China’s Grand Periphery military strategy and the survival fits   
  
‘Grand Periphery Military Strategy’ (da zhoubian guojia junshi zhanlue) is the new cliché in vogue in the lexicon of Chinese think tanks. It appeared first, in a story in a Hong Kong based Chinese vernacular daily Ta Kung Pao on September 24, 2009 that doubted the capabilities of the People’s Liberation Army to defend its ‘far flung borders’. (The EuroAsia Review)

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China’s U-Shaped Claims   
  
Late last month, tension in the South China Sea was ratcheted up a further when three Chinese marine surveillance ships threatened the Vietnamese seismic survey ship Binh Minh 02 and sabotaged its seismic equipment. The incident took place 120 nautical miles from Vietnam’s mainland coast and 340 nautical miles from China’s Hainan Island, well inside Vietnam’s 200-nautical-mile exclusive economic zone (EEZ).               (The Diplomat)

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Betting on Burma: Why one of the Asia’s thorniest territories deserves a hand 

Why is it that when we think of Burma, we rarely think of its people? Images of Burma tend to capture street portraits of Aung San Suu Kyi, men in large hats and uniforms and for the cognoscenti, a kaleidoscope of Golden Stupas, old World War II movies and George Orwell dressed as a highly unconvincing Burmese policeman. (The Jakarta Globe)

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The China-South Korea-Japan Triangle: The Shape of Things to Come?   
   

The fourth summit between Chinese, South Korean (ROK), and Japanese leaders in Tokyo on May 21-22 reaffirmed the promise of the China-South Korea-Japan triangle as a sustainable model for Northeast Asian cooperation. (Asia Pacific Bulletin)

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Different perceptions of a rising China 
  
Of late, Malaysia has emerged as one of the strongest voices to welcome China’s rise, citing repeatedly that this phenomenon should be “a cause of optimism rather than concern.” (The Nation)

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The New “Iron Silk Road”   
   

The 21st century will see the revival of the Silk Road that ages ago connected Asia to Europe. Or rather, the revival of many cross roads as a great deal of sub regional routes of importance has been included in the ambitious Trans-Asian Railway Network project (TAR). Within a few years an intercontinental highway will link Shanghai and Rotterdam in South Holland, and this will be a windfall for landlocked-Central Asian countries whose access to regional and world markets rests on an efficient road system. (Diplomatic Courier)

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Non-traditional security threats in Asia: Finding a regional way forward   
   
Asian diplomats are confronting new issues that challenge the very concept of what constitutes a security issue. Non-traditional security (NTS) issues — such as transnational crime, terrorism, disaster relief, information security, climate change, and public health epidemics — are now considered core national security issues. (East Asia Forum)

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Why the South China Sea is turning more turbulent   
   

A US-China military rivalry may be behind China's recent aggressiveness in the South China Sea. On Sunday, Vietnam claims China cut the underwater cables of one of its survey ships. (The Christian Science Monitor)

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China steps up drilling, intimidation   
   

China recently launched an oil and natural gas drilling platform that may be as significant as military modernization in buttressing Beijing's claims to control most of the islands, water and seabed in the maritime heart of Southeast Asia. (The Japan Times)

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US-India: Parallel links along China’s southern periphery  

Ups and downs in the US-India bilateral relationship and speculation about China as a factor in the Indo-US "strategic partnership" grab the headlines and dominate policy analysis. Concurrently, little noticed parallels link US and Indian efforts to strengthen their ties with Indonesia, Vietnam and Singapore. These states' positive responses are slowly filling a geographic gap between India and Japan. In addition, both the United States and India eye growing Chinese naval capabilities with some concern. (Asia Pacific Bulletin)

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