Vietnam’s tyranny of geography  

Some researchers liken China to a rooster, with Korea as its beak and Vietnam its leg. The analogy, while highlighting the strategic importance of Vietnam toward China’s well-being, especially in terms of security, also implies that Vietnam has long been living with the weight of China on its shoulder. The problem is that Vietnam can’t do much about it, even if it wants to. (The Diplomat)

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Shanghai Cooperation Organization has winds in its sails  

The tenth annual summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in Astana, Kazakhstan, on June 15 was a milestone in the history of the institution. The organization comprising China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan has gained a reputation as a possible strategic rival to American and Western interests throughout Central Asia. Current signs suggest that SCO membership may increase and the organization could become a more prominent regional geopolitical actor. (Asia Pacific Bulletin)

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Law and the South China Sea   
    

To help control potential armed conflicts in the South China Sea, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations has recently pressed China to conclude a Code of Conduct (COC) to replace the Declaration of Conduct (DOC) of Parties in the South China Sea that was signed between ASEAN and China in 2002. (The Diplomat)

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Indonesia among countries tightening grip on natural resources   
     

Countries from Indonesia and India to Russia are tightening their grip on natural resources as they limit exports to build up domestic industry in a trend that will spawn many challenges to World Trade Organization rules. (The Jakarta Globe)

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China binds itself in East Asia   
  
China has very successfully created new security ties over the last year. The only problem is that most of these new relationships have been created because of China, rather than with China. Beijing is on the outside looking in. In the wake of Chinese naval and diplomatic assertiveness in the South China Sea during 2010, a number of states in the region have begun developing closer diplomatic and security links to the United States and with other powers in the region.      (East Asia Forum)

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Moving form state-centered to people-centered security in ASEAN   
     

Southeast Asian nations have been consistently moving toward the creation of a regional community where there is an ever-increasing focus on people-centered security, and moving away from a purely state-centered security focus. The UNDP 1994 Human Development Report defines human security as a condition where there is freedom of fear and freedom of want. People-centered security is the process of guaranteeing this kind of human security.  (The Jakarta Post)

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