Interestingly in the region, some countries have not lowered their defence spending. These are - China, Taiwan, Singapore and Japan. Could it be that these countries no longer trust their neighbors or that they are taking greater precautionary measures to thwart any spillover effects?
■ Maritime security considerations are likely to become more prominent in Southeast Asia. Part of the problems are likely to become more complicated from unsettled boundaries at sea; some of them are carry over from the cold-war era. For examples:
- Malaysia-Singapore over the ownership of Pulau Batu Putih.The dispute has now gone before the ICJ;
- Malaysia-Indonesia over the status of Ligitan and Sipadan. The dispute is now with the ICJ;
- Overlapping claims in the South China - almost all countries which overlapping claims in the South China Sea have to manage China which claims the entire area;
- China's recent action of strengthening the Mischief Reef is considered very mischievous, irresponsible and very intimidating. Why now? Why is China prepared to raise its stake in the South China Sea amidst the APEC summit which was taking place in Kuala Lumpur, the ASEAN Summit in Hanoi, the China-Japan Summit ,the China-Russia Summit and the problems of insecurity in North Korea? Why quarrel with Asean at this stage - unless China wants to inform the world that it is now to be reckoned with;
■ Asean-ten - some fissures because of size and different ideologies. Asean's external relations have become multifaceted and this can undermine Asean's security. The Cambodian cement that binds the ties in Asean has dissipated and presents no more problem to the international community.
