Vivekananda International Foundation | Seeking Harmony in Diversity

South China Sea

Commentary: China and Philippines Rapprochement: Implications for India

With the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and Philippines conducting the second Bilateral Consultation Meeting on the South China Sea, there’s been a range of views on what this could mean for regional stability in the Indo-Pacific. While the USA...

March 6 , 2018

Interaction with ASEAN Journalists

On January 23, 2018, The Vivekananda International Foundation (VIF), New Delhi, hosted an interaction with visiting senior journalists from the ten of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries of Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore,...

January 30 , 2018

ASEAN’s Centrality and the South China Sea Dispute

The concept of Association of Southeast Asian Nations’ (ASEAN) centrality has been much talked about as being one of the most cherished principles of the multilateral organization; however, there is no clear or detailed definition of the term. Yet...

August 8 , 2017

China-US Diplomatic and Security Dialogue

Amid the heightening tension between China and the United States (US) over the Korean issue, on 21 June 2017, the first China-US Diplomatic and Security Dialogue (D&SD) was held at the US State Department in Washington. The D & SD dialogue...

July 6 , 2017

Achievements: India-Vietnam Defence and Security Cooperation

“We realise that our efforts to bring economic prosperity to our people need to be accompanied by steps to secure them. Prime Minister and I have, therefore, agreed to deepen our defence and security engagement to advance our common interests. The...

May 12 , 2017

‘Beati Sunt Possidentes’ (Blessed are Those in Possession): A Leitmotif for Chinese (& Pakistani) Statecraft

Tucked away in Chapter 1 of Book 6, boringly titled ‘Defense’ in Clausewitz’s ‘On War’, is yet another nugget of his strategic wisdom: ‘In daily life, and especially in litigation (which so closely resembles war) it is summed up by the Latin proverb...

April 10 , 2017

The Seventh Xiangshan Forum

The Trend of Confabulations The Seventh ‘Xiangshan’ (literal meaning ‘Fragrant Hills’) Conference was held from 10 to 12 October 2016 at the Haidian District of Xiangshan near Beijing. The Xiangshan Forum is co-sponsored by China Academy of...

October 26 , 2016

South China Sea imbroglio: Setting The Record Straight

China is a signatory to United Nations Convention of the Law of the Seas (UNCLOS) but not the US. The South China Sea (SCS) covers an area of nearly four million square kilometers. It is estimated that US $5 trillion worth of sea borne trade and one...

August 5 , 2016

Round Table Discussion on The South China Sea Dispute Ruling - Implications

Against the backdrop of 12 July 2016, award by the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) on the South China Sea (SCS), a Round Table Discussion was held on 2 August 2016, on “South China Dispute Ruling: Implications”. The discussion started with the...

August 4 , 2016

South China Sea: China’s Achilles Heel?

In an eleven-page press release, the Permanent Court of Arbitration has given its unanimous award by the Tribunal under Annex VII to the United Nation Convention on the Laws of the Sea (the “Convention”) in the arbitration instituted by the Republic...

July 13 , 2016