The Philippines rejected Taiwan's claim that Philippine coast guards intentionally murdered a Taiwanese fisherman on May 9, a spokesman for Philippine President Benigno Aquino III said May 18, AFP reported.
Indonesia will host an ASEAN Plus Eight joint counterterrorism training exercise in Bogor, West Java, in September, the Indonesian Defense Ministry said May 4, Xinhua reported.
North Korea might be willing to talk with the United States about arms reduction but will never discuss denuclearization, Yonhap reported April 20, citing government newspaper Rodong Sinmun.
China needs a buffer zone it can control in the northern part of the Korean Peninsula, but it has no special attachment to the current regime in Pyongyang.
Defense spending by Asian countries is expected to surpass European defense spending for the first time in 2012, highlighting the significant military modernization efforts being undertaken by many East Asian countries. Stratfor is tracking the key security and military trends throughout the region, from increasing Chinese defense capabilities to Japanese military normalization to maritime tensions in the crowded Western Pacific.
