China Threatens Aisan Countries To Not Host US Missiles

US and China military bases in the Asia Pacific region (Image: Express)

Zero Hedge: China Warns 'Necessary Countermeasures' Coming For Any Asian Country Willing To Host US Missiles

It was a year ago that the Pentagon first announced it would move forward with plans to deploy intermediate range ballistic missiles to Asia "within months" — an ambitious timeline which of course never materialized, nevertheless a prospect that's remained on the table ever since, driving tensions higher as part of what Beijing has slammed repeatedly as Washington's "Cold War mentality".

In a new statement China's Foreign Ministry has vowed it will take "countermeasures" should any US ally in the region agree to host American missiles.

Read more ....

Update: World on brink: China threatens action as US plans to move missiles 'blatant provocation' (Express)

WNU Editor: The Chinese are playing hardball. They are reacting to this .... US considers midrange missile deployment in Asia to counter China (Nikkei Asian Review).

US, Japan, India and Australia Are Coming Together In A Startegic Pact To Counter And Contain China

The Malabar joint exercises with US, Indian and Japanese vessels in 2018. Image: Handout/Agencies

Richard Javad Heydarian, Asia Times: Quad alliance forms ‘arc of democracy’ around China

US, Japan, India and Australia are coming together in a strategic pact aimed at countering and containing authoritarian China

MANILA – China’s strategic opportunism in the South China Sea has not only alienated its smaller neighbors but is also turbocharging the formation of a so-called “Quad” anti-China alliance of like-minded Indo-Pacific powers.

Last week, the US conducted simultaneous naval drills in the Pacific and Indian Oceans with democratic allies and partners Australia, Japan and India. The four countries comprise the on-off “Quadrilateral” defense arrangement, a concept that envisions establishing an “Asian Arc of Democracy” around authoritarian China.

Last week’s drills followed directly on a major US policy statement on the South China Sea, where US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo declared China’s wide-reaching claims in the disputed maritime area “illegal” while implicitly backing those of Southeast Asian claimants.

Read more ....

WNU Editor: I expect more countries will be joining this alliance.

China's 'Soft Invasion' Of The South Pacific Is Being Spear-Headed With Cash

Captain Jim Fanell, former intelligence chief of the US Navys Pacific Fleet, has described China's soft invasion of the Pacific as deeply worrying. (60 Minutes)

Nine News: 60 Minutes: China's 'soft invasion' of the South Pacific pathway to greater influence

China is on the march in the Pacific and it's moving well under the radar. Using strategies only open to a one-party state, the People's Republic of China (PRC) has a masterplan for our region that is both ominous in its scope and proving extraordinarily effective in its implementation.

When 60 Minutes embarked on a story about China's influence in the Pacific with reporter Liam Bartlett, we had no idea how conclusively we'd prove the case.

Our report would take in Kiribati and the Solomon Islands - the two Pacific nations to most recently switch their diplomatic recognition from Taiwan to communist China. Under its 'One China' policy, the PRC demands that countries within its diplomatic sphere cannot recognise Taiwan.

Read more ....

Update: China's march through the South Pacific: How the communist superpower is quietly 'invading' Australia's cash-strapped neighbours - and why you should be worried (Daily Mail).

WNU Editor: What surprised me after reading the above report is how cheap China is able to accomplish their objectives in the region.

Chinese President Xi Wades Into 'Clash Of Civilizations' Rhetoric

SCMP: Chinese President Xi Jinping warns of disaster if one civilisation imposes its will on another

* He urges more openness and cooperation in speech at Beijing’s Conference on Dialogue of Asian Civilisations
* US State Department’s Kiron Skinner had provoked criticism by calling competition with China ‘a fight with a really different civilisation’

In the latest sign that the confrontation between China and the United States is escalating, Chinese President Xi Jinping warned that one civilisation forcing itself on another would be “stupid” and “disastrous”.

Xi’s remarks, delivered at the Conference on Dialogue of Asian Civilisations, where Beijing demonstrated its soft power, did not mention the US but were regarded as the highest level response yet to tough rhetoric from Washington.

Read more ....

WNU Editor Chinese President Xi is trying to unite Asia against the West along racial and cultural lines. And he is doing this by accusing the U.S. and the West of being engaged against Asia in a "clash of civilizations" conflict. It is not going to work with the other Asian countries. Asia is a continent that is culturally and racially diverse, and I would say more so when compared to Europe and the U.S.. And the argument that the West wants to impose its civilization on Asia is convincing no one But it will work in China, and that is probably President Xi's real goal and objective. Mind you .... China's Muslim Uighur population may have a different point of view .... Satellite Images Expose China's Vast Network Of Secret Re-Education Camps (October 31, 2018).

More News On Chinese President Xi's 'Clash Of Civilizations' Rhetoric

Xinhua Headlines-Xi Focus: China advocates dialogue, rebuts "clash of civilizations" as conference opens -- Xinhuanet
President Xi hopes to build an Asia of peace, prosperity and openness -- CGTN
Amid trade war, China's Xi preaches openness, says no civilisation superior -- Reuters
No civilization is superior, says China's Xi as US trade war heats up -- CNN
China’s Xi Calls Efforts to Reshape Other Nations ‘Foolish’ -- Bloomberg
China’s Xi rallies Asia by appealing to shared culture — with subtle dig at U.S. -- The Washington Post
Xi wades into ‘clash of civilizations’ row -- Jeff Pao, Asia Times

China Is Becoming An Election Issue In Asia

Image: China's President Xi Jinping (C) attends the bilateral meeting with President of Botswana Mokgweetsi Masisi (not pictured) at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, 31 August 2018. Roman Pilipey/Pool via Reuters

James Griffiths, CNN: China is becoming an election issue in Asia. And that's bad news for Beijing

Two years ago, Indonesian President Joko Widodo -- also known as Jokowi -- stood shoulder to shoulder with Xi Jinping for a group photo to celebrate the Chinese leader's Belt and Road project.

Yet now, as Jokowi seeks re-election, he appears to be distancing himself from Beijing and downplaying the importance of Chinese-funded projects in Indonesia.

It's a pattern emerging across southeast Asia and beyond, and one that will be of great concern for Beijing as Chinese investment and ties become an awkward -- if not downright toxic -- election issue.

The growing skepticism over Xi's signature Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) risks exacerbating existing tensions many countries in the region have with Beijing over territorial disputes, as both China and the US continue to jockey for power amid a drawn-out trade war.

Read more ....

WNU Editor: Tens years ago anti-Chinese sentiment in Asia was isolated to only a few countries. Today .... China does not have many friends in Asia, and anti-Chinese sentiment has become more intense, especially among those who have a border dispute with Beijing.

China's Aggressive New Policy In The Pacific Is Raising 'Alarm Bells' In The Pentagon

US Navy photo showing a confrontation between the USS Decatur, left, and Chinese warship 170, right, in the South China Sea, September 30, 2018. US Navy Photo

Lara Seligman, Business Insider/Foreign Policy: The US military is worried about China's scare tactics in the Pacific, and they fear things could get ugly

* US military officials have watched what they see as increasingly aggressive Chinese actions with concern.
* They worry Beijing could use these tactics, which fall short of actual armed conflict, to advance its interests.

JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, Hawaii—US military forces in the Pacific are alarmed by what they see as an increasingly capable China using military intimidation and economic coercion to bully its smaller neighbors.

So far, these tactics fall short of actual armed conflict. But US defense officials here and in Washington, most of whom spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive topic, say if the United States does not stay on alert in the region, Beijing could use force to advance its interests—and Taiwan in particular is a major potential flash point.

Read more ....

WNU Editor: Welcome to the new normal.

Chinese President Xi Begins His Pacific Tour

CNN: Xi Jinping starts goodwill tour of the Pacific amid rise in South China Sea tensions

Chinese President Xi Jinping kicked off a packed itinerary in Papua New Guinea Friday at the start of a tour which marks Beijing's latest diplomatic foray into a region once considered outside of China's sphere of influence.

Xi, who will attend the 2018 APEC summit in the PNG capital Port Moresby, will then continue on to Brunei and the Philippines, both important claimants in the hotly contested South China Sea.

Facing an increasingly hostile US government, pushing back on issues of security and trade, the Chinese government has been attempting to build bridges with regional powers.

"There's maybe a sense that China's feeling a bit on the defensive at the moment," Euan Graham, senior fellow at Sydney's Lowy Institute, told CNN.

Read more ....

Update #1: 'The China show': Xi Jinping arrives in PNG for start of Apec summit (The Guardian)
Update #2: China displays Pacific ambitions in Great Game with Australia and US (Nikkei Asian Review)

WNU Editor: The Chinese are making their presence felt .... China boots media from Pacific Island leaders meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping (ABC News Online).

Asia Is Not Ready For A Cold War Against China

John S. Van Oudenaren, National Interest: America's Asian Allies Aren't Ready for a Cold War with China

The China challenge cannot be met by drawing a line in the water and telling all of Asia that “you are either with us or against us.”

Vice President Mike Pence’s speech at the Hudson Institute last month was a watershed in U.S.-China relations. Pence trumpeted what is obvious of late, that the relationship has shifted from competition mixed with guarded but extensive engagement to out-and-out strategic rivalry. Tellingly, the speech generated little pushback, including from Democrats. On the contrary it seemed to capture the zeitgeist of a growing consensus in Washington that it is time for a harder line on China.

Bipartisan Frustration with Beijing

Read more ....

WNU Editor: I would say that in Asia the vast majority of countries/governments do want the U.S. to take a hard stand against China. Unfortunately .... they do not want to get their hands dirty to join the U.S. to do this. They are also definitely not ready for a Cold War against China, but this is one of those situations where they may not be ready to get into a confrontation with China, but China is definitely to be confrontational against them.

Southeast Asia Is A Beijing Foreign Policy Priority

SCMP: South China Sea is Beijing’s top foreign policy priority with developing nations, US think tank says

Southeast Asia, with its close political, economic and cultural ties, is the most important developing region for China, Rand Corp says

Southeast Asia is the top priority in Beijing’s foreign policy with the developing world despite its unresolved territorial disputes over the South China Sea, a US-based think tank said.

While the United States and China are competitors on the world stage and appear to be working separately, the two powers that are currently locked in a trade war, may be able to collaborate outside Asia where they have fewer overlapping interests, the California-based Rand Corp said in a study of China’s policies with the developing world.

Read more ....

WNU Editor: The current Chinese foreign policy priorities are (IMHO) .... the Silk Road, Southeast Asia, Taiwan, and the U.S. - China trade war.

China Is Eyeing The South Pacific

A map of the South Pacific. Image: Wikimedia Commons

Kerry K Gershaneck, Asia Times: China’s plan for conquest of the South Pacific

China's militarization of South China Sea features allows its fighters to reach deep into the South Pacific, jeopardizing US bases while advancing Beijing's 'neo-colonial' ambitions

Beijing’s militarization of islands and features it claims in the South China Sea is by now widely seen as a threat to freedom of navigation in one of the world’s most strategically important waterways.

What’s gone less noticed, however, is how Beijing could use those emerging forward bases to project power into the South Pacific, where critics say Beijing harbors “neo-colonial” ambitions and the United States maintains crucial naval and air force bases on Guam.

A Pentagon report released last month that said China was likely training for air strikes against US and allied targets will have brought China’s emerging power projection capabilities into the Pacific into stark and urgent relief among policymakers in Washington.

Read more ....

WNU Editor: This is an excellent analysis on China's long term goals in the South Pacific. A must read.

This Is How Countries In Asia Are Trying To Counter China's Growing Power

REUTERS/Jason Lee

Christopher Woody, Business Insider: Countries in Asia are looking for ways to counter China's growing power — with and without the US's help

China's more assertive posture in its near abroad has its neighbors more concerned about Beijing's ambitions, and President Donald Trump's seeming vacillation on US commitments to the region have many of those countries reassessing their own security and diplomatic relationships.

At present, the balance of power in Asia "really is one of contested US primacy," Hervé Lemahieu, a research fellow at Australian think tank the Lowy Institute, told Business Insider earlier this month.

"We now have two regional superpowers, and they both have their strengths, and they both have remarkable weaknesses," said Lemahieu, who is also director of the Lowy Institute's Asia Power Index project, which assesses countries in the region on a range of political, military, and economic factors.

Read more ....

WNU Editor: The problem with forming any Asian coalition against China is that many of these Asian countries have deep grievances among themselves .... Japan and the Korean peninsula being just one example. My prediction .... some of these countries will eventually cooperate on a range of political, military, and economic factors .... but that moment is not now, and only a few of them will make the effort.

Southeast Asian Nations Have Failed In 'Restraining' China's Behavior

(Click on Image to Enlarge)

Rodion Ebbighausen, DW: Southeast Asian nations 'want to control China's behavior'

Negotiations over a code of conduct between China and other nations on the South China Sea planned for March 2018 have not taken place. DW asked Asia expert Bill Hayton if there is a risk to regional stability.

At the 31st ASEAN summit in Manila last year, China and ASEAN countries agreed to begin negotiating a "code of conduct" for the South China Sea (SCS) in March 2018. Frequent tensions over natural resources, trade routes and island territories pose a threat to regional stability. Observers were cautiously optimistic that a new round of negotiations would take place, but this latest opportunity has passed without action from the conflicting parties.

Read more ....

WNU Editor: Here is an easy prediction .... they may try as much as they want, but this gathering of Southeast Asian countries are not going to succeed in telling China on how they should behave.

Naval Chiefs Of India, Australia, Japan And The U.S. Are Calling China A 'Disruptive Power'

Soldiers of China's People's Liberation Army stand on a ship sailing off from a military port in Zhanjiang, Guangdong province on July 11, 2017. © Reuters

Times Of India: 'China a disruptive power,' say navy chiefs of Quadrilateral nations

NEW DELHI: Naval chiefs of Quadrilateral nations - India, US, Australia Japan - on Thursday called China "a disruptive power" as they pushed for a new regional security architecture to face up to Beijing's aggressive designs.
"China is a disruptive, transitional force in the Indo-Pacific," US Pacific Commander Admiral Harry Harris said on the concluding day of Raisina Dialogue as he shared the dais with Indian navy chief Admiral Sunil Lanba, Australian navy Chief Vice Admiral Tim Barret and Admiral Katsutoshi Kawano, chief of staff, joint staff, Japan. For the first time, diplomatic representative from Indonesia was also present to dispel any impression that the 'Quad' was ganging up against China.

Read more ....

WNU Editor: I am sure that this sentiment is also being held by other Asian naval chiefs who were not at this meeting.

More News On The Naval Chiefs Of India, Australia, Japan And The U.S. Calling China A 'Disruptive Power'

China is a ‘disruptive power’, must be contained, say Naval chiefs of India, Australia, Japan and US -- Scroll
Japan's military chief warns on China naval expansion -- Nikkei Asian Review
US Pacific Military Chief Calls China a Disruptive Force -- VOA/Reuters
Japan, US, India, Australia naval officers meet -- NHK

Asia Is Unable To Stand Up Tp China

Image from The Economist

Robert E. McCoy, Asia Times: Only unified international action can stop China’s expansion

A lack of coordination in resisting Beijing's relentless pursuit of territory has worsened the problem, but countries have been split on how to respond.

Beijing is relentless in its pursuit of territory that it feels once was a part of the Middle Kingdom. A lack of coordination in resisting this irredentist activity is having consequences, for ignoring it merely delays – and worsens – the problem.

For example, if the law-abiding nations of the world had taken effective action in the South China Sea when China reemphasized its Nine Dash Line claims some years ago, we would not be faced with the outposts China has established on islets in the area – some replete with landing strips and associated defensive equipment.

While it is building ever more islands in the territory its claims within the South China Sea, China is not ignoring the East China Sea. Just recently, Beijing flew warplanes into both the Korean Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) and the Japanese ADIZ there.

Read more ....

WNU Editor: This lack of unity among Asian states to stand up to China is very revealing .... if they do not have the will to work together, then why should we (i.e. the West) get involved.

China's Push To Have A 'World-Class Army' Is Making Its Asian Neighbours Nervous

Chinese aircraft carrier Liaoning

AFP: As China aims for 'world-class army', Asia starts to worry

Beijing (AFP) - Chinese President Xi Jinping's pledge to build a "world-class army" by 2050 is making his neighbours nervous, but analysts say Beijing's military ambitions do not constitute a strategic threat -- for now.

With purchases and construction of fighter jets, ships and hi-tech weaponry, China's military budget has grown steadily for 30 years, but remains three times smaller than that of the United States.

Now, Beijing wants to catch up.

"We should strive to fully transform the people's armed forces into a world-class military by the mid-21st century," Xi told 2,300 delegates of the Chinese Communist Party, which he heads and which controls the army.

Read more ....

WNU Editor: China has border disputes with everyone of it neighbors .... it also has a history of using the military to assert its claims. It is this environment, coupled with China's willingness to use force .... that is making China's neighbor's nervous. Here is an easy prediction .... expect Asian countries to form alliances to counter China, as well as a corresponding increase in defense spending throughout the continent.

These Is A Submarine Arms Race In Asia Right Now

Photo: Via Sinodefence.com

Elias Groll and Dan De Luce, Foreign Policy: China Is Fueling a Submarine Arms Race in the Asia-Pacific

A damaging leak of data on India’s new submarine highlights how undersea warfare is at the heart of a regional contest for naval supremacy.

With China plowing money into its military machine and making aggressive claims to disputed island chains, Beijing’s regional rivals are investing in the one weapon that can undercut the increasingly potent People’s Liberation Army. Across South and East Asia, China’s neighbors are spending heavily on submarines, purchasing silent diesel-electric machines capable of slipping past Chinese defenses.

So when the Australian reported this week that detailed technical plans — totaling some 20,000 pages — for a French-made submarine had leaked from the manufacturer, the reaction was one of widespread panic. The leaked plans outlined in minute detail the capabilities of a Scorpene-class vessel purchased by India, and New Delhi immediately demanded that French authorities investigate how the respected DCNS shipbuilder had lost control of the plans. In Australia, where DCNS has been tapped to build the country’s next-generation submarine, officials warned the contractor needed to step up security.

Read more ....

WNU Editor: This arms race is just starting.

China's War Games Are Raising Tensions In Asia

China's coast guard launched a three-day live-firing drill in the Gulf of Tonkin and has barred all ships and boats from entering the region. REUTERS/Nguyen Minh/File Photo

Washington Post: China slams U.S.-South Korea military drills even as it stages naval war games of its own

BEIJING — China and the United States have been trading accusations as both sides conduct war games across East Asia, and tensions are rising from the South China Sea to the East China Sea to the Korean Peninsula in the midst of a regional arms race.

At the heart of the tensions lies the maritime territorial dispute in the South China Sea, as well as a growing divide on how to respond to North Korea’s nuclear weapons program, infecting China’s relations with South Korea, Japan and the United States.

Yanmei Xie, senior China analyst with the International Crisis Group (ICG) in Beijing, says China’s relations with its neighbors have deteriorated significantly, as the region continues to engage in an arms race.

Read more ....

WNU Editor: This is not going over well with China's neighbours .... China Stages Live-Firing Drills in Tonkin Gulf Amid Tensions (AP), and now Russia is getting involved .... China, Russia to hold South China Sea ‘drills’ next month (Washington Times).

The Chinese Military Unveils New Weapons As South China Sea Tensions Rise

Military vehicles carry DF-16 ballistic missiles in Tiananmen Square last September. Photo: Imaginechina

South China Morning Post: PLA unveils new weapons for air and sea combat following Hague tribunal ruling

Rare disclosure of arsenal seen as warning to US not to provoke military confrontation

The Southern Theatre Command of the People’s Liberation Army unveiled a series of new weapons for sea and air combat during a visit by top military officers.

In a rare revelation, the weapons were shown on state television in the wake of a landmark international tribunal rejecting Beijing’s claims to almost all of the South China Sea.

Military experts said the disclosure was intended to show that the newly formed Southern Theatre Command, which covers the South China Sea, was well-prepared for any potential military confrontation with the US.

Read more ....

WNU editor: The Chinese are doing this to not only intimidate the U.S. .... but also their neighbours. This policy is not going to work, but it will guarantee an arms race.

Trying To Stand Up To China

U.S. Secretary of Defence Ash Carter meets with South Korea's Minister of Defence Han Minkoo (R) and Japan's Minister of Defence Gen Nakatani for a trilateral at the IISS Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore June 4, 2016. REUTERS/Edgar Su

Reuters: Diplomatic tag as countries find new ways of standing up to China

When U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter spoke at a key Asian summit at the weekend, he used the word "principled" 38 times, floating his vision of a U.S.-backed "security network" of countries in the region.

Several delegations were quick to respond to the idea at the annual Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, but it seemed to evolve into a form of diplomatic tag-team wrestling as a loose coalition of nations lined up to criticize China.

Nations including Japan, India, France and Vietnam joined calls for greater respect for international law to resolve worsening tensions over the South China Sea, a dig at Beijing which has said it will not accept any ruling by a U.N.-backed court on the dispute.

Chinese officials, meanwhile, stressed Beijing's commitment to being a peaceful, lawful and inclusive nation but said it would not be bullied.

Read more ....

WNU Editor: This is one of those classic summits where everyone gets together .... they all do a lot of talking and posturing .... and they then leave with nothing substantive being agreed upon. And here is the rub .... China knows that.

China's Goal Of Resurrecting The Old Silk Road Trade Routes Is Facing Obstacles From Numerous Countries

(Click on Image to Enlarge)

New York Times: China Plans a New Silk Road, but Trade Partners Are Wary

Beijing’s effort to revive ancient trade routes is causing geopolitical strains, with countries like Turkey increasingly worried about becoming too dependent on China.

ANKARA, Turkey — As tensions in the Mideast and Ukraine rose in recent years, Turkey moved to jointly manufacture a sophisticated missile defense system. The $3.4 billion plan would have given Turkey’s military more firepower and laid the foundation to start exporting missiles.

But Turkey abruptly abandoned the plan just weeks ago in the face of strong opposition from its allies in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

Their main objection: Turkey’s partner, a state-backed Chinese company. Western countries feared a loss of military secrets if Chinese technology were incorporated into Turkey’s air defenses.

As one of its highest economic and foreign policy goals, China has laid out an extensive vision for close relations with Turkey and dozens of countries that were loosely connected along the Silk Road more than 1,000 years ago by land and seaborne trade.

But Beijing’s effort to revive ancient trade routes, a plan known as the Belt and Road Initiative, is causing geopolitical strains, with countries increasingly worried about becoming too dependent on China.

WNU Editor: They do not trust China .... and what does not help the Chinese is that many of the countries that border China have strain relations because of border disputes and unfair trade practices from Beijing.