Five thermal power projects have been developed in Binh Thuan province, raising serious concerns about pollution, as the plants are located near marine protected area. Binh Thuan has emerged as a province which attracts many industrial projects, especially thermal power ones. The Vinh Tan Power Center runs five thermal power plants, including Vinh Tan 1, 2, 3, 4 and expanded Vinh Tan 4. Of these, Vinh Tan 2 has opened, while the others are under construction, capitalized at billions of dollars. Vinh Tan 2, Vinh Tan 4 and expanded Vinh Tan 4 are listed by the Ministry of Industry and Trade as polluting projects, or projects with violations of environmental laws. Vinh Tan 2, during its operation, produced dust and ash, upsetting locals’ lives and raising strong opposition from the public. As for Vinh Tan 1, the Chinese investor is now seeking permission to dump 1.5 cubic meters of waste into the sea, near Hon Cau, one of Vietnam’s 16 MPAs.

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Asia can build a harmonious, rules-based water management system. But it needs China to get on board. Tensions over water are rising in Asia—and not only because of conflicting maritime claims. While territorial disputes, such as in the South China Sea, attract the most attention—after all, they threaten the safety of sea lanes and freedom of navigation, which affects outside powers as well—the strategic ramifications of competition over transnationally shared freshwater resources are just as ominous. Asia has less fresh water per capita than any other continent, and it is already facing a water crisis that, according to an MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) study, will continue to intensify, with severe water shortages expected by 2050. At a time of widespread geopolitical discord, competition over freshwater resources could emerge as a serious threat to long-term peace and stability in Asia.

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Thái Bình Province aims to plant more than 1,320 hectares of coastal forests in the next five years and protect almost 4,000 hectares of forest, with total investment of US$18.7 million. The plan by the province’s authorities aims to recover lost forest areas, consolidate existing forest areas and grow new forests in coastal areas. In addition, the plantation will bring much-needed benefits to the local populace, like creating jobs, generating additional livelihoods, and ensure national security and bolster defence. US$18.7 million is the estimated capital required to complete the plan, of which, VNĐ386 billion will be used to plant trees and build support components. Land illegally encroached upon by industrial zones and urban areas as well as land used by ineffective seafood farms located near sea dykes will be reclaimed and converted to forests, thus enclosing the forest belt.

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The warm welcome afforded Myanmar’s de facto leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, here on November 2 underscores Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s eagerness to counter Chinese overtures to a country, like the Philippines, of great geopolitical importance in Southeast Asia. Abe greeted Suu Kyi at the State Guest House, normally reserved for foreign heads of state or government — such as Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, who visited Japan last week. He opened the meeting with enthusiasm, expressing a hope of making “great strides” in developing bilateral relations by working with her. Abe had put forth a new diplomatic initiative for “free and open” Indian and Pacific oceans in August. In an unspoken rebuke to China’s maritime expansion, he laid out a vision of the oceans connecting Asia to Africa as “peaceful seas that are governed by the rule of law.”

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The post Abe vies with China for influence over ASEAN gateways first appeared on Open Development Mekong.

Scanning the regional landscape on November 3, South-east Asian states ought to be quite optimistic about the state of ASEAN-China relations just as the year closes on the 25th anniversary of the establishment of their dialogue partnership. ASEAN and China have agreed to a series of confidence-building measures to lower the temperature on the South China Sea issue. The Philippines, after years of sabre-rattling with China, now appears to be embracing Beijing just as Manila is about to take up the ASEAN chairmanship. And a range of Chinese-led economic initiatives that benefit the region are being rolled out. The prospects for “win-win cooperation”, as the Chinese like to term it, seem to be quite bright. Yet speaking to some other South-east Asian participants in Beijing for the seventh Xiangshan Forum last month, this was far from the case. Several of them conveyed the same feeling one gets travelling around South-east Asian capitals on November 3: a palpable uncertainty about China’s rising capabilities, dubiousness about its true intent, and fear as to how Beijing may misinterpret major shifts – including Manila’s apparent pivot – as indicating the wisdom of its current course rather than its follies. South-east Asian countries may be gaining to varying degrees, but they certainly do not feel like they are winning.

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China has scaled down its presence at a disputed South China Sea shoal but has not interfered with Filipino fishermen, the Philippine president’s security adviser said on October 30, after the administration had said China had withdrawn completely. Hermogenes Esperon said Chinese ships were still present but had not blocked Filipino boats at the Scarborough shoal, a rocky outcrop central to an international arbitration case, since President Rodrigo Duterte’s visit to Beijing two weeks ago. The situation at sea remains unclear, however, as do the circumstances behind an apparent softening of China’s position regarding an area significant not only for fishing, but for the broader balance of power in the South China Sea. China had repelled fishermen since seizing the Scarborough Shoal in 2012, but Filipino boats returned from the area at the weekend with tonnes of fish, broadcaster GMA reported, showing images of smiling crew and a large catch. Philippine Defence Secretary Delfin Lorenzana had on October 28 declared Chinese vessels were no longer there and fishing could resume. Duterte’s spokesman also made similar comments.

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