Infrastructure Development
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Southeast Asia
PRC prioritizes national interests over peaceful resolution in Myanmar
FORUM Staff The Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) and Chinese government’s interests in war-torn Myanmar are largely self-serving. Since a military coup in February 2021 plunged the nation into chaos, the party’s support, which has included supplying military weapons, has fluctuated between the junta and the resistance movement, and sometimes to both simultaneously. The People’s Republic of China (PRC) generally favors…
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South Asia
PRC’s massive dam in Himalayas raises tensions downstream
FORUM Staff The Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) withholding of details about its planned super hydropower dam — potentially the world’s largest — on the Brahmaputra (Yarlung Tsangpo) River in the Tibet Autonomous Region has spurred anxiety and mistrust among neighbors. The Brahmaputra provides water for farming, fishing and transport in Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and the People’s Republic of China (PRC).…
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Global Commons
In ‘battery of Southeast Asia,’ citizens struggle to keep lights on
FORUM Staff As Laotians grapple with supercharged inflation that has spiked electricity prices nearly 30%, many wonder why energy and other necessities are so costly in a nation dubbed the “battery of Southeast Asia” for its dozens of hydropower dams. “Electricity rates are too high for ordinary people to afford,” a resident of Luang Prabang province told Radio Free Asia…
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Partnerships
Defense, security innovators engage at 2023 POST Conference
FORUM Staff A changing global landscape is affecting international approaches to defense and technology. Defense and security experts from 14 nations across the Indo-Pacific met at the largest-ever Pacific Operational Science & Technology (POST) Conference in early March 2023 to discuss solutions to the challenges facing the region. “What a difference a year makes,” said Royal Australian Navy Commodore Dean…
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Global Commons
Indo-Pacific partners boost Papua New Guinea’s power grid
Marc Jacob Prosser Australia, Japan, New Zealand and the United States are collaborating with Papua New Guinea (PNG) to provide 70% of the Pacific Island Country’s population with reliable, grid-connected electricity by 2030. Many of the projects tie in with the U.S. $1.7 billion Papua New Guinea Electrification Partnership (PEP), established in 2018 to encourage private-public collaboration. The partnership aims…
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Global Commons
Partnership, preservation, protection: Camp Blaz epitomizes U.S. commitment in Guam, alliance with Japan
FORUM Staff Steeped in history and fortified by Indo-Pacific partnerships, United States Marine Corps Base Camp Blaz on Guam’s northern plateau will play a crucial role in regional security and collective defense, U.S. military leaders and regional allies said during a January 2023 reactivation and naming ceremony for the base. “Forward, persistent presence is key to the regional security and…
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Global Commons
Indonesia strengthening Navy, addressing security challenges with upgraded capabilities
Gusty Da Costa Facing security threats in its neighborhood and evolving defense technology requirements, the Indonesian government is focused on matching its capabilities to meet the challenges of 2023. One key aspect of this effort is modernizing the country’s weapons systems and building facilities and infrastructure for the Armed Forces, particularly the Navy. Adm. Yudo Margono, pictured, commander of the…
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Free and Open Indo-Pacific/FOIP
Beijing unmoved by environmental damage from its South China Sea dredging, construction
Felix Kim The People’s Republic of China’s (PRC) ongoing construction of artificial features in the South China Sea has devastated the region’s maritime environment, destroying coral reefs and threatening fish stocks, analysts say. In addition to violating the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), Beijing’s dredging and other activity warrant the label of environmental crime. The…
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Asymmetric Threats
One Road, Big Debts
Chinese Infrastructure Scheme Leaves Trail of Buyers’ Remorse
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Key Issues
Allies, partners focus on information operations, integrated deterrence at USINDOPACOM symposium
FORUM Staff U.S. Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM) hosted the largest-ever annual Information Operations and Electromagnetic Warfare (IO & EW) Symposium in Hawaii from October 17- 21, 2022, with more than 500 in-person, virtual and hybrid attendees worldwide. Participants examined how the United States and its allies and partners can better coordinate operations in the information environment to deter military threats in…
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