• Date: October 27th, Thursday, 2020 12:00 – 13:00
• Location: Room 406, SNUAC (Bldg. 101)

Speaker: Prof. Jae Ho Chung (Political Science & International Relations)

SNUAC Program on US-China Relations is holding a seminar on ‘Australia, Singapore, and the Philippines between the US and China: A Five-Issue Analysis’.
In the current situation where the U.S. and China are pressing upon countries in the region regarding various issues, comparing and analyzing the coordinates set by Australia, Singapore, and the Philippines (countries in a similar environment as that of Korea’s) in terms of Southern China Sea, Indo-Pacific strategy, placement of medium-range missiles, the Huawei issue and the Hong Kong/Xinjiang issue will help us gain insight into the Korean situation.

The examination of responses by Australia, Singapore and the Philippines to the five issues (the South China Sea, the Indo-Pacific strategy, the post-INF missile deployment, the Huawei issue, and the Hong Kong/ Xinjiang question) reveals the following characteristics. First, except for the Hong Kong/ Xinjiang issue where Singapore and the Philippines have shown similar behavior, all three countries have displayed a high level of consistency in their responses to these delicate issues.

Second, Australia’s position has been the closest to that of the US, the Philippines’ the closest to that of China’s, and Singapore’s has been typical of those by a hedger. Third, the case of Australia which shares so much in common with Korea offers a lot of food for thought for the decision-makers in Seoul. The Philippine’s case, on the other hand, provides no model for emulation.