Showing posts with label Pacific. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Pacific. Show all posts

Tuesday, July 27, 2021

BRI - Belt & Road Initiative

23-9-22 Xina’s New BRI $6B Railway in Laos: Massive Debt Trap | WSJ > .23-1-18 Middle Corridor - Inland Silk Road - Caspian > .
21-12-23 Can Australia help to Stop China? (JB's latest move) - VisPol > . skip ad > .
BRI - Chinese Imperialism - Rap >> .
Indo-Pacific Security & Threats - Γαῖα >> .

Geoff Raby interview > .
00:00 - Introduction
04:01 - Chit Chat
05:37 - How Has Your Idea Of China Changed Over The Years?
09:31 - Romatisicing The Early Days As A Diplomat In China?
14:11 - How Has Australia's Relationship With China Changed?
19:36 - Underlying Incentives For BRI (Belt & Road Initiative)
22:32 - What Do You Think Made Bob Hawke So Succesful In China?
27:51 - Geoff Experience With SEZ (Special Economic Zones) Of China.
35:31 - China Managing Their Middle Income Trap.
41:01 - How Do You Manage The Competing Interests Of What You Think Is Right Versus The Australian Politics Of The Day.
43:29 - Geoff Operating As Australia's Ambassador To China.
46:21 - Australian Soft Power.
54:13 - What Would You Have Had Scott Morrison Do?
55:41 - Australia's Dystopian Future.
1:06:12 - An Australian Foreign Policy Based In Realism.
1:10:33 - Security In The South China Sea.
1:16:26 - Geoff Addressing The Uigher Humanitarian Disaster In China.
1:27:51 - How Much Is Hong Kong Foreshadowing For Taiwan?
1:31:51 - What Country Are You Most Bullish On?
1:32:29 - What Two People Would You Witness A Conversation Between?

BRI - Belt & Road Initiative ..

21-7-27 China stocks see biggest slump in US since 2008 financial crisis: The Nasdaq Golden Dragon China Index, which follows the 98 biggest US-listed Chinese stocks, has fallen by almost 15% in the last two trading sessions. The index has now plummeted by more than 45% since hitting a record high in February.

The slump comes after a series of crackdowns by Beijing on its technology and education industries. This has led to around $770bn (£556bn) being wiped off the value of US-listed Chinese stocks in the last five months alone.

State-owned enterprises of China w
China has over 150,000 State Owned Enterprises (SOEs), an incredible number when compared against the handful most major economies possess. With 91 Chinese state companies being included in the World’s Top Fortune 500. That’s almost 1 in 5. Here’s why? First, China’s history as a planned economy has meant the CCP has, since 1949, played a central role. Second, the government views SOEs as an integral part of it’s ambitious mega projects, given their scale and strong government links. Being involved in 1,000s of projects, for the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) alone. Today they account for some 40% of China’s total Stock Market by value. Third, SOEs are relied upon to get the economy moving. Making up some 25% of the economy, they played a fundamental role in why China avoided recession in 2020.

China Railway Construction Corporation Limited (abbreviated CRCC) is a listed construction enterprise based in Beijing, China, that was the second largest construction and engineering company in the world by revenue in 2014. The limited company was incorporated in 2007 in order to float the assets of China Railway Construction Corporation [Group] (CRCCG, or the holding company) in Shanghai and Hong Kong stock exchange. CRCCG retained some assets which was deemed not suitable to float in the stock exchange.

CRCCG is under the supervision of the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council. Since February 2008, A shares and H shares of CRCC are listing on the Shanghai and Hong Kong stock exchanges.

The financial report of the parent company (holding company) is not disclosed. As both parent and subsidiary share almost the same English name, one without the word "Limited" (they have different names in Chinese), the business activities of the holding company was often incorrectly mixed up with the publicly floated limited liability subsidiary by the media.

China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation Ltd. (abbreviation CCECC) was established in June 1979 under the approval of the State Council of the People's Republic of China.

It performs international contracting and economic cooperation, CCECC has been developed from the earlier Foreign Aid Department of the Ministry of Railways (with the experience of executing the biggest foreign-aid project of China, the TAZARA) into a large-scale state-owned enterprise for project contracting.

Its business scope expands from international contracting for railway construction to civil engineering design & consultancy, real estate development, trading, industrial investment and hotel management as well. The business activities of CCECC have expanded to over 40 countries and regions where more than 20 overseas offices or subsidiaries have been established. With its excellent performance and high quality in services, CCECC has been listed among the world's top 255 international contractors for many years and ranked consecutively among the first 70 in recent years by the Engineering News Record "ENR".

China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC), a subsidiary of Fortune Global 500 company China Communications Construction Company (CCCC), focuses on global civil engineering and construction projects such as highways, railways, bridges, ports, and tunnels. Growing out of the Foreign Aid Office of the Ministry of Communications of China, CRBC and its predecessors have been executing projects since 1958. In 1979, CRBC was formally established and entered the international contracting market. The parent entity, CCCC, was formed through the combination of CRBC and China Harbour Engineering Co Ltd (CHEC) in 2005.

CRBC is among the largest engineering and construction firms globally, and operates from more than 50 branches and offices throughout Asia, Africa, Europe and the Americas. CRBC has played a key role in the design and construction of both greenfield and brownfield infrastructure projects in developing countries, especially those located in Africa where it is a market leader. The company has full EPC capabilities, and actively pursues P3 projects, often acting as concessionaire. The company's motto is: "Build roads and bridges, make contributions to society, put employees first, and strive for excellence."

In addition to the design and construction of infrastructure, CRBC is engaged in infrastructure equity investment; real estate development and management; and industrial park equity investment and development.



BRI Africa

Monday, July 26, 2021

CCP's String of Pearls

2020 China's String of Pearls Strategy | Geopolitics - Globe > .
24-4-12 India | [Modious's] Dying Democracy? - Prof J K-L > .
24-2-17 Taiwan Question & World Order | X Economy - Update > .
23-12-2 Xina’s Real Impact on Africa - Attempted Thought > .
23-10-25 Understanding NoXious World (Dis)Order - Kotkin | Hoover > .
23-10-24 [PooXi, P00ti Secrets at BRI Forum: NoXious World Order - Insight > .
23-10-21 [Bilk & Raid Imperialism 1: Xina Wants NoXious World Order] - Update > .  
23-10-20 Xina's PLAN Expansion vs USN's Hegemony - gtbt > . skip > .
23-10-17 [BRI Scam; Xina Using H-I War; MENA Policy] | Update > .
23-9-16 "Belt & Road to Death" - [XiXiP targeted corrupt governments] - Obs > .
23-9-7 Kidnappings, ghost towns: 10 years of Xi’s BRI masterplan | Tele > .
23-7-29 Ream, Hambantota, Tonga Naval Bases; Australia - Focus > .
23-7-24 Xina's Nine-Dash Line: [Illegal Claims in South China Sea] - Geoff > .
23-5-12 Pakistan is dying ⇒ global problem - Caspian > .
23-4-26 Why powerful nations want bases in tiny Djibouti - Real > .
23-3-13 Xina ~ Sri Lanka Debt Restructuring - Update > .
23-2-28 Xina & ROC war prep: martial law, nuclear emergency, wartime controls > .
23-2-22 US Bases & Philippine Fight Against Xina - T&P > .
23-2-15 India's Necklace of Diamonds Plan to Checkmate Xina - Caspian > .
23-1-13 US & Japan boost cooperation; Marines ready to counter Xina > .
23-1-11 Xinese Warships Spotted in South Pacific - Focus > .
22-12-28 Too many people? Challenges of demographic change | DW > .
22-11-27 Dragon's Claw: Xina's Next 10 Years - Kamome > . skip > .
22-11-19 G20 '22 Biden-Xi meeting = "start of a new Cold War" - Times > .
22-11-11 Fortress Xina - Xi's Plans for World Domination - laowhy86 > .
22-11-2 XiXiPee Said They Wouldn't Do It... THEY LIED! - cfc > .
22-10-20 XiXiPee Congress Day 3 - Update > .
22-10-11 Condeleeza Rice - Xina and Taiwan - Hoover > .
22-9-24 Xina's and Australia’s power plays in the Pacific - Caspian > .
22-8-31 Shocking Chinese Mercenary Groups Around the World - T&P > .
22-8-4 What Killed Sri Lanka's Economy? - Patrick Boyle > . skip ad > .
22-7-31 How PGII & IPEF could checkmate BRI - CaspianReport > .
22-7-21 Xina losing international trust, 10 Pacific nations rebuff joint agreement - CR > .
22-7-6 IISS Special Lecture: Australia, ASEAN and Southeast Asia > . 
22-4-27 How China [BRI] is TRAPPING INDIA via Pakistan & Sri Lanka - Think > .
22-3-26 China has “Fully Militarized” the South China Sea - Uncensored > .
22-3-18 "Myth" of the Chinese Debt Trap in Africa - Bloomberg > .
22-1-31 Will Taiwan Spark a US-China Conflict? - Whatifalthist > .
2021 Taiwan vs. China - The rocky road to democracy | DW Doc > .
24-5-23 India and Xina preparing for war? | ABC > .
> Pakistan >>
Redshift - China's Geoeconomic Tactics - anf >> .

CCP's String of Pearls ..


The String of Pearls is a geopolitical hypothesis proposed by United States political researchers in 2004. The term refers to the network of Chinese military and commercial facilities and relationships along its sea lines of communication, which extend from the Chinese mainland to Port Sudan in the Horn of Africa. The sea lines run through several major maritime choke points such as the Strait of Mandeb, the Strait of Malacca, the Strait of Hormuz, and the Lombok Strait as well as other strategic maritime centres in Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, the Maldives, and Somalia.

The term as a geopolitical concept was first used in an internal US Department of Defense report, "Energy Futures in Asia" in 2005. The term is also widely used in India's geopolitical and foreign policy narratives to highlight India's concerns over massive Chinese Belt and Road Initiative projects across southern Asia. According to the EUISS, the formation of Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (consisting of United States, India, Australia and Japan) is a direct result of China's assertive foreign and security policy in the Indo-Pacific region.

The “Belt and Road Initiative” is a Chinese led infrastructure initiative designed to connect Chinese manufacturers and markets with markets across Eurasia. The Initiative is primarily based on the ancient “silk road” which stretched from Italy in the West, to Southern China in the East. The “Belt” element of the project consists of overland routes through what was the original Silk Road and Russia, and the “Road” element, a series of shipping routes through which China and other states can move goods.

Many commentators in India believe the String of Pearls ["Road"] plan, together with the China–Pakistan Economic Corridor and other parts of China's Belt and Road Initiative under Chinese Communist Party general secretary Xi Jinping, is a threat to India's national security. Such a system would encircle India and threaten its power projection, trade, and potentially territorial integrity. Furthermore, China's support for India's traditional enemy of Pakistan and its Gwadar Port is viewed as a threat, compounded by fears that China may develop an overseas naval military base in Gwadar, which could allow China to conduct expeditionary warfare in the Indian Ocean Region. From the east, the deep-water port of Kyaukpyu is also viewed with a similar concern. The first comprehensive academic analyses of Chinese plan and its security implications for New Delhi was undertaken in February 2008 by an active-duty Indian naval officer. Antedating China's anti-piracy naval deployment in the Indian Ocean beginning in December 2008, and the ensuing acquisition of its first overseas military in Djibouti in August 2017, his analysis predicting China's "permanent military presence" in the Indian Ocean is viewed by Indian policymakers as prescient. Accordingly, India has since been making moves of various types to counter the perceived threat.

The emergence of the String of Pearls is indicative of China's growing geopolitical influence through concerted efforts to increase access to ports and airfields, expand and modernise military forces, and foster stronger diplomatic relationships with trading partners. [Predictably] The Chinese government insists that China's burgeoning naval strategy is entirely peaceful and is only for the protection of regional trade interests. Chinese Communist Party general secretaries Hu Jintao and Xi Jinping have both asserted that China will never seek hegemony in foreign relations. A 2013 analysis by The Economist also found the Chinese moves to be commercial in nature. Although it has been claimed that China's actions are creating a security dilemma between China and India in the Indian Ocean, that has been questioned by some analysts, who point to China's fundamental strategic vulnerabilities.

The defence ministry said the aircraft, including nuclear-capable bombers, entered its air defence identification zone (ADIZ) in two waves. Taiwan responded by scrambling its jets and deploying missile systems. China sees democratic Taiwan as a breakaway province, but Taiwan sees itself as a sovereign state. Taiwan has been complaining for more than a year about repeated missions by China's air force near the island.

Monday, June 28, 2021

Anglosphere - CANZUK

22-2-14 Australia's Liberal Party = appeasers of CCP - Kevin Rudd > .
22-2-14 The real (Australian) Liberal record on China - Kevin Rudd > .

Australia - Military Threat from China

22-4-28 Almost 60% of Australians want Australia to be tougher on China > .
22-4-4 Peter Jennings | China & National Security - John Anderson > .
22-3-30 China’s Secret Plan for a Pacific Military Base - Uncensored > .
22-3-28 Conversation with Senator the Hon Penny Wong - CSIS > .
22-3-27 Avoidable War - Kevin Rudd: US future conflict with China | 9 Aus > .
22-3-16 China: "No. 1 Threat" to the West | Heinrichs - JoAnd > . full > .
22-3-1 Tim Harcourt | Russia's Commodity-Heavy Sanctions & Australia - rh > .
2021 Economic & Military Implications of China's BRI (Kevin Rudd) - Asia Society > .
2021 Australia has rebelled against China (South Korea not followed) - VisPol > .Australia's CCP Problem - Rap >> .
ASEAN, AUKUS, CPTPP, QUAD - Compass Rose >> .
Indo-Pacific Security & Threats - Γαῖα >> .


Resources
Coming Resource Conflicts ..

Just when we thought Australia's relationship with China couldn’t get any worse, Beijing has delivered Australia another punch. It’s in the form of a list of 14 grievances it has with us and is polished off with an almighty threat: if you make an enemy of China, China will be the enemy! [More like: China will drop the smiley mask.] When that belligerence is combined with the upheaval of a new administration in Washington, it’s clear we are facing a dangerous new world order, and the Pacific is likely to be an especially vulnerable region. For the best analysis of what the immediate future might hold, 60 Minutes Australia speaks with H. R. McMaster, a highly respected military man and former U.S. national security adviser. But his expert assessment includes a grim warning. Australia, he reckons, has a battle on its hands.

Paul Dibb AM (born 3 October 1939) is an English-born Australian strategist, academic and former defence intelligence official. He is currently emeritus professor of strategic studies at the Strategic and Defence Studies Centre which is part of the Australian National University.

He was the head of the National Assessments Staff (the predecessor to the Office of National Assessments) from 1974 to 1978, the director of the Joint Intelligence Organisation (the predecessor to the Defence Intelligence Organisation) from 1986 to 1988, and the head of the Defence Strategy and Intelligence Group with the rank of Deputy Secretary in the Department of Defence from 1988 to 1991. Dibb is also known for his contribution to Australian defence strategy through writing the 1986 Review of Australia’s defence capabilities, known as the Dibb Report, and being the primary author of the 1987 Defence White Paper. From 1965 to 1984, Dibb worked for the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation, tasked with gaining intelligence and recruiting KGB and GRU agents in Canberra. In 1991, Dibb retired from the Australian Public Service and became the director of the Strategic and Defence Studies Centre, part of the Australian National University until 2003–where he is currently the emeritus professor. During the Government of Prime Minister John Howard, Dibb was a member of the Foreign Minister's Foreign Policy Advisory Council.

Dibb's report was published in March 1986 and recommended for Australia to abandon the remaining elements of the forward defence policy but concentrate its military resources on the geographic areas relevant to defending the country and its economic interests from direct attack.

Dibb's recommendations were based around an assessment that "Australia is one of the most secure countries on earth" and that while there was the potential for regional conflict, the longer-term intentions and capabilities of countries in Australia's region could not be predicted and so did not form a suitable basis for planning.

Dibb recommended for Australia's military posture to be based on a strategy of denying aggressors the ability to attack the country. That was to be achieved through using a layered defence of Jindalee Operational Radar Network (over-the-horizon radar), patrol aircraft and maritime strike aircraft to protect Australia's approaches with the Army's Operational Deployment Force being responsible for defeating any landings on the Australian mainland. That would require changes to the Australian Defence Force's structure and equipment acquisition programs. The policy of self-reliance proposed by Dibb also placed less emphasis on ANZUS, its alliance with the United States, than previous policies.

The Dibb Report received a mixed response. Some experts regarded it as being an important contribution to developing an independent Australian defence posture. Other experts criticised the report for calling for an essentially defensive military strategy, implying that existing Australian military capabilities be abandoned and making optimistic assumptions about the period of time available to detect and respond to new threats to Australia. Many of the Dibb Report's assumptions were used in developing the 1987 Defence White Paper, but the Government did not adopt some of Dibb's key recommendations, such as those concerning Australia's relationship with the United States and the Australian military's role in the Pacific.

2019: China has released a new white paper on national defense, laying out the country's military preparedness and security strategy. It singled out the United States, Japan and Australia as actors allegedly causing security uncertainties in the Pacific region. The paper discusses those nations' moves to beef up their military presence and alliances. China claimed its own military does not pose a threat. Chinese officials say one of their top concerns remains independence movements in Tibet and in the northwestern Chinese province of Xinjiang. The paper also goes on to warn against independence for Taiwan, a self-governed island that China claims as part of its territory.


sī vīs pācem, parā bellum

igitur quī dēsīderat pācem praeparet bellum    therefore, he who desires peace, let him prepare for war sī vīs pācem, parā bellum if you wan...