In less than three months away, Americans will decide who their next president will be. With so much at stake, this year’s election will map out the country’s stance on democracy, liberal international order, and most importantly, determine the recovery of a nation that has been stricken with economic, public health, and social crises.
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Vietnam as the Chairman of ASEAN this year held virtually the 36th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit. With the theme of “Cohesive and Responsive ASEAN”, the summit was focused on the COVID-19 pandemic response, post-pandemic recovery and further cooperation with partner countries. The Summit also discussed the South China Sea and the importance of RCEP.
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This is the second time that Indonesia is holding the UNSC presidency during its term as a non-permanent member for 2019-2020. “Advancing Sustainable Peace” is the theme for Indonesia’s presidency which reflects Indonesian vision & role in the UNSC.
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With such deep roots of historical and sectarian clashes, the Israel – Palestine conflict can be traced all the way back to the 1900s. For more than 50 years, Israel occupation in the West Bank have continued to bring not only military casualties, but also civilian victims. Peace negotiations and mediation efforts have all failed to reach an agreement. That is, until the Trump Administration announced the Middle East Peace Plan on January that endorses an annexation plan of the West Bank on July 1st. What can be made of this development?
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Since the coronavirus pandemic, the tone of Chinese diplomacy started to be more escalated and fractious especially in countering attacks and criticisms from foreign governments. These behaviours have been interpreted as “wolf-warrior diplomacy”. What does it mean and has it become the new norm of Chinese diplomacy?
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On the 1st of July, Prime Minister Scott Morrison launched the 2020 Defence Strategic Update and the 2024 Structure Plan. Prime Minister Morrison highlighted the changing Indo-Pacific strategic environment that has become more challenging and less benign, creating a new environment that requires an adjustment in Australia’s strategic thinking and future plans. The strategic update and structure plan sees the importance of building Australian maritime power and deterrence capability, certainly creating a projection that will make Australia’s defence capacity more independent and self-reliant.
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I know many of us got this wrong in the past, but I am willing to bet my house that President Donald J. Trump is finished. Either by a small or large margin, the incumbent will lose the US elections in November. It will not be Joe Biden that will beat Trump: Donald Trump is the cause of his own demise. His unmistakable “authenticity”, an asset that distinguished him from his political competitors in the past, is now a liability. His notorious claim of invincibility – that he could “shoot someone on Fifth Avenue and still get elected” – no longer holds weight today.
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From the past few months, tension in the South China Sea has been rising. On July 13, 2020, the Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in a press statement reaffirmed the United States’ commitment in the Indo-Pacific and rejected Beijing’s claims on the offshoring of resources in most of the South China Sea. Secretary Pompeo noted that the PRC has been “bullying” Southeast Asian claimants like the Philippines, Malaysia, and Indonesia. On the other side, the Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Huang Xilian called out the United States for its “intensified meddling” in the South China Sea maritime disputes, and accused the US as using the South China Sea issue as a “geopolitical game. In the middle of China and the United States’ disputes, Indonesia just recently conducted a four-day exercise in the area, which was noted by observers as a “major show of force” against Chinese claims to the area and for CCG vessels that have repeatedly trespassed Indonesia’s Exclusive Economic Zone.
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Over the past 3 years, Foreign Policy Community of Indonesia (FPCI) has actively kept track on China-related issue by providing a platform for a regular discussion among seating/former government officials, experts, academicians, and practitioners to gather and discuss important and strategic issues surrounding the Indonesia-China relations through our informal circle group
namely FPCI China Policy Group (CPG).
FPCI would like to thank the EU Ambassador to ASEAN, H.E. Igor Driesmans, for his insightful and detailed presentation on the European Union’s history and establishment, its interest and values, as well as its multilateralism agenda during the 4th #FPCIAmbassadorialLecture that was held on Monday, August 10th, 2020.
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