Politik - Demokratie (2015/5)

China says it is building its second aircraft carrier, this time with domestic technology

31.12.2015 AP (The Asahi Shimbun) - BEIJING--China is building its second aircraft carrier, this time entirely with domestic technology, its Defense Ministry said Dec. 31, in a leap in its naval development that is increasingly tipping the regional balance of power.

The 50,000-ton vessel is being built in the northern port of Dalian and will be conventionally, rather than nuclear, powered, ministry spokesman Col. Yang Yujun told reporters at a news conference.

The yet-to-be-named vessel will carry J-15 fighter-bombers and other aircraft and use a ski jump mode for launching fixed-wing aircraft, Yang said. The J-15 is a copy of Russia's Sukhoi Su-33. [read more]

Vietnam Warns of 'Toxic' Web Use Ahead of Party Shakeup

30.12.2015 Reuters (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - HANOI— Vietnam sought to discourage its Internet-savvy public on Wednesday from reading Web postings that disparaged its Communist Party, warning of an increase in "toxic" activity just weeks away from its scheduled leadership shakeup.

Using its new Facebook page, the government vowed to tackle social media criticism of the party without interrupting the Internet ahead its five-yearly congress in January, and said most attacks originated from outside of the country.

Discussion of politics remains strictly taboo and authorities have dealt harshly with online dissent, with rights groups angered by the arrests, intimidation and jailing of dozens of bloggers and activists. [read more]

Vietnam alerta del uso "tóxico" de Internet de cara a un congreso del partido de Gobierno

30.12.2015 (Europa Press) - HANÓI, 30 Dic. (Reuters/EP) - El Gobierno vietnamita ha desalentado a los internautas de leer los comentarios que circulan por la Red y que "menosprecian" al Partido Comunista, advirtiendo de que se trata de una "intoxicación" a pocas semanas de la celebración de un congreso de reestructuración de la formación gobernante en el que se elegirá un nuevo líder.

"Estas páginas web están difamando al Gobierno y a los líderes y las políticas de nuestro partido", ha señalado el viceministro de Información y Comunicaciones, Truong Minh Tuan, en Facebook.

Varias organizaciones para la defensa de los Derechos Humanos han denunciado los arrestos, intimidaciones y encarcelamientos de decenas de blogueros y activistas. Mientras tanto, Internet continúa aumentando su popularidad entre la población, donde casi la mitad de los ciudadanos vietnamitas (unos 45 millones) usan la red --de los cuales dos tercios no superan la treintena--. [seguir leyendo]

Was bringt das Jahr 2016 Asien?

29.12.2015 Rodion Ebbighausen (DW) - Wird China beim Umbau seiner Wirtschaft weiterkommen? Gehen die USA und China auf Konfrontationskurs im Südchinesischen Meer? Werden sich Indien und Pakistan annähern? Asiatische Weichenstellungen für 2016.

In der Volksrepublik China wird am 08. Februar das Jahr des Affens eingeläutet. Der Affe gilt traditionell als schlau, zielstrebig und abenteuerlustig. Xi Jinping, den viele für den einflussreichsten Präsidenten seit Deng Xiaoping halten, wird all diese Eigenschaften brauchen, um die drängendsten Probleme seines Landes in Angriff zu nehmen.

Eine weitere Herausforderung Chinas besteht in seinen Ambitionen, nicht nur als Regionalmacht, sondern auch als globale Macht anerkannt zu werden.

Gestört, aber nicht ernsthaft bedroht werden könnten Chinas Ansprüche durch die im Januar anstehenden Wahlen in Taiwan, wo voraussichtlich die Demokratische Fortschrittspartei gewinnen wird. Viele Wähler werfen der bisher regierenden KMT eine zu enge Anlehnung an Peking und den Ausverkauf taiwanischer Interessen vor.

In Vietnam steht die Neubesetzung der drei wichtigsten Ämter – Parteichef, Präsident und Premier – an, die darüber entscheiden wird, welchen Kurs das Land in den nächsten fünf Jahren nimmt: Eine weitere Annäherung an die USA und damit eine Entfernung von China sind möglich. [Weiterlesen]

South China Sea: Filipino teens camp on disputed island

29.12.2015 By Pamela Boykoff and Zahra Ullah (CNN) - China has expressed its displeasure at a ragtag band of Filipino activists who have waded into a regional dispute over territory in the South China Sea.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lu Kang said the Chinese government is "strongly dissatisfied" with protestors from the Philippines, who landed Saturday on a small island that is a source of tension between the two neighbors.

"We once again urge the Philippine side to withdraw all its personnel and facilities from the Chinese islands and reefs it is illegally occupying," spokesperson Lu said.

Some 47 young activists landed on the island to protest China's aggressive actions in the South China Sea, according to Joy Ban-eg, a spokesperson for the group.

"China has no right to order us or direct us to stay away from our own territory," Ban-eg said. [read more]

South China Sea: Filipino protesters land on Philippine-controlled Pagasa island

28.12.2015  By Jigmey Bhutia (IBTimes) - About 50 Filipino protesters, mostly students, have landed on Philippine-controlled Pagasa island in Spratly archipelago to protest against China's claim over most of the South China Sea, despite overlapping claims from Brunei, Malaysia, Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam. The protesters, led by an ex-marine commander, arrived at Pagasa Island on 26 December.

The protesters have called the expedition a "patriotic voyage" and a symbolic act of defiance against China. The move, however, could trigger a strong reaction from the Asian superpower.

The island's mayor Eugenio Bito-onon said the protesters left southern Palawan, an island province that lies south of Manila, on 24 December. It has been reported that the protesters could leave the island on 28 December. [read more]

Études a l’Étranger – L'incontrôlable fuite des cerveaux au Vietnam

28.12.2015 Marielle Capelle (lepetitjournal.com) - Le Vietnam est en plein développement économique et dans cet environnement où tout s'accélère, les jeunes veulent forcément tirer leur épingle du jeu. Et leurs parents sont prêts à d'énormes sacrifices pour leur offrir un avenir meilleur. Notamment en les envoyant étudier à l'étranger...

Effectivement il semble que le système scolaire, qui demeure très politisé, ne progresse pas aussi vite que l'économie et le niveau universitaire reste moins bon que dans certains autres pays, notamment en Australie, aux États-Unis, en Chine ou à Singapour, les quatre destinations de prédilection.

70% des jeunes Vietnamiens qui partent faire leurs études à l'étranger ne reviendraient pas une fois diplômés.. [en savoir plus]

The boat people

18.12.2015 (deutschland.de) - Almost forty years ago, the first non-European refugees to come to Germany were Vietnamese. How similar the pictures are. Motivated by fear of poverty and terror, people risk their lives and climb into overcrowded boats. Often there is not enough food or drinking water; often their boats capsize and they drown. All this has happened before: in the late 1970s. Communist North Vietnam had won the war in 1975. The defeated South Vietnamese were threatened with harassment and re-education camps. Over 1.5 million people felt the only way out was to flee across the sea.

The pictures of what became known as boat people triggered a wave of support in Germany. In 1978 Lower Saxony’s Minister President Ernst Albrecht, the father of today’s Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen, was the first to welcome Vietnamese refugees into his federal state. [read more]

Flying close to Beijing's new South China Sea islands

14.12.2015 (BBC) - Last year the BBC's Rupert Wingfield-Hayes travelled across the South China Sea in a fishing boat and became the first journalist to observe close-up how China is constructing new islands on coral reefs. A few days ago he returned to the area in a small aircraft - provoking a furious and threatening response from the Chinese Navy.

The scattered atolls, reefs and sand bars known as the Spratly Islands are a very difficult place to get to. Some are controlled by Vietnam, others by the Philippines, one by Taiwan, and then of course there are those controlled by China.

Don't expect an invitation from Beijing. Believe me, I've tried. Only the Philippines will let you visit a tiny 400m-long scrap of land called Pagasa. It's just about big enough to land a small aircraft on. [read more]

Vietnamese jailed for wearing uniform of former southern army

14.12.2015 (The Japan Times) - HANOI – A Vietnamese court jailed a man for 15 months Monday for wearing the army uniform of the former South Vietnam regime, which fought a bitter war against the communist north.

Nguyen Viet Dung, 29, from central Nghe An province, was charged with “disturbing public disorder” and found guilty after a half-day trial at a district court in Hanoi, a court clerk said on condition of anonymity.

Dung wore the uniform during a demonstration in Hanoi in April over a plan by city authorities — later shelved after a strong public backlash — to cut down hundreds of trees across the capital. [read more]

Son uniforme le conduit derrière les barreaux

14.12.2015 (20 minutes) - Un Vietnamien a écopé de 15 mois de prison ferme pour avoir arboré, lors d'une manifestation, un uniforme militaire du régime pro-américain de Saïgon, défait en 1975.

Nguyen Viet Dung, 29 ans, originaire de la province centrale de Nghe An, a été reconnu coupable d'avoir ainsi «troublé l'ordre public» lors d'une manifestation contre un projet de la municipalité d'Hanoï d'abattre des centaines d'arbres, a annoncé un responsable du tribunal municipal en charge de l'affaire.

Sous forte présence policière, plusieurs dizaines de manifestants ont pu protester près du tribunal contre le procès du jeune homme, arrêté en avril.

Nguyen Viet Dung est le seul manifestant à avoir été arrêté, parce qu'il portait l'uniforme des soldats du régime de Saïgon, ennemis jurés des communistes d'Hanoï. Cela reste une provocation pour le régime de Hanoï, même quarante ans après la fin de la guerre. [en savoir plus]

China entsandte Marine zu Manöver in Südchinesisches Meer

13.12.2015 Von Apa/ag. (Salzburger Nachrichten) - China hat eine Marineflotte zu einem Manöver in umstrittene Gebiete im Südchinesischen Meer entsandt. Die Flotte sei in den vergangenen Tagen zusammengestellt worden, um Übungen durchzuführen, teilte das Verteidigungsministerium in Peking am Sonntag mit. Es handle sich um eine Routineübung, die in Einklang mit der Jahresplanung stehe, hieß es, ohne weitere Details zu nennen.

Auf Bildern, die von Staatsmedien in sozialen Netzwerken veröffentlicht wurden, waren chinesische Kriegsschiffe zu sehen, die bei Übungen im Südchinesischen Meer mit scharfer Munition geschossen haben sollen. [Weiterlesen]

China sent navy ships to carry out live-fire drills in the South China Sea

13.12.2015 Ben Blanchard (Business Insider) - BEIJING (Reuters) - China's navy has in recent days carried out more exercises in the disputed South China Sea, the Defence Ministry said on Sunday, calling them routine drills.

China claims almost all of the energy-rich waters of the South China Sea, through which more than $5 trillion of maritime trade passes each year. The Philippines, Brunei, Vietnam, Malaysia and Taiwan have overlapping claims.

"The People's Liberation Army Navy in recent days organized a fleet to go to relevant seas in the South China Sea, by way of the Western Pacific, to carry out exercises," China's Defence Ministry said in a brief statement. [read more]

Vietnam Deports Chinese Workers Amid Rising Nationalist Sentiment

10.12.2015 08.12.2015 Trung Nguyen (VOA) - Authorities of the central Vietnamese city of Da Nang have fined and expelled 64 Chinese citizens who were found to have worked in the coastal city on tourist visas.

State media quoted local officials as saying an influx of illegal Chinese workers is “causing complications to social management.”

The news came shortly after dozens of local residents were discovered to have dodged laws to help Chinese citizens acquire coastal land facing the South China Sea, deemed as strategically sensitive in terms of security and defense.

Thanh Tam, another resident in Da Nang, said Chinese citizens mainly acquired land in areas near a military airport used by American forces in the Vietnam War. He said there were areas reserved for Chinese citizens on which he could not set foot, and that made him feel “uneasy.” [read more]

Südchinesisches Meer: USA verlegen Hightech-Spionagejet nach Singapur

08.12.2015 (Spiegel Online) - Die Machtspiele im Inselstreit im Südchinesischen Meer gehen in die nächste Runde: Die USA sind sich mit Singapur darüber einig geworden, erstmals ein P8-Poseidon-Spionageflugzeug in dem Stadtstaat zu stationieren. Nach einem Treffen am Montag in Washington traten die Verteidigungsminister beider Länder vor die Presse: Ash Carter und Ng Eng Hen begrüßten die erste Übereinkunft dieser Art.

Die Übereinkunft fällt in eine Zeit großer Spannungen zwischen den Anrainern im Südchinesischen Meer - und dürfte Peking verärgern. China verfolgt derzeit mit großem Nachdruck umstrittene Gebietsansprüche in der rohstoffreichen Region. [Weiterlesen]

Chinese Land Buys, With Da Nang Residents' Help, Shock Vietnamese

08.12.2015 Trung Nguyen (VOA) - An official in Vietnam's central city of Da Nang has admitted that local residents dodged laws to help Chinese citizens acquire coastal land facing the South China Sea.

Speaking to the city's main governing body last week, Dao Tan Bang, party chief of Ngu Hanh Son district, said 71 people were found to have helped Chinese citizens buy 137 lots along China Beach, known to Vietnamese as My Khe. My Khe is deemed by authorities as strategically sensitive in terms of security and defense.

Social activist and Da Nang resident Truong Duy Nhat told VOA his own investigation had found that Chinese citizens give money to local Vietnamese to buy real estate, because foreigners are not allowed to purchase land in Vietnam.

Nhat said the residents in Da Nang were extremely concerned about the developments and local authorities were facing a big dilemma. [read more]

Why Vietnam's Foreign Policy Won't Change After Its Party Congress

Exploring myths and misconceptions regarding Vietnam’s approach to China and the United States.

08.12.2015 By Carl Thayer (The Diplomat) - The Central Committee of the Vietnam Communist Party (VCP) is poised to hold its thirteenth plenary session this month. According to informed insiders, this will be crunch time for selecting candidates for Vietnam’s top leadership posts – party secretary general, state president, prime minister, and chair of the National Assembly.

Once the plenum concludes, preparations for the twelfth national party congress, reportedly scheduled for January 7-9, will go into high gear. There are an unprecedented number of individuals vying for these top posts. Although there is uncertainty as to who will be the next party leader, political insiders predict there will be no major changes in Vietnam’s foreign policy and relations with the major powers. [read more]

Vietnam hopes trade deal will tip balance toward U.S., away from China

08.12.2015 By Simon Denyer (Washington Post) -  HANOI — The fingers of both hands tightly intertwined, retired Maj. Gen. Le Van Cuong describes how Vietnam is overly dependent economically on its giant neighbor, China. Then, as he talks about the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a U.S.-led trade deal involving a dozen Pacific Rim countries, the general’s grip relaxes, and his fingers pry themselves apart.

“The TPP is not just economic. It is also a political and security deal,” said Cuong, a former head of the Ministry of Public Security’s Strategy Institute, arguing that the accord would help loosen China’s grip on his country. “It has more value for Vietnam than buying 10 submarines.”

Tom Malinowski, assistant secretary of state for democracy, human rights and labor, calls it a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to guide this communist one-party nation down a path of greater openness and reform. [read more]

Fight to control the South China Sea

07.12.2015 (Daily Times) - The South China Sea has been presenting a score of geopolitical issues that have been denting China-US relations. This piece of international waters, situated on the east of Vietnam, west of the Philippines and on the south of mainland China, does not come under China’s territory but Beijing has been exercising its powers to control it. This geopolitical problem gained friction when China began building artificial islands in the South China Sea and took under its territory a major piece of the sea, which it separated with the Nine-Dash Line. This is a made-up line by China, also seen on the world map, which signifies the area in the South China Sea under China’s controls. However, the US has opposite thoughts, as Washington claims that the South China Sea is part of international waters and China has no right to govern any part of it. The United Nations Convention on Laws of the Sea (UNCLOS) advocates similar rules that no country has any control on a region of high tide. [read more]Beijing could pay ‘international price’ in South China Sea legal case, experts say

02.12.2015 (The Japan Times) - HONG KONG/MANILA – When an international court ruled in late October that it had jurisdiction to hear a case filed by the Philippines against China over the disputed South China Sea, Beijing dismissed the decision, saying it would “lead to nothing.”

Legal experts say Manila has a significant chance of success, citing the court’s detailed rejection of China’s arguments in the hearing on jurisdiction. A final ruling is expected in mid-2016.

By refusing to take part in the process, China has forgone the opportunity to formally defend its claims, shown on Chinese maps as a nine-dash line stretching into the maritime heart of Southeast Asia.

Hanoi made a submission to the Permanent Court of Arbitration in support of Manila’s case but has not launched its own action against China. The Vietnamese government did not respond to a request for comment. [read more]

Killing of Vietnamese Fisherman in Contested Waters Sparks Outrage

01.12.2015 Trung Nguyen (VOA) - Vietnam has launched an official investigation into the killing of a fisherman in disputed waters near the Spratlys.

The incident enraged online users, and some social activists criticized Hanoi for not doing enough to protect its fishermen, who have been caught up in the escalating disputes over the South China Sea.

Ly Tho, vice chairman of Binh Son District, Quang Ngai Province, said the bullet-ridden fishing boat, carrying a crew of 13 members and the body of Truong Dinh Bay, docked at Sa Ky port on Tuesday, five days after it was attacked.

“The authorities are investigating the incident.  They did a postmortem examination and got statements from the captain and others.  The result will be announced once it is available,” Tho said.

Vietnamese media quoted Bui Van Cu, owner of the ship who was on board during the assault, as saying eight attackers on two speedboats approached, and Bay was shot twice as the crew tried to flee.

“They did not wear a uniform bearing the mark of any countries,” Cu said. [read more]

“America has forgotten about us”: Former allies in Vietnam flee persecution

29.11.2015 By Chris Kenning, GlobalPost (Salon) - BANGKOK, Thailand — During the Vietnam War, Kanh Kpa’s indigenous Montagnard relatives fought alongside US Army Special Forces in Vietnam’s remote Central Highlands, where the mostly Christian tribesmen gained a reputation as fierce and loyal allies.

But after the war, the ethnic and religious minority Montagnards, or “mountain people,” long at odds with the Vietnamese government, paid a steep price. Some were imprisoned, others fled into jungles or suffered years of ethnic discrimination and religious repression, human rights groups say.

Today Kpa is living in hiding in a dingy house on the outskirts of Bangkok, among a wave of hundreds of Montagnards who fled to Thailand and Cambodia in the last year claiming religious persecution — the latest chapter of a troubled history.[read more]

Vietnam abolishes death penalty for seven crimes including surrenderin

27.11.2015 (Independent.ie) -  Death sentences imposed on corrupt Vietnamese officials will now be commuted to life in prison if they pay back at least 75% of the illegal money they made.

The online newspaper VnExpress said the new regulation was part of the revised penal code that an overwhelmingly majority passed in the National Assembly on Friday.

Under the revision, which takes effect from July 1 2016, the country also will abolish the death penalty for seven crimes: surrendering to the enemy, opposing order, destruction of projects of national security importance, robbery, drug possession, drug appropriation, and the production and trade of fake food.

The revised law will also spare the lives of those who are 75 years old or older. [read more]

Allein gegen Vietnams korrupte Justiz

25.11.2015 von Frederic Spohr (Handelsblatt) - Vietnams Präsident Truong Tan San ist auf Staatsbesuch in Berlin. Unterdessen bittet ein Unternehmer aus Sachsen die Bundesregierung um Hilfe, damit er in dem korrupten Staat Südostasiens zu seinem Recht kommt.

200 Kilometer südlich der Hauptstadt sitzt der sächsische Reise-Unternehmer Heiko Grimm in seinem Büro in Chemnitz und ärgert sich. Statt den Präsidenten Vietnams derart zu hofieren, sollte die Bundesregierung dem Gast sagen, was für einem korrupten System er vorstehe. „In Vietnam sind die Verträge das Papier nicht wert, auf denen sie geschrieben stehen“, sagt der Chef von ITI-Holiday. „Aber die Bundesregierung setzt sich nur für die großen Konzerne ein, und nicht für Mittelständler und kleine Unternehmer.“

Grimm spricht aus Erfahrung. Seit drei Jahren kämpft er im verfilzten Justizsystem Vietnams um sein Geld: 30.000 US-Dollar investierte er 2012 in ein dortiges Reiseunternehmen. Mit dem Geschäftspartner vor Ort hatte er schon länger zusammengearbeitet und Vertrauen aufgebaut. Ein Fehler. [Weiterlesen]

Vietnam, Philippines ink strategic pact

18.11.2015 By Catherine S. Valente (The Manila Times) - THE Philippines and Vietnam signed an agreement to boost economic, defense and agricultural ties amid maritime disputes over islands in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea).

President Benigno Aquino 3rd and Vietnamese President Truong Sang witnessed the signing of the strategic pact in Malacanang on Tuesday.

“This Strategic Partnership will provide further impetus to deepen our cooperation, particularly in the areas of economic, agricultural, defense, and maritime engagement—areas that are truly vital to the strategic interests of both our nations,” Aquino said during the joint press statement.

Vietnam is the second country in Asia with which the Philippines have forged strategic partnership after Japan. [read more]

APEC-Gipfel Maulkorb in Manila

17.11.2015 Von Christoph Hein, Singapur (FAZ) - Wie lang der Schatten schon ist, den China wirft, zeigt sich dann, wenn sich scheinbar gestandene Manager wie Schulbuben verhalten. So traut sich selbst der Vorsitzende des Verwaltungsrates der weltweit tätigen Unternehmensberatung PWC nicht, den Maulkorb abzulegen, wenn er auf dem Podium erscheint. Nelly sprach auf dem Gipfel der Pazifikanrainer-Staaten (APEC) in einer Debatte über geostrategische Risiken verschämt von „den Ereignissen, die wir alle kennen“ – und meinte damit Chinas Vorpreschen in der Region durch weitere Landnahme sehr zum Unwillen von Amerikaner, Philippinern und Vietnamesen.

Doch sind auf dem APEC-Gipfel in Manila nun auch diejenigen Staaten Südostasiens vertreten, die Amerika als seine Stellvertreter nutzt – allen voran Vietnam und eben die Philippinen als Gastgeber.

Sie verklagen derzeit China für dessen Landnahme im Südchinesischen Meer. [Weiterlesen]

Indonesia says could also take China to court over South China Sea

11.11.2015 (Yahoo News) - JAKARTA (Reuters) - Indonesia could take China before an international court if Beijing's claim to the majority of the South China Sea and part of Indonesian territory is not resolved through dialogue, Indonesia's security chief said on Wednesday.

Beijing's claim to almost the entire South China Sea is shown on Chinese maps with a nine-dash line that stretches deep into the maritime heart of Southeast Asia, including parts of the Indonesian-held Natuna islands.

Vietnam, the Philippines, Taiwan, Malaysia and Brunei also claim parts of the waterway. The Philippines has already taken China to the Permanent Court of Arbitration in the Hague, a case Beijing refuses to recognize.

Indonesia believes China's claim over parts of the Natuna islands has no legal basis. [read more]

Vietnam Must Reassess South China Sea Strategy

06.11.2015 By Jonathan London and Vu Quang Viet (Asia Sentinel) - The China-based scholar David Arase has recently observed that smaller states such as Vietnam and the Philippines can increase their leverage in the dispute through greater cooperation with each other, greater willingness to exercise legal means in concert to defend international norms, and recognition that selective cooperation and non-cooperation can influence regional politics. Within the context of a big power stalemate, Arase argues, smaller states can propose cooperative governance schemes that preserve their own rights and promote their interests while also generating benefits for big powers. In light of recent developments, including China’s conduct and Vietnam’s improving relations with the United States and other powers, Hanoi should consider taking a more proactive approach.

Hanoi should specify its territorial claims while undertaking actions to ease remaining disputes with the Philippines (and Malaysia, if necessary), while reaching out to Indonesia. [read more]

Der wichtigste Seeweg der Welt wird zum Faustpfand

06.11.2015 von Christoph Hein, Canberra (FAZ) - Die Chinesen spielen mit den Muskeln, die Amerikaner sind gereizt. Der Konflikt im Südchinesischen Meer ist eine Gefahr für die Weltwirtschaft.

Das Tauziehen um den Einfluss im Südchinesischen Meer wird heftiger. Betroffen sind die wichtigsten Handelsrouten der Welt. Wenige Tage vor dem Treffen der Staats- und Regierungschefs der Pazifikstaaten auf ihrem Wirtschaftsgipfel, unter ihnen Amerikas Präsident Barack Obama und Chinas Präsident Xi Jinping, können sich die Anrainerländer auf keine Erklärung einigen. Warnungen vor einem Krieg werden laut. Rund 30 Prozent des Welthandelsvolumens von etwa 19 Billionen Dollar werden durch das Südchinesische Meer transportiert. Der amerikanische Verteidigungsminister Ashton Carter spricht von „wachsenden Spannungen“. In der vergangenen Woche sagte Chinas Marineadmiral Wu Shengli, dass schon ein „kleinerer Zwischenfall Krieg auslösen“ könne.

Die Warnungen werden lauter. Die australische Außenministerin Julie Bishop erklärte, die Freiheit der Seefahrt sei entscheidend, denn zwei Drittel der Waren Australiens würden durch das Südchinesische Meer verfrachtet.

Seit 2013 sichert sich China mit hoher Geschwindigkeit wachsenden Einfluss auf See. Fast 1200 Hektar neues Land haben die Chinesen rund um bestehende Atolle dem Meer abgerungen und darauf auch militärische Einrichtungen und Rollbahnen gebaut. [Weiterlesen]

Vietnamese Displeased That China’s President Avoided Talk of Territorial Dispute

06.11.2015 (RFA) - Some Vietnamese have criticized a speech by Chinese President Xi Jinping before the country’s parliament for not addressing the contentious issue concerning the territorial sovereignty of two sets of islands in the East China Sea, claimed by both nations.

Some Vietnamese were displeased with Xi avoiding any specific mention of the nations’ lengthy dispute over the sovereignty of the Paracel (in Vietnamese, Hoang Sa) and Spratly (Truong Sa) islands, where Chinese forces have attacked several Vietnamese fishing boats.

“I see that his speech did not have an aggressive tone, but obviously he still does not recognize Vietnam’s sovereignty over the Paracel and Spratly islands, or at least admit that there is a dispute,” Catholic priest Le Ngoc Thanh from Ho Chi Minh City told RFA’s Vietnamese Service after reading reports about the address. “He only said things in a general way to fool the National Assembly.”

“I think his speech was not genuine, and he tried to avoid the one thing that all the National Assembly delegates wanted to hear about—the Spratly and Paracel islands,” he said.

On the first day of Xi’s visit, dozens of activists had held rare demonstrations in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, resulting in a harsh crackdown by police who beat and detained them, sources told RFA. [read more]

President Xi Jinping tells Hanoi parliament China and Vietnam can survive 'disruptions', but fails to mention South China Sea dispute

06.11.2015 Chung Hoang in Hanoi and Reuters (SCMP) - China and Vietnam are good socialist neighbours with a long-shared history of revolutionary friendship and should be able to dispel and survive any "disruptions" in relations, President Xi Jinping said in Hanoi on Friday.

In a 20-minute speech to nearly 500 members of the Vietnamese parliament, Xi reiterated the peaceful dream and "peaceful gene" of Chinese people, saying the growth of China would enhance global peace-keeping.

Xi made no mention of the South China Sea, nor the brief border war in 1979, when China invaded Vietnam to punish it for toppling the Chinese-backed Khmer Rouge in Cambodia.

His speech was received by Vietnamese MPs with caution. Duong Trung Quoc, an outspoken MP, said Xi's visit and speech had taken place amid an unfavourable atmosphere in Vietnam, as the tensions in the South China Sea had stirred discontent. [read more]

Xi auf heiklem Nachbarschaftsbesuch in Vietnam

06.11.2015 (derStandard) - Hanoi/Peking – Statt Streit gab es zwar höfliche Worte – doch kaum war Chinas Präsident Xi Jinping am Freitag wieder aus Vietnams Hauptstadt Hanoi abgereist, taten sich wieder die alten Gräben zwischen den beiden Nachbarn auf.

Xi hatte beim Besuch von einer "Geschichte der revolutionären Freundschaft" und der guten Nachbarschaft zwischen den beiden Staaten gesprochen.

Kaum war Xi abgereist, verkündeten japanische Agenturen den bevorstehenden Besuch eines japanischen Kriegsschiffes für ein gemeinsames Manöver vor Vietnams Küste.  [Weiterlesen]

Territorialstreit überschattet Besuch von Chinas Xi in Vietnam

06.11.2015 (Der Farang) - HANOI: Chinas Präsident Xi Jinping ist zu einem schwierigen Besuch in Vietnam eingetroffen. Die kommunistischen Nachbarländer zelebrieren zwar auf Parteiebene Einheit und Freundschaft, doch haben Chinas Territorialansprüche im Südchinesischen Meer in den vergangenen Jahren tiefe Spannungen zutage treten lassen. Xi wurde mit einem 21-Schuss-Kanonensalut begrüßt. Er legte am Mausoleum des vietnamesischen Revolutionsführers Ho Chi Minh einen Kranz nieder.«Vielleicht begrüßt die vietnamesische Regierung den Besuch, aber nicht das Volk», meinte China-Experte Nguyen Xuan Dien. Er hatte am Mittwoch in Hanoi an einer Demonstration gegen China teilgenommen. Auch in Ho-Chi-Minh-Stadt gingen Menschen auf die Straße. «Xi Jinping, gib Vietnam die Spratly- und Paracel-Inseln zurück!» stand auf Plakaten. [Weiterlesen]

Xi Jinping au Vietnam pour resserrer les liens "amicaux"

05.11.2015 (Zaman France) - Le président chinois Xi Jinping est arrivé jeudi à Hanoï dans le cadre d'une visite cruciale pour l'amélioration des relations bilatérales, affectées par le contentieux territorial de mer de Chine méridionale et que la réorganisation prochaine du Parti communiste vietnamien pourrait compliquer.

Beaucoup de choses ont changé depuis le départ de la plate-forme pétrolière que Pékin avait fait installer en mai 2014 dans un secteur de mer de Chine méridionale revendiqué par Hanoï. L'initiative avait donné lieu à des émeutes antichinoises au Vietnam.

De modestes manifestations ont été organisées cette semaine avant la visite du président chinois et un rassemblement a encore eu lieu jeudi devant l'ambassade de Chine à Hanoï, où un imposant dispositif policier a été déployé. [en savoir plus]

Activists protest China President Xi's visit to Vietnam

05.11.2015 (Channel NewsAsia) - HANOI: Chinese President Xi Jinping heads to Hanoi on Thursday (Nov 5) for a visit that has drawn the ire of Vietnamese nationalists at a time of bubbling conflict over disputed territory in the South China Sea.

The communist neighbours have long celebrated their political and economic ties but in recent years tensions have flared in a decades-old feud over island chains in the contested waters.

Ahead of Xi's visit - the first by a Chinese president to Vietnam in 10 years - anti-China activists have staged small but rare protests in the heart of the Vietnamese capital and southern Ho Chi Minh City. [read more]

Vietnam: From War Zone to the Belle of the Ball

05.11.2015 By Paul D. Shinkman (U.S. News & World Report) - Chinese President Xi Jinping arrives in Vietnam today for his first state visit, following a period in which relations between the two communist countries hit their lowest point in decades.

Xi's trip comes after Secretary of Defense Ash Carter traveled to Vietnam earlier this summer and Secretary of State John Kerry paid his respects in August. President Barack Obama will be in the neighborhood in mid-November for a series of summits in Malaysia and the Philippines, and while a stop in Vietnam is not on his schedule yet, some observers believe he may add it to the itinerary and become the third U.S. president in Hanoi since Richard Nixon.

Why all the fanfare for a nation that spent years at war with such powers? A half century has made a big difference for Vietnam, which for most Americans still evokes a generation mired in messy conflict.

It's believed Xi's visit was specifically timed to preempt Obama, who is scheduled to visit the region in mid-November for the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit and the U.S.-Association of Southeast Asian Nations Summit. [read more]

Xi Jinpings Schönwetter-Besuch in Vietnam

05.11.2015 Autor: Gabriel Dominguez/MK (DW) - Der erste Staatsbesuch von Xi Jinping in Vietnam wird vom Territorialstreit überschattet. China wird keine Zugeständnisse machen, will gleichzeitig aber den Nachbarn nicht den USA und Japan in die Arme treiben.

Zum ersten Mal besucht Chinas Staats- und Parteichef Xi Jinping Vietnam (bis zum 06.11.) und traf sich mit dem Generalsekretär der Kommunistischen Partei Vietnams, Nguyen Phu Trong, zusammen. In einem Gastbeitrag auf der vietnamesischen Volkszeitung schrieb Xi Jinping, dass China und Vietnam durch Verhandlungen eine "für beide Länder akzeptable Lösung" für das Südchinesische Meer finden würden. Während der Lösungsfindung seien beide Seiten interessiert, die Stabilität in der Region zu gewährleisten, so Xi weiter. Das zweitägige Treffen der Nachbarstaaten soll nach Angaben der chinesischen Nachrichtenagentur Xinhua eine Reihe von Vereinbarungen hervorbringen, darunter Wirtschafts- und Infrastrukturabkommen.

Abgesehen von verstärkter Wirtschaftskooperation dürfte es Xi darum gehen, den anhaltenden Konflikt über Hoheitsgebiete im Südchinesischen Meer zu entschärfen. [Weiterlesen]

China's Xi urges stronger ties with Vietnam, as anger brews over visit

05.11.2015 (Channel NewsAsia) - HANOI: Chinese President Xi Jinping Thursday (Nov 5) said he hoped for a "higher level" partnership with Vietnam on a visit that has angered Vietnamese nationalists at a time of bubbling conflict over the South China Sea.

On arriving in Hanoi, Xi said he hoped the visit would "consolidate (their) traditional friendship" and lift Sino-Vietnamese "cooperation to a higher level" in a statement released in Vietnamese. The Chinese leader was welcomed with a 21-gun salute before being greeted by ruling Communist Party chief Nguyen Phu Trong.

But hours before Xi arrived - on the first visit by a Chinese president to Vietnam in 10 years - a very different scene played out in small but rare protests on the streets of Hanoi and southern Ho Chi Minh City.

"Protesting Xi Jinping's visit" said one of the placards held aloft by about a dozen demonstrators in the capital, as others carried pictures of Xi marked with an "X" across his image. But unlike protests earlier this week, they were quickly disbanded, witnesses told AFP, saying demonstrators in Hanoi were funnelled into buses and driven away. [read more]

Strengste Sicherheitsvorkehrungen - Chinas Präsident zu spannungsgeladener Visite in Vietnam

05.11.2015 (NZZ) - (dpa) - Chinas Präsident Xi Jinping ist am Donnerstag unter strengsten Sicherheitsvorkehrungen zu einem Besuch in Vietnam eingetroffen.

Erst am Mittwoch demonstrierten Vietnamesen in den grössten Städten Hanoi und Ho-Chi-Minh-Stadt gegen China.«Xi Jinping, gib Vietnam die Spratly- und Paracel-Inseln zurück!», stand auf ihren Bannern.  [Weiterlesen]

Spannungen im Pazifik - US-Flugzeugträger von chinesischem U-Boot verfolgt

05.11.2015 (Stern) - Ein Flugzeugträger der US-Streitkräfte ist einem Medienbericht zufolge von einem chinesischen U-Boot verfolgt worden. Wie der Nachrichtensender CNN unter Berufung auf einen Mitarbeiter des Verteidigungsministeriums meldete, ereignete sich der Vorfall am 24. Oktober vor der Küste Japans. Das Jagd-U-Boot der Kilo-Klasse habe den Flugzeugträger USS Ronald Reagan mehr als einen halben Tag lang verfolgt. "Das war keine kurze Begegnung." [Weiterlesen]Wie aus kleinen Inseln chinesische Militärstützpunkte werden 04.11.2015 (Stern) - Die Streitigkeiten um die Spratly-Inseln gehen in die nächste Runde. Neue Satellitenbilder zeigen, wie das Militär Chinas aus Korallenriffe umbaut. Sogar Flugzeuge können dort starten und landen.

Seit die USA vor wenigen Tagen den Zerstörer "USS Sassen" ins südchinesische Meer auf Fahrt geschickt hatten, kommt neuer Zunder in den Konflikt rund um die Spratly-Inselgruppe. Die Anrainer-Staaten Taiwan, Vietnam, Brunei, Malaysia und die Philippinen beanspruchen sie ebenso für sich wie China. Die Regierung in Peking will ihre Versorgungsrouten, die durch das südchinesische Meer verlaufen, sichern.

China geht am weitesten und hat in den vergangenen Jahren einige Korallenriff aufgeschüttet und umgebaut. Die größten Veränderungen sind am Fiery-Cross-Riff zu sehen, wo gleich eine eigene Start- und Landebahn für Flugzeuge gebaut wurde. [Weiterlesen]

International Workshop On Peaceful Solutions To South China Sea Dispute Held In Busan

02.11.2015 (Bernama) - BUSAN - An international workshop seeking peaceful solutions to the East Sea (South China Sea) dispute opened in South Korea's Busan on Friday, reports Vietnam News Agency (VNA).

The event, the fifth of its kind, attracted around 80 scholars, experts and distinguished guests. [read more]

Hague Court Agrees to Hear South China Sea Dispute

30.10.2015 (VOA) - An international court in The Hague has ruled against China and in favor of the Philippines by agreeing to hear a case brought by Manila in a long-standing territorial dispute in the South China Sea.

The Permanent Court of Arbitration ruled Thursday the case actually concerns a disagreement over the interpretation of the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) - a question over which the tribunal does have jurisdiction.

China had claimed that the dispute was strictly about the sovereignty over islands in the sea, an issue over which the court has no jurisdiction. A senior Chinese diplomat on Friday renewed Beijing's pledge to neither participate in the case nor accept the eventual ruling. [read more] - [tiếng Việt]

Mer de Chine : la Cour d’arbitrage de La Haye compétente

30.10.2015 (Le Monde) - La Cour permanente d’arbitrage de La Haye s’est déclarée jeudi 29 octobre compétente pour statuer sur certaines revendications territoriales présentées par les Philippines contre la Chine au sujet de zones disputées de mer de Chine méridionale. Un revers pour Pékin sur le terrain judiciaire, le tribunal ayant rejeté les arguments chinois selon lesquels le conflit porte en réalité sur sa souveraineté territoriale. La Chine a boycotté la procédure et dénie toute autorité à la Cour dans ce dossier.

Pékin revendique la souveraineté de la quasi-totalité de la mer de Chine méridionale, rejetant les revendications du Vietnam, des Philippines, de Taiwan, de Malaisie et du sultanat de Bruneï sur certaines parties. [en savoir plus] - [tiếng Việt]

Philippines Awaits Decision on South China Sea

30.10.2015 Simone Orendain (VOA) - MANILA, PHILIPPINES— The Philippines is cautiously welcoming an international arbitration court's announcement that it will accept Manila's complaint about China's expanded activities in the South China Sea.

The Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague said it will take on seven of the 15 complaints the Philippines filed about China's claim of exclusive sovereign rights, territorial waters and an exclusive economic zone. China has rejected the case ever since the Philippines raised it in January 2013, on the grounds that questions of sovereignty and maritime borders lie outside the court's jurisdiction. [read more]

Chinas Marinechef warnt USA vor Krieg im Südchinesischen Meer

30.10.2015 (Stern) - Nachdem der Konflikt um die Spratly-Inseln kürzlich wieder neu aufgeflammt ist, beginnt nun das Säbelrasseln. Chinas Marine warnt vor weiteren Schritten, die den Beginn von kriegerischen Auseinandersetzungen bedeuten könnten.

Der Chef der chinesischen Marine hat die USA im Streit über das Spratly-Archipel im Südchinesischen Meer vor weiteren Provokationen gewarnt. Ansonsten bestehe die Gefahr, dass bereits "ein kleiner Vorfall zum Krieg führen könnte", sagte Admiral Wu Shengli chinesischen Angaben zufolge am Freitag [Weiterlesen]

Amerika pocht auf freie Schifffahrt - Der Provokateur fühlt sich provoziert

29.10.2015 von Beat U. Wieser (NZZ) - China fühlt sich von den USA provoziert, weil ein amerikanisches Kriegsschiff eine imaginäre Zwölf-Meilen-Zone um ein aufgeschüttetes Riff im Südchinesischen Meer geritzt hat. Dass die von Peking frei erfundene Zone in den Weiten des Meeres vom internationalen Seerecht nicht gedeckt wird, interessiert die chinesische Regierung nicht. China setzt eigenes Recht im Südchinesischen Meer, das es sozusagen als sein Eigentum betrachtet.

Aufgeschüttete Riffe berechtigen gemäss der Uno-Seerechtskonvention nicht zur Etablierung von Zwölf-Meilen-Zonen. Überdies ist Chinas Recht zur Aufschüttung von Riffen für den Bau von Landebahnen, Kasernen und anderen Einrichtungen höchst umstritten. Mehrere Anrainer des Südchinesischen Meeres erheben ebenfalls Anspruch auf Riffe und kleine Inseln.

Der amerikanische Zerstörer USS «Lassen» hat – ob es Peking nun passt oder nicht – sich in internationalen Gewässern bewegt. Das zu belegen, war auch das Ziel der Amerikaner. Seit langem pochen sie auf die Freiheit der Schifffahrt, und zwar nicht nur gegenüber China, sondern gegenüber jedem Staat, der sich Rechte herausnimmt, die über die Bestimmungen der Uno-Seerechtskonvention hinausgehen. Als Provokation kann das nur auffassen, wer das Seerecht zu brechen beliebt. [Weiterlesen]

Vietnam - Zwischen Hammer und Sichel und Burger King

26.10.2015 von Edith Grünwald/APA (Format) - Das Straßenbild in Vietnams Hauptstadt Hanoi ist von Hunderten roten Fahnen mit Hammer und Sichel geprägt, die auf Laternen, Strommasten und entlang der Ausfallstraßen aufgehängt sind. Ebenso fallen die großen Werbeplakate für westliche Produkte ins Auge. Die Sozialistische Republik hat dem Kapitalismus weit die Türen geöffnet, die politische Macht bleibt jedoch fest in Händen der Einheitspartei.

Der Spagat zwischen wirtschaftlicher Weltöffnung und dem unantastbaren Einparteiensystem wird in Vietnam täglich geübt. Kommunistische Funktionäre präsentieren sich sogar auf eigenen Facebook-Seiten. Doch Kritik an der Regierung oder das Aufzeigen von Korruptionsfällen der Mächtigen ist nicht erlaubt, Blogger bzw. Bürger-Journalisten müssen bei Kritik am System mit Haftstrafen rechnen. [Weiterlesen]

U.S. will send ships, planes into Spratly waters to challenge China's claim

23.10.2015 by Atsushi Okudera in Washington and Nanae Kurashige in Beijing (The Asahi Shimbun) - The Obama administration is planning to send ships or planes into the 12-nautical-mile zone around artificial islands China has built in the South China Sea in moves likely to ratchet up tensions with China, which claims them.

The 12-nautical-mile line is used to demarcate a nation's territorial waters, but Washington, which does not admit territorial claims on such artificial islands, is apparently intent on demonstrating that freedom of navigation exists in and above the waters, according to several sources in the U.S. government.

China has been continuing with land reclamation and runway construction work on seven tiny reefs that make up the Spratly Islands.

The Philippines and Vietnam also claim the Spratlys and have repeatedly raised concerns about the Chinese activity there. [read more]

Vietnamese 'Princelings' Rise, Sparking Debate

22.10.2015 Trung Nguyen (VOA) - Some prominent children of high-ranking Vietnamese officials, including those of Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung, have been elected by Vietnam’s Communist Party members to key positions in provinces and municipalities, sparking debate about the role of "princelings."

Vietnamese media reported that Nguyen Thanh Nghi, Dung’s eldest son, has become one of the youngest provincial party chiefs in Vietnam at age 39. His younger brother, Nguyen Minh Triet, was also selected to be a member of the party committee of Binh Dinh province.

Facing harsh public criticism, Vietnamese officials quickly responded that such promotions were conducted in accordance with “guidelines and administrative procedures” and were a “positive move.” [read more]

Vietnam turns to Facebook to reach out to its youth

22.10.2015 (Toronto Star) - HANOI, VIETNAM—Communist Vietnam, which in the past frowned on citizens’ use of Facebook, is turning to the social media website to reach its young people.

The government opened a page early this month and said it will give people timely information about the government and the prime minister.

The government, while maintaining some control over information, is signaling it’s willing to risk facing the wrath of citizens and overseas Vietnamese critical of its policies and one-party system, as it gears for a political transition with a new slate of leaders next year.

Most of the comments made on the page have welcomed it, saying the government has come to the Internet age and that people can make suggestions by commenting.

“This government information page is full of applause, supportive comments,” a Facebook user who goes by the name Duong Hoai Linh posted on the government site Thursday. “Contrary opinions are all deleted and blocked. So is there freedom of speech?” [read more]

Bloggers keep the windows open in Vietnam’s constitutional debates

20.10.2015 John Gillespie, Monash University (East Asia Forum) - ... In tandem with Party-managed debates in state-mediated forums, there is a vibrant constitutional deliberation amongst ‘left-side’ (ben trai) social media circles. Reaching 36 per cent of the population, social media penetration in Vietnam is among the deepest in Southeast Asia.

Most bloggers engage in ‘lifestyle’ politics where recounts of their lives are linked with topical social issues such as environmental pollution, urban congestion and food safety issues.

But other bloggers are playfully transgressive. Buried in their humour are satirical comments about the Party and state. They portray social problems as symptoms of wider regulatory failings and advocate systemic institutional change. Still, most bloggers are careful to avoid discussing multi-party democracy — a topic that routinely attracts penal sanctions. [read more]

Vietnam: Streik in Schuhfabrik

20.10.2015 (Rote Fahne News) - In der vietnamesischen Provinz Thanh Hoa traten vergangene Woche mehr als 1.000 Beschäftigte der Hong Fu-Schuhfabrik wegen der miesen Arbeitsbedingungen in den Streik. Die Streikenden protestierten gegen die brutale Behandlung durch eine chinesische Vorgesetze und gegen zu wenig Toiletten sowie die Begrenzung der Toilettenpausenzeit auf fünf Minuten. Nachdem die Vorgesetze suspendiert wurde, beendeten sie den Streik.

Japan demonstrierte Marine-Stärke vor den Augen Chinas

18.10.2015 (derStandard) - Tokio – Japan hat am Sonntag eine Armada von Kriegsschiffen vor seiner Küste zu einer großen Flottenparade versammelt. 50 Schiffe und 61 Flugzeuge nahmen daran teil, darunter auch Kriegsschiffe aus den USA, Indien, Südkorea, Australien und Frankreich. Die Flottenparade findet alle drei Jahre statt.

Diesmal stand sie im Zeichen eines Wechsels in der japanischen Militärdoktrin, nach der die Beschränkung auf die Selbstverteidigung aufgehoben wurde und die Armee künftig auch zur Verteidigung japanischer Verbündeter im Ausland eingesetzt werden kann. Japan will damit ein stärkeres militärisches Gegengewicht zu China setzen, das seinen Machtanspruch in der Region immer nachdrücklicher artikuliert, unter anderem durch Gebietsansprüche im Südchinesischen Meer.

Die umstrittenen Spratly-Inseln in der Region werden auch von Taiwan und Vietnam sowie teilweise von Brunei, Malaysia und den Philippinen beansprucht. China hat einige Riffe dort künstlich ausgebaut und Leuchttürme errichtet. Malaysias Armeechef Zulkefli Mohd Zin bezeichnete dies am Sonntag als Provokation [Weiterlesen]

Malaysia slams China's "provocation" in South China Sea

18.10.2015 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - BEIJING - China's construction work on islands in the disputed South China Sea is "unwarranted provocation", Malaysia's armed forces chief said on Sunday, in a rare public comment about the spat from a country which has its own claims in the seas.

China's relations with several Southeast Asian countries, especially the Philippines and Vietnam who have competing claims in the South China Sea, have been strained by Beijing's increasingly assertive tone in an area through which $5 trillion in ship-borne trade passes annually.

Malaysia has generally adopted a cautious line in its dealings with Beijing over disputed territory in the South China Sea, in contrast to Vietnam and the Philippines, which have railed against perceived Chinese expansionism.

But two Chinese naval exercises in quick succession around the James Shoal, which lies inside Malaysia's exclusive economic zone, prompted Kuala Lumpur to change its approach last year, senior diplomats have previously told Reuters. [read more]

China’s Island Building in the South China Sea: will other nations follow suit?

18.10.2015 Hemantha Abeywardena (Asian Tribune) - China, the world’s second largest economy, seems to be undeterred by the concerns expressed by those who have claims of ownership in the South China Sea, where the former has been building artificial islands at an alarmingly accelerated phase. Vietnam, the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia and Taiwan also claim the territorial waters, where the Chinese have been reclaiming the sea, while raising artificial islands on top of existing submerged reefs.

Since a natural island can claim the territorial waters within a radius of 12 nautical miles from the island, China may have hoped it could extend the concept of maritime boundary set out by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea to make similar claims around the artificial islands too. The United States interprets the same international law by saying it cannot be applied for artificial islands, built on top of underwater reefs. [read more]

They died for Henry Kissinger’s “credibility”: The real history of our Vietnam immorality

18.10.2015 David Milne (Salon) - Détente with the Soviet Union and the opening to China were significant breakthroughs in their own right. Indeed, a positive appraisal of the Nixon administration’s foreign policies is predicated on our viewing them this way. But Richard Nixon and Henry Kissinger did not view them in isolation at the time. Instead, both men believed that Moscow and Beijing, keen to extract economic and strategic benefits from an improved relationship with Washington, would apply pressure on Hanoi to agree to peace terms permitting a full American withdrawal. On this topic their reasoning was misguided. It did not accord sufficient respect to North Vietnam’s fiercely guarded status as an independent actor, or indeed to the ideological solidarity that existed on at least a bilateral basis between Hanoi and its two Marxist-Leninist patrons.

For making peace in January 1973, Kissinger and Le Duc Tho were jointly awarded the Nobel Peace Prize later in the year. Knowing what was around the corner, Tho refused the award. Kissinger had no such qualms, although he understood as well as Tho that the “peace” was stopgap—a sham. [read more]

Vietnam says China becoming more ‘aggressive and brutal’ against its fishermen after latest boat sinking

15.10.2015 (SCMP) - Tensions could rise further as the southeast Asian nation accuses its Communist neighbour of sinking another one of its fishing vessels.

Vietnam on Thursday accused China of sinking one of its fishing boats near disputed islands in the South China Sea, in the latest incident that could further raise tensions between the Communist neighbours.

Phan Huy Hoang, an official in central Quang Ngai province where the fishermen came from, said a Chinese vessel slammed into the fishing boat with 10 fishermen on board near the Paracels islands on September 29 and sank it. The fishermen were rescued by another Vietnamese fishing boat and the case was reported to authorities when the fishermen returned home two days ago.

“Chinese actions against fishermen from Quang Ngai province have been more aggressive and brutal,” Hoang said by telephone from Quang Ngai. [read more]

Possible Wriggle Room on South China Sea Claims

14.10.2015 By Ashley Townshend (Asia Sentinel) - While tensions continue to rise in the South China Sea, with steady military build-up by all sides, especially by China, a new pathway may be opening for peaceful resolution of the territorial disputes.

The Arbitral Tribunal at the Permanent Court of Arbitration will soon announce whether it has jurisdiction to rule on the Philippines’ case against China’s expansive maritime claims. China is expected to reject the court’s ruling, though it might eventually be compelled to soften its stance.

The decision, expected this month, marks the next stage in a bitter legal process that began in January 2013 when Manila resorted to international law to settle its maritime disputes with Beijing under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, or UNCLOS. Beijing immediately boycotted the proceedings, invoking its exemption to arbitration and refusing to submit formal documentation in defense of its claims. [read more]

The U.S. Reasserts Its Freedom to Navigate the South China Sea

14.10.2015 (Time) - The declaration is a rebuff to China, which lays claim to large swathes of the disputed waters.

Despite a recent warning from China to stay away from the contested islands in the South China Sea, the U.S. has said it would continue to operate in any airspace and waters sanctioned by international law.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Defense Secretary Ash Carter made the announcement on Tuesday in Boston after a joint meeting with their Australian counterparts, Foreign Minister Julie Bishop and Defence Minister Marise Payne. [read more]

Chinas Ansprüche im Südchinesischen Meer - Leuchttürme des Anstosses

14.10.2015 von Nina Belz (NZZ) - China hat zwei Leuchttürme gebaut – auf Inseln, die nicht nur von China beansprucht werden. Die Nachbarn protestieren. Den USA scheint angesichts des aggressiven Vorgehens Chinas die Geduld auszugehen.

Vor allem in diesem Jahr hat China seine Bautätigkeit im Südchinesischen Meer stark vorangetrieben, so dass sich diese mithilfe von Luftaufnahmen ziemlich gut dokumentieren lässt. Entsprechend sind die Spannungen mit den Nachbarstaaten gestiegen; und auch den Vereinigten Staaten, die in der Region Verbündete haben, missfällt die expansive Politik der Chinesen. [Weiterlesen]

Vietnam protestiert gegen chinesische Leuchttürme auf Riffen

14.10.2015  (Der Farang) - (dpa) - HANOI: Vietnam hat gegen chinesische Leuchttürme auf den Spratly-Inseln im Südchinesischen Meer protestiert.

Auf die Riffe in der rohstoffreichen Region erheben außer China und Vietnam auch die Philippinen teilweise Ansprüche. Chinesische Firmen hatten dort vor kurzem Leuchttürme auf zwei Riffen in Betrieb genommen, um die Seefahrt sicherer zu machen, wie es hieß. [Weiterlesen]

Vietnam–US relations balancing ideology and geopolitics

09.10.2015 Author: Cuong T. Nguyen, University of Chicago (East Asia Forum) - On 7 July 2015, Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong met US President Barack Obama at the Oval Office, marking a historic milestone in advancing US–Vietnam relations. But the trip was largely symbolic as Trong returned to Hanoi with only modest progress on comprehensive US–Vietnam relations.

Still both parties have achieved progress in redressing societal grievances through their cooperation in removing the dioxin and UXO.

Mehr Vietnamesisch Eltern ihre Kinder für die Hochschulen Versenden in die USA. Mit 16.000 Studenten in den Vereinigten Staaten zu studieren, Vietnam zählt heute 8. in der Liste der Länder, das Senden der meisten Studenten amerikanischer Universitäten.

From Washington’s perspective, the speed at which a potential US–Vietnam alliance develops depends on Vietnam’s progress in upholding human rights. [read more]

Ponderings at Auschwitz: Okinawa and Vietnam where the same thing can happen again

09.10.2015 Michiko Yoshii (The Asahi Shimbun) - I decided to visit Auschwitz. On my way back from an international conference in Berlin in July, I first went to Poland.

"The Nazis saw the Jews as an inferior race, and thought it better to kill and liberate them from their miserable lives on Earth. These are the kinds of stories they invented before murdering them. Around 1.5 million people ...".

Even in Vietnam, where there were no major battles, it is said that at least tens of thousands, if not 2 million people starved to death because their country was used to procure food and supplies for the Imperial Japanese Army.

I again thought of Vietnam. I remembered something said by the Cham, an indigenous people who live at the planned site of a nuclear power plant with reactors exported from Japan.

"A Kinh (who form the majority in Vietnam) Communist Party leader said such awful things: that even if there is an accident at the nuclear power plant, there are lots of Cham people, so it's OK if our population decreases a little."

When I return to Okinawa, I'm going to start regularly visiting Henoko again. And I think I'll keep on putting out information about the nuclear reactors exported to Vietnam. That is because even if we haven't had another tragedy like Auschwitz, there are many "mini-Auschwitzes" in the world where the same thing could happen again. [read more]

Vietnam arrests ex-soldier for attempted subversion: sources

05.10.2015 (The Star) - HANOI (AFP) - A former soldier turned democracy campaigner has been arrested in Vietnam for attempted subversion, sources said Monday, the same charge that previously saw him jailed for more than five years.

Tran Anh Kim, 66, was taken into police custody on September 21, a source close to the family told AFP, requesting anonymity for fear of reprisals by authorities.

Kim, who served in the army for more than 30 years, was jailed in December 2009 for his role in two "reactionary and illegal" political organisations -- the Democratic Party of Vietnam and the pro-democracy bloc known as "8406". [read more] - [tiếng Việt]

Vietnam Is Changing... And So Is the Balance of Power in Asia

02.10.2015 By Carl Thayer (The Diplomat) - On September 15, Vietnam’s political log jam suddenly burst with the simultaneous launch of a website dedicated to preparations for the twelfth national party congress and the release of the draft Political Report and Socio-Economic Plan for 2016-2020.

The Vietnamese public has been given until the end of October to send in comments on the draft policy documents.

Key policy documents are usually released well in advance of a national congress. For example, the draft Political Report and Five-Year Socio-Economic Plan were released nine months before the eleventh national party congress in January 2011. This time only four months remain to complete preparations for the twelfth congress scheduled for January 2016. [read more]

US, Vietnam Eye Deeper Coast Guard Cooperation

30.09.2015 By Prashanth Parameswaran (The Diplomat) - The head of the U.S. Coast Guard has expressed interest in deepening cooperation with Vietnam, local media outlets reported last week.

According to the People’s Army Newspaper, Admiral Paul Zukunft, the Commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard, made the comment during a September 21 meeting with Lieutenant General Vo Van Tuan, the deputy chief of the general staff of the Vietnam People’s Army.

The areas reportedly being considered include information sharing, delegation exchanges, and training. [read more]

Le Vietnam veut réorganiser ses médias

26.09.2015 (zonebourse) - Le Vietnam veut profondément réorganiser ses médias et enrayer leur "commercialisation" qui "affecte négativement l'opinion publique", rapporte samedi le journal Tuoi Tre (Jeunesse), géré par le ministère de la Défense.

La télévision publique, la radio Voix du Vietnam, l'agence de presse officielle VNA et trois journaux dirigés par le Parti communiste, le ministère de la Défense et celui de l'Intérieur seraient autorisés à se transformer en agences multimédias. [en savoir plus]

A China-Vietnam Military Clash

23.09.2015 Author: Joshua Kurlantzick (Council on Foreign Relations) - The risk of a military confrontation between China and Vietnam is rising. Although the two countries have enjoyed close party-to-party ties for decades, since 2011 they have both asserted conflicting claims to the South China Sea. Beijing claims 90 percent of the sea as its exclusive economic zone. China has repeatedly moved oil rigs into disputed areas, dredged and occupied parts of the disputed Paracel Islands, and constructed at least one and potentially multiple airstrips, possibly for military use, in the Spratly Islands. Vietnam has also tried to use oil explorations to claim disputed areas of the sea and reportedly has rammed Chinese vessels in disputed waters. Vietnam has cultivated close military ties to the United States, to other Southeast Asian nations like the Philippines, and to regional powers such as India, all to the consternation of China. In addition, Vietnam and China increasingly compete for influence in mainland Southeast Asia, where Vietnam had dominated between the 1970s and late 2000s. [read more]

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ASPO: Die geostrategische Bedeutung des Südchinesischen Meers

16.09.2015 (ee-news) - Seit anfangs Juli befasst sich in Den Haag ein internationales Schiedsgericht mit der Frage, ob es für den Inselstreit in Südostasien zuständig ist. Denn: Die Philippinen versuchen den Streit mit China um Riffe und Meeresgebiete im Südchinesischen Meer auf der Ebene internationaler Schiedsgerichtbarkeit auszutragen, auch wegen Erdölvorkommen und -Transportwegen.

Vor dem Schiedsgericht in Den Haag argumentieren die Philippinen, dass keine der von China beanspruchten Inseln im Spratley Archipel als bewohnte Insel gelten kann und somit kein Anspruch auf eine „exklusive Wirtschaftszone“ besteht. Dies könnte erklären, warum China dieses Jahr mit Hochdruck versucht, auf dem „Mischief Reef“ mit Sandauffüllungen eine Insel zu erschaffen. [Weiterlesen]

Expertos militares chinos justifican nueva pista aérea en islas disputadas

16.09.2015 (Univision) - Pekín (EFE).- Expertos militares chinos justifican hoy la construcción por parte del Gobierno de Pekín de una tercera pista de aterrizaje en las islas Spratly, en el Mar de la China Meridional y reclamadas por Filipinas, para cumplir con el objetivo estratégico chino de tener una Marina potente.

En declaraciones al diario independiente hongkonés South China Morning Post (SCMP), varios expertos consideran que es "un deber" de China conseguir el control aéreo sobre las Spratly en caso de guerra. [seguir leyendo]

Vietnam Mulls Clarification of 'Anti-state' Laws

15.09.2015 Trung Nguyen (VOA) - The Chairman of Vietnam’s legislature has surprised many by saying his country should clarify its so-called anti-state laws in order to prevent arbitrary arrests that violate human and civil rights.

During a debate on the revision of criminal laws Monday, Nguyen Sinh Hung said, “We should not let the [overly vague] laws exist, paving the way for virtually anyone to be detained.” 

Such a move would be a major shift for Vietnamese authorities. [read more]

Spratly-Inseln: China baut offenbar weitere Startbahn im Südchinesischen Meer

15.09.2015 (Der Spiegel) - China schafft im Südchinesischen Meer weitere Fakten. Die Volksrepublik bereitet offenbar den Bau einer dritten Landebahn auf den Riffen der Spratly-Inseln vor. Darauf lassen Satellitenbilder schließen, die der US-Thinktank "Center for Strategic and International Studies" (CSIS) veröffentlichte. Die Bilder stammen vom 8. September und zeigen den Angaben zufolge Bauarbeiten auf dem Mischief-Riff, einer künstlichen Insel, die China aufschütten ließ. Die Aufnahmen zeigen laut CSIS einen drei Kilometer langen rechteckigen Bereich mit einer Stützmauer. Ähnliche Anlagen gebe es bereits auf den Riffen Subi und Fiery Cross, sagte Greg Poling vom CSIS. [Weiterlesen]

Vietnam calls for reforms, anti-corruption drive ahead of party congress

15.09.2015 (Asian Correspondent) - HANOI, Vietnam (AP) — Vietnam’s ruling Communist Party has called for reforms and a stepped-up fight against corruption as it prepares for an upcoming party congress.

The calls were included in the draft political report released on the Communist Party’s website and in most daily newspapers Tuesday and designed to garner ideas from the public. [read more]

Abe pledges more ships to Vietnam’s top leader to offset China

15.09.2015 by Masaaki Kameda (The Japan Times) - Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Vietnamese supreme leader Nguyen Phu Trong agreed Tuesday that Japan will provide more used vessels to shore up Vietnam’s maritime law enforcement capabilities to counter China’s increasing power in the South China Sea.

Abe also said Tokyo will extend about ¥100 billion in loans to Vietnam to help build new infrastructure such as ports and expressways. [read more]

Following the leaders in Vietnam

11.09.2015 By Carlyle A. Thayer (Asia Sentinel) - The Vietnam Communist Party (VCP) is scheduled to hold its next national party congress reportedly in early 2016. There are signs, however, that consensus has not been reached on a number of issues including the South China Sea and relations with China and the selection of Vietnam’s future leadership. This could result in a rescheduling of the congress until a later date.

At the 12th National Congress all candidates for the new Central Committee must be approved by the outgoing Central Committee before their names are placed on ballot papers. On the last day of the congress the new Central Committee will hold its first plenary meeting and elect the new Politburo and then select one of the Politburo members as party Secretary General. [read more]

China must drop 'deceitful rhetoric'on disputedsea:Philippines

06.09.2015 (Business Standard) - Beijing must offer more than hollow promises if it wishes to secure peace in the disputed South China Sea and beyond, a spokesman for the Philippine defence department said today.

The remarks came days after China flaunted its military might with a massive parade to mark the end of World War II, though President Xi Jinping said at the event his country was dedicated to peace and does "not seek hegemony".

"The Chinese leadership should go beyond deceitful rhetoric claiming peaceful efforts before their aggression takes a greater and irreparable toll on the region and beyond," Peter Paul Galvez, the department spokesman said in a statement. [read more]

Ho Chi Minh ruft die Unabhängigkeit Vietnams aus – mit Hilfe der USA

05.09.2015 Von Rolf Steininger (Tiroler Tageszeitung) - Der 2. September 1945 ist ein denkwürdiges Datum in der Geschichte der USA, Japans, Vietnams und Frankreichs. An diesem Tag, einem Sonntag, unterschrieben die Japaner auf dem amerikanischen Schlachtschiff USS Missouri in der Bucht von Tokio ihre bedingungslose Kapitulation. Am selben Tag, fast zur gleichen Stunde, proklamierte der vietnamesische Nationalist und Kommunist Ho Chi Minh auf dem Ba-Dinh-Platz in Hanoi die Unabhängigkeit seines Landes von Frankreich. Amerikanische Offiziere hatten sich dabei auf der Ehrentribüne versammelt.

In den letzten Kriegsmonaten gab es eine Art Bündnis zwischen den Vietminh, den Unabhängigkeitskämpfern Ho Chi Minhs, und den USA. Ein sieben Mann starkes OSS-Team mit dem Codenamen „Deer Mission“ sprang am 16. Juli 1945 mit Fallschirmen und Waffen für hundert Mann in Nordvietnam ab und stieß dort auf Ho Chi Minh, der nach Aussage eines Amerikaners „ein Haufen Knochen, überzogen mit trockener, gelber Haut“ und schwer krank war. Ho wurde vom Arzt des Teams, Paul Hoagland, gegen Malaria und Ruhr behandelt; wahrscheinlich retteten die Amerikaner dem 55-Jährigen damals das Leben. [Weiterlesen]

If China is serious about peace, it must show convincing actions

05.09.2015 (The Asahi Shimbun) - In a speech delivered Sept. 3 during China’s huge military parade, Chinese President Xi Jinping pledged to cut the country’s 2.3-million-strong military force by 300,000.

We cannot welcome his announcement simply as a positive step toward arms reduction.

That’s because the move is part of a shift in China’s military from focusing on traditional land forces to putting greater emphasis on advanced sea and air forces and missile units. This shift is underpinned by the upgrading of weapons used by the People’s Liberation Army. [read more]

Vietnam-US relations: What the Vietnamese say

04.09.2015 By Nga Pham In Hanoi (BBC) - Four decades since the Vietnam War ended, America is the largest importer of Vietnamese commodities, while the Vietnamese are the eighth largest foreign student community in the US. This weekend's US visit by Vietnam's parliamentary chairman Nguyen Sinh Hung reflects the deepening political ties between these two former enemies over the last decade. [read more]

China Declares Indian Oil Exploration in South China Sea ‘Illegal’

04.09.2015 by John Hayward (Breitbart) - China is consolidating its newfound authority over the international South China Sea by declaring it controls international waters off the coast of independent Vietnam.

“India’s intention to once again explore for oil in the disputed waters of the South China Sea is an unwise move, as it will further complicate the maritime disputes and do a disservice to maintaining the positive momentum that has been achieved in China-India ties,” declared the state-run China Daily, as translated by the Times of India.

Want China Times of Taiwan notes that the deal between an Indian company and Vietnam’s state-run PetroVietnam was signed three years before China opened international bidding on exploration of the waters under its control. [read more]

Als Deutschland sein Herz für Boatpeople entdeckte

01.09.2015 Von Benno Müchler (Die Welt) - Ende der 70er-Jahre flohen Millionen Menschen vor dem kommunistischen Vietcong aufs offene Meer hinaus. Doch niemand wollte sie haben. Es war ein deutscher Politiker, der das Leiden für viele beendete.

Es war Ende Mai 1979, als Tu Dung Dang mit seinen Eltern an die Küste fuhr. Dang war damals 12 Jahre alt und lebte in Vietnam. "Wir fuhren an einen Nebenfluss, der zum Meer führte", erzählt er.

36 Jahre später ist Tu Dung Dang einer von rund 35.000 vietnamesischen Boatpeople, die in der Bundesrepublik Zuflucht fanden. Wie die Aufnahme der Flüchtlinge heute war auch ihre Aufnahme damals umstritten. [Weiterlesen]

Vietnam lässt zum Unabhängigkeitstag tausende Gefangene frei

28.08.2015 (der Standard) - Ho-Chi-Minh-Stadt – Gut 18.500 Häftlinge in Vietnam haben besonderen Grund, am 70. Jahrestag der Unabhängigkeitserklärung zu jubeln: Die Regierung lässt sie vorzeitig aus der Haft.

Begnadigung soll die Barmherzigkeit der Regierung zeigen.

Menschenrechtler kritisierten, dass keine politischen Gefangenen darunter sind. 135 Menschen sind nach Angaben der Organisation Human Rights Watch in Vietnam wegen ihrer politischen Überzeugung in Haft. [Weiterlesen]

Vietnam to free 18,200 prisoners in amnesty, but no political activists

28.08.2015 (The Guardian) - Vietnam on Friday said it will free more than 18,200 prisoners to mark its independence day celebrations, but political activists will be excluded from the country’s second biggest-ever amnesty.

The prisoners to be freed had been sentenced to a range of crimes including murder, drug and people-trafficking and bribery. But no one sentenced for “propaganda” against the state or attempting to overthrow the regime — charges frequently used against activists — were on the list to be released. [read more]

Le Vietnam libère des milliers de détenus

28.08.2015 (La Liberté) - Les autorités vietnamiennes ont annoncé vendredi la libération de plus de 18'298 détenus, à l'occasion du 70e anniversaire de l'ex-colonie française. Mais cette mesure exclut les prisonniers politiques, menace à la "sécurité nationale" du pays communiste.

Parmi les prisonniers de droit commun libérés, figurent des meurtriers et trafiquants de drogue, mais aucun condamné pour "propagande contre l'Etat" ou "tentatives de renversement du régime", deux accusations souvent utilisées contre les opposants. [en savoir plus]

It’s Time to Confront Beijing About the South China Sea

21.08.2015 By Jerry Hendrix (Defense One) - China has continued its aggressive actions in the South China Sea. Lets start with some facts. China’s territorial claims, based upon a 1947 map showing nine dashed lines encircling the South China Sea, has no legitimate basis in fact.

The nine-dashed line itself was advanced by the Republic of China government, which is currently based on the island of Taiwan, following the defeat of Japan in an attempt to claim some of Japan’s wartime conquests for China. These claims were not recognized by the international community then or now; depending as they do on low-lying sandbars that are only exposed during low tides, the claims have no basis in international law. [read more]

The reality of geopolitics: Enemies do become friends

20.08.2015 Rahul Raj (The Asahi Shimbun) - The old saying "the enemy of my enemy is my friend" perfectly suits the emerging friendships in contemporary Asia. The Philippines is in a contest with China over ownership of the Spratly Islands around the nine-dashed line in the South China Sea, and Japan is disputing with China ownership of the Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea.

Even though Japan committed horrible crimes against the Philippines during its occupation, including sex slavery, such historical issues have not been a barrier to the two countries uniting against the perceived threat of an expansionist China.

The other two old enemies becoming friends are Vietnam and the United States.

In truth, none of these countries--the Philippines, Japan, Vietnam, the United States and China--would like to have a direct confrontation over regional issues, but no one can predict with any certainty how these situations are likely to develop over time. [read more]

Wandeln am Abgrund

20.08.2015 Von Klaus Huhold (Wiener Zeitung) - Die Gefahr, dass der Inselstreit in Ostasien in einen bewaffneten Konflikt ausartet, ist hoch, sagt der Politologe Howard Loewen. Chinas Verhalten sei dabei typisch für eine aufstrebende Großmacht.

Immer wieder kam es zu Zwischenfällen, stießen etwa Schiffe einzelner Länder aneinander. Vor allem China, das das gesamte Gebiet rund um die drei Inselgruppen beansprucht, wird von vielen Anrainerstaaten als Aggressor gesehen.

Die "Wiener Zeitung" sprach mit dem Politologen Howard Loewen über Chinas Rolle in dem Streit, die Interessen der USA und den Nationalismus in der Region. [Weiterlesen]

Chinas Militärstrategie - Riffe mit Flugpiste

16.08.2015 Von Arne Perras (SZ) - Es gibt es kein anderes Seegebiet der Welt, wo sich nationale Rivalitäten so stark aufschaukeln wie in Südostasien. Es besteht die Gefahr eines ungebremsten asiatischen Rüstungswettlaufs. China öffnet sich nur zögerlich für Gespräche.

Eine neue Form des Flugzeugträgers macht von sich reden. Nicht dass er über alle Meere kreuzen könnte wie die herkömmlichen Giganten zur See. Die jüngste Kreation ist das Werk chinesischer Militärstrategen, sie lassen im Meer Riffe mit Sand aufschütten und bauen einfach eine Flugpiste obendrauf. Fertig ist der neue Stützpunkt. Alle staunen, aber den Nachbarn macht das auch Angst. [Weiterlesen]

One-third of businesses in Vietnam bribe officials when paying tax: Survey

13.08.2015 By Tan Qiuyi (Channel NewsAsia) - HANOI: Nearly a third of businesses in Vietnam have to bribe officials when paying tax, according to a survey by the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI).

The first survey of its kind by VCCI on the country’s tax practices surveyed 2,542 registered businesses in the country, which include state-owned enterprises, private businesses and foreign companies.

Thirty-two per cent of them say they have to pay “unofficial fees” to tax officials, and another 40 per cent believe they would face discrimination if they did not - they could be asked to submit additional documents or have their tax procedures extended.

The VCCI said the findings point to the reality of doing business in Vietnam. Because the survey only covers registered businesses, the prevalence of corruption in the economy as a whole could possibly be higher. [read more] - [tiếng Việt]

Siete millones de niños sin escuela en el Sudeste Asiático dice, la Unesco

13.08.2015 (Univision) - Bangkok (EFE).- Siete millones de niños no van a la escuela en el Sudeste Asiático y, si no cambia esa situación, repercutirá en el Producto Interior Bruto de las distintas economías nacionales, indicó hoy la Unesco al presentar un informe en Bangkok.

De mantenerse la tendencia actual, la repercusión en el PIB oscilará entre el 0,1 por ciento en el caso de Vietnam y el 4 por ciento en el caso de Timor Oriental, señala el estudio "El coste económico de los niños sin estudios en el Sudeste Asiático".

La investigación analiza la situación en Camboya, Filipinas, Indonesia, Laos, Malasia, Tailandia, Timor Oriental y Vietnam. [seguir leyendo]

How Hanoi Buys Influence in Washington, D.C.

04.08.2015 by Greg Rushford (The Rushford Report) - ... Kerry’s top human-rights advisor, Tom Malinowski, held what he characterized as “productive” meetings in Hanoi with senior Vietnamese officials. On May 11, two days after Malinowski’s visit, thugs wielding metal pipes bloodied a courageous Vietnamese political dissident named Anh Chi. Malinowski deplored the incident, while still insisting that Vietnam has been making commendable “progress” on human rights.

Once again, a familiar pattern emerged: Shortly before Trong’s speech before a CSIS audience of mainly well-connected Washington insiders, there was another ugly incident behind the scenes. The incident illustrates what’s really going on when American and Vietnamese officials praise Vietnam’s “demonstrable” human-rights progress. Moreover, the CSIS embarrassment offers a glimpse into how the Communist Party has been quietly buying influence to advance its foreign policy agenda in Washington — a sophisticated lobby campaign that appears to be working. Hanoi, it appears, has learned that in Washington, money talks. [read more] - [tiếng Việt]

The Philippines-China Arbitration: What Next?

01.08.2015 By Gregory Poling (The Diplomat) - What comes next in the Philippines’ South China Sea arbitration case? The five-member tribunal hearing Manila’s case against Beijing’s South China Sea claims at the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague held a hearing on preliminary jurisdiction and admissibility of claims from July 7 to 13. As expected, China did not participate or attend the hearings, which were closed to the public but observed by delegations from Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam. The tribunal’s decision to consider jurisdictional questions separate from the merits will likely delay a final ruling, though fears that it will push a decision back a year or more are likely overblown. [read more]

For the ASEAN-China South China Sea Code of Conduct, Ninth Time Isn't the Charm

01.08.2015 By Ankit Panda (The Diplomat) - After consultations in Tianjin, Chinese and ASEAN leaders appear to be no closer to a Code of Conduct for the South China Sea.

Senior officials from China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) met in Tianjin, China to discuss the implementation of the 2002 Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC) and to advance progress toward a more binding Code of Conduct for the South China Sea.

For Beijing, joining the Code of Conduct consultation process has proven strategically advantageous. For example, over the course of the last 8 ministerial meetings on the Declaration of Conduct and Code of Conduct, China has continued to assert its sovereignty over disputed waters with impunity. Its participation in the talks has prevented any real progress, allowing Beijing to continue its activities in the contested Paracel and Spratly Islands without contest from any mutually agreed-upon framework (except the non-binding 2002 declaration). [read more]

David Cameron clearly sees Vietnam as a regime he can do business with

29.07.2015 Patrick Wintour in Hanoi (The Guardian) - Vietnam may be one of the last five true Communist countries in the world. It maintains all the trappings of a dictatorship that tramples on human rights, but Cameron clearly thinks this is a regime with which he can do business. That said, a delicate diplomatic dance is required to handle the often opaque politics of the Vietnamese Communist leadership.

Cameron was only eight when the war ended, so all the leftwing protests against the Vietnam war outside the US embassy in Grosvenor Square mean nothing to him.

Cameron travelled in Vietnam as a young backpacker in the early 90s, and despite the protocol-ridden formalities of the signing ceremonies for Rolls Royce engines and Prudential Assurance, he would find the sprawling metropolitan city quite startling with its bars and vibrant streets. The US may have lost the battle to protect south Vietnam from communism, but its capitalism may yet win the war. [read more]

Chinese Song Causes Embarrassment in Vietnam

29.07.2015 Khanh An (VOA) - A Chinese anthem played during a nationally televised gathering of senior Vietnamese officials this week has become fodder for online activists.

Senior officials, including President Truong Tan Sang and Defense Minister Phung Quang Thanh, gathered Monday at the Ministry of Defense to see a patriotic musical show.

But when Sang walked onto the stage to give the opening speech, the Chinese patriotic song "Ode to Motherland" played while a national audience watched from home. [read more]

David Cameron vows to tackle trafficking of Vietnamese children

29.07.2015 Patrick Wintour in Singapore (The Guardian) - Fact-finding mission will examine how to stop traffickers in Vietnam, while big UK firms will have to show how they are preventing human slavery.

David Cameron is to promise a crackdown on the trafficking of Vietnamese children by ordering big British businesses to set out annually what they are doing to stop slavery and human trafficking in their supply chains.

As many as 3,000 Vietnamese children are thought to have been trafficked to Britain to work in cannabis farms and nail bars, and are often housed in atrocious conditions. Overall, the government scientific adviser has suggested there may be as many as 13,000 victims in the UK. Vietnam is the fourth biggest source country of people trafficked to the UK.

Cameron will also announce on Wednesday, during the first visit by a British prime minister to Vietnam, that the independent anti-slavery commissioner, Kevin Hyland, will lead a fact-finding mission to the country this autumn to identify what more the UK can do to defeat human traffickers. [read more] - [tiếng Việt]

Vietnam Slams Chinese Naval Drill in South China Sea

27.07.2015 By Ankit Panda (The Diplomat) - Vietnamese authorities are calling for the China’s People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) to stop a naval exercise off the coast of Hainan Island, near the disputed Paracel Islands in the South China Sea. The Vietnamese foreign ministry issued a statement demanding that the PLAN exercise be halted immediately. In Vietnam’s view, the area where the exercise is taking place violates the country’s sovereignty. Vietnam and China both claim sovereignty over the Paracel Islands.

On July 20, the PLAN announced that it would conducted a “10-day training in waters off (sic) eastern Hainan Islands.” In a statement posted on the Chinese military’s website, the PLA noted that the exercise would take place “in the relevant waters near eastern Hainan Island in the South China Sea from 8:00 of July 22 to 8:00 of July 31, 2015.” [read more]

Filipino fishermen remove Chinese buoys near disputed shoal, officials say

26.07.2015 (Reuters) - MANILA - Filipino fishermen found several buoys with Chinese markings near the disputed Scarborough Shoal and towed the devices back to shore northwest of the capital, Manila, Philippines officials said on Sunday.

China seized control of the rocky outcrop in the South China Sea in 2012 after a three-month stand-off with Philippine coast guard ships, preventing Filipino fishermen from getting near their traditional fishing grounds.

The shoal is about 125 nautical miles (230 km) west of the Philippines. [read more]

Vietnam defence minister returns to Vietnam

25.07.2015 "The minister returned to Hanoi from Paris this morning on a Vietnam Airlines flight and he left the airport directly for the office to start work," Lieutenant General Vo Van Tuan, deputy chief of the General Staff of the Vietnam People's Army, told dpa.

An earlier dpa report mistakenly reported that the general had died after receiving treatment at a Paris hospital, citing a source at the hospital. [read more]

Columbia’s Van Loan describes torture as POW: ‘I had never ever been hurt like that before in my life’

24.07.2015 (The State) - COLUMBIA, SC - Columbia’s Jack Van Loan, a Vietnam War Air Force fighter pilot shot down by enemy fire in May 1967, describes his six years as a POW in a manuscript written with retired Air Force Lt. Col. Norman Turner.

In the forward to “Chained Eagles, The Story of Col. Jack Van Loan and the Vietnam POWs in North Vietnam,” Turner writes:

“Being a prisoner is not in itself heroic. This situation usually starts as an unfortunate turn of events and in the beginning makes the subject merely an unfortunate victim of the vagaries of fortune. However, the manner in which a man responds and adjusts to the tremendous pressures and tribulations in which he finds himself, reveals his true character.” [read more]

Canberra warned on China maritime threat

20.07.2015 (Nikkei Asian Review) - SYDNEY -- China's growing naval presence in the Indian Ocean poses a potential threat to Australia as Beijing appears to be shifting to a strategy of greater power projection, according to a new report by Australian and U.S. defense policy experts.

The report, which analyzes the future of the long-standing Australia-New Zealand-U.S. security treaty, underscores a debate in Australia about how the country should respond to the growing military power of China, its biggest trading partner. 

Entitled "The Anzus Alliance in an Ascending Asia," the report was jointly authored by the Strategic and Defence Studies Centre at the Australian National University in Canberra and the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, D.C. Among the authors are CSIS Senior Vice President for Asia Michael J. Green, who was a senior director for Asian affairs at the U.S. National Security Council under the George W. Bush administration. [read more]

Philippines, Vietnam reviving Cold War bases to combat China’s naval expansion

20.07.2015 By Manabu Sasaki (The Asahi Shimbun) - HANOI--The Philippines and Vietnam are refurbishing key military bases used during the Cold War and bolstering cooperation with Washington to counter Beijing’s maritime expansion in the South China Sea.

Located 100 kilometers northwest of Manila, Subic Bay offers immediate access to the South China Sea. It used to host a sprawling U.S. naval base, one of the largest in Asia. The U.S. Navy abandoned the facility in 1992 following the end of the Cold War, and the area is now designated as a special economic zone for commercial use.

The Philippines is now working to strengthen its security ties with Washington. It signed a military treaty with the United States last year to pave the way for Washington to station troops in the Southeast Asian country once again.

Vietnam is also in conflict with China over sovereignty of the Paracel Islands and the Spratly Islands.

In late June, a Russian-built submarine, Khanh Hoa, arrived in Cam Ranh Bay, which was used by the U.S. military to support South Vietnam during the Vietnam War. The bay fell under communist control after the war ended in 1975. [read more]

Archaeology and the South China Sea

20.07.2015 By Andrew S. Erickson and Kevin Bond (The Diplomat) - Recently, Vietnamese and Western media resumed reporting on China’s HD-981 oil rig, after it was redeployed to disputed waters, dredging up memories of the intense anti-Chinese protests in Vietnam and the diplomatic standoff that occurred last year when the rig was moved to waters between Vietnam and China for the first time. The HD-981 oil rig gives China a mobile, economic platform from which to project its sovereignty in disputed waters, but what about a cultural-historical platform? Well, “they have a ship for that,” too, and its recent deployment in the Paracel Island chain went relatively unnoticed. The vessel in question is China’s first domestically designed and developed archaeological ship, and its deployment reflects China’s ability to rapidly introduce dedicated ships for virtually every function it desires.

In 2014, China officially launched its first archaeological vessel, the 950-ton, 56 meter-long Kaogu-01. Originally commissioned by the State Administration of Cultural Heritage (SACH) in 2012, primary construction on Kaogu-01 was completed by Chongqing Dongfeng Shipbuilding Corporation on January 24, 2014 at a total end cost of around 80 million yuan ($12.9 million). According to the Chongqing Youth Daily, the deployment of this ship marks the end of Chinese maritime archaeologists conducting their research from rented fishing vessels. [read more]

Vietnam denies report of defence minister's death

20.07.2015 (dpa) - Bangkok - The Vietnamese government Monday denied a report that the defence minister died in a Paris hospital at the weekend.

General Phung Quang Thanh's health was "stable" after surgery in the Georges Pompidou European Hospital in Paris, said Lieutenant General Vo Van Tuan, deputy chief of the General Staff of the Vietnam People's Army. [read more] - [tiếng Việt]

Vietnam dementiert Bericht über Tod des Verteidigungsministers

20.07.2015 Von unserem dpa-Korrespondenten und Europe Online (Europe Online) - Hanoi/Paris (dpa) - Die vietnamesische Regierung hat einen Bericht über den Tod von Verteidigungsminister Phung Quang Thanh (66) zurückgewiesen. Der Minister sei in einem Pariser Krankenhaus gestorben, hatte die Deutsche Presse-Agentur am Sonntag nach Quellen innerhalb des Krankenhauses berichtet. [Weiterlesen] - [tiếng Việt]

Vietnam defence minister dies in France after cancer treatment

19.07.2015 (dpa) - Hanoi - Vietnam's Minister of Defence died on Sunday at a French hospital where he was being treated for lung cancer, a military source said. He died Sunday at Georges Pompidou Hospital, the military source told dpa. The source declined to be named as he is not authorized to tell media. [read more] - [tiếng Việt]

Vietnams Verteidigungsminister stirbt in Pariser Krankenhaus an Krebs

19.07.2015 Von unserem dpa-Korrespondenten und Europe Online (Europe Online) - Hanoi (dpa) - Der vietnamesische Verteidigungsminister, General Phung Quang Thanh (66), ist nach Angaben aus Hanoi in einem Krankenhaus in Paris an Lungenkrebs gestorben. Vor seiner Erkrankung galt der General in der kommunistischen Partei Vietnams als Funktionär mit großem Einfluss. Er wurde sogar für das Amt des Präsidenten gehandelt. [Weiterlesen] - [tiếng Việt]

China begins building of world's largest sea plan

18.07.2015 (The Times of India) - BEIJING: China has started assembling the world's largest amphibious aircraft which it plans to deploy in the disputed South China Sea besides aggressively marketing it abroad.

China Aviation Industry General Aircraft Co which is developing the aircraft has received 17 domestic orders for what will be the world's largest sea plane, state-run China Daily reported today.

India plans to buy Japanese sea planes to counter-balance Chinese Navy' growing might in blue waters.

The Chinese plane will have a maximum takeoff weight of 53.5 tons and an operational range of about 4,500 kilometers. [read more]

Vietnam and US deepen ties 20 years after normalisation

17.07.2015 Author: Murray Hiebert, CSIS, Washington (East Asia Forum) - The 7 July visit to the White House by Vietnam’s Communist Party chief Nguyen Phu Trong signaled just how far the United States and Vietnam have come in the past two decades in moving beyond their ‘difficult history’, as President Barack Obama put it after their meeting. The leaders discussed how they would advance ties between the two countries in areas ranging from economic and political relations to security and education cooperation.

Human rights problems in Vietnam are among the most difficult between the two capitals and have the potential derail the increasingly warm ties. Freedom of expression and religion have improved markedly over the past two decades, but the Vietnamese government does not tolerate actions that it believes challenges the political supremacy of the Communist Party of Vietnam and regularly detains bloggers and dissidents who challenge the party’s position. The US State Department believes about 110 are being held at this time.

The geopolitics of the South China Sea have driven these two erstwhile foes closer together in recent years. Hanoi would like the Washington to totally lift its ban on lethal weapons sales and for Obama to visit Vietnam when he travels to Asia in November. Whether either happens will depend at least in part on the two countries’ ability to resolve their differences and complete the TPP trade pact in the weeks ahead and Washington’s perception that Hanoi is granting its citizens increased freedoms even as it prepares to hold a party congress early next year. [read more]

Filipinas reabrirá la antigua base naval estadounidense en Subic

17.07.2015 (Univision) - Manila, 17 jul (EFE).- Las autoridades de Filipinas han decidido reabrir la antigua base naval estadounidense en Subic, clausurada en 1992, para contener la política expansionista china en el mar de China Meridional, informa hoy la prensa local.

El portavoz del Ministerio de Defensa, Peter Gálvez, indicó que destacarán buques, aviones y tropa en la base situada en la bahía de Subic, con acceso al mar de China Meridional, y a unos 125 kilómetros al noroeste de Manila.

La antigua base naval estadounidense está a 198 kilómetros del banco de arena Scarborough, un lugar propicio para la pesca y fuente habitual de tensión ente Pekín y Manila. [seguir leyendo]

China trying to push U.S. aside in East Asia but not displace it

16.07.2015 By Yoichi Kato (The Asahi Shimbun) - China is trying to shunt the United States to the side of the strategic equation in East Asia and occupy that space, said a top Singaporean diplomat.

“They are not trying to completely displace the United States in East Asia because they know it’s not in their power,” Bilahari Kausikan, ambassador-at-large of Singapore, told The Asahi Shimbun in a recent interview, explaining China’s strategic intention.

His view is that the “new model of major power relationship” that China proposed to the United States does not work because the United States will not endorse the one-party rule by China’s Communist Party, which Beijing expects Washington to respect as its core interest.

Kausikan welcomes the policy initiatives of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to expand the country's diplomatic and political role in the region. [read more]

Top China official visits Hanoi as Vietnam, U.S. get cozy

16.07.2015 (Reuters) - Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli held talks with top Vietnamese leaders during a visit on Thursday that comes hot on the heels of a landmark United States trip by Vietnam's communist party chief.

The two-day visit by Zhang, a member of the elite Politburo Standing Committee, was announced only on Monday and comes as neighbors that share $60 billion of annual trade seek to shore-up ties strained last year by a heated dispute over maritime sovereignty.

The visit quickly follows almost a week of meetings in the United States by a political and business delegation from Vietnam, led by Communist Party chief, Nguyen Phu Trong, which received large-scale coverage in Vietnam's state media, as the two countries mark 20 years since normalizing ties. [read more]

Government halts export of eavesdropping devices

16.07.2015 (The Local) - Switzerland has halted the export of mobile phone monitoring technology to Vietnam and Bangladesh out of fears it could be misused.

It is the first time the authorities have made use of a new directive introduced in May to tighten up regulations on the export of internet and mobile monitoring equipment.

State agencies in the two countries had wanted to import IMSI-catchers from Swiss firms – eavesdropping devices used to intercept mobile phone traffic and track the movements of mobile phone users.

But the Swiss foreign ministry, defence ministry and State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) blocked the sale to the two countries, according to Swiss media reports. [read more] - [tiếng Việt]

La Suisse interdit l'exportation d'équipements de surveillance

15.07.2015 (24heures) - Le SECO et deux départements fédéraux ont conjointement refusé la demande de firmes suisses d'exporter des appareils permettant d'écouter des conversations téléphoniques.

Sur la base d'une nouvelle ordonnance, la Suisse a interdit pour la première fois l'exportation d'équipements de surveillance.

Le Vietnam et le Bangladesh voulaient se procurer une technologie dite «IMSI-catcher» qui permet d'écouter des conversations téléphoniques.

Mais la transaction n'a pas été accordée. Le Secrétariat d'Etat à l'économie (SECO) et les départements fédéraux des Affaires étrangères (DFAE) et de la défense (DDPS) ont conjointement refusé la demande de firmes suisses d'exporter ces appareils, selon les éditions de mercredi des deux journaux alémaniques, la Neue Luzerner Zeitung et le St.Galler Tagblatt. [en savoir plus] - [tiếng Việt]

Bund stoppt Export von Überwachungstechnik

15.07.2015 (Schweizer Radio und Fernsehen) - Handys auszuspähen, ist derzeit hoch Im Kurs. Schweizer Firmen wollten entsprechende Technik nach Vietnam und Bangladesch exportieren. Doch nun hat der Bund den Verkauf verboten.

Seit Mitte Mai kann der Bund den Export von Überwachungstechnik verbieten, wenn der Verdacht besteht, dass diese missbräuchlich genutzt wird. Nun haben die Behörden erstmals von dieser Verordnung Gebrauch gemacht.

Schweizer Firmen wollten sogenannte Imsi-Catcher ins Ausland exportieren. Mit diesen können Mobiltelefone überwacht werden. Staatliche Akteure aus Vietnam und Bangladesch wollten solche Geräte in der Schweiz beschaffen. Doch aus dem Geschäft wird nun nichts. [Weiterlesen] - [tiếng Việt]

Naval Buildups in the South China Sea

15.07.2015 By Steven Stashwick (The Diplomat) - Southeast Asian naval capabilities are surging. But how meaningful is that?

After decades of operating legacy Soviet platforms, Vietnam’s navy is acquiring advanced new frigates from Russia and the Netherlands, capable new Russian diesel-electric submarines, and a host of modern anti-ship cruise missiles. The Philippines has nearly doubled its fleet of surface combat vessels in the last five years and is working to acquire two advanced new frigates. Malaysia was among the first in the region to add advanced submarines to their fleet and is indigenously building six new advanced French-designed frigates. Meanwhile, Indonesia is building two new Dutch-designed frigates and acquiring two improved South Korean submarines as part of an ambitious 20-year modernization and expansion program. [read more]

Revising official view of history in Vietnam no easy matter

14.07.2015 Ari Nakano (The Asahi Shimbun) - Revising the official view of history a victor in war has entrenched is no easy matter. And that is especially true in a state like Vietnam that, during the Cold War, was split between North and South, with one side conquering the other by force, and then came under the one-party rule of the Communist Party after reunification.

It has been long known that the main force behind the “liberation of Saigon” was not the National Liberation Front for Southern Vietnam (NLFSV), a diverse group of nationalist forces, but rather the People’s Army of North Vietnam posing as the NLFSV.

Since the victor’s version of events has become entrenched in Vietnam, there are many facts about the war that have not come to light. The North beat the U.S. military, but no systematic statistics have been released on losses incurred by the NLFSV and the North Vietnamese Army. [read more]

Vietnam, US Agree to Dance, if Not to Boogie

14.07.2015 By David Brown (Asia Sentinel) - A wave of euphoria – there is no lesser word for it – swept over Vietnam last week, triggered by a collective perception that, yes, Hanoi and Washington have truly buried the hatchet, some 40 years after People’s Army tanks rolled into Saigon, 20 years after the two nations reestablished diplomatic relations.

Communist Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong had travelled to Washington at the head of a group of party leaders. He was received on July 7 and 8 with honor and evident warmth by President Barack Obama, Vice President Joe Biden and a long list of lesser American officials and legislators.

There was minimal substance. One news analysis said that because Trong didn’t bring home “significant military concessions at a time of dire strategic need,” his trip was really a failure.

That misses the point. Vietnamese observers were entranced. It wasn’t just that the US had seemingly acknowledged Vietnam’s authoritarian Communist regime as a legitimate partner. [read more]

Google Maps alters disputed South China Sea shoal name

14.07.2015 (BBC) - Google has updated its map of a disputed shoal in the South China Sea, removing a Chinese name for the reef after complaints from many Filipinos.

Google Maps now refers to the reef by its international name, Scarborough Shoal. Previously, the area was also named as part of the Zhongsha Islands.

The Philippines has filed a case against China's claims at a UN tribunal - but Beijing has refused to take part.

Aside from the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia, Vietnam and Taiwan also have competing claims with China over various islands, reefs and shoals in the region. [read more] - [tiếng Việt]

China urges Philippines to ditch its South China Sea case

14.07.2015 (AP) - BEIJING  -- China urged the Philippines on Tuesday to ditch its attempt to solve South China Sea territorial disputes with an international tribunal and instead negotiate with Beijing directly, following the arbitration panel's latest request for input from China.

The Philippines has asked the tribunal in The Hague to declare China's claims to virtually all the South China Sea invalid, saying Beijing's actions have trampled on other nations' rights.

China contends the tribunal doesn't have jurisdiction, and has refused to participate. The tribunal, which operates under the U.N. Convention of the Law of the Sea, held a weeklong hearing ending Monday to address China's contention. It said that Beijing has until Aug. 17 to comment on the hearing, and that it should make a ruling on the issue this year. [read more]

China rocks the boat as Australia and the US watch on

14.07.2015 Peter Hartcher (The Sydney Morning Herald) - China has shown itself to be an ugly bully. Contrary to all its fine rhetoric of cooperation, it is happy to use coercion to take territory that is also claimed by its smaller neighbours. It is waging a creeping invasion, and nobody is stopping it.

A new report says that the US needs to stop China's encroachments, and Australia needs to be prepared to help.

Instead of a "bilateral tie", the ANZUS alliance should become a "regional hub" for US allies and US partners in marshalling forces against Beijing, it says.

This would strengthen countries like the Philippines and Vietnam to better fend off a voracious China.

But these ideas raise big questions. Very big questions. Here are three of the biggest.

First, isn't this a dangerous escalation? Unquestionably. [read more]

Does Russia Fit Into the US-Vietnam Equation?

14.07.2015 By Anton Tsvetov (The Diplomat) - Last week, General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Nguyen Phu Trong completed a five-day visit to the United States, meeting U.S. President Barack Obama, a move widely considered a landmark in what is becoming one of the most intriguing bilateral relationships in the Asia-Pacific.

Unlike Xi Jinping, the Vietnamese leader does not hold any official position within the government, which formally makes him a representative of nothing more than a political party, though it is clear that he is among the few who effectively run the country. Given the CPV’s monopoly on power, accepting this difference in the political structures of the two states is a significant gesture by the White House, one that demonstrates a willingness to go beyond ideology in the interest-driven environment of contemporary world politics. [read more]

Senior Chinese official to visit Vietnam

13.07.2015 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - BEIJING/HANOI, July 13 (Reuters) - Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli, a member of the ruling communist party's elite Politburo Standing Committee, will visit Vietnam in mid-July, state media said on Monday, amid tension over territorial disputes in the South China Sea.

China's official Xinhua news agency did not give dates for the trip, but Vietnam's Foreign Ministry said on its website the visit would be between Thursday and Saturday. Zhang was invited by Vietnam's ruling communist party, but no details were given of the purpose of the visit. [read more]

China Steps Up Harassment of Vietnamese Fishermen

13.07.2015 (The Diplomat) - Recent incidents highlight the return of low-level coercion against Vietnamese fishermen in disputed waters.

As Nguyen Phu Trong, the general secretary of Vietnam’s ruling Communist Party, wrapped up an historic visit to the United States, reports emerged in the Vietnamese press that a Vietnamese fishing boat was pursued and sunk by two Chinese vessels. According to Vietnam’s Tuoitre News, a fishing boat operated by 11 Vietnamese fishermen off the coast of Quang Ngai was intercepted, harassed, and sunk by two Chinese ships in waters off the Paracel archipelago.

The flare-up in incidents of Chinese vessels ramming Vietnamese fishing boats in recent weeks has come as Vietnam increases high-level contacts with the United States. [read more]

Hacking Team's snoopware 'spied on anti-communist activists in Vietnam'

13.07.2015 John Leyden (The Register) - Security researchers are linking malware sent to anti-communist activists in Vietnam to controversial commercial spyware firm Hacking Team.

The assault dating from 2012-13 appears to use Hacking Team's MSN+Skype tabs, according to preliminary analysis by MalwareMustDie.

"It seems their govt bought such solution as toolset to be used against anti-communist activists as APT," the anti-malware activists said. The discovery shows how countries, particularly those with lesser financial and technical resources, might be trying to bridge the gap in their snooping capabilities using commercial tools.

Hacking Team, which markets offensive technology to the worldwide law enforcement and intelligence communities, has been put under the spotlight by a recent high-profile breach that resulted in the leak of 400 GB of confidential files and emails. A searchable archive of leaked emails set up by WikiLeaks in the wake of the megahack show that the controversial Italian firm was involved in projects in Indonesia and Vietnam, among many other countries. [read more]

South China Sea: Philippines case against China under way in The Hague

13.07.2015 Nicola Davison (The Sydney Morning Herald) - The question of which country controls the Spratlys and much of the rest of the South China Sea is now being raised in the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague. In an extraordinary hearing of David and Goliath proportions that began on July 7 and will finish today, the Philippines is challenging China on its "nine-dash line" claim to swathes of resource-rich and strategic ocean territory, including dozens of rocky islets and reefs also claimed by Vietnam, Malaysia, Taiwan and Brunei.

The Philippines wants the court to rule that under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), China can only claim sovereignty and the rights to resources within certain distances of its land. If the court agrees, it will greatly shrink Beijing's "nine-dash line" – a U-shaped delineation based on historical arguments that claims 85 per cent of the South China Sea. Though China ratified UNCLOS in 2006 it has refused to participate in proceedings in The Hague, instead submitting a "position paper" challenging the tribunal's authority to rule on the case. In April the court decided to bifurcate proceedings by first ruling on whether it has jurisdiction – this is the issue the judges are considering now and will rule on in the coming months.

"It's the first time any of the claimants have challenged China's claim in an international court," says Ian Storey, a senior fellow at the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies in Singapore. If the court rules that the so-called nine-dash line is incompatible with UNCLOS, "that represents a major legal and moral victory for the Philippines and a defeat for China," he adds. [read more]

South China Sea Watch: China's island-building almost done

12.07.2015 (Chron) - The dispute over the strategic waterways of the South China Sea has intensified, pitting a rising China against its smaller and militarily weaker neighbors who all lay claim to a string of isles, coral reefs and lagoons mostly in the Spratly and the Paracel islands. Only about 45 of them are occupied. The area is one of the world's busiest shipping routes, rich in fish and potential gas and oil reserves, but it has now emerged as a possible flashpoint involving world powers and regional claimants.

A U.N. tribunal in The Hague has started hearing a case filed by the Philippines against China's territorial claims. The ruling could have far-reaching consequences.

China is putting to a test its otherwise friendly relations with Malaysia with its deployment of a coast guard ship, the Haijing, to the Luconia Reef nearly 90 nautical miles north of Sarawak and well within Malaysia's exclusive economic zone. The Chinese ship has not left the reef complex two years after it was first detected there.

Malaysia, which counts China as its largest trading partner, has in the past downplayed such intrusions, but the government ordered the navy and the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency recently to deploy ships and aircraft and monitor the Chinese ship's activities. [read more]

Limits of US-Vietnam Relations Revealed in Communist Party Leader Visit

10.07.2015 By Shawn W. Crispin (The Diplomat) - The recent trip is not as monumental as some are making it out to be.

Was Vietnam’s de facto supreme leader Nguyen Phu Trong’s diplomatic tour of Washington, including a White House meeting with President Barack Obama, as monumental as reported? News headlines almost universally heralded Trong’s visit, the first ever by a Communist Party chief to the United States, as a historic milestone in deepening reconciliation and burgeoning ties between the one-time battlefield adversaries.

With the U.S. embargo still firmly in place, Vietnam will continue to rely on Cold War era ally Russia for its deterrent defenses. The week before Trong’s visit to Washington, Hanoi took delivery at Cam Ranh Bay of a fourth Russian-built, missile-enabled, advanced Kilo-class submarine designed for anti-submarine and anti-surface ship warfare. Vietnam will operate six of the diesel-electric submarines by the end of this year, giving it Southeast Asia’s most advanced fleet. While Vietnam may aspire to upgrade from Russian to U.S. gear, Trong’s symbolic visit highlighted the still high hurdles blocking a fully fledged strategic relationship. [read more]

Vietnam After 2016: Who Will Lead?

Who is most likely to emerge from the next party congress as general secretary

10.07.2015 By Chánh Công Phan (The Diplomat) - Every five years, the Vietnamese Communist Party holds its National Congress. Among other important policy issues, the party congress chooses the central leadership teams, to govern both the party and the country. If the 11th party congress (2011) is any guide, the new Central Committee, which will be elected by all delegates at the coming 12th party congress (to be held in 2016), will select a new general secretary (Tổng Bí Thư), a new Politburo (Bộ Chính Trị), a new Secretariat (Ban Bí Thư), and a new Central Commission of Inspection (Uỷ Ban Kiểm Tra Trung Ương).

Of particular interest is this: Who will emerge from the 12th National Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam as the new general secretary?

To answer this question, we must first identify the most influential leaders of the party establishment and, second, consider who among them is likely contending for the post of general secretary. Close observation of those leaders sitting at the central table at each of the recent major party meetings yields five familiar names: Lê Hồng Anh (Politburo Standing Committee Chairman), Nguyễn Tấn Dũng (Prime Minister), Nguyễn Sinh Hùng (National Assembly Chairman), Trương Tấn Sang (President), and Nguyễn Phú Trọng (General Secretary). [read more]

Philippines asks tribunal to invalidate China's sea claims

09.07.2015 (The Asahi Shimbun) - MANILA--The Philippines has asked an international tribunal to declare China's claims to virtually all the South China Sea invalid, saying Beijing's actions have trampled other nations' rights and damaged vast coral reefs irreversibly.

Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario told the tribunal in The Hague on July 7 that China's strategy was to gradually take control of the strategic waters without sparking a crisis. Philippine officials provided his statement to journalists in Manila on July 8.

"China's positions and behavior have become progressively more aggressive and disconcerting," del Rosario told the tribunal. "Outside observers have referred to this as China's 'salami-slicing' strategy: That is, taking little steps over time, none of which individually is enough to provoke a crisis." [read more]

The geo–politics of Vietnam–US rapprochement

08.07.2015 Author: Le Hong Hiep, ISEAS (East Asia Forum) - ... The development of bilateral ties between the two Cold War enemies over the past 20 years is impressive. The United States is currently Vietnam’s largest export market. In 2014, Vietnam’s US exports amounted to US$28.66 billion, accounting for almost one fifth of the country’s total exports. By 2014, the United States had also become the seventh largest foreign investor in Vietnam, with the stock of registered capital reaching more than US$10 billion. In terms of political and strategic ties, the two established a ‘comprehensive partnership’ in 2013...

In a letter to Truman on 16 February 1946, Ho wrote that Vietnam ‘is just beginning its building–up work. It needs security and freedom … [that] … can only be guaranteed by our independence from any colonial power, and our free cooperation with all other powers. It is with this firm conviction that we request of the United Sates as guardians and champions of World Justice to take a decisive step in support of our independence’. But Ho’s call for US support went unanswered. [read more]

Schulterschluss gegen China

08.07.2015 Axel Postinett (Handelsblatt) - San Francisco - Es ist der neue gemeinsamer Gegner, der die früheren Feinde zusammenschweißt: China. Der Generalsekretär der kommunistischen Partei Vietnams besuchte am Dienstag das Weiße Haus und traf US-Präsident Barack Obama. Später traf Nguyen Phu Trong, der insgeheim mächtigste Mann des Landes, der jedoch keinen Regierungsposten innehat, noch Vizepräsident Joe Biden. Am heutigen Mittwoch wird er vor der US-Handelskammer sprechen. Auf dem Tagesplan stehen im Oval Office das pazifische Freihandelsabkommen, Menschenrechte, Religionsfreiheit und der Konflikt mit China.

Seit einem kurzen Grenzkrieg mit China in 1979 sind die Beziehungen der beiden asiatischen Länder angespannt. Vor seiner Reise erklärte Trong bereit, er hoffe, die USA würden „weiterhin mit angemessener Stimme und angemessenen Handlungen“ zu friedlichen Konfliktlösungen in Asien beitragen.

Doch die neue Weltmacht China mischt alle Karten neu und ein kommunistischer Parteiführer spricht vor der US-Handelskammer, dem Hort des Kapitalismus. Vietnamveteran John McCain sieht auch schon, wie man die Führung in Hanoi zum Einlenken bewegen könnte. Er befürworte eine Aufhebung des Waffenembargos gegen den früheren Feind. [Weiterlesen]

Reps. Sanchez, Lowenthal criticize Obama for hosting Vietnamese Communist Party member

08.07.2015 By Chris Haire (Orange County Register) - GARDEN GROVE – Rep. Loretta Sanchez (D-Santa Ana), whose district includes parts of Garden Grove, rebuked the White House for hosting a member of the Vietnamese Communist Party on Tuesday.

The congresswoman criticized the meeting between President Barack Obama and General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong in the Oval Office because of continued human-rights abuses in Vietnam, in a statement released Wednesday morning.

Rep. Alan Lowenthal (D-Long Beach), whose district includes Garden Grove and Westminster, also issued a statement, on Tuesday, urging Obama to push harder for Vietnam to improve its human-rights record before opening relationships further with the communist country. [read more]

40 Jahre nach dem Fall Saigons: Vietnam und die USA zelebrieren Versöhnung

08.07.2015 von Peter Winkler, Washington (NZZ) - ... Dass Amerika in Vietnam wieder beliebt ist, zeigt nicht nur eine regelmässige Umfrage des unabhängigen Pew Research Center. Darin hatten in diesem Jahr 78 Prozent der befragten Vietnamesen angegeben, eine vorteilhafte Meinung von den USA zu haben. Die gleiche Frage zu China lieferte jedoch eine Quote von nur 19 Prozent.

Im vergangenen Jahr lockerte Washington das Embargo für tödliches Militärgerät, nachdem jenes für nichttödliche Ausrüstung bereits 2007 aufgehoben worden war.

In vietnamesischen Kommentaren, die amerikanische Medien im Vorfeld des Besuchs von Parteichef Trong gesammelt hatten, kommt klar zum Ausdruck, was Hanoi von den chinesischen Ansprüchen im Südchinesischen Meer hält. Danach strebt Peking vor allem an, die USA als gewichtigen Akteur aus der Region zu verdrängen, um so mit seinen Nachbarn aus einer Position der wirtschaftlichen und militärischen Überlegenheit heraus nach Belieben umspringen zu können. [Weiterlesen]

Le numéro un du Vietnam reçu en allié à la Maison-Blanche

08.07.2015 (Tribune de Genève) - Quarante ans après la fin d’une guerre qui a traumatisé les Etats-Unis et le Vietnam, le président américain Barack Obama a reçu aujourd’hui pour la première fois le secrétaire général du parti communiste vietnamien Nguyen Phu Trong.

Barack Obama a parlé de «progrès remarquables» de la relation entre les deux pays, malgré «l’histoire difficile» qui les unit. Pendant que le leader vietnamien a souligné que «peu de gens auraient pu imaginer une telle rencontre il y a vingt ans».

Cette rencontre américano-vietnamienne n’a pourtant pas enthousiasmé tout le monde. Surtout pas les manifestants qui ont réclamé aujourd'hui à Washington des changements en profondeur des droits civiques au Vietnam. «Non à la répression de Hanoï contre les écrivains, les blogueurs et les défenseurs des droits de l’homme!» pouvait-on lire sur les nombreuses pancartes. [en savoir plus]

EEUU potencia lazos con Vietnam con la misma filosofía del deshielo con Cuba

08.07.2015 Lucía Leal (La Vanguardia) - Washington (EFE).- El presidente de EE.UU., Barack Obama, recibió hoy a uno de los hombres más poderosos de Vietnam con el objetivo de impulsar esa relación a pesar de su preocupación por la situación de derechos humanos en el país, con la misma filosofía que, según la Casa Blanca, guía el acercamiento a Cuba.

Algunos legisladores y organizaciones han criticado la reunión entre Obama y Trong debido al encarcelamiento de activistas políticos y blogueros en Vietnam, pero la Casa Blanca argumentó que el diálogo con países con quienes tiene diferencias en materia de derechos humanos es clave para mejorar la situación en esa área.

"Hemos coincidido en nuestra preocupación por las recientes actividades (de China) en el Mar de China Meridional, que no se ajustan al derecho internacional y pueden complicar la situación", aseguró Trong a los periodistas tras reunirse con Obama. [seguir leyendo]

Schiedsverfahren im Inselstreit - Mit dem Seerecht gegen Chinas Machtgelüste

08.07.2015 von Beat U. Wieser (NZZ) - Die Philippinen versuchen, den Streit mit China um Riffe und Meeresgebiete in der Südchinesischen See auf der Ebene internationaler Schiedsgerichtsbarkeit auszutragen. Seit Dienstag bringen sie die Angelegenheit vor einem Schiedsgericht in Den Haag vor. Dabei handelt es sich nicht um ein permanent bestehendes internationales Gericht, sondern um eine ad hoc gebildete Körperschaft im Rahmen des Ständigen Schiedshofs.

Peking spricht dem Gericht jede Zuständigkeit im Streit um Inseln im Südchinesischen Meer ab. Dennoch konnten die Philippinen das Schiedsgericht anrufen. Denn das Uno-Seerechtsübereinkommen, welches sowohl die Philippinen als auch China unterzeichnet und ratifiziert haben, sieht in maritimen Konflikten zwischen Staaten solche Schiedsverfahren ausdrücklich vor.

China möchte die Konflikte lieber bilateral und ohne internationale «Einmischung» behandeln. Doch in einer globalisierten Welt sind solche Sololäufe und Einzelabreibungen kaum mehr zu rechtfertigen. [Weiterlesen]

China's Big South China Sea Gamble

08.07.2015 Vijay Sakhuja (The National Interest) - Several Southeast Asian countries have expressed concern over Beijing’s belligerent behavior and aggressive posturing in the South China Sea. A litany of complaints of harassment of innocent fishermen by Chinese Coast Guard vessels has been reported by Vietnam and the Philippines, who are visibly angry with China. These incidents have led to stand-offs between maritime security forces, shadowing and buzzing by aircraft, including obstruction of exploration ships and rigs. Issues such as freedom of navigation and the possibility of China announcing an ADIZ over the South China Sea have also unnerved regional countries. If these trends continue, these could potentially result in deterioration of relations between China and the Southeast Asian countries and Beijing may soon lose friends.

At another level, Chinese fishermen engage in illegal fishing and Greenpeace reported that Chinese boats were seen as far as west coast of Africa illegally fishing in big numbers. In May 2015, the Indonesian government ordered the sinking of 41 boats including a 300-ton Chinese fishing vessel Gui Xei Yu that was caught illegally fishing in its waters in 2009.

The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), a Chinese initiative to finance infrastructure construction in the continent, may run into serious jeopardy if China does not stop its provocative behavior in the South China Sea. [read more]

China's False South China Sea Narrative

07.07.2015 Gregory B. Poling (The National Interest) - Chinese authorities, as well as sympathetic writers, have in recent months sought to deflect criticism of China’s island-building campaign in the Spratlys by insisting that Beijing is merely copying what other claimants have done for years. According to this narrative, every claimant is as guilty as Beijing of altering the status of features in the South China Sea in contravention of international law and escalating tensions. But this narrative is false. Unfortunately, in one recent case, poorly chosen messaging from Washington has only strengthened it.

China’s argument against the Philippines is the easiest to dismiss. No evidence has been offered to show that Manila has engaged in large-scale dredging or reclamation work, other than the expansion of a narrow strip of sand off Thitu Island years ago to allow for the construction of a runway. The Philippines has engaged in some reclamation to prevent erosion at features, just as all claimants have (and just as occurs at coastal and island beaches around the world). Most importantly, Manila has never attempted to create a rock or island from a low-tide elevation, as China has at three of the seven features it occupies. That is by far the most legally troubling, and most provocative of China’s actions. [read more]

Obama, Vietnam party boss hold 'candid' rights talks

07.07.2015 (Digital Journal) - President Barack Obama and the leader of Vietnam's Communist Party on Tuesday held what both called "candid" discussions on human rights during a historic White House meeting as the onetime enemies seek to bolster ties.

Nguyen Phu Trong is the first general secretary of the Vietnamese Communist Party to visit the United States and the White House, and was given the rare honor of an Oval Office welcome, usually reserved for heads of state and government.

The US president said trade ties, tensions in the South China Sea over Beijing's territorial claims, and the thorny issue of human rights had been raised.

"We discussed candidly some of our differences around issues of human rights," Obama said, expressing confidence that any "tensions can be resolved in an effective fashion.

A few hundred protesters rallied outside the White House as Trong arrived, calling for expanded human rights in Vietnam -- an issue that has sparked concern among some American lawmakers about deepening ties.

Many demonstrators carried signs with slogans like "Freedom of speech in Vietnam now" and called on Hanoi to release all political prisoners. [read more] - [tiếng Việt]

Rapprochement entre les États-Unis et le Vietnam

07.07.2015 (Le Devoir) - L’image, forte, marque une nouvelle étape dans le rapprochement de deux anciens pays ennemis : le président américain Barack Obama a reçu mardi le numéro 1 du Parti communiste vietnamien, assurant avoir eu avec lui une discussion « franche » sur les droits de l’homme.

Soulignant que les deux pays avaient eu une « histoire difficile », M. Obama a mis en exergue « des progrès remarquables », appelant de ses voeux une poursuite d’un dialogue basé sur le respect mutuel.

Le président américain, qui quittera la Maison Blanche dans 18 mois, a évoqué une possible visite au Vietnam tout en restant évasif sur le calendrier.

À quelques dizaines de mètres de là, derrière les gilles entourant les jardins de la Maison Blanche, des manifestants réclamaient, sous un soleil de plomb, des changements en profondeur au Vietnam.

« Liberté pour tous les prisonniers politiques », « Le parti communiste vietnamien doit être dissous », « Non à la répression de Hanoï contre les écrivains, les blogueurs et les défenseurs des droits de l’homme », pouvait-on lire sur les nombreuses pancartes. [en savoir plus] - [tiếng Việt]

Obama trifft Chef der Kommunistischen Partei Vietnams

07.07.2015 (deutschland-today) - Washington (AFP) - US-Präsident Barack Obama hat mit dem Chef der Kommunistischen Partei Vietnams, Nguyen Phu Trong, über eine weitere Annäherung der beiden Länder beraten. Nach dem Treffen im Weißen Haus sagte Obama vor Journalisten, dass er auch "offen" die Lage der Menschenrechte in Vietnam angesprochen habe. Weiterhin standen Handels- und Verteidigungsfragen auf der Agenda.

Aus dem US-Kongress gab es Kritik an der Begegnung von Obama und Trong. Mehrere Kongressmitglieder von Demokraten und Republikanern erinnerten in einem offenen Brief an den Präsidenten daran, dass Vietnam weiter ein "autoritäres Einparteiensystem" sei. [Weiterlesen] - [tiếng Việt]

The Wrong Message to Vietnam

07.07.2015 John Sifton HRW (The Huffington Post) - This week President Obama will host the head of the Vietnam Communist Party, Nguyen Phu Trong, at the White House. The meeting is a curious event--partly because Trong is not a head of state but instead the leader of Vietnam's constitutionally-mandated ruling party--but also because Vietnam has done so little in recent months to deserve the reward that is an Oval Office meeting. It remains a thoroughly autocratic and undemocratic state ruled by a single party, headed by Trong, in which repression, torture, and religious persecution are the norm.

To the administration's credit, it has never shied from raising rights concerns with Hanoi. President Obama has publicly flagged political prisoners in public statements, and his ambassadors and envoys are instructed to raise human rights concerns in all diplomatic exchanges.

The problem is that the messages are clearly not getting through. [read more]

Taiwán no abandona reclamaciones sobre islas en el mar de China Meridional

07.07.2015 (Univision) - Taipei (EFE).- Taiwán no abandona su reclamación de soberanía sobre un amplio territorio del mar de China Meridional, que se solapa con las reclamaciones chinas e incluye la isla Taiping (Itu Abu), ocupada por sus tropas, anunció hoy su Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores.

"La República de China (Taiwán) goza de soberanía sobre estos grupos de islas y sus aguas adyacentes en conformidad con la ley internacional", dijo la diplomacia isleña en un comunicado.

Taiwán hizo una llamada al resto de los países que reclaman soberanía sobre las islas y aguas del mar de China Meridional para que "respeten el espíritu y principios de la Carta de las Naciones Unidas y de la Convención sobre el Derecho del Mar de las Naciones Unidas" y "no tomen medidas unilaterales que puedan aumentar las tensiones". [seguir leyendo]

Vietnam und USA rücken zusammen

06.07.2015 von Rodion Ebbighausen (DW) - Vietnams Parteichef Nguyen Phu Trong reist für drei Tage in die USA (07.-09.07.2015). Top-Themen sind das Freihandelsabkommen TPP (Transpazifische Partnerschaft) und die angespannte Sicherheitslage in der Region.

Die wirtschaftliche Kooperation werde sowohl von den USA als auch von Vietnam als "Grundlage und Motor" für die Beziehungen angesehen, Herzstück ist dabei das Freihandelsabkommen TPP.

Die Verhandlungen gerieten immer wieder ins Stocken. Zwischen den USA und Vietnam sind etwa die hohen amerikanischen Standards für den Schutz geistigen Eigentums, die Bestimmungen zum Umweltschutz, der Herkunftsnachweis der Produkte oder die Rechte für Arbeiter umstritten.

Erwin Schweisshelm von der Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung in Hanoi: "Es ist Vietnam wichtig, in ein Handelssystem eingebunden zu sein, das von den USA und nicht von China geführt wird."

Größtes Hindernis bei den Verhandlungen der TPP ist aus Sicht der USA die Lage der Menschenrechte in Vietnam, insbesondere was die Presse- und Meinungsfreiheit angeht. US-Kongressabgeordnete, die direkt mit den TPP-Verhandlungen befasst sind, bestehen auf konkreten Verbesserungen in diesen Bereichen, bevor sie der TPP zustimmen können. [Weiterlesen]

Is Vietnam Pivoting Toward the United States?

06.07.2015 By Carl Thayer (The Diplomat) - Nguyen Phu Trong, the Secretary General of the Vietnam Communist Party, will visit Washington from July 6-9 to mark the twentieth anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic relations between the Socialist Republic of Vietnam and the United States.

Trong’s visit is unprecedented because it marks the first time that the leader of the Vietnam Communist Party will visit the United States in an official capacity.

Diplomatic sources report that Vietnam lobbied for this visit and that one sticking point was protocol. The Vietnamese side wanted Secretary General Trong to be received by President Barack Obama in the White House. This created a protocol issue because Secretary General Trong has no counterpart in the U.S. political system.

The visit of Secretary General Trong and other members of the Politburo to the United States will assist them in their assessments of the future trajectory of bilateral relations and, more importantly, their evaluation of whether the U.S. can be counted upon to be a reliable partner. These assessments will feed into key strategic policy documents to be drafted and approved by the twelfth national party congress. [read more]

Visite historique pour le Vietnam aux Etats-Unis

06.07.2015 (Radio Vatican) - Visite historique à la Maison Blanche : mardi, le président américain Barack Obama recevra le n°1 du parti communiste vietnamien, son secrétaire général, Nguyen Phu Trong.

À la table des discussions, des sujets-clés comme le partenariat trans-pacifique, la coopération bilatérale en matière de défense, mais aussi les droits de l'Homme.

Benoît de Tréglodé, spécialiste du Vietnam, chercheur et directeur du programme Asie à l’Institut de recherches stratégiques de l’Ecole militaire, analyse le rapprochement entre ces deux pays. Il est interrogé par Anne-Sophie Saint-Martin. [en savoir plus]

Japan, Vietnam share concern over land reclamation

04.07.2015 (Nikkei Asian Review) - TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Saturday he has shared deep concern with Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung over land reclamation work in the South China Sea, taking aim at China's attempts to physically change the status quo.

Abe said at a joint press conference with Dung after their talks that they "shared serious concerns over unilateral attempts to change the status quo," without singling out China but apparently bearing in mind China's growing maritime assertiveness.

"Our countries will further cooperate in building order at sea, land and air," he said as they met after a summit of Japan and five Southeast Asian countries along the Mekong River, including Vietnam as well as Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Thailand. [read more]

Vietnam Communist Party chief to visit Obama at White House

04.07.2015 (dpa) - Washington - The still elusive Pacific trade deal will be high on the agenda Tuesday when US President Barack Obama welcomes Vietnam's Communist Party chief to Washington, according to an announcement released Friday by the White House.

Nguyen Phu Trong, the general secretary of the central committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam, will be the second top official from the south-east Asian country to visit Obama in two years.

In July 2013, Vietnamese President Truong Tan Sang and Obama sealed a US-Vietnam Comprehensive Partnership. Sang's visit was met with protests by labour and human rights groups against Vietnam's labour standards, which they said fall short of international and US practices and should put off any trade cooperation.

In addition to the 12-country Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade deal that is to include Vietnam, human rights and bilateral defence cooperation would also be on the agenda, the White House said. [read more]

USA-Vietnam : le dégel des relations

04.07.2015 (BBC) - Le président Barak Obama recevra le leader du Parti communiste vietnamien dans les tout prochains jours à la Maison Blanche.

Une source proche de la présidence américaine a déclaré vendredi que le chef de l'exécutif américain recevra mardi prochain le dirigeant vietnamien.

Un autre responsable à la Maison Blanche estime que la visite inédite d'un chef du Parti communiste vietnamien aux Etats-Unis permettra d'évoquer les négociations en cours sur l'accord de libre-échange Asie-Pacifique et la question des droits de l'homme ou encore la coopération en matière de défense. [en savoir plus]

Vietnam Communist party chief to make first US trip

04.07.2015 (The Guardian) - Barack Obama expected to reciprocate later this year amid shared concerns about territorial disputes with China.

The powerful head of Vietnam’s Communist party will travel to the United States for the first time next week, and said he expects President Barack Obama will visit Vietnam later this year.

The White House said Trong would arrive on Tuesday, and the leaders would discuss trade, human rights and defense cooperation. It did not confirm a visit by Obama to Vietnam, which would be his first if it happens.

Obama is expected to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in the neighboring Philippines in November.

Trong, 71, hosted a small group of western journalists on Friday, and his staff provided his written answers to questions posed in advance. [read more]

Obama recibirá al número uno del Partido Comunista de Vietnam

03.07.2015 (El Mundo) - Barack Obama recibirá el próximo martes en la Casa Blanca al número uno del Partido Comunista Vietnamita, un acontecimiento histórico, veinte años después del restablecimiento de las relaciones diplomáticas ente los dos países que estuvieron en guerra casi dos décadas.

El presidente americano quiere aprovechar este encuentro con Nguyen Phu Trong, secretario general del Partido Comunista Vietnamita (PCV), para resaltar los avances conseguidos desde hace 20 años, según ha señalado la Casa Blanca.

Esta visita sin precedente de la parte de un jefe del PCV permitirá también reforzar las negociaciones sobre un acuerdo de libre comercio en Asia-Pacífico, además de la cuestión de los derechos humanos o la cooperación en materia de defensa, según ha precisado el ejecutivo americano. [seguir leyendo]

Obama empfängt am Dienstag Vietnams KP-Chef Trong

03.07.2015 (Tiroler Tageszeitung) - Der Chef der Kommunistischen Partei Vietnams, Nguyen Phu Trong, wird am Dienstag erstmals im Weißen Haus in Washington empfangen. Für gewöhnlich werden nur Staats- und Regierungschefs im Oval Office empfangen.

Trongs Besuch erfolgt 40 Jahre nach dem Ende des Vietnamkriegs, in dem auf vietnamesischer Seite laut Hanoi mehr als drei Millionen Menschen getötet wurden. Die allmähliche Normalisierung der Beziehungen erfolgte in Etappen. Vor 20 Jahren nahmen die USA und Vietnam diplomatische Beziehungen auf, im Jahr 2000 hielt sich der damalige US-Präsident Bill Clinton in Vietnam auf, im Jahr 2007 auch sein Amtsnachfolger George W. Bush. [Weiterlesen]

Vietnam, Vatican continue talks toward resumption of diplomatic relations

03.07.2015 (CatholicCulture) - A top Vietnamese official reported progress toward the establishment of diplomatic ties with the Vatican, after a visit to Rome this week.

Nguyen Thien Nhan, the chairman of the central committee of the Communist Party, met on July 1 with Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican Secretary of State. Both reportedly spoke positively about the prospects for an eventual restoration of diplomatic ties. [read more]

Chinas Flugpiste im Südchinesischen Meer ist fast fertig

02.07.2015 (deutschland-today) - Peking (AFP) - China ist nach Erkenntnissen einer US-Politikinstituts mit dem Bau einer 3000 Meter langen Start- und Landebahn auf einem Riff im Südchinesischen Meer nahezu fertig. Das Center for Strategic and International Strategies (CSIS) zeigte jetzt auf seiner Website ein am Sonntag aufgenommenes Satellitenfoto des Fiery-Cross-Riffs, auf dem die Bauarbeiten zu sehen sind. Ein See in der Mitte des Riffs sei aufgefüllt worden, und es gebe einen zum Teil fertiggestellten Hafen mit neun provisorischen Verladekais.

Peking schuf dort durch Aufschüttungen von Korallenriffen nach CSIS-Schätzungen mittlerweile eine Landfläche von insgesamt 12,8 Quadratkilometern. [Weiterlesen]

Beijing, the new National Security Act gives enormous powers to the army

02.07.2015 Beijing (AsiaNews / Agencies) - The Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) will expand its presence beyond territorial borders with the new national security bill approved yesterday by the National People’s Congress. Beside the need to protect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the country, the law provides that it is the responsibility of the military to defend " overseas interests ", even through the use of force if necessary.

China has long been in conflict with the nations of South East Asia for the control of the South China Sea. The Asean countries affected (Vietnam, Philippines, Indonesia, Brunei, Malaysia) fear the growing threats from Beijing.

The law was approved about a month after the White Paper on the Ministry of Defence, in which Beijing says it wants to make the military more resolute, transforming the Navy focus from "offshore defense" to include " offshore protection ". [read more]

Beijing, la nueva ley sobre la seguridad nacional da enormes poderes al ejército

02.07.2015 (AsiaNews) - Beijing - El Ejército de liberación del Pueblo chino (Pla) podrá expandir su presencia más allá de los confines territoriales gracias a la nueva ley sobre la seguridad nacional aprobada ayer por la Asamblea nacional del Pueblo. Junto a la necesidad de proteger la soberanía y la integridad territorial del país, la ley prevé que sea tarea de las fuerzas militares defender también los “interese de ultramar”, si es necesario hasta con la fuerza.

Desde hace tiempo China está en conflicto con las naciones del Sudeste asiático por el control del Mar chino meridional. Los países Asean interesados (Vietnam, Filipinas, Indonesia, Brunei, Malasia) ven con temor el crecimiento de las amenazas por parte de Beijing.

La ley fue aprobada hace casi un mes atrás, después del Libro Blanco sobre el Ministerio de la Defensa, en el cual Beijing afirma querer hacer de las fuerzas militares más resueltas, transformando la Marina de una potencia de “defensa en alto mar” en una más comprometida también en la “protección en mar abierto”. [seguir leyendo]

Clashes between authorities and civilians on Vietnam-Cambodian border leave dozens injured

01.07.2015 By Mark Piggott (IBTimes) - Dozens of people have been injured in clashes between protesters and authorities on the Cambodia-Vietnam border.

The Vietnamese government in Hanoi blame Cambodia for the violence, apparently triggered when a small group of Cambodian demonstrators entered Vietnamese territory to protest about alleged Vietnamese incursions.

The Cambodian demonstrators are associated with an opposition party, the Cambodian National Rescue Party (CNRP), which has regularly protested against close ties between the two countries.

The Cambodian government expressed concern over the incident but also apologised for injuries inflicted on the Vietnamese authorities. [read more]