A Russian A-50 military aircraft flies near the disputed islands called Takeshima in Japan and Dokdo in South Korea, in this handout picture taken by Japan Air Self-Defence Force and released by the Joint Staff Office of the Defense Ministry of Japan July 23, 2019. Joint Staff Office of the Defense Ministry of Japan/HANDOUT via REUTERS
AFP: China-Russia joint exercise sends a message to Washington
Beijing (AFP) - An unprecedented joint China-Russia bomber patrol over disputed territory off the coast of South Korea and Japan was a "massive development" in their bid to challenge US influence in the region, analysts said Wednesday.
The joint patrol caused outcry from Washington's two main allies in the region after both Tokyo and Seoul claimed a Russian plane violated their airspace.
Seoul said a Russian warplane twice entered South Korean airspace near the disputed Dokdo islets -- which Tokyo also claims and calls Takeshima -- and that it fired warning shots in return. Japan also said it scrambled fighter jets in response.
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More News On China-Russia Military Cooperation
As South Korea fires on Russian jets, why are Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping teaming up? -- Telegraph.co.uk
China Promises Further Military Cooperation With Russia -- The Wall Street Journal
Joint Russian and Chinese air patrol heightens tension in Korean peninsula -- The Guardian/Reuters
2 comments:
A message to Kim as well.
"A message to Kim as well." These patrols were pertaining to disputed territory off the coast of South Korea and Japan. This does not involve North Korea. As such. there is no "message" per say for North Korea to take from this.
Essentially our South Korean and Japanese "allies" appear to have territorial disputes with China and Russia. Unfortunately due to entangling alliances we are now caught in the middle of this. North Korea is uninvolved in this one. We have to be careful not to link unrelated issues together and trying to treat them as the same thing. Such actions will likely cause us to misread the situation and lead to flawed policies.
If there is a "message" being sent that Kim might deem favorable to his position, it is very likely more than canceled out by other less than positive "messages." 1.)Trade between China and North Korea was down by 48% in 2018. While trade has rebounded by about 14% through the first half of the year, for North Korea this would be a bit like loosing two steps to come forward half a step, hardly a good situation for them. 2.)In response to North Korea's latest military exercises, China renews calls for negotiations with the US.
Neither of these appear to be positive "messages" for Kim. Any positive "message" that Kim might perceive from the Chinese and Russian military patrols are more likely to be more than offset by these other "messages" and I think I could go on. As the editor put it recently to paraphrase, China is "putting the screws" to North Korea. IMHO the editor is spot on.
IMHO it is vitally important work to get Trump reelected in 2020, work to get Trump allies in positions of leadership in the House, Senate, and the government in general maximizing our chances of continuing his policies. Unfortunately until recently I had not thought much beyond this. Recent studies seem to suggest that it is vital to think even beyond this. IMHO reelection in 2020 and Republicans taking the House and maintaining the Senate seems very likely now. While I believe we must work to ensure this is fulfilled, 2024 will be pivotal as well as it is going to take beyond this time frame to fully repair the damage that Trump and his team inherited. As such, IMHO it will be vitally important to work to ensure that Mr. Pence or whomever Trump picks to come after him is elected to the office of POTUS.
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