Erica Ruoxin Zhang
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The Invisible Initiative: How China is Using Fishing as a Cover for Gray Zone Warfare
Behind the same nets aboard civilian fishing ships that cast 44% of the world’s fishing product hides a sophisticated web of legal facade serving as the foundation for China’s naval Gray Zone Warfare; one that justifies armed inspections and attacks on foreign fishing vessels, the disregard for international maritime safety…
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From Haven to Hub: Thailand’s New Trade of Transnational Repression
For decades, dissidents and activists in Southeast Asia have found reprieve and refuge within Thailand’s borders, which once served as a shield against persecution and unlawful silencing. Yet a single coup in 2014 enabled Thai General Prayuth Chan-ocha’s rise and consolidation of power, who tore this veil down with the…
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How Modern Chinese Surveillance and Censorship Prevail on Self-Regulation
Modern Chinese censorship and surveillance do not rely on overt coercion but instead operate by constantly reminding citizens that what they say online is never private. While violence through physical coercion is rare, knowledge of its possibility is enough to instill caution. Living under such an unspoken threat fosters a…
Sino-Southeast Initiative 