Posts

DUTERTE’S FOREIGN POLICY SHIFT: BANDWAGONING WITH CHINA?
In June 2016 led to a remarkable shift in the foreign policy of the archipelagic state. Unlike the previous administration of Benigno Aquino III, which was somewhat confrontational with China on several fronts, including dragging Beijing to…

‘BEYOND HARDWARE AND TECHNOLOGY’: THE INTANGIBLES OF CHINA’S NAVAL POWER (PART 3)
This is part three of a three-part series on China's naval power
(PART 3: TACTICAL LEVEL)
As introduced in the Part 1, so far, most analysis of China’s naval power worldwide has focused on the PLA Navy’s existing and projected…

CHINA’S “BLUE PARTNERSHIP” THROUGH THE MARITIME SILK ROAD
Introduction
On 20 June 2017, China for the first time put forward a blueprint of its grand “21st Century Maritime Silk Road” (MSR) under the “Vision for Maritime Cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative”. The blueprint emphasised…

‘BEYOND HARDWARE AND TECHNOLOGY’: THE INTANGIBLES OF CHINA’S NAVAL POWER (PART 2)
This is part two of a three-part series on China's naval power
(PART 2: OPERATIONAL LEVEL)
As introduced in Part 1, so far, most analyses of China’s naval power worldwide have examined the PLA Navy’s existing and projected…

PROPOSED CHINESE LAW ON MARITIME TRAFFIC SAFETY: INTERPRETATIONS AND IMPLICATIONS
On February 14, 2017, the Legislative Affairs Office of the State Council of China sought public comments on a new draft legislation, proposed to replace the existing Maritime Safety Law of 1983. Coming in the backdrop of the rather…

CORAL SEA TO THE CHINA SEAS: THE CARRIER AS A CONSTANT
The Battle of the Coral Sea was the first aircraft carrier battle ever fought, comprising a series of naval engagements off the Australian coast during the Second World War.[1] It was fought between May 04 and May 08, 1942, 75 years to date.…

CHINA’S 12TH NATIONAL PEOPLE’S CONGRESS (NPC) 2017: MATTERS ‘MARITIME’ AND ‘ONE BELT ONE ROAD’
The fifth session of 12th NPC and China People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) was held from 3rd to 15th March in Beijing. It commenced with the opening session that saw Premier Li Keqiang place his Work Report.Popularly…

CPEC DRIVES CHINA-PAKISTAN NAVAL COOPERATION
An International Maritime Conference on China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and Gwadar Port was held on 13-14 December 2016 at Gwadar. It was organised by the Pakistan Navy and the Pakistan-China Institute (PCI) on the theme – ‘CPEC…

CHINA DELIVERS SUBMARINES TO BANGLADESH: IMPERATIVES, INTENTIONS AND IMPLICATIONS
On 14 November 2016, Bangladesh Navy (BN) took delivery of two old refurbished Chinese Type 035G Ming-class diesel-electric submarines. As part of the US$ 203 million contract signed in 2013, the submarines were handed over to the BN crew during…

CHINA PAKISTAN ECONOMIC CORRIDOR (CPEC): THE MARITIME-STRATEGIC DIMENSION
The much-awaited China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) has been officially flagged off with the first consignment from China setting sail from Gwadar to the African and West Asian markets on 13 November 2016. The Corridor’s newly built western…

VIETNAM’S DILEMMA IN CONTEXT OF SOUTH CHINA SEA: UNITED STATES VERSUS CHINA
The U.S. President Barack Obama made his maiden trip to Vietnam towards the end of his term in office in May 2016. The visit was to strengthen U.S.-Vietnam relations, as follow-on to the process of rapprochement between the two states, which…

THE SOUTH CHINA SEA ADJUDICATION AND THE FUTURE OF INTERNATIONAL ARBITRATION
The India International Centre at Delhi – considered the hub of cultural and intellectual activity in the capital city, was witness to a unique event on the afternoon of 17 May 16. Organised by the Chinese Embassy in Delhi, the ‘public lecture’…