A world free of wartime rape is within our reach

Conflict-related sexual violence is a war crime mired in myths and shrouded in secrecy and stigma. Perhaps the greatest misperception is that it is an atrocity of a bygone era, and that in today's age of high tech warfare rape is no longer used as a weapon of mass destruction. Nothing could be further from the truth.

How good a government India has got

India has voted in a new government under new leader. The 10-year-old Congress party-led United Progressive Alliance government will be succeeded by the right-wing Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance. Many in India see this as a victory for development and governance, which the BJP so vehemently used as its main campaign plank in the general election.

Joint efforts to meet challenges

A more inclusive security concept is needed so more countries are involved in building a regional security framework

Whose sovereignty over Xisha Islands?

Tensions between China and Vietnam over sovereignty issues in the South China Sea flared up again on May 2, 2014 when China positioned an oil rig in waters off the disputed Xisha Islands. Vietnam protested this action and sent vessels to disrupt the rig's operations. China responded by sending more ships to protect the rig. Inevitably with the numbers of opposing vessels in the area, a violent clash occurred on May 7 injuring some Vietnamese personnel and damaging some vessels.

Is Vietnam safe?

BESIDES CHEAP LABOR COSTS, WHAT investors treasure most is the social stability of an investment destination. The latter is even more valuable than the former as social instability will greatly compromise the benefits that cheap labor brings about.

Abe's dangerous move

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe made it public on Thursday that Tokyo would seek to exercise the right of collective self-defense, which would allow his country to fight alongside its allies beyond its borders.

Rising to the security challenges

Editor's Note: At a recent seminar at China Institute of International Studies, some scholars discussed the traditional and non-traditional security challenges facing China and Asia, and suggested ways to improve security cooperation in the region, which could be important for the upcoming Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia. Following are excerpts from their speeches:

Russia faces tough road to success

Russian President Vladimir Putin's first visit outside the former Soviet Union since the beginning of the Ukraine crisis will be to China, Shanghai to be precise. This is significant because Russia's relations with China are on the rise, in contrast to its relations with the West, which have deteriorated virtually to Cold War levels. Putin has even gone to extent of publicly praising Beijing's stance on the Ukraine crisis.

Upholding press freedom

Journalists' association defends country's progress and development and urges Western media to abandon their 'double standards'

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Reforms prove media accusations wrong

No matter how powerful a censorship infrastructure a country has, it cannot filter all the information circulating in the real and virtual worlds today. But when it comes to China, the West has been promoting a perception to the contrary.

Vietnam has duty to protect foreign investors and staff

Thousands of Vietnamese protesters have gone on the rampage, setting fire to foreign-funded factories, including a huge foreign steel plant in Ha Tinh, as anti-China riots spread from the southern to the central parts of Vietnam. This has endangered the lives and property of not only Chinese citizens and enterprises, including those from Taiwan, but also seriously affected enterprises from Singapore and Japan, the Beijing News said in an editorial.