Author: Tanuj Samaddar, FRSA

On Thursday, defence chiefs from Southeast Asia convened in Laos alongside counterparts from China, the United States, and other nations for pivotal security discussions. These talks unfold against the backdrop of Beijing’s increasingly assertive actions in asserting its claims over the majority of the South China Sea, a development that has escalated regional confrontations. The closed-door sessions brought U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Chinese Defense Minister Dong Jun into the same forum, despite Dong’s prior refusal to engage in a one-on-one meeting with Austin on the sidelines of the ASEAN defense ministers’ summit.As the U.S. and China endeavor…

United States Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, on Wednesday, articulated profound discontent regarding the apparent unwillingness of his Chinese counterpart, Defense Minister Dong Jun, to engage in bilateral dialogue during the convergence of defense chiefs from Southeast Asian nations in Vientiane, Laos. This abstention, Austin lamented, constitutes an unequivocal impediment to regional stability and cooperative progress. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has convened these critical security deliberations amidst escalating tensions over maritime territorial contentions involving China and as geopolitical focus intensifies in anticipation of an impending transition to a new U.S. presidential administration. Minister Dong’s decision to forgo…

On Tuesday, in a historic case that has evoked outrage from foreign countries and human rights activists, forty-five characters active in the fight for democracy in Hong Kong were given prison sentences of up to ten years. Nevertheless, Beijing firmly stood its ground on the matter, claiming that the determinations were made in accordance with the law and were necessary. The accused and others were part of a group of 47 pro-democracy activists who in 2021 were also prosecuted under a wide-ranging national security law enforced by China. Their offence was related to voting in a primary contest held for…

On Monday, the United States and the Philippines formalized an accord designed to facilitate the secure exchange of highly classified military intelligence and technological assets pertinent to advanced weaponry that the U.S. intends to supply to Manila. U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro ratified the binding General Security of Military Information Agreement in Manila amid an era of intensified defense and military collaboration between the two longstanding treaty allies. This surge in cooperative endeavors, including extensive joint military exercises, predominantly responds to China’s increasingly assertive conduct within Asia. The outgoing Biden administration has actively bolstered…

Following two days of deliberations in Lima, which scarcely transcended superficialities while addressing the strategic trajectories of the region’s principal economies, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum concluded on Saturday in an ambiance of détente—one that some apprehensively anticipate may not recur for another four years. The assembly witnessed the participation of 21 heads of state from economies skirting the Pacific, including U.S. President Joe Biden & China’s President Xi Jing ping who had descended on Peru for the annual dialogue amidst a backdrop of starkly shifting geopolitical undercurrents, specifically with the U.S. President elect Donald Trump’s stated intention to…

Secretary of Defence Lloyd J. Austin III has commenced his 12th official expedition to the Indo-Pacific region since assuming office, further consolidating the robust alliances cultivated during his tenure across the United States’ principal theatre of strategic operations. Throughout this diplomatic sojourn, the Secretary is scheduled to confer with counterparts and high-ranking officials, engaging in an array of substantive dialogues and strategic consultations across Australia, the Philippines, Laos, and Fiji.  The trip is set to showcase the United State’s steadfast dedication to the Indo-Pacific , amid what the Secretary of Defence perceives as a new convergence among nations with shared…

The reinstallation of Donald Trump to the U.S. presidency has incited a wave of apprehension among numerous nations, prompting a strategic reassessment of their diplomatic stances vis-à-vis Washington. India however seems to be welcoming this geopolitical shift, as it might potentially embolden the position of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Let us be forthright in acknowledging that, at present, many countries are apprehensive regarding their rapport with the United States,” remarked India’s External Affairs Minister, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, over the weekend. He further observed that India doesn’t include itself among the anxious nations marked by this recent geopolitical transition.Modi’s outreach to Trump,…

China conducted comprehensive aerial and naval combat maneuvers on Wednesday surrounding the disputed Scarborough Shoal an uninhabited expanse of reefs and rocky outcrops it had appropriated from the Philippines within the South China Sea. China on Sunday, formalized the publication of new baselines for the shoal which includes geographic coordinates, serving as the foundational reference for defining territorial waters and exclusive economic zones in accordance with the international laws. In recent times, tensions between China and Phillipines have been escalating reflecting their competing territorial assertions over Scarborough Shoal and various other maritime outcrops in the South China Sea. These hostilities…

Amid the evolving geopolitical landscape within the Indo-Pacific sphere, India is adopting a more assertive maritime strategy aimed at safeguarding its strategic imperatives in an arena rife with intense competitive dynamics. The Indian Navy’s recent recalibration in strategies, fortified defense partnerships and strategic advancements reflect India’s aspirations to concretize it’s image as a dominant maritime force in the international arena, exerting its influence from the vast Indian Ocean to the Polar frontiers. Confronted with mounting strategic hurdles from regional rivals such as China and Pakistan, India is augmenting its naval strongholds and maritime defense frameworks to project formidable power and…

Indonesia’s recent accord with China to collaboratively develop maritime resources in proximity to the Natuna Islands has drawn significant criticism, being denounced as a “profound miscalculation.” Experts have warned that such an agreement could potentially undermine Indonesia’s territorial rights and confer legitimacy to China’s extensive claims in the South China Sea During the recent official state visit to China by the newly inaugurated Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto , both the nations formalized a Memorandum of Understanding stressing on plans for joint maritime development. While the memorandum very diplomatically removed certain specific references to energy collaboration,Aristyo Rizka Darmawan – a lecturer…