Chinaâs foreign policy counter to US-led containment
At last week’s NATO summit, the members issued a final statement criticizing China’s coercive policies, which they said challenge the interests, security and values of the bloc.
The NATO members did, however, commit to “constructive engagement” with the rapidly rising superpower.
Beijing reacted strongly to the statement nonetheless. It accused the alliance of “smearing and lying” about China and warned against NATO’s outreach efforts in the Asia-Pacific.
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said in blunt terms:
NATO must abandon the outdated Cold War mentality and zero-sum mindset, renounce its blind faith in military might and misguided practice of seeking absolute security, halt the dangerous attempt to destabilize Europe and the Asia-Pacific and stop finding pretext for its continuous expansion.
How the US is challenging China
China’s strong reaction reflects its serious concerns over the global challenges it faces. These include:
- the growing networks of US-led alliances and security partnerships, such as the Quad and AUKUS, which aim to constrain if not contain China
- US and European Union policies of de-risking and diversifying their supply chains to reduce their reliance on China
- and more restrictive export control regulations the US has enacted on high-tech transfers or exchanges. These are meant to prevent China from gaining the ability to manufacture semiconductors and slow its progress in quantum computing and artificial intelligence.
Even as it becomes more concerned over these challenges, Beijing is hopeful these US-led networks of alliances and partnerships will remain patchwork given their diversity of interests, priorities and commitments.
China also retains significant advantages given its close economic ties with America’s allies and partners. This will influence whether the US can successfully achieve what Beijing believes is its goal of containing China.
China’s strategy in response
Analysts have questioned whether Beijing is smart and patient enough to be able to apply a wedge strategy to divide the US and its allies, or if its misjudgment and hubris could cause it to become overconfident and even arrogant.
Indeed, Beijing’s wolf-warrior diplomacy and assertive policies in recent years have only served to help the US and its allies grow closer to counter these actions.
Beijing may have learned its lessons. It’s now adopting a more proactive and confident diplomacy to counter US encirclement. I’ve observed at least four tactics when it comes to this shifting foreign policy.
1) China is focusing on the region and leaning into its strengths
Beijing recognises it must focus its diplomatic energies on Asia given its importance to China’s security and economic interests.
It is deepening its economic ties with ASEAN, the 10-nation regional bloc, while also supporting ASEAN centrality in the region’s security structures. The Southeast Asian group is wary of being drawn into a US-China conflict and forced to choose sides. It is also concerned US-led initiatives such as the Quad could diminish its role in the region.
At the same time, China has been active in promoting the ASEAN-sponsored Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership. It believes this group offers a more inclusive and cooperative approach to regional economic cooperation. The group includes the ASEAN members, China and several US allies, such as South Korea, Japan and Australia.
Beijing is billing it as an attractive alternative to the US-sponsored Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity. This group, which includes 14 countries in the region, last month signed an agreement on making their supply chains more resilient.
2) Beijing is boosting its diplomatic efforts with Europe
Since lifting its Covid border restrictions, Beijing has welcomed world leaders, hosted business groups and promoted trade and investment opportunities in China.
Europe, in particular, has been the focus of Beijing’s recent diplomacy. Premier Li Qiang’s first major international trip since taking office was to Germany and France last month, where he emphasized economic opportunities over geopolitical differences, partnership over rivalry.
European leaders such as French President Emmanuel Macron, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz have also become regular features in Beijing.
These efforts are allowing China to deepen its economic ties with Europe. In so doing, Beijing is hoping to undermine US efforts to develop a transatlantic approach toward China, including policies of de-risking or de-coupling their economies from China.
3) China is standing with Russia – for now
Beijing is likely annoyed, if not dismayed, by the fiasco Russia’s war in Ukraine has become. However, it is determined now is not the time to desert Russian President Vladimir Putin.
From energy supplies to military technology cooperation, Russia remains a vital strategic partner for China. The last thing China wants is a decimated Russia, leaving it to face the US and its networks of alliances and security groups alone. China also would not want to deal with any potential threats from Russia, given their long shared border.
Beijing has carefully, if not convincingly, presented itself as a neutral bystander in the conflict, interested in bringing it to an end. China is also taking advantage of Russia’s precarious position by expanding and consolidating its influence in Central Asia, while remaining respectful of Russia’s traditional ties to the region.
4) China is promoting itself as a global leader
Finally, China has become more confident and active in promoting its models of global governance in security, development and community building.
Some efforts are still in the development stages, such as its Global Security Initiative, while others are more concrete. For example, Beijing sees itself as a global mediator after its success in brokering a truce between Saudi Arabia and Iran in March.
Beijing is also continuing to promote its preferred multilateral institutions, from the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation to the BRICS group, which currently includes China, Brazil, Russia, South Africa and India. Beijing has welcomed expanding the group.
Together with its ambitious and controversial Belt and Road Initiative, Beijing believes it can offer an alternative to the US-led groupings such as the Quad. By relying on institutions in this way, Beijing can promote its interests globally while avoiding direct confrontation with the US.
Jingdong Yuan is Associate Professor, Asia-Pacific security, University of Sydney
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
Japan visitors top 2 million in June for first time since pandemic
Kyubey in April halted a lunch sale it had offered for years as rising costs for sea urchin, abalone and other shellfish made the price untenable. But discounts aren’t needed now for Kyubey’s customers, who come mainly from Europe, the United States and elsewhere in Asia. It is sometimes completelyContinue Reading
Crimea bridge blast another chink in Putinâs armor
The bridge connecting mainland Russia across the Kerch Strait with the annexed Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea was seriously damaged on July 17, 2023, in what appears to be a successful strike by naval drones.
While there has been no official confirmation from Kiev yet, the attack on a vital Russian supply line fits well into the overall picture of the Ukrainian counteroffensive that has been underway since early June. But the strike is also hugely symbolic, demonstrating Ukraine’s ability to undermine the Russian claim to Ukrainian territory.
The partial destruction of the road bridge followed unsuccessful recent attempts to strike both the bridge and Sevastopol harbor, the main base of the Russian Black Sea fleet. Monday’s attack on the bridge left its parallel railway track undamaged, but all road traffic came to a standstill.
Russia is likely to be able to render the bridge operational again as it did after an earlier attack in October 2022. But these repairs will take time, as they did before, and the limited use of the bridge during peak holiday season will serve as a reminder to ordinary Russians of a war that is not without cost to them.
Less than four weeks ago, Ukraine also carried out a precision missile strike against the two parallel Chonhar bridges, which provide a vital connection between Crimea and the Russian-occupied part of the Kherson region on Ukraine’s mainland.
Crimea’s crucial role
These may seem symbolic strikes of little strategic significance. And on their own, they probably would be, especially as the much-anticipated Ukrainian counteroffensive has been slow in taking back Russian-occupied territory.
But these strikes are part of a broader campaign to disrupt Russian supply lines, which is vital to wear down well-entrenched Russian defenses across some 1,000 kilometers of front line territory in eastern Ukraine.
Crimea plays a crucial role in this context. The links between Russia and southern Ukraine – via the Kerch Strait and Chonhar bridges – are potentially vital for supplies to reach Moscow’s occupation forces in the southern Kherson region.
This will especially be the case as Ukraine becomes more capable to hit rail and road connections along the so-called Crimean land bridge.
Kherson and, further to the east, the Russian-occupied parts of Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia and Donetsk regions, are critical to providing Crimea with fresh water for drinking and farming. Water is already in short supply following Russia’s destruction of the Nova Kakhovka hydroelectric dam in early June.
Little wonder then that Crimea has been heavily militarised since Russia’s illegal annexation of the peninsula in March 2014 – or that Russian troops there have increasingly been threatened by different anti-Putin partisan groups.
These include both Russian volunteers and indigenous Crimean Tatars who have become more active since the start of the Ukrainian counteroffensive.
Similar attacks occurred in August 2022 at a time when Ukraine was gearing up for a successful advance against Russian forces that were eventually driven out of the northern parts of the Kherson region.
Putin’s vulnerabilities
What is really important in all of this is that these same Russian vulnerabilities still exist, in Crimea and in other parts of the hinterland behind the Russian defenses in occupied Ukrainian territory.
The strike on the Chonhar bridges on June 22 and on the Kerch strait bridge on July 17 exposes them once more for all to see.
This exposure is also symbolically highly significant. The Russian president, Vladimir Putin, is trying to reassert his authority after the abortive mutiny by his erstwhile ally, Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin. So the damage to Putin’s bridge across the Kerch Strait further chips away at his strongman image of invincibility.
And again, it matters that these attacks happened in Crimea. Of all the territories invaded and still occupied by Russia, this is the one area in which the Russian occupation was overwhelmingly welcomed.
What’s more, it is also the one area that Russians are likely to care about, regardless of how detached from reality historical claims to Crimea might sound.
So appearing unable to prevent Ukrainian attacks in and on Crimea also exposes a potentially significant personal vulnerability of Putin’s regime and the myths on which it is partially built.
This does not mean that the Kremlin is about to lose its grip on Crimea. But Ukrainian claims that it will eventually be able to retake the peninsula, if need be by force, have just become a bit more believable.
At a time when debate over how to end Russia’s war on aggression against Ukraine – at the negotiation table or on the battlefield – continues in the West, these strikes serve as a useful reminder that this is Ukraine’s war. It is ultimately decisions in Kiev that will determine whether, where, and how it can be won.
Stefan Wolff is Professor of International Security, University of Birmingham
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
Relatives go to court over estate of man whose skeleton was found 9 years after his death
SINGAPORE: After the remains of a man were found in a flat nine years after he died, his brother and nephew quarreled over who was to be the sole administrator of his estate.
After mediation, the dead man’s nephew, brother and nieces agreed that the brother should assume this role.
As part of this agreement, two of the dead man’s nephews also donated their shares of the estate – about S$308,000 – to a charity.
The man’s brother was supposed to match this amount with a similar donation – but he failed to keep his side of the bargain.
The parties took to court to settle their dispute. In a judgment issued on Tuesday (Jul 18), Judicial Commissioner Goh Yihan allowed an application by one of the nephews who had made a donation, for damages to be paid by the uncle who reneged on the agreement.
THE CASE
On Jul 2, 2020, while performing dengue inspections, officers from the National Environment Agency found the skeletal remains of Mr Ho Kok Kwong in a flat in Potong Pasir.
Forensic tests revealed he had died nine years prior, with his body lying undiscovered all that time. The cause of death could not be determined because of the level of decomposition.
Kok Kwong died intestate, or without a will. In August 2020, the police passed the keys to his flat to his brother Ho Kwek Sin.
Kwek Sin and Kok Kwong had another brother, who had died. This brother’s son, Mr Ho Chee Kian, wanted in on Kok Kwong’s estate as well.
Both Kwek Sin and Chee Kian wanted administration of Kok Kwong’s estate. Kwek Sin told his nephew that he had the right to be the sole administrator, as he was only surviving sibling of the deceased.
Uncle and nephew attended court mediation in March 2021, which culminated in a settlement agreement between the two of them as well as Kok Kwong’s nieces.
Under the terms of the agreement, Kwek Sin would apply to be the sole administrator of his brother’s estate. Chee Kian and his brother were to donate their shares of the estate to a charity, and Kwek Sin was to make a similar donation in a matching amount.
Kwek Sin was eventually appointed in August 2021 as the sole administrator of his brother’s estate.
In this role, he paid, from Kok Kwong’s estate, about S$154,000 each to Chee Kian and Chee Kian’s brother.
The two brothers donated the money – amounting to about S$308,000 in total – to a charity, as agreed.
Chee Kian then sent to Kwek Sin a letter from the charity acknowledging the donation, but his uncle was not satisfied with the letter as proof. He asked for official receipts to prove that the sum of S$308,000 had been donated.
Chee Kian then mounted a claim in the High Court against Kwek Sin in February 2023, saying his uncle had breached their agreement.
He sought a court order for his uncle to pay damages of about S$380,000.
In his judgment, Judicial Commissioner Goh allowed Chee Kian’s application and ruled in his favour.
The damages will be assessed at a later date.
“In essence, this case involves a valid and binding agreement that was entered into by the claimant and the defendant,” said the judicial commissioner.
“The claimant performed his side of the bargain. The defendant did not do so. But the defendant has provided no good reason why he has not so performed. As a result, the claimant is entitled to damages arising from the defendant’s breach of the agreement.”
What led to the resignations of Nicole Seah, Leon Perera and how their affair was discovered
“They were disappointed in themselves. They were disappointed with … the pain they had caused,” said Mr Singh.
“In Leon’s case, for sure the pain he had caused his family members. In Nicole’s case, she had approached her loved ones earlier to speak about the matter, and she had been resolving the matter earlier. And the process of healing started with her much earlier, after the affair ended.”
WP’s central executive committee met later that evening to discuss the matter and “come to a decision”, said Mr Singh.
Jul 18, 2023
Ms Seah resigned from the WP on Tuesday.
“I am deeply sorry for bringing disrepute to the Party’s standing and the hard work of its members and volunteers,” she said in her resignation letter.
“My actions were selfish and reckless. In pursuing impropriety, I have caused grave disappointment to the voters of East Coast GRC, and a significant base of members and volunteers who have sacrificed their personal time and resources to support the extensive groundwork we have done over the last few years.”
Jul 19, 2023
Mr Perera resigned from the party on Wednesday, said Mr Singh during the news conference.
In his resignation letter, Mr Perera said that he had fallen short of the standards expected of him.
“I hope to devote my time to my family in the weeks and months ahead, so as to address the hurt I have caused to them, which is my greatest regret,” he added.
Malaysia to set up ‘special unit’ tackling race, religion and royalty issues ahead of state polls
KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian government will set up a “special unit” to handle race, religion and royalty – also known as 3R – issues that are played up ahead of the upcoming six state polls and Kuala Terengganu by-election. According to the New Straits Times (NST), Communications and Digital MinisterContinue Reading
Chamoli: Fifteen die from electrocution near India river
ANIFifteen people have died after an electricity transformer exploded on the banks of the Alaknanda river in the north Indian state of Uttarakhand.
Authorities say a police official and five home guards are among those killed in the accident which took place in Chamoli district.
The state’s chief minister, Pushkar Singh Dhami, has ordered an enquiry into the incident.
Police say at least 15 people have also been severely injured in the accident.
They are being treated at the district’s main hospital.
Chamoli’s superintendent of police Pramendra Dobhal said the incident took place last night, but was reported to them on Wednesday morning.
According to NDTV news channel, the transformer exploded and electrified a bridge which spans the river.
“We got a call from the village that a watchman had died of electrocution. When the police went to check they found that 21 people had been electrocuted and severely injured. Fifteen people died in hospital and the rest are critical,” Mr Dhobal said.
Deaths from electrocution are frequently reported in India where poor wiring and infrastructure often lead to serious accidents.
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WP will continue to hold government to account, regain Singaporeans’ trust after resignations: Pritam Singh
SINGAPORE: Workers’ Party (WP) chief Pritam Singh said on Wednesday (Jul 19) that the party will regain Singaporeans’ trust by continuing to hold the government to account and serving residents in its wards, in the wake of an extramarital affair that prompted the resignations of two WP members.
Mr Singh was responding to questions at a press conference where he announced that Aljunied Member of Parliament Leon Perera and WP Youth Wing president Nicole Seah had resigned.
Both were in the opposition party’s Central Executive Committee.
Mr Singh told reporters that while the party leadership was alerted to allegations of an affair around 2021, Mr Perera and Ms Seah denied it then.
But after a video surfaced on Monday in which the pair appeared to be behaving intimately at a restaurant, they admitted to an affair and resigned from the party.
The WP chief added that Mr Perera and Ms Seah had an affair after the 2020 General Election, but it had stopped “some time ago”.
Following his explanation, Mr Singh was asked how the WP will move forward from this episode, with one reporter asking how the party will regain the trust and confidence of Singaporeans.
Mr Singh said that the “important forum” for the party to gain the trust of Singaporeans is parliament.
“I think Singaporeans expect the Workers’ Party to hold the government to account to make sure that we don’t have a one-party dominant state … we have to continue to work hard to encourage and persuade good Singaporeans to come forward and be part of a balancing force, which is in Singapore’s interests,” he said.
He added that the party will continue its work on the ground in its town councils – Aljunied-Hougang and Sengkang.
Pita Limjaroenrat: Thai reformist leader suspended from parliament
ReutersThai reformist leader Pita Limjaroenrat has been suspended from parliament, further weakening his already slim chances of becoming prime minister.
Thailand’s Constitutional Court issued the order after agreeing to hear a case against the Move Forward party leader.
It will decide whether he should be disqualified from parliament for owning shares in a now defunct media company,
If disqualified, he can still run for the premiership, but is unlikely to receive enough votes to win.
Acknowledging the court’s order in parliament, Mr Pita said that he will stop working until the court rules on his case. “I would like to ask my fellow parliamentarians to use the parliament to help the people. I think Thailand has changed and will never be the same since 14 May. The people have won halfway, there’s another half to go. Even though I haven’t got to work, I’m asking my fellow parliament members to take care of the people.”
Move Forward said the suspension will not affect Mr Pita’s nomination. In an Instagram post after the ruling, he acknowledged that he was unlikely to secure the necessary votes to become prime minister.
The 42-year old was due to contest a parliamentary vote on Wednesday after failing to secure enough votes last week to become premier.
Mr Pita needs the votes of more than half of the 749 members in parliament’s two chambers to become prime minister. Last week, he only secured 324 votes, 51 short of the required 375.
But he always faced an uphill battle, as there was little evidence that enough of the 249 unelected senators in the upper house would support him. The senators were were installed by the leaders of a 2006 coup as a brake on any democratic outcome that the military and royalists were uncomfortable with.
The Harvard graduate and former tech executive led his party to election victory in May, running on the promise of major reforms, including a pledge to amend lese-majeste, Thailand’s strict royal defamation laws.
Move Forward is popular among young Thai voters who hope to end nearly a decade of conservative military rule.
Art Chaturongkul, a 39-year-old living in Bangkok, said he and fellow supporters are deeply concerned as they see Mr Pita as representing their voices in the parliament.
“I’m filled with mixed emotions. Utter rage, frustration, and disappointment. It feels like a setback to the democratic process,” he told the BBC.
Move Forward has formed a coalition government with seven other parties, including Pheu Thai, the second most popular party.
Many young voters switched to voting for Move Forward because Pheu Thai had been unwilling to rule out doing deals with the military.
Pro-establishment campaigners have sought to block Mr Pita from taking the reins of power after the shock election results in May.
Two cases have been filed against him in the conservative-leaning Constitutional Court.
The other complaint claims Move Forward’s proposal to amend lese-majeste laws – which have seen hundreds of critics of the monarchy jailed – amounts to an attempt to an overthrow Thailand’s entire political order.
The latest verdict is not the first controversial ruling by the Constitutional Court. In the 2019 elections, Future Forward – the predecessor to Move Forward – was dissolved by the court after it was found to have violated electoral rules.
Since 2008, it has also dismissed three PMs aligned with former premier Thaksin Shinawatra, who was toppled by a 2006 coup.
Ironically Pheu Thai – which has been on the receiving end of nearly all of the Constitutional Court’s rulings -is now poised to benefit from this latest ruling against its coalition partner.
It is well known that there is no love lost between Pheu Thai and Move Forward, particularly as the former has taken the latter’s mantle as a champion of democracy
COE premiums dip slightly in latest bidding exercise except for motorcycles, Open category
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