🇺🇸🇨🇳 US-China high-level military dialogues gain pace; new crisis meeting on horizon

The resumption of high-level military dialogues between the United States and China has gathered pace, with a crisis-communications meeting possibly taking place before the end of this year, the Pentagon has confirmed.

US President Joe Biden first disclosed the restoration of talks – which had been suspended by Beijing almost two years ago to retaliate for a visit by then-US House of Representatives speaker Nancy Pelosi to Taiwan – during a news conference at the end of the NATO summit on Thursday.

But direct communications between military theatre commanders, sought by the US, have not yet been restored.

#USA #China

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🇰🇷🇷🇺 South Korea calls Russia ‘strategic partner’ in effort to maintain ties

South Korea’s top diplomat has called Russia a “strategic partner” as he looks to prevent his country’s ties with Moscow from deteriorating further, a sentiment backed by Seoul’s refusal to supply arms to Ukraine thus far.

“Russia is a strategic partner that can play an important role in the Korean peninsula issue, and our security and economic interests are at stake,” Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul said on Saturday.

Analysts say South Korea is driven by a pragmatic calculus that prioritizes preserving its diplomatic rapport with Russia, given Moscow’s critical role in the security landscape of the Korean peninsula, which shares a border with Russia’s far eastern region.

#SouthKorea #Russia

@asianomics

🇯🇵🇺🇸 Japan steps up security for politicians, VIPs after Trump rally shooting

Japan’s National Police Agency has ordered local police headquarters across the country to tighten security around politicians, foreign dignitaries and other high-profile individuals, following the assassination bid in the United States on Donald Trump at a campaign rally.

The shooting of Trump at a rally echoed a chilling incident in Japan two years ago, when a lone gunman shot and killed former prime minister Shinzo Abe as he addressed a crowd in Nara ahead of nationwide elections.

While Trump and Abe represent the conservative parties in their respective countries and were reported to be close political allies, analysts suggest it is too soon to reach conclusions on the parallels between the two attacks.

#Japan #USA

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🇹🇼🇺🇸 Trump says Taiwan should pay for defence, sending TSMC stock down

Taiwan should pay the US for its defense as it does not give the country anything, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump told Bloomberg Businessweek, sending shares of Taiwanese chip manufacturer TSMC lower on Wednesday.

"I know the people very well, respect them greatly. They did take about 100% of our chip business. I think, Taiwan should pay us for defense," Trump said in interview on June 25 that was published on Tuesday.

Taiwan Premier Cho Jung-tai, responding to Trump's comments, said Taiwan and the U.S. have good relations despite the lack of formal ties, and is dedicated to bolstering its own defenses. "We are willing to take on more responsibility; we are defending ourselves and ensuring our security," he added.

#Taiwan #USA

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🇰🇷🇺🇸 Former White House official accused of acting as South Korea agent

A foreign policy specialist who once worked for the CIA and on the White House National Security Council (NSC) has been indicted on US charges she worked as an unregistered agent of South Korea's government in exchange for luxury goods and other gifts.

Sue Mi Terry advocated South Korean policy positions, disclosed nonpublic US government information to South Korean intelligence officers, and facilitated access for South Korean government officials to their US counterparts.

In return, the South Korean intelligence officers allegedly provided Terry with Bottega Veneta and Louis Vuitton handbags, a Dolce & Gabbana coat, dinners at Michelin-starred restaurants, and more than $37,000 in "covert" funding for a public policy program on Korean affairs that she ran.

Terry's alleged work as an agent began in 2013, two years after she left US government employment, and lasted a decade even after FBI agents warned her in 2014 that South Korean intelligence might try to offer (to) covertly pay for events.

#SouthKorea #USA

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🇯🇵 Japan completes 7th round of Fukushima treated water discharge

The operator of the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant on Tuesday completed its seventh round of treated radioactive water discharge into the ocean.

Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc. released around 7,800 tons of water in the latest round, which started on June 28, with the operator saying no abnormal tritium levels were detected in nearby waters.

While the latest water release is the seventh overall, it marked the third of seven discharge rounds planned for fiscal 2024.

#Japan

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🇺🇸🇨🇳🇯🇵🇳🇱 US considers tougher trade rules in China chip crackdown

The US, facing pushback to its chip crackdown on China, has told its allies it is considering using the most severe trade restrictions available if companies continue giving the country access to advanced semiconductor technology, Bloomberg News reported.

These measures would be applied to companies such as Tokyo Electron and ASML Holding NV. The US is presenting the idea of imposing the foreign direct product rule, or FDPR, to officials in Tokyo and the Hague as an increasingly likely outcome if the countries don't tighten their own China measures

FDPR essentially says that if a product was made using American technology, the US government has the power to stop it from being sold - including products made in a foreign country.

#USA #China #Japan #TheNetherlands

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🇨🇳🇵🇭 Chinese, Philippine presidents to have direct hotline to stop clashes at sea

A recently signed agreement will open a direct line of communication between the presidential offices of China and the Philippines to help prevent any new confrontation from spiraling out of control in the disputed South China Sea.

Chinese and Philippine officials dealing with the territorial disputes held talks in Manila on July 2. Both sides signed an arrangement “on improving Philippines-China maritime communication mechanisms.”

The hotline talks could also be done “through the Department of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Foreign Affairs counterparts, including at the foreign minister and vice foreign minister levels or through their designated representatives”, it said, and added without elaborating that Philippine officials were “in discussions with the Chinese side on the guidelines that will govern the implementation of this arrangement”.

#China #ThePhilippines

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🇹🇼🇺🇸 Taiwan says committed to strengthening defense after Trump comments

Taiwan is committed to boosting its defenses and working with the United States, the foreign ministry said, days after Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump was quoted as saying Taiwan should pay to be defended.

Speaking to reporters in Taipei, Kuoyu Chiao, deputy head of the North America department at Taiwan's foreign ministry, said Taiwan and the United States share the universal values of democracy, freedom, and human rights, and have a mutually beneficial economic relationship.

"In the future, we will continue to work together with the United States and like-minded countries to strengthen our national defense capabilities and jointly maintain peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait," Chiao added.

#Taiwan #USA

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🇨🇳 Some important news on/about China this week

▪️Chinese authorities will host high-ranking representatives of the Palestinian resistance movements 'Hamas' and 'Fatah' in Beijing next week. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi will hold meetings with representatives of Palestinian movements on July 21 and 23. Between these dates, the parties are expected to hold meetings without Chinese representatives.

▪️A group of American congressmen sent a letter to the White House demanding it to disclose information about whether Russia transmitted information to China about the fight against American weapons, according to Reuters. A bipartisan committee of the US Congress is interested in whether Russia shared information with China on how to defeat US weapons used on the battlefield in Ukraine.

▪️Taiwan's army is planning live-fire exercises on the Kinmen Islands on July 19-20. The training will take place ahead of the Hanguang maneuver, which is the largest military exercise in Taiwan. The practical part of the exercise with live firing will take place from July 22 to 26.

▪️Chinese authorities intend to accelerate the transition to a new model of national development against the backdrop of a difficult situation in the international arena, the State Statistics Administration of the People's Republic of China reported. In the second quarter of 2024, China's economic growth slowed to 4.7% annualized, down from 5.3% in the first quarter. China's official GDP growth target for 2024 is 5%.

▪️China plans to build a power plant and solar panel plant in Tajikistan. Specialists from the Beijing Scientific Research and Technical Institute will also conduct research on the construction of two railway lines in the Sughd region with a length of 171 km.

▪️Problems in Russian business settlements with Chinese banks have brought scammers into the market who pose as agents for settlements with Chinese residents. Fraudsters offer services transfer funds to a Chinese supplier from their local bank account. The importer transfers money to the agent's account, and he must pay for the goods from Chinese funds. However, later intermediaries say that the deal failed and the funds were “stuck” or missing. According to one of the businessmen, the company lost more than ₽50 million.

▪️Chinese experts have developed a technique that allows them to track large warships around the world using low-resolution satellite imagery. The method is based on analyzing the waves that ships leave behind, as different ships create different wave patterns on the surface of the sea.

▪️Beijing Missile Avenue project was launched in China. Its goal is to create a research and manufacturing cluster for the development of the commercial aerospace industry. The project is being implemented on an area of ​​140 000 square meters in the Yizhuang innovation zone in the southeast of the capital. It will host a unified technology platform, production centers, innovative research and development centers, as well as a science and technology showroom.

▪️By 2030, 80% of Chinese electric vehicle brands will disappear due to rapid market consolidation, AlixPartners research shows. The number of brands will decrease from 137 to 19, which will dominate the market with annual sales averaging 835 thousand units each. The remaining brands will become commercially unviable. #China #news

🇻🇳 Vietnam files UN claim to extended continental shelf in South China Sea

Vietnam has filed a claim with the United Nations for an extended continental shelf (ECS) in the South China Sea, a month after regional neighbor the Philippines made a similar move, Vietnam's foreign ministry said on Thursday.

The submission of the continental shelf beyond the current 200 nautical miles is to exercise the rights and obligations of state parties in accordance to the maritime frame work, the foreign ministry said in a statement.

This is Vietnam's third submission of an ECS, the statement added, including a submission in respect to the North Area of the South China Sea or Vietnam's East Sea and a joint submission with Malaysia in respect to the southern part of the area in 2009.

#Vietnam

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🇵🇭🇨🇳 Philippines, China to set up new channels to handle South China Sea rows

The Philippines and China have agreed to set up new lines of communication to improve their handling of maritime disputes.

Three communication channels would be established specifically for maritime issues, according to a document with highlights of an "Arrangement on Improving Philippines-China Maritime Communication Mechanisms", which was signed on July 2.

The first channel would be used by "representatives to be designated by their leaders," with the other for respective foreign ministries at ministerial or vice-ministerial level, or their designated representatives. The third would involve their respective coast guards "which will be set up once the corresponding MOU (Memorandum of Understanding) between the coast guards is concluded."

#ThePhilippines #China

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🇨🇳🇺🇸 Average Chinese national now eats more protein than an American: United Nations

China has surpassed the US in the amount of daily dietary protein available to its population – an important indicator of a modern quality of life, and one that some commentators and politicians in the West thought would be impossible to achieve.

According to the latest data from the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), China overtook the US in 2021, reaching a daily supply of 124.61 grams of protein per capita. In the same year, Americans had access to 124.33 grams.

American environmental analyst Lester Brown predicted in his 1995 book Who Will Feed China? that the Asian giant would eventually have to import so much grain to feed its population that it could precipitate an unprecedented rise in world food prices.

The theory gained traction among some politicians, with former US president Barack Obama using it to justify his China policies in an interview on Australian television in April 2010. While Obama’s intention might have been to spur Beijing’s climate change efforts, his comments elicited strong dissatisfaction in China, where they were widely perceived as a justification for containing Chinese growth and development.

#China #USA

@asianomics

🇺🇸🇵🇭 US military chief meets Filipino counterpart in Manila as intel pact takes shape

The chief of the US military met on Tuesday with Armed Forces of the Philippines chief Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. to show Washington’s “solid commitment” to its alliance with Manila, ahead of a meeting between the top diplomatic and defense officials of the two countries.

Brown’s visit comes two weeks ahead of the 2+2 “Ministerial Dialogue” in Manila between the foreign and defense secretaries of the two security allies.

The meeting, scheduled for July 30, followed the conclusion of negotiations last month on Manila’s General Security of Military Information Agreement with Washington. The United States has required a security inspection of selected military facilities in the Philippines before it seals that intelligence-sharing pact allowing the exchange of classified information in a timely manner.

Analysts believe that any US involvement in the South China Sea would be viewed in a negative light by Beijing. They warn that Beijing was likely to develop its own countermeasures when it came to intelligence capabilities.

#USA #ThePhilippines

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🇯🇵🇺🇸 Japan, US near deal to develop anti-drone microwave weapons

Japan and the United States are on the verge of signing an agreement on the joint development of high-power microwave weapons designed to protect military personnel and equipment from attacks by drones.

The deal comes as little surprise given the spectacular successes of unmanned vehicles deployed in conflicts such as the Russia-Ukraine war, analysts say, with Tokyo particularly keen to develop countermeasures against swarms of drones that are expected to accompany any contingency involving Chinese forces.

A microwave weapon is designed to produce an electromagnetic wave that can cause the internal electronic components of a drone to malfunction. The technology is not new and microwave ovens have been a fixture in kitchens around the world for decades, but weaponising electromagnetic waves is a more recent development.

#Japan #USA

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🇹🇼🇺🇸 Taiwan must rely on itself for defense, foreign minister responds to Trump

Taiwan must rely on itself for defense and is likely to keep increasing spending and modernizing its military given the threat it faces from China, Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung said, responding to criticism from Donald Trump.

Asked about Trump's comments, Lin told foreign reporters in Taipei that "we pay great attention to" them, and Taiwan-US relations are built on the bipartisan support Taiwan enjoys in the United States.

"I think everyone has a consensus on the main point, which is the China threat," said Lin, who took up his post on May 20 as part of the cabinet of newly elected President Lai Ching-te.

#Taiwan #USA

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🇰🇵🇷🇺 North Korea leader Kim discusses military cooperation with Russian official

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un received Russian vice minister of defence Aleksey Krivoruchko and discussed the importance of the two countries' militaries to unite more firmly to defend world peace and justice.

Kim and Krivoruchko shared the need for military cooperation between the two countries to defend mutual security interests.

North Korean media report did not provide any other details of Krivoruchko's delegation or the purpose of the visit to North Korea.

#NorthKorea #Russia

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🇰🇷🇰🇵 South Korea conducts loudspeaker broadcasts at North Korea

South Korea's military said on Friday it had conducted a loudspeaker broadcast campaign directed at North Korea overnight in response to the launch of balloons by Pyongyang carrying trash aimed at the South.

After repeated warnings to stop sending trash, South Korea's military resumed broadcasts using large loudspeakers set up at the border directed at the North, blaring propaganda, world news and K-pop music.

The broadcasts, considered by military officials and activists as an effective form of psychological warfare, were stopped under a peace agreement signed in 2018, which both sides have declared null as tensions rose.

#SouthKorea #NorthKorea

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🇹🇼🇯🇵 Taiwan, Japan coast guards conduct joint rescue drill

The coast guards of Taiwan and Japan have conducted a joint search and rescue drill, with one of the island's vessels recently making a refueling stop in the country, Taiwan authorities said.

Following the previous one in Japan last year, the refueling stop was made as part of the Taiwan coast guard's high seas patrol mission to protect fishing boats. The patrol vessel, which departed from Kaohsiung Port on June 21, is expected to return to Taiwan on August 14, the coast guard said.

The moves may suggest Taipei has been strengthening cooperation with Tokyo despite the lack of official diplomatic ties amid Beijing's increased pressure on the island.

#Taiwan #Japan

@asianomics