The tranquil waters of South China Sea appear to churn with insecurity. At a recent conference in Vietnam, Professor Carl Thayer, a noted Vietnam watcher, observed that “China's naval modernisation represents a challenge and potential threat to all of Southeast Asia, especially Vietnam,” Further, the Chinese naval nuclear capability “would have strategic implications for the balance of power in the region”. The Southeast Asian countries have watched the growing military might of China with concern and are also worried about the regional security environment particularly in the context of recent naval standoffs between the Chinese and US navies.A non-binding multilateral agreement ‘2002 Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea’ with specific focus on the Spratly Islands has been in place, but China does not seem to be very happy about this arrangement and feels that ‘disputes [be] dealt with bilaterally by countries - a move seen as exploiting its growing regional clout’. Although the 2002 declaration was a concrete step to institutionalize regional dialogue among the claimants i.e. Brunei, China, Malaysia, Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam and served for the de-escalation of military tensions in South China Sea, it appears that it was only a provisional political agreement to dispel ‘China Threat’ among the claimant states.
Indian-Military.org:malaysia
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The tranquil waters of South China Sea appear to churn with insecurity. At a recent conference in Vietnam, Professor Carl Thayer, a noted Vietnam watcher, observed that “China's naval modernisation represents a challenge and potential threat to all of Southeast Asia, especially Vietnam,” Further, the Chinese naval nuclear capability “would have strategic implications for the balance of power in the region”. The Southeast Asian countries have watched the growing military might of China with concern and are also worried about the regional security environment particularly in the context of recent naval standoffs between the Chinese and US navies.A non-binding multilateral agreement ‘2002 Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea’ with specific focus on the Spratly Islands has been in place, but China does not seem to be very happy about this arrangement and feels that ‘disputes [be] dealt with bilaterally by countries - a move seen as exploiting its growing regional clout’. Although the 2002 declaration was a concrete step to institutionalize regional dialogue among the claimants i.e. Brunei, China, Malaysia, Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam and served for the de-escalation of military tensions in South China Sea, it appears that it was only a provisional political agreement to dispel ‘China Threat’ among the claimant states.
NEW DELHI: A day after it was ambushed by General V K Singh who took his battle over his age to the Supreme Court, an angry government on Tuesday decided to take on the Army chief frontally in the apex court. Incensed by Gen Singh's surprise move, and regretting that it allowed itself to be outmaneuvered by him, the government explored the entire spectrum of options, ranging from simply letting the court take a call on the case to asking the Army chief to resign or go on leave and naming his successor before time. As of now, the radical step to sack the Army chief is not being considered. It is recognized that Gen Singh has managed to "manipulate" perception to paint himself as a victim and, therefore, the first move in the counter-strike should be to blast holes in his version, say government sources. The Centre has decided to field attorney general G E Vahanvati and solicitor general R F Nariman in court to rebut Gen Singh's case that he was treated unfairly, having already moved a caveat in the Supreme Court to prevent him from securing any relief without it being heard. [TOI] At first glance, Lieutenant Farah al Habshi presents a demure picture, with a hijab around her head, even though she dons the white and blue Royal Malaysian Navy uniform. But appearances, as one learns, can be extremely deceptive. |
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