Articles
June 30, 2022
Three significant developments concerning India-Vietnam defence cooperation merit attention. First, earlier this month, India formally handed over six high-speed boats built for the Vietnamese Border Guard Force. These boats are part of the 12 boats that were offered by India […]
January 10, 2022
Vietnam Coast Guard (VCG) and Indonesia’s Maritime Security Agency (Bakamla) signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) in December 2021 to further strengthen bilateral ‘maritime security and safety’ cooperation. The MoU is expected to “serve as a tool, corridor and mechanism […]
November 26, 2021
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has returned home after a very productive meeting with his Japanese counterpart Prime Minister Fumio Kishida. It was his first visit to Japan and likewise, he was also the first foreign visitor that Kashida received […]
November 19, 2021
Vietnam’s Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh is expected to visit India in the coming weeks. This will be his first visit after taking over as the Prime Minister; it will also be an opportunity to discuss with his counterpart Prime […]
November 10, 2021
The 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) was held in Glasgow in the United Kingdom. As many as 30,000 delegates from across the globe including over 100 national leaders arrived for the event and many countries […]
October 26, 2021
The 38th and 39th ASEAN Summits and Related Summits scheduled later this month will take place in a turbulent time wherein two important issues will be high on the agenda of the grouping. First, the developments concerning Myanmar, a thorny […]
October 11, 2021
Geographic contiguity built around the Mekong River plains, ancient socio-cultural connections, and collective modern history of colonial occupation by the French are significant triggers for Vietnam, Cambodia and Lao to converse beyond the ASEAN framework. In this context, it was […]
August 24, 2021
US’ commitment to Southeast Asia is firm and is best demonstrated by two back to back visits. Earlier this month Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III visited Singapore, Vietnam, and the Philippines, and now Vice President Kamala Harris arrived in Singapore […]
August 19, 2021
The second Mekong-US Partnership (MUSP) Ministerial Meeting was held on August 3, 2021 in virtual format and was co-chaired by Cambodian Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. The ASEAN Secretary-General was also in attendance. There […]
August 4, 2021
Last week, during the first session of the 15th National Assembly in Hanoi, Nguyen Xuan Phuc and Pham Minh Chinh were officially sworn in as Vietnam’s President and Prime Minister respectively for a five-year term. President Phuc assured the legislators […]
March 12, 2021
US President Biden signed the interim National Security Guidance early this month which notes that Russia “remains determined to enhance its global influence and play a disruptive role on the world stage”, and identifies China as “the only competitor potentially […]
August 6, 2020
After taking over the Chairmanship of the ASEAN and being a Non-Permanent Member of the UN Security Council, the Vietnamese leadership has spearheaded many initiatives in the midst of challenging times emerging from the COVID-19 global pandemic. A unique opportunity […]
March 1, 2018
China’s utilisation of dollar diplomacy in Southeast Asia has been incredibly effective, particularly since 2015. Economic aid for infrastructure projects to these countries has helped Beijing win the political goodwill of the leaders of many ASEAN members, particularly towards the […]
September 12, 2017
The geo-economic dynamics with a liberal political landscape has laid the foundation of a free-market trading system. The last decade has witnessed a surge in regional Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) with Africa, Latin America and Asia in the lead. The […]