25, the Philippines Coast Guard accused China of jamming signals of Philippine ships at specific times during its operations in the South China Sea.
The Filipino nation is in need of the economic recovery through China's trade and imports, as well as assistance for the development of the infrastructure program “Build, Build, Build.” The country does not need more US military bases.
China should not only have the wisdom and patience to maintain security and stability in the region, but also have the capacity to defend its own rights and respond to all kinds of provocative behaviors with new approaches, with the courage to unsheathe the sword when necessary.
Any attempts to bully Maldives into Delhi's will run against India's pledge of Neighborhood First.
Lessons for the Philippines – As the US collapses it will extract what it can from its most faithful vassals and throw more proxies into the fire.
In 2024, the two sides will step up the implementation of the outcomes of the China-Central Asia Summit and multiple bilateral cooperation documents signed in 2023 on digital economy, sub-national cooperation, infrastructure, and so on.
Australians accept the world that is dominated and managed by the US, rather than coming to terms with our own region.
The diplomatic snub is indicative of a significant shift in US-India relations, and iIf the honeymoon turns into a nightmare, I hope India will seek rapprochement with China, a neighboring ancient civilization. Ironically, the US might end up as the Western empire that made significant contributions to the rise of the Asian century.
The uniqueness of China-Vietnam relations far exceeds the scope of major power geopolitical competition. If President Xi's visit is viewed from the biased perspective of great power rivalry and competition for influence, this view not only underestimates the close ties between China and Vietnam but also Vietnam's proactive ability to safeguard its own interests.
Those who are concerned about Vietnam becoming a pawn in US strategy do not fully understand Vietnam's independent foreign policy or the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership between Vietnam and China.
The comradeship in the concept of a "comrades-plus-brothers friendship" between China and Vietnam embodies the "party ties" of the bilateral relationship, while the term "brothers" in the current context signifies a mutual determination to draw each other closer amid a world marked by divisions and excessive polarizations.
It is difficult to find any bilateral relationship that, in addition to the official channels of the state and the people, has a stable, powerful and effective exchange channel like the exchange channel between the Communist Party of Vietnam and the Communist Party of China.
The popularity of Tanghulu in South Korea is not just a "note" in the rhythm of trends, but also has deeper social background, which also gives us some inspiration.
In order to maximize the satisfaction of the economic and social development demands of its people, the Muizzu government will likely strive to maintain equidistant diplomacy among major countries, which will create opportunities for the stable and positive development of China-Maldives relations.
The practice of Japan in terms of the Fukushima nuclear plant is a very bad precedent for the future, what happened to Fukushima can happen anywhere in the world. We have to think about what is the best guideline for the future, so as to provide the good examples and make it the norm of the international community.
If the Philippines ultimately chooses to lean toward one side in the China-US competition, it is based not on national interests but on the manipulation of nationalism by various complex domestic and foreign political factors.
It is worth noting that the rapid upgrading of Japan-Philippines security relations is by no means an isolated phenomenon, behind which the "phantom" of the US is faintly discernible.
Japan's LDP administration is apparently exploiting anti-China sentiment in order to divert public attention from the environmental focus of the radioactive discharge issue. It is a great shame that it has become a new addition to the already growing racism and exclusionism in the country.
The approval rating of the prime minister often sees an obvious increase after a reshuffle, but Kishida's recent cabinet revamp failed to achieve such an effect. This reflects structural problems in the Kishida administration.
The best way to calm the wrath and concerns over the discharge is to immediately stop dumping contaminated water. As China and other stakeholders have pointed out, if the nuclear-contaminated water is truly safe, Japan wouldn't have to discharge it into the sea – and certainly shouldn't if it's not.
Judging from various concerns within South Korea, it is not in South Korea's interest to rush to the forefront of confronting China and Russia on behalf of the US.
The US, Japan and South Korea are moving closer to forming a trilateral alliance and further accelerating NATO-ization of the region. The gates of hell have been opened.
For Seoul and Canberra, there are many similarities in their relationship with Beijing.
It is destined to be recorded in the history of the G20 New Delhi Summit and reflects the delusional side of India's dream of becoming a major power.
The strengthening of Vietnam-US relations has been brewing for a long time. It seems grand in scale, but the essence of "peace, cooperation and sustainable development" needs to be carefully examined.
South Korea should not only take substantive measures to improve its relations with China, but also seriously set an agenda that will help to truly promote regional cooperation.
South Korea's security and prosperity depend on friendly relations with neighboring countries rather than engaging in camp-based confrontation, which would only make it a pawn and a sacrificial lamb.
Modi hopes to seize the opportunity of strategic competition between China and the US to achieve his strategic pursuits, but he does not want to become a pawn for the US to contain China.
Northeast Asia is a grand stage for collaborative development, not an arena for competition. Any action by the US, Japan and South Korea will leave footnotes in history.
Northeast Asia is the shared home of regional countries, not someone's backyard.
Japan seems to have conveniently forgotten how it opposed Russia's nuclear waste discharge in the past.
Although the Quad is developed under the name creating a "free and open" Indo-Pacific region, the countries have different focuses on their key interests.
To prevent further escalation and conflicts, it is necessary for China and the Philippines to engage in dialogue and negotiations on sovereignty issues, reaching a consensus on resolving territorial disputes and effectively managing complex situations.
Will the bilateral alliance between the US and Japan and the one between the US and South Korea develop into a trilateral alliance in the near future?
The dumping of Fukushima nuclear-contaminated wastewater into the ocean may be considered a “crime against humanity.” For the sake of sustainable survival and development of humanity, Japanese decision-makers and endorsers of this dumping should act with caution.
Regardless of how Western media may attempt to discredit it, the CPEC will continue to bring more economic cooperation and new development opportunities for Pakistan.
China's relationship with countries in the South Pacific region has always been based on the principle of mutual respect, mutual trust and mutual benefit.
If India continues to act arbitrarily, they will erode China's confidence in the development of relations between the two countries.
The international community has an important consensus on environmental protection - the precautionary principle. And Japan's current actions have seriously violated this principle.
The true purpose of Japan stirring up Taiwan region is to accelerate the amendment of Japan's pacifist constitution and lay the foundation for the country's defense overhaul in the future.
Why did Japan's China policy substantially change? How should we view the reemergence of Japan's militarism? How should China cope with Japan's misguided China policy?
Countries in Asia must strive to establish a stable balance of power through multilateralism and bilateralism, while avoiding unilateralism and the formation of "cliques," "blocs," or groupings that target a specific country.
Modi would be wise to be cautious. If history has shown one thing, it is that the US makes promises it has no intention of keeping.
Preventing a regional power from enjoying regional hegemony is one of the strategic goals of the US after the Cold War. Obviously, the goal of the US and the ambition of India are contradictory.
More and more far-sighted people believe it is time to quickly restore friendly exchanges among the people and inject increased vitality into China-Japan relations.
Moving away or even withdrawing from the SCO would lead India to self-imposed isolation.
Japan refuses to listen to domestic and foreign opposition against its nuclear-contaminated water dumping plan and even describes other countries' concerns about the discharge as politicization, which represents a guilty conscience.
Comparing the approaches of China and the US toward Asia-Pacific security in terms of philosophy, policy, and actions, it is evident that the US is a force for confrontation and division, while China is a force for peace and cooperation.
Seeing the wisdom and sharing similar thoughts, Arab officials explored how to apply Chinese modernization experience to their own countries.
Neither does the US have legal basis for putting Taiwan into its nuclear umbrella nor could it ignore strong opposition and reactions from the Chinese mainland as a nuclear power.
Japan, which is constantly teetering on a dangerous edge, is becoming an increasingly disruptive force and troublemaker for regional security and stability.
Within the framework of the C+C5 mechanism, the probability of solving various kinds of strategic issues that go beyond the individual states of the region increases. It is believed that C+C5 is a more effective mechanism for bilateral ties.
The diplomacy of modern China is global in scope and is a complex combination of a wide variety of traditional and new methods and mechanisms.
Looking back at China-Central Asia relations, adhering to independent values, reflected in transcending geopolitical thinking, is an important experience.
The West's conceited double standards have led it to constantly change its attitude toward Russia's Victory Day.
A rational observer can see that this is empty talk, without foundation in reality. To use my earlier distinction, this talk is very much part of the “superstructure.”
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has embarked on his four-day visit to the US and is expected to meet US President Joe Biden on Monday afternoon, US time.
China-Australia relations have reached a most critical tipping point. A defence strategy which is purported to instigate and provoke tensions with China is apparently imprudent, and could jeopardise the hard-won outcomes achieved during the past six months.
The Philippines' allowance of US access to new military bases goes against the cause of peace and stability in the South China Sea.
AUKUS dramatizes this desperation in defense of unipolar, white supremacy. Leaning on the internal hierarchy of the Western alliance, it summons forth the white among the white. It is clear where ASEAN's future lies.
In recent years, Chinese diplomacy in the Middle East has shown its vision and wisdom and thus seen breakthroughs. However, it must be soberly recognized that the coexistence of stability and chaos is the basic feature and pattern of political development in the Middle East.
A long way is ahead before a new chapter in Japan-Korea relations.
India controls Bhutan's security and economic lifelines, which enables it to interfere in Bhutan's internal affairs and foreign policy.
India and Australia obey and serve the US' Indo-Pacific Strategy, which tie themselves more tightly to the US anti-China chariot, risking them to lose diplomatic leeway on the global stage outside the US-led small circle.
These are peculiar and busy times in East Asia. Peculiar, because this part of the world has enjoyed relative peace and stability as normality for more than a few decades, with most countries in the region consciously refraining from engaging in protracted and costly wars with one another, unlike in some other parts of the world where long and debilitating wars, both cross-border and domestic, have become the order of the day.
It's been reported that Namibia recently found in its waters a US saildrone used to gather data underwater. Although Washington claimed that it is a private drone contracted for marine research purposes, Namibian media generally believed it is an American spy drone. According to the latest data released by the South China Sea Strategic Situation Probing Initiative, a think tank, in January this year, 64 sorties of US military land-based reconnaissance aircraft were spotted over the South China Sea.
Chinese President Xi Jinping met with visiting Prime Minister of Cambodia Hun Sen on Friday in Beijing. During this visit, the two sides reached a consensus on the China-Cambodia "Diamond Hexagon" cooperation framework, showing that the Belt and Road cooperation between China and Cambodia is more open, higher-quality, more balanced and more sustainable. Specifically, cooperation in the fields of production capacity, energy and agriculture will create more new highlights, benefit more people, and inject strong impetus into regional peace and stability.
In the wake of Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s state visit to China that raked in a grand harvest of trade and economic fruits, from opening billions-of -dollars-worth of durian exports for the Chinese market to a tourism rebound as millions of Chinese tourists start returning, plus $ 22.8-billions worth of investment pledge for the economic recovery of the Philippines – a difficult situation has since unfolded for President Marcos Jr. created by the visit of US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.
Former Australia diplomat John Lander said in a recent article, “The United States is not preparing to go to war against China. The United States is preparing Australia to go to war against China.” Apparently the US is motivated to push the “Ukrainization” of China's surrounding area.
ASEAN chair Indonesia said on Saturday that Jakarta proposed an “implementation plan” for ASEAN members to resume negotiations for the Code of Conduct (COC) in the South China Sea. Indonesia is preparing to host a round of negotiations on the COC this year, the first taking place in March, said Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg concluded his trip to Asia last week, which is widely seen as a trip helping Washington rope in Tokyo and Seoul by hyping up the so-called threats from China and Russia.
During a visit to India in January, US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Donald Lu said that the US will continue to stand with its Indian partners on the China-India border conflict. About two months ago, the US and India held the “Yudh Abhyas 2022” joint military exercise in Uttarakhand, about 100 kilometers away from the China-India border, and its purpose is self-evident.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the South Korean Foreign Ministry said on Friday that Seoul had asked Tokyo to provide transparent security information on the dumping of nuclear-contaminated water from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant into the sea and take responsible measures to handle the issue.
The discriminatory restrictive measures adopted by Japan against Chinese tourists hurt itself and hinder the development of bilateral relations.
The Morrison administration's “drums of war” rhetoric was obnoxious to the normalcy of international relations, and should never recur. A vigorous China-Australia relationship contributes to the economic and social development for the two countries and the world.