Vietnamese citizens took to the streets in a rare public demonstration in Ha Noi this past weekend. Much like the protests in the Arab world, the demonstrations in Vietnam were spurred on through social media such as Facebook (which the Vietnamese government has been known to block in an open secret), forums, and blogs. But similarities to the Arab Spring seem to an end there. Ostensibly, the protests in Ha Noi are less about a call for reform than they are about ongoing discontent over Chinese behavior in the South China Sea.
How do you view the protests? Are the protests a display of Vietnamese nationalism in the face of perceived Chinese assertion? Is there an element of criticism embedded in the action, an appeal to the government to do more than offer official statements? Is a greater space opening up for public engagement in the political sphere? How productive can, or will, the protests be?
References: Bloomberg | BBC | Monsters and Critics | ABS CBN News
Is “Eastern Sea” a correct and better name than South China Sea?
Is “Eastern Sea” a correct and better name than South China Sea?
Kim, your point is well made. I’m not sure, but I think Europeans originally coined the name “South China Sea”. Continuing its use is not accurate since that area is surrounded by Vietnam, China, Taiwan, the Philippines, Malaysia and Brunei. The designation “South China Sea” connotes an inaccurate favoring towards China. That’s what the Chinese communist want: misinformation. Given China’s hegemonic ambition, it won’t be long before they claim the Gulf of Thailand as part of Chinese territory.
Wild speculation aside, historically, Beijing has ignored United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and other international laws so it is not surprising that they are blatantly using their military might and disseminating misinformation about their illegal actions against Vietnam. One way to counter the misinformation is not refer to the disputed area by it misnomer, “South China Sea”.
Chinese “information warfare”:
http://english.vietnamnet.vn/en/politics/9221/vietnam-cannot-come-in-second-in–information-warfare–with-china.html
Vietnam is not Socialist. It’s a communist country. Please get this right. It might lends some credibility to your work.
In general political discourse, communism is used interchangeably with socialism. Let’s relax with litigating semantics Webster.