Andrew S. Erickson

Andrew S. Erickson and Kevin Bond, “Archaeology and the South China Sea,” The Diplomat, 20 July 2015.
A new maritime archaeology vessel is another component in China’s strategy for the South China Sea.
Recently, Vietnamese and Western media resumed reporting on China’s HD-981 oil rig, after it was redeployed to disputed waters, dredging up memories of the […]

Andrew S. Erickson and Austin M. Strange, Six Years at Sea… and Counting: Gulf of Aden Anti-Piracy and China’s Maritime Commons Presence (Washington, DC: Jamestown Foundation/Brookings Institution Press, 2015).

Now available via Amazon, including as a Kindle eBook!
Click here to purchase this book via Brookings Institution Press or from the Jamestown Store.
SUMMARY
Every wave has its genesis some distance from shore. […]

Michael Raska, S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Nanyang Technological University; review of Carnes Lord and Andrew S. Erickson, eds., Rebalancing U.S. Forces: Basing and Forward Presence in the Asia-Pacific (Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press, 2014); Contemporary Southeast Asia 37.1 (2015): 146-49.
Can the United States rely on its land bases, major naval surface combatants, and above all, its […]

Gabriel B. Collins and Andrew S. Erickson, “Djibouti Likely to Become China’s First Indian Ocean Outpost,” China SignPost™ (洞察中国) 91 (11 July 2015).

China is now laying the diplomatic and legal foundations for a long-term naval presence in Djibouti, with a range of recent media reports alleging that Beijing is negotiating for naval access in the country. […]

Andrew S. Erickson, Personal summary of discussion at “China’s Naval Shipbuilding: Progress and Challenges,” conference held by China Maritime Studies Institute at U.S. Naval War College, Newport, RI, 19-20 May 2015.
CHINA MARITIME STUDIES INSTITUTE (CMSI) CONFERENCE
“CHINA’S NAVAL SHIPBUILDING: PROGRESS AND CHALLENGES”
PERSONAL SUMMARY OF DISCUSSION BY ANDREW S. ERICKSON
THIS IS A COMPILATION OF MY OBSERVATIONS FROM THIS CONFERENCE […]

In an op-ed published both English and Japanese, Prof. Adam Liff and I argue that Tokyo and Beijing urgently need to establish, and to reliably implement, bilateral crisis management capabilities vis-à-vis the East China Sea. Hotline(s) could be of particular utility as a contact mechanism, but would only be as good as both sides’ commitment to actually using […]

Eric Fish, “Time to ‘Freak Out’ About Chinese Stocks? Depends on Who You Ask,” Asia Blog, Asia Society, 8 July 2015.
The past year has been a roller coaster ride for Chinese stocks. The Shanghai Composite Index shot from 2,000 points in July 2014 to nearly 5,200 last month, but now it continues to plunge, closing just above […]

Daniel W. Drezner, “The Politics of China’s Stock Market Collapse,” PostEverything, Washington Post, 7 July 2015.
(Drezner is the model of a scholar who achieves relevance as a public intellectual. Click here to access his website.)
Nothing to see here, just the meltdown of Chinese equity markets.
So while every international affairs pundit and their mother are focused […]

Important, positive news from the National Bureau of Asian Research:

Abraham M. Denmark
The U.S. Office of the Secretary of Defense has appointed Abraham Denmark, Senior Vice President of Political and Security Affairs and External Relations at the National Bureau of Asian Research (NBR), to the position of United States Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for East […]

Andrew S. Erickson and Gabe Collins, “Stock Slump Casualty: The Myth of Chinese Exceptionalism,” China Real Time Report (中国实时报), Wall Street Journal, 6 July 2015. 
China’s dramatic stock market plunge and the resulting uncertainty as to how Beijing will try to manage the situation are calling China’s economic growth and political stability into question. This financial risk story […]

Gabriel B. Collins and Andrew S. Erickson, “Three SignPosts to Guide You as China’s Stock Market Crisis Unfolds,” China SignPost™ (洞察中国) 90 (5 July 2015).

For the past 10 days, the Greek debt drama has drawn media coverage and popular attention from important events on the other side of the globe. Today’s resounding “no” vote in […]

At this challenging, uncertain time for China’s financial markets, it is worth revisiting what we consider to be three of China SignPost’s highest-impact reports thus far. We believe that these analyses elucidate key short-term and longer-term dynamics and prospects for China’s economic conditions, its broader development trajectory, and the Party-State’s prospects for managing both effectively.
On […]

In an op-ed published today, Prof. Adam Liff and I argue that Tokyo and Beijing urgently need to establish, and to reliably implement, bilateral crisis management capabilities vis-à-vis the East China Sea. Hotline(s) could be of particular utility as a contact mechanism, but would only be as good as both sides’ commitment to actually using them in […]

Yet another must-read by Ryan Martinson. It is quite significant that China has formed the world’s largest blue-water coast guard fleet, and added to it the world’s largest constabulary vessel by far.
Ryan D. Martinson, “East Asian Security in the Age of the Chinese Mega-Cutter,” Center for International Maritime Security (CIMSEC), 3 July 2015.
On May 19th, […]

Clark Capshaw, Military Sealift Command; review of Carnes Lord and Andrew S. Erickson, eds., Rebalancing U.S. Forces: Basing and Forward Presence in the Asia-Pacific (Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press, 2014); Air & Space Power Journal 29.4 (July-August 2015).
Rebalancing U.S. Forces is a collection of essays relating to the Obama administration’s “rebalancing” of forces to the Asia-Pacific region–or, as […]

Further useful guidance from Peter Mattis how best to study the PLA. This practical, methodologically-focused approach is long overdue, and will aid the field immensely!
Peter Mattis, “No Easy Task: The Right Way to Study China’s Military,” The National Interest, 29 June 2015.
…Finding good guidance on sourcing is difficult, and the ubiquitous citations to retired PLA […]

Andrew S. Erickson and Austin M. Strange, “Deep Blue Diplomacy: Soft Power and China’s Antipiracy Operations,” in Bruce A. Elleman and S. C. M. Paine, eds., Navies and Soft Power: Historical Case Studies of Naval Power and the Nonuse of Military Force, Naval War College Newport Paper 42 (June 2015), 163–79.
Click here to download a […]

In this extremely instructive article, Prof. Taylor Fravel explains that “terminology in the 2015 defense white paper indicates that China has officially changed its national military strategy. The goal of the new strategy is ‘winning informationized local wars,’ with an emphasis on the maritime domain.”
Click here to check out Taylor’s website for more more important […]

Marc Szepan, “China’s New Kid on the (M&A) Block: The Chinese Insurance Sector Has the Potential to Become a Major Driver of Outbound Investment,” The Diplomat, 25 June 2015.
Chinese companies continue to be a force to be reckoned with in the global market for corporate control. Chinese acquirers completed cross-border deals with a total volume […]