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Emanuele Scimia

Emanuele Scimia

Emanuele Scimia is a journalist and foreign policy analyst. He is a contributing writer to the South China Morning Post and the Jamestown Foundation’s Eurasia Daily Monitor. In the past, his articles have also appeared in The National Interest, Deutsche Welle, World Politics Review, The Jerusalem Post and the EUobserver, among others. He has written for Asia Times since 2011.

Southeast Asia Opinion

South China Sea remains a taboo in EU-ASEAN relations

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During a series of bilateral meetings in Manila from August 6-8, the European Union and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) agreed to strengthen cooperation on defense and security matters. Maritime security, a hot topic in Southeast Asia because of territorial disputes in the South China Sea, is one of the areas covered by the new plan of action that will orient the enhanced partnership between the two regional blocs for five years from 2018. The plan also includes defense and security...

Hong Kong Catholic Church

New bishop of Hong Kong’s realism toward Sino-Vatican relations

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Catholics in Hong Kong have a new leader. Monsignor Michael Yeung, 71, officially took over Aug. 5 as ordinary bishop of the local diocese. He was named by Pope Francis to replace retired Cardinal John Tong, 78. Hong Kong’s diocese has played a go-between role between the Vatican and the Catholic community in mainland China since 1951 when the Communist regime in Beijing and the Holy See cut diplomatic ties. Because of the historical role of his bishopric, Msgr. Yeung’s attitude...

China Opinion

Russia’s arms sales weaken China in the Indo-Pacific area

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Recent joint naval exercises conducted by Russia and China in the Baltic Sea caused considerable alarm to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. But despite all the hype around the alleged expansion of military cooperation between Beijing and Moscow, there is no sign the Sino-Russian comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination – the highest level of diplomatic relationships for the Asian giant – is evolving into a full-blown formal alliance. As Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments senior fellow Toshi Yoshihara put...

South China Sea Opinion

Britain’s twists and turns on the South China Sea

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British leaders continue to send mixed signals on the disputed South China Sea, one of the busiest trade routes in the world. Many believe the appearance of Britain’s warships in the region will likely set off a punitive response from China, the major contender in the territorial row. London could rein in Beijing’s ire if this scenario were to emerge, however, provided its possible future naval activism in East Asia is limited in scope and ambition and matched by precautionary...

Afghanistan Opinion

EU strategy for Afghanistan is just wishful thinking

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On Monday, the European Union set out proposals on how to help Afghanistan improve its delicate security condition and fragile economy. The EU strategy centers on the “Afghanization” of the peace process and support for capacity-building policies, marking a significant shift from the position of the United States under President Donald Trump. Washington instead is considering a new military surge to try to win its long war on Islamist terror in the Asian country – or at least not to lose...

Northeast Asia Diplomacy

Will EU be part of new Six-Party Talks on N Korea?

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The European Union may be seeking a role in facilitating a diplomatic breakthrough in the North Korean nuclear crisis. The EU contributed to the finalization of the Iran nuclear deal in 2015 and has gained extensive experience in coordinating contentious multilateral negotiations. That said, even seasoned European diplomats would find it difficult to unlock the current standoff between North Korea and the United States and satisfy South Korea, China, Japan and Russia at the same time. Critical engagement During a visit to...

Arms Sales Opinion

Sweden vs France: the future of EU arms sales to Asia

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The Swedish government is working on a bill to tighten arms sales to undemocratic countries. As opposed to Sweden’s attempt to introduce stricter rules on weapons transfers, France is trying to expand its export of military equipments. The gulf between Swedish and French arms-export policies shows that despite repeated pledges by leaders of the European Union to deepen the bloc’s defense integration, member states continue to go it alone when it comes to defense-related sales. Asia is becoming the most important market...

Australia Opinion

No French nuclear submarines for Australia, Canberra says

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At a joint press briefing with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris last Sunday, Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull hailed his country’s acquisition of French-designed submarines as “the largest and most ambitious military project in Australia’s history”. Canberra’s US$38.5 billion Future Submarine Program continues to prove a contentious issue domestically, however, all the more so after Tony Abbott – Turnbull’s predecessor – called for the Royal Australian Navy to be equipped with an underwater nuclear deterrent. Speaking at the Centre for...

Taiwan Opinion

Taiwan in the TPP: how to break the cross-strait status quo

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Despite all the fuss about the US government’s approval of a US$1.4 billion arms sale to Taiwan, Japan’s recent overture to Taipei’s participation in a reformed Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) on free trade and investment looks like a more realistic threat to the status quo across the strait between the island and mainland China. The new weapons transfer to Taipei has sent Beijing into a rage, but in no way does it modify the cross-strait military balance, which still favors Communist...

Diplomacy European Union

Ambivalence among EU members yields to China on human rights

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After demonstrating unity for the protection of European industries against Chinese unfair market practices, the European Union has failed to agree on an effective approach to the problem of human rights abuses in China. The EU and China held the 35th round of their human rights dialogue in Brussels last week. The two-day meeting, attended by low-level government delegations on both sides, came after Greece’s decision to block an EU declaration at the recent session of the United Nations Human...

Trade Foreign Investment

The European Union dumps China

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In one fell swoop, a legislative committee of the European Union Parliament has snubbed China’s recent easing of restrictions on inbound foreign investment, rejected Beijing’s demand to be recognized as a market economy and established stringent requirements for the EU’s possible contribution to Chinese President Xi Jinping’s Belt and Road infrastructure initiative. On Tuesday, the EU Parliament’s trade committee overwhelmingly adopted a resolution amending the European Commission’s proposed legislation on protection against dumped and subsidized imports from non-EU countries. In...

Philippines Duterte

Duterte has everything to lose in straining ties with the EU

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Part of the Philippines’ political establishment is ringing the alarm bell about the strained relations between the government in Manila and the European Union, calling on outspoken President Rodrigo Duterte to mend fences with EU institutions and member countries. The European bloc is both the largest foreign investor and leading foreign aid donor in the Philippines. Despite what Duterte may say, the Southeast Asian nation cannot afford to lose the EU’s economic and humanitarian support. Edgardo Angara, Manila’s special envoy to...

Turkey defense

Arms trade is key to expanding Ankara’s influence

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Turkey’s budding military industry is trying to gain stable access to the Indo-Pacific market. Ankara is investing a great deal in its defense sector in a bid to ease dependence on foreign acquisitions and commercialize home-built weapons systems abroad. And given that arms deals are also conducive to the deepening of diplomatic relations, the Turkish government will probably exploit defense cooperation to expand its web of foreign ties in the Asia-Pacific region. Turkey aims to reach self-sufficiency in the defense industry...

China peacekeeping

African security: EU and Beijing intensify cooperation

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In its annual report on China’s military power, released on Tuesday, the US Department of Defense writes that Beijing’s construction of a military base in Djibouti is part of a broader plan to increase the reach and influence of Chinese armed forces outside their traditional sphere of action in East Asia. While this assertion reflects the Pentagon’s concern over China’s expanding defense capabilities, the European Union for its part could look favorably on the Chinese military having a presence in...

China Opinion

The EU glosses over the South China Sea – unlike France

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As expected, the European Union made no public mention of the South China Sea issue at the 19th EU-China Summit, hosted in Brussels on Thursday and Friday. In July last year, at the end of the Sino-European gathering in Beijing, the Chinese government refused to sign a joint communiqué because of the European bloc’s support for a ruling from the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague that rejected the Asian giant’s claims to vast portions of waters and...

China G7

G7 criticism of China’s maritime policy rings hollow

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Just like clockwork, the Group of Seven’s recent comments on territorial disputes in the East and South China Seas have raised China’s ire. Chinese diplomacy activates automatically when the country’s sovereignty and national interest are questioned. This time around, however, Beijing’s reaction appears disproportionate, given that the remarks made by the G7 group of advanced economies during a summit in Italy on Friday and Saturday will definitely have no concrete effect on maritime issues in Asia-Pacific. In the summit’s final...

China Opinion

As numbers grow, Catholics in China still face oppression

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Some 17,000 mainland Chinese Catholics were baptized on Easter Sunday alone. These striking numbers emerged during a symposium on the conditions of Chinese believers held in Rome on Wednesday under the auspices of the Holy See’s Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions and AsiaNews, a Catholic news agency based in Italy. So despite all the restrictions and limitations imposed by the Chinese government, the Catholic Church is showing strong resilience coupled with the capacity to spread across the country. In his greeting...

India Opinion

France ready to sell new fighter jets, submarines to India

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If it ain't broke, don't fix it. Under new President Emmanuel Macron, France will continue to beef up the Indian military arsenal with fighter jets and submarines. French aircraft manufacturer Dassault Aviation and state-owned shipbuilder DCNS are in fact negotiating new deals with the Indian government for the sale of their Rafale multi-role aircraft and diesel-electric attack Scorpene-class submarine respectively. Last Sunday, coinciding with Macron's inauguration, Dassault Aviation chief executive Eric Trappier revealed to French daily Sud-Ouest that its company was...

China Opinion

Don’t expect EU money to fund China’s new Silk Roads

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Only five state and government heads from the European Union attended the Belt and Road Forum in Beijing on Sunday and Monday. What’s more, a number of European delegations, including from Germany, France and Britain, refused to sign a final summit statement on trade because it did not clearly address such issues as public tenders and environmental and social standards. Core EU members are basically wary of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s initiative to boost interconnectivity across Eurasia and beyond through the...

China Foreign Policy

China’s rational mix of hard and soft power

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China’s 15th peacekeeping multifunctional engineer detachment recently erected its 134th boundary marker along the Blue Line, the disputed and highly militarized border separating Lebanon and Israel, a record for the military contingent serving the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon. In another development, Beijing's 25th convoy fleet rescued a Tuvalu-registered ship and a Panamanian vessel from pirate attacks in the Gulf of Aden last month. The recent actions by Chinese peacekeepers and sailors in Lebanon and the Arabian Sea came just...

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