China incompetent? The tale of the oil rig
What has China achieved by sending its oil rig to drill off the Paracel Islands? It has managed to rupture relations with its brother communists in Vietnam, incensed Vietnamese popular opinion, generated gigabytes of critical international media coverage, revived the “China Threat” discourse in Southeast Asia and unified ASEAN […]
Vietnam’s protests aren’t just about China
Dramatic images of Vietnamese workers vandalising Chinese-owned factories appear to be yet more proof that an angry nationalism is taking hold in East and South East Asia. The reality is a little more complex. Although passions are certainly rising over the fate of a few specks of rock in the […]
China-Vietnam clash – interview for BBC World
Why has China sent an oil rig, guarded by a flotilla of ships, into disputed waters near the Paracel Islands and sparked a confrontation with Vietnam just days before a summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)? An interview explaining the background for BBC World’s Newsday programme. Link […]