Russian diplomacy is testing its rogue-state practices on its Western diplomatic counterparts, and finds them malleable. On November 17, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov unilaterally publicized the confidential messages recently exchanged between himself and his German and French counterparts, Heiko Maas and Jean-Yves Le Drian, regarding a possible relaunch of negotiations in the “Normandy” framework […]
Month: November 2021
Crisis is brewing yet again in the intrinsically antagonistic relations between Russia and Ukraine, and President Vladimir Putin seeks to harvest richer political dividends from it than he did half a year ago. The apparent buildup of Russian forces near the Ukrainian border follows much the same pattern; Moscow’s denials of easily detectable parks of […]
Amid the disturbing images of mass protests, looting and arson in Honiara last week, local journalist Georgina Kekea shared footage on Twitter of the central market in Honiara. Here, she said, women vendors had been stuck for two days without access to food other than the fruits and vegetables they sell. Solomon Islands deployment: Australia […]
The prophecy was delivered in 2014. “It is likely that over the next ten years,” Wellington’s Defence Assessment foretold, “New Zealand will deploy military and other assets in support of a Pacific Islands Forum member in crisis beyond standard disaster response support.” In 2021 that crisis has come to pass in the current troubles in Solomon Islands. […]
While environmentalists have welcomed the Australian government’s decision to abandon the Davis aerodrome project in Antarctica, China is likely now drafting its own year-round aviation plans for the site. Australia’s scrapping of Antarctic aerodrome could pave the runway for China | The Strategist (aspistrategist.org.au)
The Chinese Communist Party’s foreign influence work is not reduced to one single dedicated organ; instead, state, party and military agencies have fronts that engage in influence operations and are led by CCP’s top leadership. Identifying the leaders responsible for coordinating these systems of organs helps to understand how the influence work is being carried out. China’s […]
Defence Minister Peter Dutton’s National Press Club address is more easily understood when considered in the context of Australia’s 2020 defence strategic update and the accompanying force structure plan rather than under the fierce spotlight of an upcoming election campaign. Dutton: War with China would be ‘catastrophic’ and mustn’t be allowed to happen | The Strategist (aspistrategist.org.au)
US President Joe Biden recently accepted recommendations from the Pentagon in a global posture review to prioritize the Indo-Pacific region, with a particular focus on China, through military infrastructure buildups in Guam, Australia and the Pacific Islands, US media reported on Tuesday. US global posture review targets China; exposes weakness in 1st island chain – […]
The goal of reaching carbon neutrality before 2060 can help China avoid $134 trillion in climate change losses by 2100, said a study from Tsinghua University, which estimates that the country suffers from $50 billion financial losses annually caused by climate disasters, accounting for 0.4 percent of its GDP. Carbon neutrality goal can save China […]
The Chinese mainland’s warning to business founders and sponsors who support secessionist politicians in the island of Taiwan has achieved initial results, experts said, after Douglas Hsu, the CEO of Far Eastern Group (FEG) – the biggest donor to the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) – published an article in a Taiwan-based newspaper stating that he […]
The Chinese Embassy in France voiced strong opposition to a resolution adopted by the French Assembly which encourages the participation of the island of Taiwan in international organizations such as the WHO and the International Criminal Police Organization, as the French move clearly violates the one-China principle, blatantly interferes in China’s internal affairs, and intentionally […]
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang is scheduled to meet with Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin via video conference on Tuesday, for the 26th regular meeting between Chinese and Russian heads of government. China-Russia govt heads meeting to enhance synergy in military, energy in response to US hegemony – Global Times