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:vietnam
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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.
WASHINGTON: Retired army general John Shalikashvili, the first foreign-born chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, died early Saturday of complications from a stroke, a military hospital said. He was 75. Shalikashvili -- known simply as "Shali" -- passed away at Madigan Army Medical Center in Tacoma, Washington, Joint Base Lewis-McChord said in a statement. He had previously suffered a severe stroke in 2004. Shalikashvili is survived by his wife Joan and their son Brant. A public memorial service is planned for August 6 in Tacoma, to be followed at an undetermined date by a funeral service at Arlington National Cemetery just outside the US capital. The Polish-born Shalikashvili became chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in 1993, serving under then-president Bill Clinton until he retired in 1997. "As we mourn his passing, so, too, do we reflect on his contributions to our nation -- the lives he changed, the careers he mentored, the impact he made simply by virtue of his character and commitment," Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mike Mullen said. ABOARD THE USS GEORGE WASHINGTON (AP): Cold War enemies the United States and Vietnam demonstrated their blossoming military relations Sunday as a US nuclear supercarrier floated in waters off the Southeast Asian nation's coast - sending a message that China is not the region's only big player. The visit comes 35 years after the Vietnam War as the US and Vietnam are cozying up in a number of areas, from negotiating a controversial deal to share civilian nuclear fuel and technology to agreeing that China needs to work with its neighbors to resolve territorial claims in the South China Sea. The USS George Washington's stop is officially billed as a commemoration of last month's 15th anniversary of normalized diplomatic relations between the former foes. But the timing also reflects Washington's heightened interest in maintaining security and stability in the Asia-Pacific amid tensions following the sinking of a South Korean warship in March, which killed 46 sailors. LOS ANGELES: Former Laotian general Vang Pao, who once commanded a CIA-backed "secret army" of Hmong guerrillas during the Vietnam war, died Thursday in California aged 81, a hospital spokeswoman said. "He died today... the family was there," a spokeswoman for the Clovis Community Medical Center, some 200 miles (322 kilometers) southeast of San Francisco, told AFP, adding that he had been at the facility since December 26. A general in the Royal Lao army and member of the Hmong ethnic minority, Vang Pao ran an irregular army in the 1960s and 70s, commanding thousands of fighters in the US-funded covert war against Vietnamese and Lao communist forces. He fled to the United States in 1975 after communists ousted Laos' royal rulers, and was credited with helping negotiate the resettlement in America of tens of thousands of fellow Hmong. New Delhi — The Defence Minister AK Antony will leave New Delhi on Sunday for a four-day visit to Vietnam to attend the first ASEAN Defence Ministers Meeting (ADMM)-Plus at Hanoi next week. Shri Antony will be accompanied by a high level delegation including the Defence Secretary Shri Pradeep Kumar and representatives of the Services. It may be recalled that during the Fourth ADMM held in last May, the ASEAN Defence Ministers agreed to establish an ADMM-Plus forum comprising the 10 ASEAN countries and 8 non-ASEAN countries namely, Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand, Republic of Korea, Russia and the United States. A press release issued by the Indian defence ministry said the ADMM-Plus seeks to address the regional peace and security challenges by providing balanced and inclusive security architecture for the region as a whole and provide opportunities to build mutual trust and confidence among the defence establishments of the ASEAN and the Plus countries. New Delhi — A day after the successful conclusion of the First ASEAN Plus Eight Defence Ministers’ Meeting in Hanoi, in which India played a constructive role in defining the scope and objectives of the Forum, the Defence Minister AK Antony today announced a slew of measures to expand defence cooperation with Vietnam. The measures were elaborated by Mr Antony at the bilateral meetings with the top Vietnamese leadership including the Defence Minister Gen Phung Quang Thanh and the Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung. A press release issued by the Indian Defence Ministry said New Delhi will provide support to Vietnam to enhance and upgrade the capabilities of Services in general and the Navy in particular. He said India will help Vietnam in its capacity building for repair and maintenance of its platforms. The Armies of the two countries will also cooperate in areas like IT and English Training of Vietnamese Army personnel. Both the armies will also have joint training in mountain and jungle warfare in India next year. WASHINGTON: Congressional aides say the Obama administration has told lawmakers that a nuclear cooperation deal with Vietnam is unlikely to include a coveted promise from Hanoi not to enrich uranium. The United States calls the no-enrichment pledge the ``gold standard'' for civilian nuclear cooperation accords. It is modeled on a U.S. deal last year with the United Arab Emirates.
In that deal, the UAE pledged, in return for U.S. nuclear equipment and reactors, not to enrich uranium or reprocess spent nuclear fuel for plutonium. Either of those procedures could be used in nuclear bombs. A UAE-style deal with Vietnam could have been used by the United States to push other countries for similar commitments not to enrich uranium or reprocess spent fuel. New Delhi — India reflected its continued solidarity towards other Asian nations by taking part and contributing significantly in the recently concluded ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting-Plus Eight (ADMM+8) in Hanoi. ADMM+8 is a gathering of Asean Defence Ministers and their counterparts beyond the region including Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, Russia and the US. The current ADMM+8 in Hanoi was the first meeting and it provides an inclusive yet focused configuration which brings together the defence establishments of all the key players in the region. The group aims to take measures collectively to handle security issues such as terrorism, piracy, disaster relief and transnational crime. ADMM+8 will meet every three years subsequently. During the recently concluded ADMM+8 in Hanoi, Indian Defence Minister A.K. Anthony confirmed his solidarity towards this effort and held promising bi-lateral talks with the top Vietnamese leadership including President Nguyen Minh Triet, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung and Defence Minister General Phung Quang Thanh. [PIB] Army Chief General VK Singh is visiting Vietnam on a four day visit from 26 Jul 10 to 29 Jul 10, to strengthen bilateral military ties. Significantly, this would be first visit by an Indian Army Chief to Vietnam 15 years.
During this trip, General VK Singh will call on General Phung Quang Thanh, Minister of National Defence of Vietnam, besides holding talks with Chief of General Staff and Chief of Army of Vietnam. The Army Chief will visit historically important cities of Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh (erstwhile Saiggon) and interact with various Commanders of Military Regions, to boost the defence cooperation, between both countries. Vietnam and India share a very special and important relationship. The friendship between the two countries is based on common ideals and principles, arising from a significant legacy of historic links. |
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