In an interview with Japanese newspaper Yomiuri Shimbun, Taiwan’s Vice-Minister for Defense Ko Chen-heng reportedly stated that Chinese warships have stepped up naval activities along the “first island chain” (diyidaolian) with five to six recorded incursions in the past two years (China Times, January 24;... MORE

Southeast Asia is represented by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), a bloc of 10 countries in the region, which covers the most strategically important area for China’s energy security. The region encompasses all of China's energy-shipping routes from the Middle East, Africa and... MORE

On January 7, the Singaporean Ministry of Defense (MINDEF) announced that Permanent Secretary of Defense Chiang Chie Foo and People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Deputy Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Ma Xiaotian signed the first bilateral agreement for defense exchanges and security cooperation between the countries.... MORE

With Taiwan’s 2008 Legislative Yuan (LY) election in January and the presidential elections following in March, the opposition Kuomintang (KMT) has unveiled a security policy platform that reveals a notable degree of convergence with the policy preferences of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP). The... MORE

Large-scale air and naval maneuvers off China’s southeast coast last week demonstrated the post-17th Party Congress leadership’s determination to project hard power in view of escalating tension in the Taiwan Strait. The week-long war games, which coincided with Beijing’s sudden cancellation of the USS Kitty... MORE

After the EP-3 mid-air incident, the PRC learned an important lesson in crisis management and the Central Party School, the highest institution to train officials of the Communist Party of China (CPC) in Beijing, began to offer its first course on the subject in 2002.... MORE