The Lowy Interpreter

Questions & Answers About China's New Aircraft Carrier

By The Lowy Interpreter 2018-05-18 20:54:00

[By Sam Roggeveen] For weeks now, the online community that follows Chinese military affairs has speculated about photos indicating China’s first homebuilt aircraft carrier, known for the moment as the Type-001A, would sail for the first time. The carrier looked finished,...

China's Play for Bases in the Indian Ocean

By The Lowy Interpreter 2018-05-15 22:06:00

[By David Brewster] China is moving to establish a network of naval and air bases in the Indian Ocean to support its growing strategic imperatives in the region. This likely includes plans to build bases in the eastern Indian Ocean....

Rising Seas Lead to Shifting Alliances

By The Lowy Interpreter 2018-04-27 14:14:00

[By Dr. Kumuda Simpson] In 2009 the first democratically elected President of the Maldives, Mohamed Nasheed, held an underwater cabinet meeting. The stunt was crafted to draw international attention to the plight of many low-lying island nations as climate change causes sea...

Can Japan's Subsea Mineral Discovery be Mined?

By The Lowy Interpreter 2018-04-20 16:44:00

[By Frederick Kuo] Rare earth metals are critical to the production of a massive array of industrial goods, from smartphones to precision-guided missiles. This makes rare earth materials production and ownership a contentious issue in the tug of war between states. China’s production...

Borneo Oil Spill Hurts Indonesia's Poor

By The Lowy Interpreter 2018-04-09 21:25:00

[By Kate Walton] “We believe this is the worst oil spill to catch fire since the 2010 Deepwater Horizon disaster,” said Fathur Roziqin Fen, director for East Kalimantan for WALHI, Indonesia’s largest environmental organisation. He is closely monitoring the consequences of last...

Furor Over Fisheries Enforcement in Indonesia

By The Lowy Interpreter 2018-04-06 14:42:00

[By Aisyah Llewellyn] “Indonesia’s fishing industry was broken for many years,” says Amhar, who, like many Indonesians, goes by only one name. “Then Susi came along and she fought for us.” Amhar is a fisherman with a small boat he runs out of...

Chinese Carrier Poses No Threat for Taiwan

By The Lowy Interpreter 2018-03-23 13:52:00

[By Euan Graham] Measured in terms of Chinese rhetoric, the temperature of cross-strait relations has risen sharply this week. Addressing China’s National People’s Congress, President Xi Jinping warned Taiwan that it would be “punished by history” if it declares independence....

Joint Freedom of Navigation Patrols in the South China Sea

By The Lowy Interpreter 2018-02-21 17:02:00

[By Shashank Joshi and Euan Graham] During a trip to Australia this month, UK Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson announced that HMS Sutherland, a British frigate currently deployed to Australia and the Western Pacific, would return from its tour via the South China Sea,...

The Indian Ocean Base Race

By The Lowy Interpreter 2018-02-14 21:40:00

[By David Brewster] It seems that we are in the middle of a base race across the Indian Ocean. The latest move, reported on Tuesday, involves an agreement to give India access to naval facilities in Oman, close to the Strait of...

Sanctions Busting, North Korean-Style

By The Lowy Interpreter 2018-02-12 16:53:00

[By Justin Hastings] A recent report from the UN sanctions committee suggests that North Korea has been able to generate an estimated $200 million from illicit dealings in the past year. Coal is being exported to China, Malaysia, Russia, and Vietnam in violation...