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

Sunday, April 28, 2024

ANZUS, CENTO, SEATO

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The Australia, New Zealand, United States Security Treaty (ANZUS or ANZUS Treaty) is the 1951 collective security non-binding agreement between Australia and New Zealand and, separately, Australia and the United States, to co-operate on military matters in the Pacific Ocean region, although today the treaty is taken to relate to conflicts worldwide. It provides that an armed attack on any of the three parties would be dangerous to the others, and that each should act to meet the common threat. It set up a committee of foreign ministers that can meet for consultation.

The treaty was one of the series that the United States formed in the 1949–1955 era as part of its collective response to the threat of communism during the Cold War. New Zealand was suspended from ANZUS in 1986 as it initiated a nuclear-free zone in its territorial waters; in late 2012 New Zealand lifted a ban on visits by United States warships leading to a thawing in tensions. New Zealand maintains a nuclear-free zone as part of its foreign policy and is partially suspended from ANZUS, as the United States maintains an ambiguous policy whether or not the warships carry nuclear weapons and operates numerous nuclear-powered aircraft carriers and submarines; however New Zealand resumed key areas of the ANZUS treaty in 2007.

The Central Treaty Organisation (CENTO), originally known as the Baghdad Pact or the Middle East Treaty Organisation (METO), was a military alliance of the Cold War. It was formed in 1955 by Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, Turkey and the United Kingdom and dissolved in 1979.

US pressure and promises of military and economic aid were key in the negotiations leading to the agreement, but the United States could not initially participate. John Foster Dulles, who was involved in the negotiations as U.S. Secretary of State under President Dwight D. Eisenhower, claimed that was due to "the pro-Israel lobby and the difficulty of obtaining Congressional Approval." Others said that the reason was "for purely technical reasons of budgeting procedures."

In 1958, the US joined the military committee of the alliance. It is generally viewed as one of the least successful of the Cold War alliances.

The organisation’s headquarters were in Baghdad, Iraq, in 1955 to 1958 and in Ankara, Turkey, in 1958 to 1979. Cyprus was also an important location for CENTO because of its location in the Middle East and the British Sovereign Base Areas on the island.

The Southeast Asia Treaty Organization (SEATO) was an international organization for collective defense in Southeast Asia created by the Southeast Asia Collective Defense Treaty, or Manila Pact, signed in September 1954.

Primarily created to block further communist gains in Southeast Asia, SEATO is generally considered a failure because internal conflict and dispute hindered general use of the SEATO military; however, SEATO-funded cultural and educational programs left longstanding effects in Southeast Asia. SEATO was dissolved on 30 June 1977 after many members lost interest and withdrew.

The Present Viability of NATO, SEATO, and CENTO:
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), the Southeast Asia Treaty Organization (SEATO), and the Central Treaty Organization (CENTO) were considered necessary in the postwar period to protect member countries from Communist aggression and conspiracy. Subsequent developments have not always reflected the tidiness of inflexible and implacable confrontation, however. Thus, the viability of this postwar structure of alliances is raised ever more insistently. Do NATO, SEATO, and CENTO serve any longer the interests of the West? Or has the time now arrived for their complete reappraisal? The view gains ground in western Europe that there is now considerable diversity in the Communist world, and that a policy of positive coexistence should be pursued in the tackling of common problems with such countries as are ready to do so. In this fluid situation, a policy of movement is desirable, especially in Europe, where economic as well as political initiatives on behalf of a reconstructed NATO can provide pointers for the continued viability of CENTO and SEATO. The pending renegotiation of the NATO Pact can provide such economic initiatives. It can also provide the model of a self-supporting security system under the Soviet-American nuclear balance.

Friday, April 12, 2024

QUAD - QSD

AIJU, QSD - The making of an Asian NATO > . Australia, India, Japan, USA
24-4-12 India | [Modious's] Dying Democracy? - Prof J K-L > .
24-1-9 Ċold Ŵar 2: NATO-like alliance vs Xina in the Indo-Pacific? | DW > .
23-10-20 Xina's PLAN Expansion vs USN's Hegemony - gtbt > . skip > .
23-9-14 Hx Japan vs Xina: Why Xina and Japan are headed to war - BuBa > .
23-8-23 China vs Japan: Japan Preparing for War with Xina - BuBa > .
23-7-29 Taiwan: Japanese & US Moves | Update > .
23-7-28 PLAN's Indo-Pacific Bases - Ream, Djibouti, Hambantota, Tonga - Focus > .
23-7-23 South Korean Defence Strategy - Mass, Firepower, Industry - Perun > .
23-7-21 Brain Drain & Capital Issues Plague India's Tech Industry || Peter Zeihan > .
23-6-2 AUKUS: Australia Preparing for War - T&P > .
23-5-1 Australia’s nuclear submarines enough to deter Xina? | ABC > .
23-4-23 Japanese History, Defence Strategy & Rearmament - Perun > .
23-3-13 Yi Fuxian: The Chinese Century Is Already Over - Update > .
23-3-8 US-China: Qin & Conflict Warning - Update > .
23-2-28 Xina & ROC war prep: martial law, nuclear emergency, wartime controls > .
23-2-10 Why Japan's Military is Gladly Readying for War - T&P > .
23-1-13 US & Japan boost cooperation; Marines ready to counter Xina > .
22-12-14 US National Security Strategy in 6 points – Geopolitics c Alex Stubb > .
22-11-11 Fortress Xina - Xi's Plans for World Domination - laowhy86 > .
22-11-17 US-Xina-Taiwan relations (G20 2022) - Update > .
22-11-2 Photos - Xina’s Massive Military Buildup in South China Sea - Unc > .
22-10-15 Japan - national debt, liquidity trap vs artificial inflation - VisEco > .
22-10-11 Condeleeza Rice - Xina and Taiwan - Hoover > .
22-10-1 India Will Not Be The Next Xina - EcEx > .
22-9-24 Xina's and Australia’s power plays in the Pacific - Caspian > .
22-9-21 How China’s Military Drills Could Choke Off Taiwan’s Internet | WSJ > .
22-8-31 Shocking Chinese Mercenary Groups Around the World - T&P > .
22-8-26 How Xina wages an unseen war for strategic influence | FT > .
22-8-21 Japan Is (Again) Becoming a Military Powerhouse - gtbt > .
22-8-4 Situation Zoom: Pelosi Visits Taiwan | Goodfellows - Hoover > .
22-7-31 How PGII & IPEF could checkmate BRI - CaspianReport > .
22-7-21 Xina losing international trust, 10 Pacific nations rebuff joint agreement - CR > .
22-7-21 Why Every NATO Member Joined (Why Others Haven't) - Spaniel > .
22-7-6 IISS Special Lecture: Australia, ASEAN and Southeast Asia > . 
22-7-4 QUAD going beyond military exercises — Xina watching > .
22-6-26 US administration's plan to control Asia-Pacific - VisPol > . skip ad > .
22-4-28 Almost 60% of Australians want Australia to be tougher on China > .
22-3-31 Darwin new port - Australian military and industry | ABC > .
22-3-26 China has “Fully Militarized” the South China Sea - Uncensored > .
22-3-25 US & World Should Have A 'Coherent, Bipartisan' Strategy For China - Rudd > .
22-3-1 Tim Harcourt | Russia's Commodity-Heavy Sanctions & Australia - rh > .
22-2-10 Hiding in Plain Sight: China's Military Power, 1995-2020 - CISAC Stanford > .
22-1-31 Will Taiwan Spark a US-China Conflict? - Whatifalthist > .
22-1-12 India's Armed Forces Special Powers Act - extended in Nagaland - Sengupta > .
22-1-6 Australia & Japan sign security cooperation treaty - Focus > .
2021 (Ishigaki Plan) Could Japan save Taiwan from China? - VisPol > .
2021 Remote Islands - Technically Part of Tokyo [Prefecture] - Half > .
2021 - QUAD vs CCP - Bal Pow >> .
ASEAN, AUKUS, CPTPP, QUAD - Compass Rose >> .


The Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (QSD, also known as the Quad) is an informal strategic dialogue between the United States, Japan, Australia and India that is maintained by talks between member countries. The dialogue was initiated in 2007 by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of Japan, with the support of Vice President Dick Cheney of the US, Prime Minister John Howard of Australia and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh of India. The dialogue was paralleled by joint military exercises of an unprecedented scale, titled Exercise Malabar. The diplomatic and military arrangement was widely viewed as a response to increased Chinese economic and military power, and the Chinese government responded to the Quadrilateral dialogue by issuing formal diplomatic protests to its members.

The QSD ceased following the withdrawal of Australia during Kevin Rudd’s tenure as prime minister, reflecting ambivalence in Australian policy over the growing tension between the United States and China in the Asia-Pacific. Following Rudd's replacement by Julia Gillard in 2010, enhanced military cooperation between the United States and Australia was resumed, leading to the placement of US Marines near Darwin, Australia, overlooking the Timor Sea and Lombok Strait. India, Japan, and the United States continue to hold joint naval exercises through Malabar.

During the 2017 ASEAN Summits in Manila, all four former members led by Shinzo Abe, Narendra Modi, Malcolm Turnbull, and DJT agreed to revive the quadrilateral alliance in order to counter China militarily and diplomatically in the South China Sea. Tensions between Quad members and China have led to fears of what was dubbed by some commentators as "a new Cold War" in the region.

In a 2021 joint statement, "The Spirit of the Quad," Quad members described "a shared vision for a Free and Open Indo-Pacific," and a "rules-based maritime order in the East and South China Seas," which Quad members state are needed to counter Chinese maritime claims. The Quad pledged to respond to COVID-19, and held a first Quad Plus meeting that included representatives from New Zealand, South Korea and Vietnam to work on its response to it. Widely viewed as intending to curb "China's growing power," the Quad's joint statement drew criticism from China's foreign ministry, which said the Quad "openly incites discord" among regional powers in Asia

Anglosphere - CANZUK ..


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.

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...