Written by Lyle J. Morris

Corruption in China’s military is not a case of a “few bad apples”. Rather, it is indicative of a PLA that has systemic problems with corruption whereby kickbacks and buying and selling of promotions have been standard practice for decades.

East Asia9DLMarch 25, 20249dashline, lyle J morris, Corruption in the PLA and Xi’s purge, People’s Liberation Army (PLA), Chinese President Xi Jinping, China-watching community, National People’s Congress (NPC), PLA Rocket Force (PLARF), China’s conventional and nuclear missile programme, Gen. Ding Laihang, PLA Air Force, Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, Chinese Communist Party (CCP), Liu Shiquan, China North Industries Group, China Aerospace Science, China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp, chair of weapons manufacturer China North Industries Group, China Aerospace Science & Industry Corp executive Wang Changqing, Defence Minister, Li Shangfu, Qin Gang, national security violations, Wu Guohua, the deputy commander of the PLARF, General Armaments Department, Major General Li Mingquan, General Equipment Support Department of the General Armaments Department, EDD, PLARF, SOE, Lin Biao, CIA, Inner Mongolia, Sino-Soviet border conflict, Cold War, Mao, Directive 1, Directive 2, James Mulvenon, graft, military readiness, China’s nuclear strategy, PLA leadership, whistle blower, whistle-blower, China’s military bureaucracy, corruption, i’s senior technocrats, Xi’s purge and corruption in the PLA

Ageing China increases its military spending

Written by Jiachen Shi

Resorting to military build-up consistently emerges as a rational choice for Chinese policymakers who perceive the country as entangled in a series of ‘internal troubles’ such as social instability and ‘external threats’ such as provocations from the United States.

East Asia9DLMarch 22, 20249DASHLINE, Ageing China increases its military spending, Jiachen Shi, demographics, China, economy, demographic dividend, ageing, population ageing, military spending, party-state regime, national security, crowding-in effect, crowding-out effect, active-duty personnel, demobilised servicemen, prospective soldiers, PLA, China’s National Defence White Papers, only children, one-child policy, elder care, veterans, Ministry of Veterans Affairs, repression, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), China’s military spending, defence budget, People’s Liberation Army (PLA), recruitment, draft, social status, traditional Chinese culture, Generation Z, code of honour, patriotism, geriatric peace theory, Mark Haas, US hegemony, socio-economic issues, military build-up, United States, India, Russia, Modi government, geriatric peace, political instability

As the Philippines’ 'agency' in West Philippine Sea rises, so too does its infrastructure development

Written by Joshua Bernard Espeña

In the Philippine context, the country’s newfound middle-power position offers the Southeast Asian state the ability to navigate uncertainties based on clearly defined national interests, and doubling down on its commitment to develop its infrastructures in the West Philippine Sea is one of the ways to do it.

Southeast Asia9DLMarch 21, 20249dashline, Joshua Bernard Espeña, Philippines, Philippine sea, maritime infrastructure development, Anti-Access/Area-Denial operations, A2/AD, South China Sea, SCS, drones, imagery intelligence devices, agency, assertive transparency, revisionist moves, middle-power, Southeast Asia, national interests, Philippine Congress, infrastructure development, Martin Romualdez, economic development, resource base, natural resources, Manila, diplomacy, China, Beijing, theory of victory, strategic culture, Ferdinand Marcos Jr, Marcos Jr., National Security Policy (NSP) 2023-2028, NSP 2023-2028, multipolar world, national sovereignty, territorial integrity, national security, resupply missions, joint exercises, construction development, John Mearsheimer, foreign policy objectives, informational spheres, like-minded allies, domestic politics, external powers, foreign policy, Philippine-US alliance, Enhanced Defence Cooperation Agreement, EDCA, Northern Luzon, Huang Xilian, Taiwan, Comprehensive Archipelagic Defence Concept, CADC, Armed Forces of the Philippines, AFP, Mavulis Island, Basco, Batanes province, American interests, Chinese power, Taiwan Strait, West Philippine Sea, Philippine Department of National Defence, archipelagic security, geostrategic agency, Rodrigo Duterte, Philippine-China relations, Malacañang Palace, Cheloy Serafil, Xi, Pantaleon Alvarez, appeasement, Jonathan Malaya, territory, multi-domain future warfare, warfare, As the Philippines’ 'agency' in West Philippine Sea rises, so too does its infrastructure development

Intersectionality as the key to Indo-Pacific climate action

Written by Treesa Shaju and Dr Dhanasree Jayaram

Taking an intersectional approach to climate change recognises the interconnected and interwoven nature of social, economic, ecological, political, and cultural issues in the formulation of climate change policies and strategies.

Editor's Picks9DLMarch 18, 20249dashline, Intersectionality as the key to Indo-Pacific climate action, indo-pacific, climate action, ACCSAP, Q-CHAMP, differentiated vulnerabilities, differentiated capacities, discrimination, oppression, intersecting identities, minority rights, gender, indigenous rights, structural inequity, discriminatory practices, Gender Action Plan, UNFCCC, intra-gender disparities, ocean acidification, extreme weather, rising sea levels, freshwater scarcity, infrastructural vulnerabilities, systemic crisis, land ownership, resource distribution, decision-making power, natural resources, gender-segregated tasks, sustenance farming, water shortages, food shortages, domestic violence, gendered violence, LGBTQIA+, disabilities, vulnerable groups, marginalised communities, island nations, coastal inundation, saltwater intrusion, drought, desertification, climate resilience, Pacific Islands Forum, PIF, major emitters, emissions, Global North, climate finance, loss and damage, IORA, ASEAN Climate Resilience Network, agricultural adaptation, regional cooperation, multilateral cooperation, sustainability, gender inclusivity, CSW66, gender inclusion, SGBV, VAWG, GBV, DV, Quad HADR, invisibilisation, DRR, exclusionary patterns, indigenous communities, knowledge custodians, decision-making agency, sustainability solutions, gender responsiveness, Indonesia, RANAPI, Pacific Gender and Climate Change Toolkit

Beijing’s Taiwan policy after the island’s elections

Written by Dr Lin Gang

Despite the developmental gap between the two societies, Beijing believes its preferential policies towards newcomers from Taiwan, particularly the youth, are appealing and productive.

East Asia, Power Politics9DLMarch 15, 2024Beijing’s Taiwan policy after the island’s elections, 9DASHLINE, Dr. Lin Gang, Taiwan, Lai Ching-te, Democratic Progressive Party, Kuomintang, KMT, Hou Yu-ih, Taiwan People’s Party, Ko Wen-je, TPP, Beijing, Anti-Secession Law, Taiwan Strait, COVID-19

“Whatever it takes”? Securing the return of Japanese nationals abducted by North Korea

Written by Dr James Kaizuka

“Whatever it takes” ultimately means squaring the circle of North Korea’s likely demands with what the Japanese public is willing to accept as an offering to a dictatorship which may well use any inducement against it in the future.

Faultlines, East Asia9DLMarch 14, 2024“Whatever it takes”? Securing the return of Japanese nationals abducted by North Korea, Dr James Kaizuka, 9Dashline, Japan, North Korea, 2024 Noto Earthquake, South Korea, Yoon Suk-yeol, Kim Jong-un, Kishida Fumio, Japan North Korea Summit, Kim Jong-il, abductions, North Korea missile tests, North Korea Nuclear Weapons

China’s 'history learning' regulations

Written by Manoj Kewalramani and Rakshith Shetty

The enforcement of these regulations is expected to further fortify Xi’s leadership and consolidate ideological conformity within the Party.

East Asia9DLMarch 13, 20249dashline, China, Chinese history, Chinese Communist Party, Xi Jinping, Xi Jinping Thought, Mao Zedong, history learning regulation, CCP, CPC, Chinese history education, Chinese communist party history, history resolution, Manoj Kewalramani, Rakshith Shetty, China’s history learning regulations

US-China in 2024: One year after the spy balloon incident

Written by Rorry Daniels

While breakthroughs remain unlikely, the test in 2024 is whether the US and China can manage differences quietly and directly while under the political magnifying glass.

Faultlines9DLMarch 12, 2024US-China in 2024: One year after the spy balloon incident, 9DASHLINE, Rorry Daniels, US-China relationship, China, US, United States, balloon, spy balloon, Chinese surveillance, espionage, US-China diplomatic interaction, US elections, Taiwan, spy balloon incident, Biden administration, Joe Biden, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Beijing, bureaucracies, domestic politics, homeland security, bipartisan consensus, Washington, Xi Jinping, propaganda, state-driven, 7 October Hamas attack on Israel, Gaza, Middle East, NATO, Ukraine, Xi Jinping’s inner circle, US sanctions, Qin Gang, Li Shangfu, COVID recovery, authoritarianism, co-exist peacefully, free market principles, diversification, hedging, cross-Taiwan Strait relations, cross-Strait, US presidential and congressional elections, diplomacy, Taipei, non-proliferation, humanitarian aid

Clashes in the South China Sea, looking back at the PCA Ruling

Written by Varenya Singh and Chetan Rana

China's persistent rejection of the tribunal's jurisdiction and ruling, along with its continuous assertion of sovereignty, underscores the limitations of international legal mechanisms in addressing deep-rooted geopolitical disputes.

Pacific, Power Politics9DLMarch 11, 20249DASHLINE, Clashes in the South China Sea, looking back at the PCA Ruling, Chetan Rana, Varenya Singh, South China Sea, Cold War, Europe, West Asia, Ukraine, Gaza, China, Philippines, South China Sea (SCS), SCS, China’s Ministry of Natural Resources, map, standard map, Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), littoral states, Malaysia, Vietnam, Philippines Coast Guard, Sierra Madre, Second Thomas Shoal, Spratly Islands, Filipino, grey-zone activities, non-military vessels, territorial claims, maritime militia, Beijing, Manila, vessels, maritime territorial disputes, arbitral proceedings, arbitration, Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA), PCA, PCA award of 2016, PCA ruling, China’s nine-dash line, nine-dash line, Annex VII, Arbitration Tribunal under Annex VII of UNCLOS, UNCLOS, United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, sovereignty, delimitation, artificially built islands, delimitation of state boundaries, Article 9, unilateral, fishermen, marine resources, fishing, 12 nautical mile, extractive, purely extractive activity, self-dependent economic activity, maritime fishing zones, coral reefs, turtle, clam, international law, dispute, ASEAN, Code of Conduct (CoC), COC, Indonesia, Laos, Cambodia, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., non-claimant states, Australia, Japan, United States, us, USA, militarising, military exercises, sea lanes, environmental crisis, securitisation, marine diversity, sustainability, realpolitik, Israel-Hamas conflict

Portugal needs a clear strategy for the Indo-Pacific

Written by Rita Durão

Consolidating a strategy towards the Indo-Pacific would not only signify Portugal's commitment towards enhancing its global presence through a multilateral approach but also present opportunities for fostering economic growth, strengthening diplomatic ties, and promoting regional stability.

Europe and the Indo-Pacific9DLMarch 7, 2024Portugal needs a clear strategy for the Indo-Pacific, 9DashLine, Rita Durão, Portugal, Indo-Pacific, European Union, Atlantic front, NATO, United States, Community of Portuguese Language Countries (CPLP), snap elections, Socialist Party (PS), Democratic Alliance (AD), Communist Party (PCP), Unitary Democratic Coalition (CDU), China, India, non-alignment, blocs, Liberal Initiative (IL), Risk Reduction Strategy, People Animals Nature (PAN), Portuguese-speaking countries, human rights, multilateral, rules-based order, 16th EU-India summit, Porto, 2021 Portuguese Presidency of the Council of the European Union, Macau, Belt and Road Initiative, soft distancing, 5G, Portugal's 5G network, like-minded partners, Japan, South Korea, Prime Minister António Costa, EU-ASEAN summit, Dialogue on Asia, 2024 Diplomatic Seminar, Lisbon, Singapore, G20, observer, Timor-Leste, Timor-Leste's accession to ASEAN, Vietnam, ASEAN, Shangri-La Dialogue, maritime empire, colonialism, Macao, East Timor, Sines Port, Azores, blue economy, EDP Renewables, Indonesia, Indo-Pacific strategy

Moving forward while moving backwards: More of the same in Thai politics

Written by William J. Jones

In May 2023, the Thai general election saw a political ‘bomb’ drop on Thailand. The progressive reformist Move Forward Party placed first, taking 151 seats in the 500-member parliament, setting the stage for a head-on collision with Thailand’s conservative establishment.

Power Politics, Southeast Asia9DLMarch 6, 20249DashLine, Moving forward while moving backwards: More of the same in Thai politics, WILLIAM J. JONES, Thailand, Bangkok, Thai general election, Move Forward Party, MFP, Article 112, lese-majeste law, Thai Constitutional Court, constitutional court verdicts, Thaksin Shinawatra, conservative elite, lawfare, Thai Election Commission, Pita Limjaroenrat, Theerayut Suwannakaysorn, policy platform, reformist policy platform, National Anti-Corruption Commission, NACC, Supreme Court’s Division for Political Office Holders, lifetime ban from politics, political rights, Pannika Wanich, Future Forward Party, conservative establishment, Thai opposition, socio-political reform, United Thai Nation, Palang Pracharat, Puea Thai government formation, Puea Thai, money politics, patron-client relationships, clientelism, cronyism, backroom deals, parole, Thai Rak Thai, People’s Power Party, Yingluck Shinawatra, middle-class urban voters, populist people’s party, Thai electorate, military junta, former military junta, Paetongtarn Shinawatra

Hungary’s bet on China: Smart move or desperate attempt?

Written by Dr Tamás Matura

Playing a balancing act between the East and the West, Orbán hopes to boost his international political clout and the economic development of Hungary by cosying up to other illiberal world leaders such as China’s Xi Jinping.

Europe and the Indo-Pacific9DLMarch 4, 20249dashline, Hungary’s bet on China: Smart move or desperate attempt?, Dr Tamás Matura, Hungary, China, Viktor Orbán, Beijing, Budapest, illiberal governments, Xi Jinping, Chinese investors, Western investors, China policy, Sino-Hungary, EV industry, Central Europe, EU, Orbán, Eastern Opening Policy, comprehensive strategic partnership, pro-China policies, veto, Council veto, human rights abuses, EU proposals, South China Sea, Russia-Ukrainian war, 16+1 framework, Baltic states, Poland, Czechia, Romania, diplomatic resources, economic resources, friendship, diplomacy, Beijing's strategic interests, EU statements, Hungarian economy, Chinese economic presence, Chinese capital, European automotive industry, Berlin, BRI, Budapest-Belgrade railway line, EU technological standards, Chinese factories, Serbia, multinational manufacturers, transportation corridor, infrastructure, EV, manufacturing exports, European economic crisis, domestic companies, crony capitalism, unemployment, guest workers, hatemongering, migrants, migration, minority groups, foreign workers, countryside, veto power, 16+1 cooperation, middleman strategy

Understanding antifeminist backlash in the South Korean context: Remnants of militarism and patriarchy

Written by JiMin Nam

In South Korea specifically, backlash is not just a reaction to the rise of popular feminism since 2015. Instead, it is an indicator that two related institutions, militarism and patriarchy, persist in South Korean society and represent gender norms in a way that positions feminism as something problematic.

Editor's Picks, East Asia9DLFebruary 28, 20249dashline, JiMin Nam, Understanding backlash in the South Korean context, Remnants of militarism and patriarchy, gender rights, feminism, women's rights, anti-gender movements, LGBTQIA+ rights, South Korea, employment rights, social media, abortion rights, spycam crime, cyberbullying, Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, Brazil, backlash, oppressive institutions, militarism, patriarchy, gender norms, point system, Ewha Women’s University, misogyny, cyber terror, military, conscription, gendered identities, moral identity, human rights abuses, militaristic hierarchical culture, workspace, excluded, exclusionary patterns, post-war developmentalism, Asian Financial Crisis, male workers, female workers, patriarchal fantasies, Seoul, Understanding antifeminist backlash in the South Korean context: Remnants of militarism and patriarchy

The changing dynamics of the Japan-Sri Lanka relationship

Written by Varuna Shankar

Japan provides the opportunity for Sri Lanka to reduce its dependence on China for economic reform, while Sri Lanka provides Japan an opening to penetrate deeper into the South Asian market.

South Asia9DLFebruary 26, 20249dashline, varuna shankar, The changing dynamics of the Japan-Sri Lanka relationship, Japan-Sri lanka relationship, investment, Southeast Asia, Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayash, Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi, digital econo, digital economies, MOU on port development, financial crisis, Gotabaya government’s dependence on Chinese financial assistance, 2.9 billion bailout from the IMF, Sri Lanka's strategy, economic freefall, humanitarian crisis, twin deficit, COVID-19 stagnation, tourism industry, Gotabaya administration, Jaya Container Terminal project, Sri Lanka Ports Authority, East Container Terminal, jointly develop the East Container Terminal, Ports Authority, funded by Japan, Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was cancelled, Japanese-funded light rail transit (LRT) project was suspended, Tokyo and Colombo, India-Sri Lanka bilateral relationship, West Container Terminal, 52 per cent of Sri Lanka’s bilateral debt, Sri Lanka's debt, World Bank, IMF, Japanese Ambassador to India Hiroshi Suzuki, Free and Open Indo-Pacific, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s vision, Japanese investments, Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), Bandaranaike International Airport, viaduct at Bandaranaike International Airport, apanese Maritime Self-Defence Force, connectivity infrastructure in Sri Lanka, devaluation of the local currency, Colombo, investment zones, South Asian market

In Forum — Great power politics amid great turbulence

For many in the Global South and the Indo-Pacific, the West’s contrasting responses to the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the Isreal-Palestine conflict have revealed a hypocrisy that undermines the international order it is seeking to protect and promote.

In this In Forum, 9DASHLINE asks a number of experts how these factors will shape great power competition.

Taiwan must be cautious in drawing lessons from the Israel-Hamas war

Written by Dr Mor Sobol

In the last few years, amid escalating tensions between Taiwan and China, and the heightened geopolitical rivalry between Washington and Beijing, there has been a noticeable surge in interest from the Taiwanese side — both at official and ‘academic’ levels — in learning from the Israeli experience regarding security and defence.

East Asia9DLFebruary 21, 2024Taiwan must be cautious in drawing lessons from the Israel-Hamas war, Dr Mor Sobol, Israel, Palestine, Taiwan, Israeli-Hamas war, Taiwan's Defence Minister Chiu Kuo-cheng, Gaza, Ukraine, Russia, Military strategy, cybersecurity, civil society, China, PLA, Cross-Strait relations

Counter-insurgency dynamics in Balochistan: Examining militant surrenders and resurgences

Written by Sajid Aziz

The twin threats of separatist movement and militancy by religious-ethnic groups in Pakistan and Iran, respectively, have been perennial sources of mistrust, mutual accusations, frequent border skirmishes, and the recent military strikes and counter-strikes between the two states.

Faultlines9DLFebruary 20, 20249DASHLINE, Sajid Aziz, Counter-insurgency dynamics in Balochistan: Examining militant surrenders and resurgences, Pakistan, Balochistan, Sarfaraz Bangulzai, Baloch Nationalist Army (BNA), surrender, Balochistan’s separatist movement, separatism, separatist militant organisation, independence, Baloch Republican Army (BRA), United Baloch Army (UBA), Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), Pakistan’s armed forces, Gulzar Imam, military, intelligence, Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), Baloch Liberation Front (BLF), violence, Baloch, securitised, Demobilisation, Babar Yousaf, armed struggle, counter-insurgency, fighters, militants, insurgency, amnesty, decapitation strategy, infighting, terrorism, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK), Baloch Raaji Aajoi Sangar (BRAS), middle class, Fedayeen attacks, Majeed Brigade, security forces, Panjgur and Nushki districts, Chinese nationals, suicide attacks, human rights violations, Voice for Baloch Missing Persons (VBMP), UN Working Group on Enforced Disappearances, Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI), Iran-Pakistan border, Iran, Gwader, Chahbar, port, Tehran, Islamabad, human smuggling, drug trafficking, Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan, China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC)

Facing battlefield losses, Myanmar’s junta may look to ASEAN for off-ramps

Written by Hunter Marston

Identifying possible mediators and key stakeholders is critical at this particular juncture, and given the present circumstances we need not let perfect be the enemy of good.

Southeast Asia, Most Popular9DLFebruary 19, 20249dashline, Hunter Marston, Facing Battlefield Losses, Myanmar’s Junta May Look to ASEAN for Offramps, sit-tat, Myanmar Junta, myanmar military, Burmese, Operation 1027, Association of Southeast Asian Nations, ASEAN, State Administrative Council’s (SAC), Beijing has grown frustrated, Ukraine, Laos chairmanship of ASEAN, India, China, ndonesia’s ‘quiet diplomacy', Arakan Army (AA), Japanese special envoy Yohei Sasakawa, International Institute for Strategic Studies, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, Chairman of the SAC, National Unity Government, Three Brotherhood Alliance, Sagaing, Shan, Chin, Chin state, shan state, sagaing state, Mandalay, Naypyidaw, ASEAN’s 2021 Five Point Consensus, 5PC, Jakarta, Burmese society, “troika” model, Laos, Indonesia, and the Philippines, Myanmar’s generals, ASEAN-brokered solution, people of Myanmar