ASIA WATCHThe Choice the Philippines Didn’t Want to Make | Chinese “Spy Boats” | Impact of War in Ukraine on Security in the Indo-Pacific, and more
· What a Three-Part Diplomatic Push Reveals About U.S. Strategy on Asia
By seeking greater engagement with China, India, and Japan, President Biden is attempting to create a more stable strategic balance
· Thailand Weighs Accepting Chinese Engine in Submarine Deal
Beijing pressures Royal Thai Navy to take ‘notoriously loud’ powertrain
· Sudden Inquiry May Derail Thailand’s Leading Prime Minister Candidate
Activists say the case against the candidate, Pita Limjaroenrat, is part of a broader effort to nullify election results and further erode democracy in Thailand
· Pacific Nation Asks U.S. to Repel Chinese “Spy Boats”
President of Palau suggests Beijing is monitoring island’s communication links
· Koreans’ Panic Buying of Seafood Is a Cry for Their Fears About Fukushima to Be Taken Seriously
The authorities in South Korea and Japan have lost the trust of the people
· Investors Are Putting Big Money into Japan Again. Here’s Why.
There are significant shift in how the country’s corporations are run, changes that are helping to breathe life into the economy
· Modi Can’t Look Away from Manipur
Ethnic violence in India’s remote northeast could have repercussions on the border with China—and beyond
· How the War in Ukraine Is Impacting Security in the Indo-Pacific
At this year’s Shangri-La Dialogue, it was impossible to escape talk of the conflict thousands of miles away
· TikTok to Invest Billions of Dollars in Southeast Asia Amid Growing Scrutiny Over Data Security
TikTok faces scrutiny from governments and regulators concerned that Beijing could use the app to harvest user data or advance its interests
· The Choice the Philippines Didn’t Want to Make
Thirty-two years ago, the departure of American troops from the archipelago symbolized the end of colonialism. Today, their return seems like the least bad option.
· Making the U.S.-Philippine Alliance Work
Over the past 18 months, the health of the U.S.-Philippine alliance has been restored
What a Three-Part Diplomatic Push Reveals About U.S. Strategy on Asia (David Ignatius, Washington Post)
Over the next week, we’ll see an unusual road show dramatizing the Biden administration’s foreign policy strategy for Asia.
The week’s meetings with senior officials of China, India and Japan will highlight the three essential power centers in the Indo-Pacific. By seeking greater engagement with all three, President Biden is attempting to create a more stable strategic balance. Rather than walking a bipolar tightrope between Washington and Beijing, the administration is trying to build a matrix of relationships, with the United States as a key interlocutor in each node.
Make no mistake: The strategic challenge that will animate the three sets of meetings is how to avoid a disastrous conflict between the United States and China. Dialogue with China should reduce uncertainties and potential risks in what will be a continuing Sino-American competition; partnering with India should enhance India’s ability to deter China, and U.S. deterrence, as well; deeper cooperation with Japan and its neighbors, South Korea and the Philippines, should help buffer the danger of a catastrophic U.S.-China collision.
Thailand Weighs Accepting Chinese Engine in Submarine Deal (Marwaan Macan-Markar, Nikkei Asia)
Thailand is considering a Chinese engine for a submarine it plans to purchase from China now that Germany has refused to supply an engine.
Thailand agreed in 2017 to purchase a submarine from China for $369 million, a deal that symbolized Thailand’s deepening ties with China as a supplier of military assets. At the time, the then junta, headed by Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, was taking steps toward balancing its strategic ties with China, having received a cold shoulder from the U.S. following Prayuth’s coup in 2014.
But the plan ran aground last year after Germany objected to the use of its products for Chinese military exports. China’s state-owned submarine producer alternatively offered a Chinese-made engine for the submarine, which Thailand initially resisted, apparently due to quality concerns.
According to sources at the Thai defense ministry, Thai navy officials and Chinese authorities will meet and discuss the submarine deal later this month.
