An earlier version of this article was published in East Asia Forum.
Continue readingPacNet #45 – Aegis Ashore and Japan’s Constitutional Debate
PacNet #44 – Hong Kong was a Test Run for China’s “Wolf Warrior” Diplomacy
An earlier version of this article was published in the National Interest.
Continue readingPacNet #43 – First Korea, Now Australia: China’s Carrot-and-Stick Diplomacy is Not New
Australia-China ties have deteriorated recently, due to Australia calling for an independent inquiry into the novel coronavirus. Their relations have also suffered due to China slamming Australia with anti-dumping measures and putting high tariffs on Australia’s barley products. China is also angry that Australia banned Huawei from involvement in Australia’s 5G network and technology development. Australia also banned ZTE after the UK’s National Cyber Security Centre warned that using ZTE’s equipment and services could pose a national security risk.
Continue readingPacNet #42 – China Needs Diplomats, Not Wolves
China’s “Wolf Warrior” diplomacy is making headlines around the world. But while it might be hitting the right notes back home, it may not play so well with overseas audiences. Polls in the US, Canada, and Australia all point to growing public concerns with China. That should be an opportunity for Chinese diplomats to jump in and … well, be diplomatic. But rather than seeking to ameliorate the tensions between China and its potential partners, the Wolf Warriors seem set on making things worse with wild conspiracy theories and Twitter trolling.
Continue readingPacNet #41 – Opportunism and miscalculation by claimants in the South China Sea
The Covid-19 pandemic has not abated concerns about China’s perceived aggression in the region. In the East China Sea, we have seen intrusions of Chinese government and other vessels into Japan’s territorial seas for more than 75 consecutive days. In addition to these regularized incursions, Beijing has ratcheted up tensions in the Taiwan Strait and along Sino-Indian borders and has made bolder moves in the South China Sea (SCS).
Continue readingPacNet #40 – The Indo-Pacific Contest: It Could be Time for Fresh Ideas on Allied Security Cooperation
“The threat of China setting up a military base in the Pacific is serious… Now is not the time for strategic fatalism” Jonathan Pryke Director, Pacific Islands Program, Lowy Institute
Continue readingPacNet #39 – Covid-19 Recovery: Re-energizing Hawaii with Regional Insights
As part of our long-standing Honolulu International Forum, the Pacific Forum launched a special virtual series, “Covid-19 Recovery: Re-energizing Hawaii with Regional Insights,” to provide Hawaii’s policy leaders with insights from the region to inform both its public health and economic responses to Covid-19.
Continue readingPacNet #38 – Why America opposes the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI)?—A second look
As US-China relations decline to their worst state in over 50 years, it’s important that both sides understand fully the importance of their respective differences. US opposition to Xi Jinping’s signature Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is commonly understood in China and elsewhere as a competition between the two powers for economic advantage and accompanying international influence. This line of assessment is valid as far as it goes but gives little attention to a wide range of factors in the BRI—and related Chinese statecraft employed in support of the initiative—that Americans deem seriously objectionable.
Continue readingPacNet #37 – How Xi Jinping Thought Gave Hong Kong its National Security Law
The anticipated adoption of the Hong Kong National Security Law embodies the growing influence of Xi Jinping Thought on Diplomacy, bridging the intersection between China’s domestic actions and its increasingly assertive foreign policy. The law will have lasting implications in empowering Beijing to outlaw pro-democracy opposition, place additional limits on civil liberties, and dismantle the rule of law in Hong Kong.
Continue readingPacNet #36 – Countering China’s Influence Operations: Lessons from Australia
This is an abridged version of a commentary originally published by the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
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