In The News

China Eases Curb On Dalai Lama Images

June 27, 2013
Chinese authorities in the Sichuan province have announced that followers of the Dalai Lama can publicly display his images, and officials in the area have been ordered to cease criticism of the spiritual leader, according to a report by US-funded Radio Free Asia. China took control of Tibet in 1951 and has since demonized the Dalai Lama after he established a government in exile in India. Since...

Vietnam PM Seeks Regional Unity as China Pushes Maritime Claims

John O'Callaghan June 4, 2013
Amid tensions in the South China Sea, Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has called upon other Southeast Asian nations for unity during his address at the Shangri-La Dialogue, an annual regional forum in Singapore. According to Reuters, Dung urged ASEAN members to stay united rather than “take sides with one country or the other for the benefit of their own relationships with big powers...

EU Considers Emissions Fines on Chinese, Indian Airlines

James Kanter, John M. Broder, Neha Thirani Bagri May 22, 2013
Ten airlines from China and India face fines over their refusal to comply with legislation that regulates carbon emitted into European air. According to the New York Times, Chinese carriers may be hit with fines of up to €2.4 million; Indian carriers are facing fines of €30,000. While the fines apply to flights within European airspace, there are plans to expand the coverage to international...

US Must Adopt Law of the Sea

Ziad Haider March 13, 2013
At a time when North Korea’s nuclear brinkmanship requires a common front, growing maritime disputes over small islands in the South China Sea and East China Sea are pitting major countries against one another. Key players, including China, Japan and South Korea, are at odds and increasingly relying on military bluster. Attorney Ziad Haider urges the United States to lead in easing the tensions...

Time for China and Japan to Cool It

James J. Przystup, Phillip C. Saunders February 27, 2013
A clash between China and Japan over the Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands would be devastating for the global economy. The islands, historically under contention by China, Japan and Taiwan, have been subject of series of dangerous, escalating exchanges – including activists attempting landings and warships targeting opponent’s helicopters and ships with fire-control radars. “The immediate policy challenge...

In Disputes Over Asian Seas, Winner May Take Zilch

Robert A. Manning January 14, 2013
Three senior US officials are visiting America’s two East Asian allies, South Korea and Japan, in a bid to defuse tensions over territorial claims. Strains of nationalism and saber-rattling with modern weaponry like drones could derail Asia’s quest for prosperity and global leadership and threaten the dream of an Asian Century, explains Robert A. Manning, senior fellow with the Brent Scowcroft...

Japan and China Step Up Drone Race, Tension Builds Over Disputed Islands

Jonathan Kaiman, Justin McCurry January 11, 2013
About 200 kilometers north of Taiwan are small islands claimed by major trade partners Japan and China. The islands are uninhabited, but analysts have suggested that oil and gas reserves could rest underneath nearby waters. The new leaders of the two nations are turning to drones and fighter jets for surveillance of the islands, called Diaoyu by China and Senkaku by Japan. Japan plans on...