Author: Mukul G. Asher, NUS

The visit of Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, as Chief Guest for India’s 2011 Republic Day Celebrations, lent much needed substance to the strategic partnership initiated by the two regional neighbours during his previous visit in 2005.

India has signed a preferential merchandise trade agreement with ASEAN, of which Indonesia is a key member. Read more…

Author: Razeen Sally, ECIPE

It is almost a decade since China’s accession to the WTO. Back then, like a small or medium-sized economy, China imported ‘global order’: it absorbed pre-existing, mainly US-designed policies, rules and institutions.

Now China is one of the Big Three, alongside the USA and EU. It is the world’s second-largest economy (at market prices) and its leading exporter of goods. It is the biggest post-crisis contributor to global growth. Read more…

Author: K. Kesavapany, ISEAS

The fighting and violence that have taken place in the Thai-Cambodia border area violate both the letter of solemn agreements among the members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and its spirit, the spirit which underlies the very concept of ASEAN.

As ASEAN members, Cambodia and Thailand are both signatories to the 1976 Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia (TAC), which commits them to reject the use or threat of force in the relations between states and to the peaceful settlement of inter-state disputes. Read more…

Author: Jennifer Chen, CSIS, Washington DC

Vietnam’s Cam Ranh Bay has opened up to foreign navy vessels after eight years of closure. Read in context, this decision is neither sudden nor unexpected. Why? Because the bay’s opening is part of Vietnam’s strategy to counteract Chinese assertiveness in the South China Sea.

At the ASEAN Regional Forum in July 2010, Secretary Clinton offered to facilitate a multilateral dialogue between ASEAN and China to solve territorial disputes in the South China Sea. Read more…