Editorial: Security Integration in the Asia-Pacific

By Yuxin A. Zhang

What prevents closer security ties in East Asia? A lot.

Regional integration can help countries achieve wealth, peace, and stability through cooperation aimed at addressing issues of common concern. Integration can be both economic and political, with security concerns generally emerging as part of the latter. Regional economic integration in the Asia-Pacific, in particular East Asia, has moved forward a step since the conclusion of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation conference in Beijing last year. Intra-regional trade has increased and foreign direct investment has surged. Yet security integration has barely budged. Five factors are playing a role in this.

First, recent political developments in the region, specifically the disputes over the South China Sea and East China Sea, have created a “security dilemma.” Pertinent or not to its disputes with its neighbors, China’s substantial military buildup worries the other countries involved in the disputes and has encouraged them to step up their own military procurement. In response, China has increased its own military expenditures still further. The security dilemma has provided opportunities for confrontation and could further destabilize the region, particularly since China is unlikely to seek international arbitration over the island disputes. The Chinese government considers the disputes internal affairs, and it has re-claimed sovereignty over the Diaoyu/Senkaku Islands as well as the Paracel Islands, the Spratly Islands, and others. Japan has also affirmed its territorial sovereignty over Diaoyu/Sankaku and has shown no intention of proposing international arbitration. The resulting impasse, together with the unwillingness of the parties involved to address sovereignty disputes through legal means, has added to the political complexities.

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Editorial: Why China’s Air Force Needs Russia's SU-35

Russian Su-35 Flanker (File Photo)

By Jesse Sloman and Lauren Dickey

The PLAAF has a growing fighter fleet, but it needs help on one critical component.

Last April, Chinese airplane manufacturer Shenyang Aircraft Corporation surprised military observers by test flying its new J-11D fighter jet, an upgraded version of the J-11, China’s indigenous copy of the Russian Su-27. The D-model J-11 is believed to include such advanced features as an active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar, a relocated infrared search and track (IRST) system, and the expanded use of composite materials to reduce the plane’s weight and radar signature. This first flight indicates that the J-11D is further along in its development cycle than many experts predicted and is poised to provide a new and deadly addition to the growing fighter fleet of the People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF).

Despite the evident maturity of the J-11D program, the Chinese military nevertheless appears to also be going ahead with plans to purchase Russian Su-35 Flankers. The Su-35 is far more maneuverable than the J-11 – which gives the Russian jet an advantage in short-range dogfights – can fly longer distances, and can take off and land with a larger payload. It is also equipped with new avionics and new cockpit displays. However, its radar is a less advanced passive electronically scanned array (PESA) than the AESA system on the J-11D. Moreover, the aircraft and its systems will be manufactured abroad. The Chinese government views its indigenous defense industry as a strategic asset; purchasing more planes from Russia will not help advance Beijing’s goal of developing a mature, self-reliant aerospace industry. Given the apparent redundancy of moving forward with two very similar aircraft programs, some analysts speculate that the PLAAF’s primary motivation for buying the Su-35 may not be for its value as a weapons system but rather because it is equipped with advanced AL-117S turbofans.

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Interview: Rebalancing Asia - Assessing US and EU Strategies

By Mercy A. Kuo and Angelica O. Tang

Insights from Steve Tsang, Professor of Contemporary Chinese Studies, University of Nottingham.

The Rebalance authors Mercy Kuo and Angie Tang regularly engage subject-matter experts, policy practitioners and strategic thinkers across the globe for their diverse insights into the U.S. rebalance to Asia. This conversation with Dr. Steve Tsang – Head of School and Professor of Contemporary Chinese Studies, Faculty of Social Science, and former director of the China Policy Institute at the University of Nottingham – is the fifth in “The Rebalance Insight Series.”

How would you assess the U.S. rebalance to Asia thus far, and how might the next U.S. president optimize the rebalance’s impact?

The rebalance has signaled the importance the United States puts on Asia, which has reassured U.S. allies in the region but raised alarm in China. It has not sufficiently deterred China from pursuing its regional ambitions, over Taiwan or maritime disputes in the East and South China Seas. But it has enabled countries in East and Southeast Asia to reconsider how they can deal with the rise of an assertive China.

To make the rebalance work towards sustaining regional peace and good order, a future U.S. administration needs to engage China with clarity and determination on the one hand and with diplomacy and reassurance of non-aggressive intent on the other. Beijing will continue to view the rebalance with suspicion, and needs to be persuaded that the rise of China as such is not a problem for Washington. It is how China asserts itself, particularly by marking out maritime spheres of influence, that is problematic.

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AUS: The 14th Shangri-La Dialogue concludes

Minister for Defence:
Kevin Andrews

The 14th annual Shangri-La Dialogue has successfully concluded.

Over the past few days I (Minister for Defence: Kevin Andrews) have met with many colleagues to share perspectives on the regional implications of global security issues, including terrorism in the Middle East, maritime security and building regional cooperation.

In my address to the final plenary session of the Dialogue, Global Security Challenges and the Asia-Pacific: Building Cooperation between Regions, I highlighted the Indo-Pacific’s economic interdependence and the role of secure sea lines in building our region’s prosperity.

This shared interest in economic prosperity and trade routes is already enhancing cooperation on security challenges that affect all of us, such as natural disasters, maritime piracy, and terrorism.

USA: Carter - Asia-Pacific Will Continue to ‘Rise’ With Strong Security Architecture

US SecDef: Ash Carter 

By Army Sgt. 1st Class Tyrone C. Marshall Jr.

DoD News, Defense Media Activity

WASHINGTON, May 30, 2015 – A strong and inclusive security architecture is key to ensuring the opportunity for the Asia-Pacific region to continue to rise, Defense Secretary Ash Carter said today at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore.

Delivering a speech at the event's first plenary session, Carter stressed the importance of safeguarding the freedom of the seas for all nations, deterring conflict and coercion in the region and adherence to international rules.

Shared Future

“The United States wants a shared regional architecture that is strong enough, capable enough, and connected enough to ensure that all Asia-Pacific peoples and nations have the opportunity to rise and continue to rise in the future,” he said.

America wants a future, Carter said, in which an Indonesian fisherman, an energy executive from Malaysia, an entrepreneur from Singapore, a small business owner in California, and a Chinese businesswoman have the security and opportunity to rise and prosper. 

The defense secretary said the U.S. seeks to protect the rights of all countries -- large or small -- to help them rise, prosper and be able to determine their own destiny.

News Story: Minister - India To Buy Only 36 French Rafale Jets

NEW DELHI — India will only buy 36 Rafale fighter jets as they are "way too expensive", the defense minister said Sunday, dashing lingering French hopes of a larger deal that has been years in the making.

Defense Minister Manohar Parrikar said the previous government's plans to buy 126 of the fighter jets from French firm Dassault were "economically unviable and not required."

"We are not buying the rest. We are only buying the ... 36," Parrikar told the Press Trust of India (PTI) news agency.

During a visit to France in April, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that New Delhi was ordering 36 of the "ready to fly" planes.

The deal — estimated to be worth €5 billion ($5.5 billion) — followed tortuous years-long negotiations on buying the jets.

Read the full story at DefenseNews

News Story: Carter's Focus - Building Up Pacific Partners

By Aaron Mehta

SINGAPORE — US Defense Secretary Ash Carter will spend the next week touring Asia, where he will focus on building up the maritime security capabilities of regional allies.

And while the Pentagon is laying out the trip as the next step in the so-called rebalance to the Pacific, Carter's travels are being watched closely by officials in China, which has been expanding its regional dominance in recent years.

The trip occurs amid rising tensions between China and other nations, including the US, over Chinese operations to create new islands in the South China Sea.

China has claimed those lands as part of its territory, which the Pentagon estimates to be about 2,000 acres in size, a move neighboring nations believe is a power grab to increase its control of the region. Some 1,500 of those acres have been developed since January, showing the rapid acceleration of China's activities.

Carter began the trip with a May 27 keynote at Joint Base Pearl Harbor in Hawaii, where he reaffirmed that the US will not be beholden to China's claims that these new islands represent territorial holds that must be respected under international law.

"First, we want a peaceful resolution of all disputes, and an immediate and lasting halt to land reclamation by any claimant," Carter said in his prepared remarks. "We also oppose any further militarization of disputed features.

"Second, and there should be no mistake: The United States will fly, sail and operate wherever international law allows, as we do all around the world."

The latter was the most forceful comment Carter has made about China's claims of sovereignty in the region. He noted that China's disrespect for "international norms" is leading other nations in the Pacific to turn toward the US as an alternative.

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News Story: Indian Army Struggles With Ammo Shortages

By Vivek Raghuvanshi

NEW DELHI — The Indian Army is facing an acute shortage of ammunition, and even the War Wastage Reserve, which is required to maintain supplies for at least a 40-day war, has fallen to a 20-day supply, according to the latest report of India's Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG).

The 79-page "Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India on Ammunition Management in Army," for the year ended March 2013, says there was a shortage for 125 of the 170 types of ammunition used, mainly for armored fighting vehicles, artillery guns and by the infantry. Defense News has a copy of the report, which was released in May.

A Defence Ministry official, while admitting to the shortage, said supplies have increased by more than 15 percent since 2013.

In addition to shortages, an Army official said, the quality of ammunition procured from the state-owned ordnance factories, the only source of ammunition supplies, is inferior. India does not permit the manufacturing of ammunition by the private sector. Ammunition is procured either from the ordnance factories managed by the state-owned Ordnance Factory Board (OFB) or through imports, largely from Russia.

Read the full story at DefenseNews

News Story: China Rejects US Criticism of Sea Reclamations

SINGAPORE — China on Sunday rejected US demands to stop reclamation works in the South China Sea, saying it was exercising its sovereignty and using the controversial outposts to fulfill international responsibilities.

Adm. Sun Jianguo, deputy chief of the general staff department in the People's Liberation Army, told a security summit in Singapore that "the situation in the South China Sea is on the whole peaceful and stable, and there has never been an issue with the freedom of navigation."

"China has carried out construction on some islands and reefs in the South China Sea mainly for the purpose of improving the functions of the relevant islands and reefs, and the working and living conditions of personnel stationed there.

"Apart from meeting the necessary defense needs, it is more geared to better perform China's international responsibilities and obligations regarding maritime search and rescue, disaster prevention and relief, maritime scientific research, meteorological observation, environmental protection, safety of navigation, fishery production, services," he added.

China insists it has sovereignty over nearly all of the South China Sea, a major global shipping route believed to be home to oil and gas reserves, but rival claimants accuse it of expansionism.

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Editorial: The Geopolitical Stakes of the 2016 Philippine Elections

By Jeffrey Ordaniel

The outcome of next year’s presidential election will have significant implications for the country’s foreign policy.

For almost four years now, the Philippines has been Southeast Asia’s fastest growing major economy. Once dubbed the “sick man” of Asia, the country’s image has enjoyed a turnaround under President Benigno Aquino III. The Philippines sovereign credit rating has been upgraded from junk to investment grade by all major credit rating agencies. Though still lagging its peers in ASEAN, foreign direct investment and tourism figures have all seen remarkable upticks. Investments in human and economic infrastructure through public-private partnerships, overseas development assistance, and other schemes have been unprecedented under the current administration, despite bureaucratic and other delays.

Most significantly, though, Aquino’s foreign policy has made headlines around the world. Specifically, Manila has drawn closer to Washington. In April 2014, the two treaty-allies signed the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA), which will soon see American troops with their air and naval assets rotate through Philippine military bases, including Subic Bay and Palawan, both facing the contested South China Sea. The Philippines also filed a case against China through a UN-backed court to invalidate the infamous nine-dashed line map in the South China Sea, while simultaneously internationalizing the disputes, connecting them to wider international concerns such as freedom of navigation and access to global commons. The legal move is the boldest yet among ASEAN-claimant countries. Both the EDCA, an external balancing act, and the arbitration case, an appeal to the rule of law and for favorable global public opinion, represent Manila’s resolve in defending its sovereign claims and maritime entitlements in the South China Sea.

Meanwhile, the Philippines has embarked on a modest military modernization program that, if realized, will give its armed forces submarines and other assets required for the military’s envisioned “minimum credible defense” capabilities by 2020. Overall, Manila’s South China Sea policy under Aquino has been to internationalize, to legalize, and to balance China.

Read the full story at The Diplomat