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background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #0e101a; font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Ci\u003EAs China’s trade war with Australia shows, New Zealand must be careful to balance its own economic priorities\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan data-preserver-spaces=\"true\" style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #0e101a; font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cspan data-preserver-spaces=\"true\" style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #0e101a;\"\u003E\u003Ci\u003EHongzhi Gao,\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #0e101a;\"\u003E\u003Ci\u003EIvy Guo, and\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #0e101a;\"\u003E\u003Ci\u003EMonica Ren\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #0e101a;\"\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #0e101a;\"\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #0e101a;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-JoJ1KumVc7I\/X-LAc_X8bUI\/AAAAAAAAGfE\/vgSBgOdIxCkI_4ZR_d8MdIyusIRW9DZ7ACLcBGAsYHQ\/s1024\/AIDN006112020%2B%252841%2529.gif\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"China-Australia Trade War: The Lessons for New Zealand\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"512\" data-original-width=\"1024\" height=\"320\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-JoJ1KumVc7I\/X-LAc_X8bUI\/AAAAAAAAGfE\/vgSBgOdIxCkI_4ZR_d8MdIyusIRW9DZ7ACLcBGAsYHQ\/w640-h320\/AIDN006112020%2B%252841%2529.gif\" title=\"China-Australia Trade War: The Lessons for New Zealand\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan data-preserver-spaces=\"true\" style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;\"\u003ENew Zealand and China are being\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Ca class=\"editor-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/unctad.org\/system\/files\/official-document\/diaeiainf2020d5_en_0.pdf\" rel=\"nofollow\" style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #4a6ee0; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;\" target=\"_blank\"\u003E\u003Cspan data-preserver-spaces=\"true\" style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003Epushed toward\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cspan data-preserver-spaces=\"true\" style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;\"\u003E\u0026nbsp;further regional economic integration as part of the \u003Ci\u003ERegional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Ca class=\"editor-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mfat.govt.nz\/en\/trade\/free-trade-agreements\/free-trade-agreements-concluded-but-not-in-force\/regional-comprehensive-economic-partnership-rcep\/rcep-overview\" rel=\"nofollow\" style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #4a6ee0; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;\" target=\"_blank\"\u003E\u003Cspan data-preserver-spaces=\"true\" style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003E\u003Ci\u003ERCEP\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cspan data-preserver-spaces=\"true\" style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;\"\u003E\u003Ci\u003E) \u003C\/i\u003Esigned last month.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan data-preserver-spaces=\"true\" style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan data-preserver-spaces=\"true\" style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;\"\u003EOn the face of it, the RCEP is a positive step for cross-border investments. It further integrates trade between the two nations, along with Japan, South Korea, Australia, and the ten countries in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;\"\u003EBut perhaps we should stop to ask whether the haste with which this is happening will generate equitable and sustainable benefits.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan data-preserver-spaces=\"true\" style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan data-preserver-spaces=\"true\" style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;\"\u003EOne of the main criticisms of globalization is that, in an aggressive and politically driven push for economic integration, the institutional (legal, political) differences between trading and investment partner countries have been overlooked.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan data-preserver-spaces=\"true\" style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;\"\u003EThe US-China trade war in the past three years, and now COVID-19, have\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Ca class=\"editor-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/www.scmp.com\/comment\/opinion\/article\/3107066\/what-lessons-does-chinas-fast-economic-recovery-covid-19-hold-us\" rel=\"nofollow\" style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #4a6ee0; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;\" target=\"_blank\"\u003E\u003Cspan data-preserver-spaces=\"true\" style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003Ehighlighted the differences\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cspan data-preserver-spaces=\"true\" style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;\"\u003E\u0026nbsp;in responses to trade, investment, and the pandemic by countries with very different political and economic ideologies.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan data-preserver-spaces=\"true\" style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;\"\u003EIn particular, China is using its global power to expand its influence and\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Ca class=\"editor-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2020\/11\/23\/world\/asia\/china-xi-jinping-globalization.html\" rel=\"nofollow\" style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #4a6ee0; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;\" target=\"_blank\"\u003E\u003Cspan data-preserver-spaces=\"true\" style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003Ereset the rules\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cspan data-preserver-spaces=\"true\" style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;\"\u003E\u0026nbsp;of trade relationships. New Zealand must be cautious about its exposure to Chinese influence at this level.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch4 style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan data-preserver-spaces=\"true\" style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;\"\u003ERebalancing the books\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h4\u003E\u003Cp style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan data-preserver-spaces=\"true\" style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;\"\u003EOur analysis of foreign direct investment (FDI) application data from the New Zealand Overseas Investment Office from the beginning of 2017 to the end of 2019 shows two conflicting trends.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan data-preserver-spaces=\"true\" style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;\"\u003EIn financial and insurance services, and the information, communications, and technology sectors, application approvals favored the US and Australia. But in manufacturing, even after the US-China trade war broke out, approvals favored China.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan data-preserver-spaces=\"true\" style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;\"\u003EThis greater receptiveness to Chinese investments in manufacturing might reflect the push for more economic integration with China in recent years.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan data-preserver-spaces=\"true\" style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;\"\u003EBut this approach needs to be scrutinized in light of the current stand-off between China and Australia.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch4 style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan data-preserver-spaces=\"true\" style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;\"\u003EThe downside of economic integration\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h4\u003E\u003Cp style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan data-preserver-spaces=\"true\" style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;\"\u003EThe recent\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Ca class=\"editor-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/www.scmp.com\/news\/asia\/australasia\/article\/3081020\/australia-wants-international-probe-coronavirus-origins\" rel=\"nofollow\" style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #4a6ee0; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;\" target=\"_blank\"\u003E\u003Cspan data-preserver-spaces=\"true\" style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003Ecall by Australia\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cspan data-preserver-spaces=\"true\" style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;\"\u003E\u0026nbsp;(supported by New Zealand, the EU, and Canada) for an independent investigation into the origin of COVID-19 shows how much deeper institutional differences matter.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan data-preserver-spaces=\"true\" style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;\"\u003EChina\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Ca class=\"editor-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/www.smh.com.au\/world\/asia\/if-you-make-china-the-enemy-china-will-be-the-enemy-beijing-s-fresh-threat-to-australia-20201118-p56fqs.html\" rel=\"nofollow\" style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #4a6ee0; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;\" target=\"_blank\"\u003E\u003Cspan data-preserver-spaces=\"true\" style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003Eimposed tariffs and other trade restrictions\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cspan data-preserver-spaces=\"true\" style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;\"\u003E\u0026nbsp;on Australian beef, barley, minerals, wine, and most recently\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Ca class=\"editor-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/australia-news\/2020\/dec\/14\/china-formalises-cut-to-australias-coal-imports-state-media-reports\" rel=\"nofollow\" style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #4a6ee0; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;\" target=\"_blank\"\u003E\u003Cspan data-preserver-spaces=\"true\" style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003Ecoal\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cspan data-preserver-spaces=\"true\" style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;\"\u003E\u0026nbsp;in response to that call and to Australian government criticism of Beijing’s suppression of political dissent in Hong Kong.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan data-preserver-spaces=\"true\" style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;\"\u003EIn an ideal world, the free trade agreement between Australia and China and the much-hyped regional economic integration represented by the RCEP might have salvaged the relationship and allowed the parties to talk more openly about their disputes.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan data-preserver-spaces=\"true\" style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;\"\u003EBut the opposite has happened. The stronger economic relationship and mutual economic dependency have actually made\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Ca class=\"editor-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bloomberg.com\/news\/articles\/2020-11-03\/china-to-halt-key-australian-commodity-imports-as-tensions-mount\" rel=\"nofollow\" style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #4a6ee0; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;\" target=\"_blank\"\u003E\u003Cspan data-preserver-spaces=\"true\" style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EChina’s retaliation\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cspan data-preserver-spaces=\"true\" style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;\"\u003E\u0026nbsp;even more painful for Australia. The less powerful party is always hurt more when a relationship goes wrong.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch4 style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan data-preserver-spaces=\"true\" style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;\"\u003EThe lessons for New Zealand\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h4\u003E\u003Cp style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan data-preserver-spaces=\"true\" style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;\"\u003ENew Zealand and Australia are not alone in being at something of a crossroads with China. Many countries are confronting the difficulty (an impossibility, even) of balancing the pressure to be part of China’s economic orbit and their fundamental institutional differences.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan data-preserver-spaces=\"true\" style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;\"\u003EIn essence, it is the tension between greater political and economic freedoms, and state intervention and control. The implications for resolving trade disputes and other economic disagreements are profound.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan data-preserver-spaces=\"true\" style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;\"\u003EFor that reason, New Zealand’s FDI policies and application approvals should reflect a preference for countries with similar institutional conventions. While balancing its trade interests is critical for New Zealand, it should not be driven purely by immediate economic benefits.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan data-preserver-spaces=\"true\" style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;\"\u003ENew Zealand’s FDI policies should reflect its own best long-term interests: continued regional economic integration with Australia, enhanced\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Ca class=\"editor-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/www.rnz.co.nz\/news\/political\/419218\/nz-begins-free-trade-talks-for-comprehensive-deal-with-uk\" rel=\"nofollow\" style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #4a6ee0; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;\" target=\"_blank\"\u003E\u003Cspan data-preserver-spaces=\"true\" style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003Epost-Brexit leverage\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cspan data-preserver-spaces=\"true\" style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;\"\u003E\u0026nbsp;of the political, historical, and cultural links with the UK, and closer economic ties with developing economies (especially Commonwealth countries such as India and Malaysia).\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan data-preserver-spaces=\"true\" style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;\"\u003EIn doing so, New Zealand will reduce the political and economic risks of over-integration with China and avoid the kind of conflicts based on deep institutional differences we are now witnessing.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan data-preserver-spaces=\"true\" style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan data-preserver-spaces=\"true\" style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;\"\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: black; text-align: center;\"\u003EThis article is republished from\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\" rel=\"nofollow\" style=\"text-align: center;\" target=\"_blank\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EThe Conversation\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: black; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u0026nbsp;under a Creative Commons license. Read the\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/as-chinas-trade-war-with-australia-shows-new-zealand-must-be-careful-to-balance-its-own-economic-priorities-149966\" rel=\"nofollow\" style=\"text-align: center;\" target=\"_blank\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003Eoriginal article\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: black; text-align: center;\"\u003E.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan data-preserver-spaces=\"true\" style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan data-preserver-spaces=\"true\" style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EAbout the Authors:\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan data-preserver-spaces=\"true\" style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #0e101a; text-align: center;\"\u003EHongzhi Gao,\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #0e101a;\"\u003EAssociate professor, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #0e101a;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #0e101a; text-align: center;\"\u003EIvy Guo,\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #0e101a;\"\u003EResearch Assistant, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #0e101a;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #0e101a;\"\u003E\u003Cspan data-preserver-spaces=\"true\" style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;\"\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #0e101a;\"\u003EMonica Ren, Lecturer\/ Assistant Professor, Macquarie University\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\u003Cb\u003EIndraStra Global\u003C\/b\u003E is now available on \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/apple.news\/Tbvq4-R3hQ5izxn0b9mqG9Q\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EApple News\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E,\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMNbQ3gow9aLWAQ?hl=en-IN\u0026amp;gl=IN\u0026amp;ceid=IN:en\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EGoogle News\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E,\u003Cb\u003E \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/flipboard.com\/@indrastra\/indrastra-global-ctkeo059z\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EFlipboard\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E, \u003Cb\u003E \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/feeds.feedburner.com\/IndrastraGlobal\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EFeedburner\u003C\/a\u003E,\u003C\/b\u003E and\u0026nbsp;\u003Cb\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/t.me\/indrastraglobal\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ETelegram\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ci\u003EDISCLAIMER: The views expressed in this insight piece are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of IndraStra Global.\u003C\/i\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003E\u003Cscript async src=\"\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js\"\u003E\u003C\/script\u003E\n\u003Cins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\n     style=\"display:block\"\n     data-ad-format=\"fluid\"\n     data-ad-layout-key=\"-c6-3y+3v+0+c6\"\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-7609865815468089\"\n     data-ad-slot=\"3607324678\"\u003E\u003C\/ins\u003E\n\u003Cscript\u003E\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\n\u003C\/script\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/1461303524738926686\/posts\/default\/8784952868516133903"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/1461303524738926686\/posts\/default\/8784952868516133903"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"https:\/\/www.indrastra.com\/2020\/12\/China-Australia-Trade-War-Lessons-for-New-Zealand-006-12-2020-0034.html","title":"China-Australia Trade War: The Lessons for New Zealand"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-JoJ1KumVc7I\/X-LAc_X8bUI\/AAAAAAAAGfE\/vgSBgOdIxCkI_4ZR_d8MdIyusIRW9DZ7ACLcBGAsYHQ\/s72-w640-h320-c\/AIDN006112020%2B%252841%2529.gif","height":"72","width":"72"},"georss$featurename":{"$t":"Level 4\/50 Kitchener Street, Auckland CBD, Auckland 1010, New Zealand"},"georss$point":{"$t":"-36.848322 174.7677"},"georss$box":{"$t":"-65.158555836178849 139.61145 -8.5380881638211577 -150.07605"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1461303524738926686.post-6994108557985506466"},"published":{"$t":"2020-11-21T23:20:00.001-05:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2020-11-21T23:20:48.350-05:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Asia"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Asia Pacific"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Business \u0026 Economy"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"China"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Global Trade"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"RCEP"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"CRU Insights: RCEP will Deepen Pacific Economic Integration"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-tuvziyRWrOY\/X7nmJMV0uXI\/AAAAAAAAGRI\/PNcm_z5G_XoJBQPsgaADKLovgJvRrw1uACLcBGAsYHQ\/s1024\/AIDN006112020%2B%252818%2529.gif\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"CRU Insights: RCEP will Deepen Pacific Economic Integration\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"512\" data-original-width=\"1024\" height=\"320\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-tuvziyRWrOY\/X7nmJMV0uXI\/AAAAAAAAGRI\/PNcm_z5G_XoJBQPsgaADKLovgJvRrw1uACLcBGAsYHQ\/w640-h320\/AIDN006112020%2B%252818%2529.gif\" title=\"CRU Insights: RCEP will Deepen Pacific Economic Integration\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003EOn November 15, 2020, 15 countries signed the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP). This trade and investment agreement will cover around 30% of the world by both GDP and population. Over time, it should lead to deeper integration of regional supply chains and economies in East and Southeast Asia, boosting trade and productivity.\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003ERCEP extends and links a number of existing trade agreements into a multi-lateral partnership covering most of the major economies in the Asia-Pacific region. It includes all the members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) \u003Ci\u003E(Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines, Vietnam, Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, and Brunei)\u003C\/i\u003E, plus China, Japan, South Korea, Australia, and New Zealand. Notably, it does not currently include India.\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-lw89vyy9Vhc\/X7nmDa9G76I\/AAAAAAAAGRE\/RLkQ2BFwWsohpIM8-bINPS3fTwH4XqNiQCLcBGAsYHQ\/s698\/table-1-key-benefits-and-limitations-of-rcep-v2.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"Key Benefits and Limitations of RCEP\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"413\" data-original-width=\"698\" height=\"378\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-lw89vyy9Vhc\/X7nmDa9G76I\/AAAAAAAAGRE\/RLkQ2BFwWsohpIM8-bINPS3fTwH4XqNiQCLcBGAsYHQ\/w640-h378\/table-1-key-benefits-and-limitations-of-rcep-v2.jpg\" title=\"Key Benefits and Limitations of RCEP\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003EIn some areas – tariff reduction, e-commerce, and state-owned enterprises – RCEP is not as 'deep' an agreement as to the Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), which includes a number of common countries with RCEP (Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia, Vietnam, Singapore, and Brunei). However, RCEP could act as a platform for future agreements that go further.\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003EAlthough signed, RCEP may take months if not years to come into effect – it must be ratified by at least six ASEAN countries and three non-ASEAN countries before coming into force. However, its long-term impact could be significant for a number of reasons.\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003EThe 15 signatory countries to RCEP constitute almost 30% of world GDP, a similar share to the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA, which replaced NAFTA) and significantly larger than the EU. What is more, this share is likely to increase over time, as RCEP includes many faster-growing economies – such as China, Vietnam, and Indonesia. RCEP represents an even larger share of the world's population – over 30%, compared to around 6% for each of the USMCA and the EU.\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003ETo read the complete insight, \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.crugroup.com\/knowledge-and-insights\/insights\/2020\/rcep-will-deepen-pacific-economic-integration\/?utm_medium=Press_release\u0026amp;utm_source=PR%20Newswire\u0026amp;utm_campaign=CRU%20Insight%20YW%20Nov%2020\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003Eclick here\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/div\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\u003Cb\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\u003Cb\u003EIndraStra Global\u003C\/b\u003E is now available on \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/apple.news\/Tbvq4-R3hQ5izxn0b9mqG9Q\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EApple News\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E,\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMNbQ3gow9aLWAQ?hl=en-IN\u0026amp;gl=IN\u0026amp;ceid=IN:en\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EGoogle News\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E,\u003Cb\u003E \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/flipboard.com\/@indrastra\/indrastra-global-ctkeo059z\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EFlipboard\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E, \u003Cb\u003E \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/feeds.feedburner.com\/IndrastraGlobal\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EFeedburner\u003C\/a\u003E,\u003C\/b\u003E and\u0026nbsp;\u003Cb\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/t.me\/indrastraglobal\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ETelegram\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003E\u003Cscript async src=\"\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js\"\u003E\u003C\/script\u003E\n\u003Cins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\n     style=\"display:block\"\n     data-ad-format=\"fluid\"\n     data-ad-layout-key=\"-c6-3y+3v+0+c6\"\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-7609865815468089\"\n     data-ad-slot=\"3607324678\"\u003E\u003C\/ins\u003E\n\u003Cscript\u003E\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\n\u003C\/script\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/1461303524738926686\/posts\/default\/6994108557985506466"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/1461303524738926686\/posts\/default\/6994108557985506466"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"https:\/\/www.indrastra.com\/2020\/11\/CRU-Insights-RCEP-006-11-2020-0026.html","title":"CRU Insights: RCEP will Deepen Pacific Economic Integration"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-tuvziyRWrOY\/X7nmJMV0uXI\/AAAAAAAAGRI\/PNcm_z5G_XoJBQPsgaADKLovgJvRrw1uACLcBGAsYHQ\/s72-w640-h320-c\/AIDN006112020%2B%252818%2529.gif","height":"72","width":"72"},"georss$featurename":{"$t":"London, UK"},"georss$point":{"$t":"51.5073509 -0.1277583"},"georss$box":{"$t":"23.197117063821153 -35.284008299999996 79.817584736178844 35.028491700000004"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1461303524738926686.post-6954878819706870171"},"published":{"$t":"2020-07-14T07:02:00.001-04:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2020-07-14T07:02:42.691-04:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Asia Pacific"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"China"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Hong Kong"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"India"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Opinion"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"China is Becoming Increasingly Assertive "},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ch4\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\u003Cb\u003ESecurity law in Hong Kong is just the latest example\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/h4\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\u003Cb\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ci\u003EBy Niki JP Alsford and Ed Griffith\u003C\/i\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-SIV-_ilJaQo\/Xw2QjASe9cI\/AAAAAAAAFCo\/bGS4DgooTO4-VyCGVOZ3oColp-3xd67_gCLcBGAsYHQ\/s1600\/AIDN0060720200016-CI.gif\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"China is Becoming Increasingly Assertive \" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"512\" data-original-width=\"1024\" height=\"320\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-SIV-_ilJaQo\/Xw2QjASe9cI\/AAAAAAAAFCo\/bGS4DgooTO4-VyCGVOZ3oColp-3xd67_gCLcBGAsYHQ\/s640\/AIDN0060720200016-CI.gif\" title=\"China is Becoming Increasingly Assertive \" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan data-preserver-spaces=\"true\" style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;\"\u003EChina’s enforcement of new security law in Hong Kong marks the de facto end of the\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Ca class=\"_e75a791d-denali-editor-page-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/hong-kong-why-the-one-country-two-systems-model-is-on-its-last-legs-118960\" rel=\"nofollow\" style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #4a6ee0; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;\" target=\"_blank\"\u003E\u003Cspan data-preserver-spaces=\"true\" style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003E“one country, two systems” model\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cspan data-preserver-spaces=\"true\" style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;\"\u003E\u0026nbsp;that came into effect following the British handover in 1997. This has repercussions that go far beyond Hong Kong.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan data-preserver-spaces=\"true\" style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan data-preserver-spaces=\"true\" style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;\"\u003EThe Sino-British\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Ca class=\"_e75a791d-denali-editor-page-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk\/documents\/CBP-8616\/CBP-8616.pdf\" rel=\"nofollow\" style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #4a6ee0; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;\" target=\"_blank\"\u003E\u003Cspan data-preserver-spaces=\"true\" style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EJoint Declaration\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cspan data-preserver-spaces=\"true\" style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;\"\u003E, signed by both China and the UK in 1984, paved the way for the handover. It states clearly that the territory shall enjoy\u003Ci\u003E “basic rights and freedom” \u003C\/i\u003Eand \u003Ci\u003E“a high degree of autonomy”\u003C\/i\u003E for 50 years – until 2047. The treaty was lodged with the UN and so any breach of it is a breach of international law.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan data-preserver-spaces=\"true\" style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan data-preserver-spaces=\"true\" style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;\"\u003EArguing that the new security law prematurely removed Hong Kong’s high degree of autonomy, the UK proposed a pathway for\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Ca class=\"_e75a791d-denali-editor-page-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/news\/uk-politics-53246899\" rel=\"nofollow\" style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #4a6ee0; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;\" target=\"_blank\"\u003E\u003Cspan data-preserver-spaces=\"true\" style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003Ean estimated 3 million Hong Kongers\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cspan data-preserver-spaces=\"true\" style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;\"\u003E\u0026nbsp;to gain British citizenship. China was\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Ca class=\"_e75a791d-denali-editor-page-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/2020\/jul\/02\/china-could-prevent-hongkongers-moving-to-uk-says-dominic-raab\" rel=\"nofollow\" style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #4a6ee0; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;\" target=\"_blank\"\u003E\u003Cspan data-preserver-spaces=\"true\" style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003Equick to assert\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cspan data-preserver-spaces=\"true\" style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;\"\u003E\u0026nbsp;that this decision breached the terms of its agreements with the UK.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan data-preserver-spaces=\"true\" style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan data-preserver-spaces=\"true\" style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;\"\u003EThe Chinese government has made no secret of its contempt for the joint declaration in the past,\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Ca class=\"_e75a791d-denali-editor-page-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/article\/us-hongkong-anniversary-china-idUSKBN19L1J1\" rel=\"nofollow\" style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #4a6ee0; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;\" target=\"_blank\"\u003E\u003Cspan data-preserver-spaces=\"true\" style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003Ederiding it\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cspan data-preserver-spaces=\"true\" style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;\"\u003E\u0026nbsp;as nothing more than a simple historical document. However, a number of China’s other territorial claims could equally be brought into question using the very same logic. China’s sovereignty over Tibet, for example, is rooted in international law governing the\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Ca class=\"_e75a791d-denali-editor-page-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/legal.un.org\/ilc\/texts\/instruments\/english\/conventions\/3_2_1978.pdf\" rel=\"nofollow\" style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #4a6ee0; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;\" target=\"_blank\"\u003E\u003Cspan data-preserver-spaces=\"true\" style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003Esuccession of states\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cspan data-preserver-spaces=\"true\" style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;\"\u003E, which China claims make it the successor state to the Qing government that signed the\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Ca class=\"_e75a791d-denali-editor-page-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20090912002742\/http:\/\/www.tibetjustice.org\/materials\/treaties\/treaties11.html\" rel=\"nofollow\" style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #4a6ee0; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;\" target=\"_blank\"\u003E\u003Cspan data-preserver-spaces=\"true\" style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EAnglo-Chinese Convention of 1906\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cspan data-preserver-spaces=\"true\" style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;\"\u003E.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan data-preserver-spaces=\"true\" style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan data-preserver-spaces=\"true\" style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;\"\u003EClaims by China that Taiwan should be “reunified” with the mainland rest partially on its interpretation of the\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Ca class=\"_e75a791d-denali-editor-page-rtfLink\" href=\"http:\/\/www.taiwandocuments.org\/sanfrancisco01.htm\" rel=\"nofollow\" style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #4a6ee0; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;\" target=\"_blank\"\u003E\u003Cspan data-preserver-spaces=\"true\" style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003E1951 San Francisco Peace Treaty\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cspan data-preserver-spaces=\"true\" style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;\"\u003E, which stipulates that Japan is to renounce all right, title and claim to Formosa (Taiwan) and the Pescadores (Penghu). China’s claims over the Senkaku\/Diaoyu Islands in the East China Sea – which are disputed between Japan, Taiwan, and China – are\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Ca class=\"_e75a791d-denali-editor-page-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/www.spf.org\/islandstudies\/readings\/b00008r.html#anc3\" rel=\"nofollow\" style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #4a6ee0; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;\" target=\"_blank\"\u003E\u003Cspan data-preserver-spaces=\"true\" style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003Ealso based on\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cspan data-preserver-spaces=\"true\" style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;\"\u003E\u0026nbsp;the 1943 Cairo and 1945 Potsdam declarations, which declared that Japan should return all of its occupied territories at the end of the war.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan data-preserver-spaces=\"true\" style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;\"\u003E\u003Cspan data-preserver-spaces=\"true\" style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;\"\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan data-preserver-spaces=\"true\" style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;\"\u003EAll this means that China should be careful its neighbors don’t take such a dismissive approach to these historical treaties as it has done with the joint declaration.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan data-preserver-spaces=\"true\" style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Ch4 style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan data-preserver-spaces=\"true\" style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;\"\u003EFlexing Muscles\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h4\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;\"\u003E\u003Cspan data-preserver-spaces=\"true\" style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan data-preserver-spaces=\"true\" style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;\"\u003EBut something more nuanced is happening in China’s foreign policy towards both friends and rivals than just a rejection of a historical agreement.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Ca class=\"_e75a791d-denali-editor-page-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/edition.cnn.com\/2020\/06\/16\/asia\/china-india-border-clash-intl-hnk\/index.html\" rel=\"nofollow\" style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #4a6ee0; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;\" target=\"_blank\"\u003E\u003Cspan data-preserver-spaces=\"true\" style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003ERecent deadly clashes\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cspan data-preserver-spaces=\"true\" style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;\"\u003E\u0026nbsp;along the border with India in the Himalayas attempts to shift the parameters of the Senkaku\/Diaoyu dispute with a\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Ca class=\"_e75a791d-denali-editor-page-rtfLink\" href=\"http:\/\/www.asahi.com\/ajw\/articles\/13465411\" rel=\"nofollow\" style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #4a6ee0; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;\" target=\"_blank\"\u003E\u003Cspan data-preserver-spaces=\"true\" style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003Enear-continuous presence\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cspan data-preserver-spaces=\"true\" style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/b\u003Earound the islands, and continuing moves to\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Ca class=\"_e75a791d-denali-editor-page-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/2020\/05\/14\/south-china-sea-dispute-accelerated-by-coronavirus\/\" rel=\"nofollow\" style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #4a6ee0; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;\" target=\"_blank\"\u003E\u003Cspan data-preserver-spaces=\"true\" style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003Estrengthen its control\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cspan data-preserver-spaces=\"true\" style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;\"\u003E\u0026nbsp;of the South China Sea all point to a conscious shift in China’s behavior.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan data-preserver-spaces=\"true\" style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan data-preserver-spaces=\"true\" style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;\"\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan data-preserver-spaces=\"true\" style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;\"\u003EWhat really matters, it would seem, is China’s relative power in the international system – both against its neighbors in the region, and the wider world. It’s likely that Chinese officials see this as a chance to shift the parameters of operations in a number of areas while the US is distracted domestically by COVID-19 and led by a non-internationalist president.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan data-preserver-spaces=\"true\" style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Ch4 style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan data-preserver-spaces=\"true\" style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;\"\u003EExtradition Disagreements\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h4\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan data-preserver-spaces=\"true\" style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan data-preserver-spaces=\"true\" style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;\"\u003ESince the new security law makes secession, subversion, terrorism, and foreign intervention illegal in Hong Kong, it has certain spill-over effects. Not least is the issue of extradition, which is a controversial issue in Hong Kong. A proposed new extradition bill sparked mass protests in Hong Kong in June 2019 in which\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Ca class=\"_e75a791d-denali-editor-page-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/news\/world-asia-china-48656471\" rel=\"nofollow\" style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #4a6ee0; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;\" target=\"_blank\"\u003E\u003Cspan data-preserver-spaces=\"true\" style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003Enearly 2 million people\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cspan data-preserver-spaces=\"true\" style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;\"\u003E\u0026nbsp;took to the streets, over fears people could be extradited to China.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan data-preserver-spaces=\"true\" style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;\"\u003EThe period of terror that is enveloping the island would mean that those commenting on issues of independence for Hong Kong run the risk of breaching the new security law\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Ca class=\"_e75a791d-denali-editor-page-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/www.axios.com\/china-hong-kong-law-global-activism-ff1ea6d1-0589-4a71-a462-eda5bea3f78f.html?utm_source=newsletter\u0026amp;utm_medium=email\u0026amp;utm_campaign=newsletter_axiosworld\u0026amp;stream=world\" rel=\"nofollow\" style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #4a6ee0; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;\" target=\"_blank\"\u003E\u003Cspan data-preserver-spaces=\"true\" style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003Eoutside of Hong Kong’s territory\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cspan data-preserver-spaces=\"true\" style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;\"\u003E. It’s possible that even this article might fall foul of it.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan data-preserver-spaces=\"true\" style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan data-preserver-spaces=\"true\" style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;\"\u003EThis brings into question the other\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Ca class=\"_e75a791d-denali-editor-page-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bloomberg.com\/graphics\/2019-china-hong-kong-extradition-pacts\/\" rel=\"nofollow\" style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #4a6ee0; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;\" target=\"_blank\"\u003E\u003Cspan data-preserver-spaces=\"true\" style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003Eextradition agreements\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cspan data-preserver-spaces=\"true\" style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;\"\u003E\u0026nbsp;that Hong Kong has with 30 countries, most of whom do not have similar arrangements with mainland China. Canada was the first to\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Ca class=\"_e75a791d-denali-editor-page-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cnbc.com\/2020\/07\/04\/canada-suspends-extradition-treaty-with-hong-kong-eyes-immigration-boost.html\" rel=\"nofollow\" style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #4a6ee0; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;\" target=\"_blank\"\u003E\u003Cspan data-preserver-spaces=\"true\" style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003Esuspend its extradition treaty\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cspan data-preserver-spaces=\"true\" style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;\"\u003E\u0026nbsp;with Hong Kong in early July 2020 and Australia\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Ca class=\"_e75a791d-denali-editor-page-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bloomberg.com\/news\/articles\/2020-07-09\/australia-suspends-extradition-agreement-with-hong-kong\" rel=\"nofollow\" style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #4a6ee0; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;\" target=\"_blank\"\u003E\u003Cspan data-preserver-spaces=\"true\" style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003Efollowed suit\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cspan data-preserver-spaces=\"true\" style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;\"\u003E\u0026nbsp;a few days later. These countries are right to respond to such a danger to their citizens and residents.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan data-preserver-spaces=\"true\" style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan data-preserver-spaces=\"true\" style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;\"\u003EOthers with such agreements include the US, New Zealand, the UK, Germany, Singapore, Malaysia, and India. It’s likely only a matter of time before others make similar decisions.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan data-preserver-spaces=\"true\" style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;\"\u003EChina’s actions in Hong Kong are symptomatic of its changing outlook and attitude toward its neighbors. The days of\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Ca class=\"_e75a791d-denali-editor-page-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/thediplomat.com\/2014\/08\/chinese-foreign-policy-needs-major-reform\/\" rel=\"nofollow\" style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #4a6ee0; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;\" target=\"_blank\"\u003E\u003Cem style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003Etaoguang yanghui\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cspan data-preserver-spaces=\"true\" style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/b\u003E– the approach is taken to foreign policy under Deng Xiaoping in the late 1970s and 1980s that is frequently translated as “\u003Ci\u003Ekeeping a low profile”\u003C\/i\u003E – are already long gone. However, a clear willingness to disregard international treaties in this way shows that China now has the confidence and courage to challenge the status quo of the international system.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan data-preserver-spaces=\"true\" style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan data-preserver-spaces=\"true\" style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;\"\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan data-preserver-spaces=\"true\" style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;\"\u003EThe global reaction indicates that this will not be left unanswered, laying the groundwork for an increasingly difficult relationship between China and other world powers.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan data-preserver-spaces=\"true\" style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Ci\u003EThis article is republished from \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EThe Conversation\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E under a Creative Commons license. Read the \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/china-is-becoming-increasingly-assertive-security-law-in-hong-kong-is-just-the-latest-example-142313\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003Eoriginal article\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan data-preserver-spaces=\"true\" style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EAbout the Authors\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan data-preserver-spaces=\"true\" style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #0e101a;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003ENiki JP Alsford\u003C\/b\u003E,\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #0e101a;\"\u003EProfessor in Asia Pacific Studies, Director of the Asia Pacific Studies Institutes, University of Central Lancashire.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #0e101a;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #0e101a;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EEd Griffith\u003C\/b\u003E, Principal Lecturer in Asia Pacific Studies, University of Central Lancashire\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;\"\u003E\u003Cspan data-preserver-spaces=\"true\" style=\"background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\u003Cb\u003EIndraStra Global\u003C\/b\u003E is now available on \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/apple.news\/Tbvq4-R3hQ5izxn0b9mqG9Q\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EApple News\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E,\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMNbQ3gow9aLWAQ?hl=en-IN\u0026amp;gl=IN\u0026amp;ceid=IN:en\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EGoogle News\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E,\u003Cb\u003E \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/flipboard.com\/@indrastra\/indrastra-global-ctkeo059z\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EFlipboard\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E, \u003Cb\u003E \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/feeds.feedburner.com\/IndrastraGlobal\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EFeedburner\u003C\/a\u003E,\u003C\/b\u003E and\u0026nbsp;\u003Cb\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/t.me\/indrastraglobal\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ETelegram\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Ci\u003EDISCLAIMER: The views expressed in this insight piece are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the IndraStra Global.\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003E\u003Cscript async src=\"\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js\"\u003E\u003C\/script\u003E\n\u003Cins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\n     style=\"display:block\"\n     data-ad-format=\"fluid\"\n     data-ad-layout-key=\"-c6-3y+3v+0+c6\"\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-7609865815468089\"\n     data-ad-slot=\"3607324678\"\u003E\u003C\/ins\u003E\n\u003Cscript\u003E\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\n\u003C\/script\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/1461303524738926686\/posts\/default\/6954878819706870171"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/1461303524738926686\/posts\/default\/6954878819706870171"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"https:\/\/www.indrastra.com\/2020\/07\/China-is-Becoming-Increasingly-Assertive-006-07-2020-0016.html","title":"China is Becoming Increasingly Assertive "}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-SIV-_ilJaQo\/Xw2QjASe9cI\/AAAAAAAAFCo\/bGS4DgooTO4-VyCGVOZ3oColp-3xd67_gCLcBGAsYHQ\/s72-c\/AIDN0060720200016-CI.gif","height":"72","width":"72"},"georss$featurename":{"$t":"Fylde Rd, Preston PR1 2HE, UK"},"georss$point":{"$t":"53.765167899999987 -2.7074233"},"georss$box":{"$t":"28.243133399999987 -44.0160173 79.287202399999984 38.6011707"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1461303524738926686.post-6020785401720203801"},"published":{"$t":"2019-01-02T05:31:00.001-05:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2019-03-11T08:43:31.315-04:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Asia"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Asia Pacific"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Australia"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"China"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Featured"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"India"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Indo-Pacific"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Japan"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"News"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"United States"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"The Summary of Asia Reassurance Initiative Act of 2018"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ci\u003EBy IndraStra Global News Team\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-iZreRjzKxn0\/XCxhs0I3c6I\/AAAAAAAACOU\/Gu9dsGunbiQNFqAJQlebyRTwka7ZKWNXwCLcBGAs\/s1600\/S2736.JPG\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"S.2736 - Asia Reassurance Initiative Act of 2018 115th Congress (2017-2018)\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"512\" data-original-width=\"1023\" height=\"320\" src=\"https:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-iZreRjzKxn0\/XCxhs0I3c6I\/AAAAAAAACOU\/Gu9dsGunbiQNFqAJQlebyRTwka7ZKWNXwCLcBGAs\/s640\/S2736.JPG\" title=\"S.2736 - Asia Reassurance Initiative Act of 2018 115th Congress (2017-2018)\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003EOn December 31, 2018, U.S. President Donald J. Trump signed \u003Ci\u003EAsia Reassurance Initiative Act of 2018 (ARIA)\u003C\/i\u003E along with 12 other bills. The ARIA Act, specifically, calls for America's increased engagement in the Indo-Pacific region and strengthened support, including arms sales, for U.S. allies in the region. The legislation is authored by Senators Cory Gardner \u003Ci\u003E(R-CO)\u003C\/i\u003E and Ed Markey \u003Ci\u003E(D-MA)\u003C\/i\u003E, Chairman and Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on East Asia, the Pacific, and International Cybersecurity.\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003EBefore being signed by the President and enacted as a law, the subcommittee conducted five hearings, examining a range of national security, economic, and rule of law challenges in the Indo-Pacific region. The bill was introduced on April 24, 2018, by Sen. Cory Gardner (R-CO), was referred to the Senate, and passed by unanimous consent on December 4. Consecutively, the act was introduced into Congress on September 25 and it was approved by the Congress on December 12.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ch4\u003ESummary\u003C\/h4\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe act develops a long-term strategic vision and a comprehensive, multifaceted, and principled United States policy for the Indo-Pacific region.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003E\u003Ci\u003EPart 1: Security Interests[1]\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cli\u003EAuthorizes US$ 1.5 billion annually for 5 years to enhance U.S. presence in the Indo-Pacific;\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EReaffirms U.S. security commitments to our allies in the Indo-Pacific, including Japan, South Korea, and Australia and builds security partnerships with nations in Southeast Asia;\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EEstablishes a policy goal to peacefully denuclearize North Korea though the campaign of maximum pressure and engagement;\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EEnhances the U.S. diplomatic, economic, and security relationship with India;\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EEnforces U.S. freedom of navigation and overflight rights in the Indo-Pacific;\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EExpresses support for regular arms sales to Taiwan and to enhance the economic, political, and security relationship between Taiwan and the United States;\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EPromotes robust cybersecurity cooperation with our allies in the region; and\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003ESets U.S. policy to pursue effective arms control and nuclear nonproliferation policies in the Indo-Pacific region.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ul\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003E\u003Ci\u003EPart 2: Economic Engagement[2]\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cli\u003EPromotes economic cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region as essential for the growth of the U.S. economy and success of American businesses;\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EAuthorizes bilateral and multilateral trade negotiations with Indo-Pacific nations;\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EProvides for robust U.S. commercial presence throughout the Indo-Pacific region to promote U.S. exports and additional trade facilitation efforts;\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EAuthorizes the imposition of penalties on entities and governments engaged in the theft of United States intellectual property; and\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003ERequires a new comprehensive U.S. policy to promote energy exports.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ul\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003E\u003Ci\u003EPart 3: Promoting Values[3]\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cli\u003EProvides US$ 150 million annually for 5 years for democracy, rule of law, and civil society support, including $10 million annually for freedom of information efforts in North Korea;\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003ECall for additional U.S. efforts against trafficking-in-persons and human slavery; and Authorizes U.S. sanctions against human rights abusers.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ul\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003ETo read the full text of the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003E\"S.2736 - Asia Reassurance Initiative Act of 2018 115th Congress (2017-2018)\"\u003C\/i\u003E,\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.congress.gov\/bill\/115th-congress\/senate-bill\/2736\/text\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EClick here\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Ch4\u003EBudgetary Effects\u003C\/h4\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.cbo.gov\/system\/files?file=2018-11\/s2736.pdf\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EAccording to Congressional Budget Office (CBO)\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E, ARIA Act would specifically authorize the appropriation of almost US$ 8.6 billion over the 2019-2023 period to implement various aspects of U.S. policy in the Indo-Pacific region. The bill also would authorize unspecified amounts for new and ongoing activities that CBO estimates would require additional appropriations of US$ 0.6 billion over that same period. In total, CBO estimates that implementing ARIA Act would cost US$ 6.6 billion over the 2019-2023 period, assuming appropriation of the authorized and estimated amounts. The remainder would be spent after 2023.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-FPxehKo0pus\/XCxxUwf-aWI\/AAAAAAAACOw\/D-pynrSDkaghhixUCjnx9J72iIAk6r7igCLcBGAs\/s1600\/CBO-Estimates-ARIA-Act-2018.JPG\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"Chart Attribute: The estimated budgetary effect of S. 2736 Asia Reassurance Initiative Act of 2018 \/ Source: Congressional Budget Office (CBO) Cost Estimate,S. 2736 Asia Reassurance Initiative Act of 2018 (As reported by the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations on October 3, 2018)\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"378\" data-original-width=\"1002\" height=\"240\" src=\"https:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-FPxehKo0pus\/XCxxUwf-aWI\/AAAAAAAACOw\/D-pynrSDkaghhixUCjnx9J72iIAk6r7igCLcBGAs\/s640\/CBO-Estimates-ARIA-Act-2018.JPG\" title=\"Chart Attribute: The estimated budgetary effect of S. 2736 Asia Reassurance Initiative Act of 2018 \/ Source: Congressional Budget Office (CBO) Cost Estimate,S. 2736 Asia Reassurance Initiative Act of 2018 (As reported by the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations on October 3, 2018)8 \/ Source: Congressional Budget Office (CBO), dated November 13, 2018\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Ci\u003EChart Attribute: The estimated budgetary effect of S. 2736 Asia Reassurance Initiative Act of 2018 \/ Source:\u0026nbsp;Congressional Budget Office (CBO) Cost Estimate,S. 2736 Asia Reassurance Initiative Act of 2018 (As reported by the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations on October 3, 2018)\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EActual costs could differ if the Congress appropriates more or less than the amounts estimated by CBO; such decisions could be based on information from federal agencies or other sources that differs from the information CBO used during the making of the estimation.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ch4\u003EGlobal Reactions\u003C\/h4\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cb\u003EChina\u003C\/b\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\"The act seriously violated the one-China policy and the principle of the three joint communiques, and it interfered in China's internal affairs. China expresses strong opposition to the U.S. and has made solemn representations to the country,\" \u003C\/i\u003Esaid Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lu Kang at a regular briefing.\u0026nbsp;He further added, \u003Ci\u003E\"We urge the U.S. not to implement relevant parts of the act and properly handle the Taiwan issue, so as to avoid hurting bilateral ties and the peace and stability across the Taiwan Straits.\"\u003C\/i\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/i\u003EEarly morning today, Chinese President Xi Jinping \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/news.cgtn.com\/news\/3d3d414f30557a4e31457a6333566d54\/share_p.html\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003Estressed on the Taiwan issue\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E at a gathering in Beijing to commemorate the 40th anniversary of issuing Messages to Compatriots in Taiwan. Calling it as China's internal affairs and will not allow any external interference.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003ETaiwan\u003C\/b\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ETaiwan's Presidential Office Spokesperson Alex Huang \u003Cb\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/english.president.gov.tw\/News\/5619\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Ewelcomed and thanked US President Trump\u003C\/a\u003E \u003C\/b\u003Efor the signing of ARIA Act. He also noted that the ARIA reiterates the US commitment to Taiwan's security, supports closer Taiwan-US relations, and affirms the value of US partnership with Taiwan and other countries in the region.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003EIndia\u003C\/b\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIndia's Union Minister of Defence Nirmala Sitharaman has hailed the ARIA Act by \u003Cb\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/nsitharaman\/status\/1080286534106996736\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Eposting a tweet\u003C\/a\u003E, \u003C\/b\u003Ewhich says\u0026nbsp;-\u003Ci\u003E\"designation of India as a major defense partner...is unique to India...elevates defense trade...technology cooperation between the United States \u0026amp; India to a level commensurate with...closest allies \u0026amp; partners of the United States\".\u003C\/i\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cscript async=\"\" charset=\"utf-8\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\"\u003E\u003C\/script\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003E\u003Cscript async src=\"\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js\"\u003E\u003C\/script\u003E\n\u003Cins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\n     style=\"display:block\"\n     data-ad-format=\"fluid\"\n     data-ad-layout-key=\"-c6-3y+3v+0+c6\"\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-7609865815468089\"\n     data-ad-slot=\"3607324678\"\u003E\u003C\/ins\u003E\n\u003Cscript\u003E\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\n\u003C\/script\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/1461303524738926686\/posts\/default\/6020785401720203801"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/1461303524738926686\/posts\/default\/6020785401720203801"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"https:\/\/www.indrastra.com\/2019\/01\/Decoding-Asia-Reassurance-Initiative-Act-2018-005-01-2019-0002.html","title":"The Summary of Asia Reassurance Initiative Act of 2018"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"https:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-iZreRjzKxn0\/XCxhs0I3c6I\/AAAAAAAACOU\/Gu9dsGunbiQNFqAJQlebyRTwka7ZKWNXwCLcBGAs\/s72-c\/S2736.JPG","height":"72","width":"72"},"georss$featurename":{"$t":"New York, NY, USA"},"georss$point":{"$t":"40.7127753 -74.0059728"},"georss$box":{"$t":"39.9423093 -75.296866299999991 41.483241299999996 -72.7150793"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1461303524738926686.post-6089018493529680413"},"published":{"$t":"2018-05-15T00:41:00.001-04:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2018-05-15T00:41:16.391-04:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Asia"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Asia Pacific"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Opinion"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Public Policy"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Fighting Inequality in Asia and the Pacific"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Cdiv dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: left;\" trbidi=\"on\"\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ci\u003EBy Dr. Shamshad Akhtar\u003C\/i\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-otPjXJPaC3Q\/WvllfA9M5eI\/AAAAAAAAAGE\/tiuHXV0COPs4f2gIAOOIqmo2lsHdM27wQCLcBGAs\/s1600\/umbrella-1807525_960_720.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"Image Attribute: sasint \/ Pixabay.com, Creative Commons 0\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"480\" data-original-width=\"959\" height=\"320\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-otPjXJPaC3Q\/WvllfA9M5eI\/AAAAAAAAAGE\/tiuHXV0COPs4f2gIAOOIqmo2lsHdM27wQCLcBGAs\/s640\/umbrella-1807525_960_720.jpg\" title=\"Image Attribute: sasint \/ Pixabay.com, Creative Commons 0\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E\u003Ci\u003EImage Attribute: sasint \/ Pixabay.com, Creative Commons 0\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003EInequality is increasing in Asia and the Pacific. Our region’s remarkable economic success story belies a widening gap between rich and poor. A gap that’s trapping people in poverty and, if not tackled urgently, could thwart our ambition to achieve sustainable development. This is the central challenge heads of state and government will be considering this week at the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP). A strengthened regional approach to more sustainable, inclusive growth must be this Commission’s outcome.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003EIt’s imperative because \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.unescap.org\/2030-agenda\/sustainable-development-goals\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EESCAP’s Sustainable Development Goal Progress Report\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E shows that at the current rate of progress, Asia, and the Pacific will fall short of achieving the \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/sustainabledevelopment.un.org\/post2015\/transformingourworld\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EUN’s 2030 Agenda\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E. There has been some welcome progress, including in some of the least developed countries of our region. Healthier lives are being led and wellbeing has increased. Poverty levels are declining, albeit too slowly. But only one SDG focused on achieving quality education and lifelong learning, is on track to be met.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003EIn several critical areas, the region’s heading in the wrong direction. Environmental stewardship has fallen seriously short. The health of our oceans has deteriorated since 2015. On land, our ecosystems’ biodiversity is threatened. Forest conservation and the protection of natural habitats has weakened. Greenhouse gas emissions are still too high. But it’s the widening inequalities during a period of robust growth that are particularly striking.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003EWealth has become increasingly concentrated. Inequalities have increased both within and between countries. Over thirty years, the Gini coefficient increased in four of our most populous countries, home to over 70 percent of the region’s population. Human, societal and economic costs are real. Had income inequality not increased over the past decade, close to 140 million more people could have been lifted out of poverty. More women would have had the opportunity to attend school and complete their secondary education. Access to healthcare, to basic sanitation or even bank accounts, would have been denied to fewer citizens. Fewer people would have died from diseases caused by the fuels they cook with. Natural disasters would have wrought less havoc on the most vulnerable.\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003EThe uncomfortable truth is that inequality runs deep in many parts of Asia and the Pacific. There’s no silver bullet, no handy lever we can reach for to reduce it overnight. But an integrated, coordinated approach can over time return our economies and our societies to a sustainable footing. Recent ESCAP analysis provides recommendations on how to do just that.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003EAt their heart is a call to in invest in our people: to improve access to healthcare and education.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003EOnly a healthy population can study, work and become more prosperous. The universal basic healthcare schemes established by Bhutan and Thailand are success stories to build on. Expanding social protection to low-income families through cash transfers can also help underpin a healthy society.\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003EIncreasing investment in education is fundamental to both development and equality. Here the key to success is making secondary education genuinely accessible and affordable, including for those living in rural areas. Where universal access has been achieved, the focus must be on improving quality. This means upskilling teachers and improving curricula, and tailoring education to future labor markets and new technologies.\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003EEquipping people to exploit frontier technologies is becoming more important by the minute. Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is a rapidly expanding sector. It can quicken the pace of development. But it is also creating a digital divide which must be bridged. So investment in ICT infrastructure is key, to support innovative technologies and ensure no one is left behind. Put simply, we need better broadband access across our region. Geography can’t determine opportunity.\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003EThis is also true when it comes to tackling climate change, disasters, and environmental degradation. We know these hazards are pushing people back into poverty and can entrench inequality. In response, we need investment to help people to adapt in the region’s disaster hotspots: targeted policies to mitigate the impacts of environmental degradation on those most vulnerable, particularly air pollution. Better urban planning, regular school health check-ups in poorer neighborhoods, and legislation guaranteeing the right to a clean, safe and healthy environment into constitutions should be part of our response.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003EThe robust growth Asia and the Pacific continue to enjoy gives us an opportunity to take decisive action across all these areas. But for this to happen, fiscal policy needs to be adjusted. More effective taxations systems would increase the tax take, and better governance would increase people’s willingness to contribute. Public expenditure could then be made more efficient and progressive, the proceeds of growth shared more widely, and inequalities reduced.\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003EMy hope is that leaders will seize the moment, strengthen our commitment to fighting inequality on all fronts and put us back on track to sustainable development in Asia and the Pacific.\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EAbout the Author:\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.unescap.org\/executive-secretary\/biography\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EDr.\u0026nbsp;Shamshad Akhtar\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/b\u003Eis the Under-Secretary-General of the\u003Cb\u003E \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.unescap.org\/\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EUnited Nations and Executive Secretary of Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP)\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EDownload the Report \u003C\/b\u003E\u003Ci\u003E(Click on the below image):\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.unescap.org\/sites\/default\/files\/publications\/ThemeStudyOnInequality.pdf\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"Inequality in Asia and the Pacific in the era of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (Download the Pdf)\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"384\" data-original-width=\"739\" height=\"332\" src=\"https:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-T-NwqDRTS6A\/WvlgIfvfJII\/AAAAAAAAAF0\/z_M4ZzxmGtYFZ-bz0CkqRK0Pu0mwEYHmACLcBGAs\/s640\/Capture.JPG\" title=\"Inequality in Asia and the Pacific in the era of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (Download the Pdf)\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003E\u003Cscript async src=\"\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js\"\u003E\u003C\/script\u003E\n\u003Cins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\n     style=\"display:block\"\n     data-ad-format=\"fluid\"\n     data-ad-layout-key=\"-c6-3y+3v+0+c6\"\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-7609865815468089\"\n     data-ad-slot=\"3607324678\"\u003E\u003C\/ins\u003E\n\u003Cscript\u003E\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\n\u003C\/script\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/1461303524738926686\/posts\/default\/6089018493529680413"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/1461303524738926686\/posts\/default\/6089018493529680413"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"https:\/\/www.indrastra.com\/2018\/05\/Fighting-Inequality-in-Asia-and-Pacific-004-05-2018-0021.html","title":"Fighting Inequality in Asia and the Pacific"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-otPjXJPaC3Q\/WvllfA9M5eI\/AAAAAAAAAGE\/tiuHXV0COPs4f2gIAOOIqmo2lsHdM27wQCLcBGAs\/s72-c\/umbrella-1807525_960_720.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"georss$featurename":{"$t":"Bangkok, Thailand"},"georss$point":{"$t":"13.7563309 100.50176510000006"},"georss$box":{"$t":"13.2627269 99.856318100000053 14.2499349 101.14721210000006"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1461303524738926686.post-948918046126367269"},"published":{"$t":"2018-05-07T05:46:00.003-04:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2018-05-07T05:47:34.172-04:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Asia"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Asia Pacific"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Finance"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Micro-finance"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Think Tank"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"United Nations"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"UN Economic \u0026 Social Survey for Asia and the Pacific 2018"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Cdiv dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: left;\" trbidi=\"on\"\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: large;\"\u003EMobilizing finance for sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: large;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-W06Gyqe0eK8\/WvAgRAQGwUI\/AAAAAAAAACw\/ubzGjmfiS907UTp5ooHHM6XX4UVIr9h_ACLcBGAs\/s1600\/salt-3060093_960_720.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"UN Economic \u0026amp; Social Survey for Asia and the Pacific 2018\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"480\" data-original-width=\"960\" height=\"320\" src=\"https:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-W06Gyqe0eK8\/WvAgRAQGwUI\/AAAAAAAAACw\/ubzGjmfiS907UTp5ooHHM6XX4UVIr9h_ACLcBGAs\/s640\/salt-3060093_960_720.jpg\" title=\"UN Economic \u0026amp; Social Survey for Asia and the Pacific 2018\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003EImage Attribute: Quangpraha \/ Pixabay.com \/ Creative Commons 0\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ci\u003EBy\u0026nbsp;Dr. Shamshad Akhtar\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003EAsia and the Pacific countries remain the engine of the global economy. It continues to power trade, investment, and jobs the world over. Two-thirds of the region’s economies grew faster in 2017 than the previous year and the trend is expected to continue in 2018. The region’s challenge is how to ensure this growth is robust, sustainable and mobilized to provide more financing for development. It is certainly an opportunity to accelerate progress towards achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003ERecent figures estimate economic growth across the region at 5.8 percent in 2017 compared with 5.4 percent in 2016. This reflects growing dynamism amid relatively favorable global economic conditions, underpinned by a revival of demand and steady inflation. Robust domestic consumption and recovering investment and trade all contributed to the 2017 growth trajectory and underpin a stable outlook.\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003ERisks and challenges nevertheless remain. Rising private and corporate debt, particularly in China and countries in South-East Asia, low or declining foreign exchange reserves in a few South Asian economies, and trends in oil prices are among the chief concerns.\u0026nbsp; Policy simulation for 18 countries suggests a $10 rise in the price of oil per barrel could dampen GDP growth by 0.14 to 0.4 percent, widening external current account deficits by 0.5-to 1.0 percentage points and build inflationary pressures in oil-importing economies. Oil exporters, however, would see a positive impact.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003EThese challenges come against the backdrop of looming trade protectionism.\u0026nbsp; Inward-looking trade policies will create uncertainty and would entail widespread risks to region’s export and their backbone industries and labor markets. While prospects for the least developed countries in the region are close to 7 percent, concerns persist given their inherent vulnerabilities to terms-of-trade shocks or exposure to natural disasters.\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003EThe key questions are how we can collectively take advantage of the solid pace of economic expansion facilitate and improve the long-term prospects of economies and mobilize finance for development as well as whether multilateral institutions, such as the World Trade Organization membership can resolve the global gridlock on international trade?\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003EEconomic and financial stability along with liberal trade access to international markets will be critical for the effective pursuit of the 2030 Agenda. Regional economies, whose tax potential remains untapped, now need to lift domestic resource mobilization and prudently manage fiscal affairs.\u0026nbsp; Unleashing their financial resource potential need to be accompanied by renewed efforts to leverage private capital and deploy innovative financing mechanisms. The investment requirements to make economies resilient, inclusive and sustainable are sizeable − as high as $2.5 trillion per year on average for all developing countries worldwide. In the Asia-Pacific region, investment requirements are also substantial but so are potential resources. The combined value of international reserves, market capitalization of listed companies and assets held by financial institutions, insurance companies, and various funds is estimated at some $56 trillion. Effectively channeling these resources to finance sustainable development is a key challenge for the region.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003EThe need to come up with supplementary financial resources will remain. Public finances are frequently undermined by a narrow tax base, distorted taxation structures, weak tax administrations, and ineffective public expenditure management. This has created problems of balanced fiscalization of sustainable development, even if the national planning organizations have embraced and integrated sustainable development agenda in their forward-looking plans.\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003EDespite a vibrant business sector, the lack of enabling policies, legal and regulatory frameworks, and large informal sectors, have deterred sustainability and its appropriate financing. The external assistance from which some countries benefit is insufficient to meet sustainable development investment requirements, a problem often compounded by low inbound foreign direct investment. Capital markets in many countries are underdeveloped and bond markets are still in their infancy. Fiscal pre-emption of banking resources is quite common. For those emerging countries which have successfully tapped international capital markets, a tightening of global financial conditions means borrowing costs are on the rise.\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003EOur ESCAP flagship report, \u003Ci\u003EEconomic and Social Survey of Asia and the Pacific 2018 (Survey 2018) \u003C\/i\u003Ewhich has been launched today calls for stronger political will and governments strengthening tax administrations and expanding the tax base. If the quality of the tax policy and administrations in Asia-Pacific economies matches developed economies, the incremental revenue impact could be as high as 3 to 4 percent of GDP in major economies such as China, India and Indonesia and steeper in developing countries. Broadening the tax base by rationalizing tax incentives for foreign direct investment and introducing a carbon tax could generate almost $60 billion in additional tax revenue per year.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003EBut government action must be complemented by the private sector to effectively pursue sustainable development. The right policy environment could encourage private investment by institutional investors in long-term infrastructure projects. Structural reforms should focus on developing enabling policy environment and institutional setting designed to facilitate public-private partnerships, stable macroeconomic conditions, relatively developed financial markets, and responsive legal and regulatory frameworks.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003EFinally, while much of the success in mobilizing development finance will depend on the design of national policies, regional cooperation is vital. Coordinated policy actions are needed to reduce tax incentives for foreign direct investment and to introduce a carbon tax. For many least developed countries, the role of external sources of finance remains critical. In many cases, the success of resource mobilization strategies in one country is conditional on closer regional cooperation. ESCAP’s remains engaged and its analysis can support the planning and cooperation needed to effectively mobilize finance for sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth.\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EAbout the Author:\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.unescap.org\/executive-secretary\/biography\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EDr. Shamshad Akhtar\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E is the Under-Secretary-General of the \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.unescap.org\/\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EUnited Nations and Executive Secretary of Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP)\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003E\u003Cscript async src=\"\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js\"\u003E\u003C\/script\u003E\n\u003Cins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\n     style=\"display:block\"\n     data-ad-format=\"fluid\"\n     data-ad-layout-key=\"-c6-3y+3v+0+c6\"\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-7609865815468089\"\n     data-ad-slot=\"3607324678\"\u003E\u003C\/ins\u003E\n\u003Cscript\u003E\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\n\u003C\/script\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/1461303524738926686\/posts\/default\/948918046126367269"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/1461303524738926686\/posts\/default\/948918046126367269"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"https:\/\/www.indrastra.com\/2018\/05\/Economic-and-Social-Survey-for-Asia-and-Pacific-2018-004-05-2018-0006.html","title":"UN Economic \u0026 Social Survey for Asia and the Pacific 2018"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"IndraStra Global"},"uri":{"$t":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/04065983396291846323"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"32","height":"32","src":"\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-M0HD88VMMSA\/XMrUpcDhagI\/AAAAAAAAUJs\/a5ZbTU09eGMvNCplyJE9bDNBxc3o8kTeQCK4BGAYYCw\/s113\/Webp.net-resizeimage%2B%252814%2529.jpg"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"https:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-W06Gyqe0eK8\/WvAgRAQGwUI\/AAAAAAAAACw\/ubzGjmfiS907UTp5ooHHM6XX4UVIr9h_ACLcBGAs\/s72-c\/salt-3060093_960_720.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"georss$featurename":{"$t":"Bangkok, Thailand"},"georss$point":{"$t":"13.7563309 100.50176510000006"},"georss$box":{"$t":"13.2627269 99.856318100000053 14.2499349 101.14721210000006"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1461303524738926686.post-793128717637802480"},"published":{"$t":"2018-03-27T13:10:00.000-04:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2018-03-27T13:19:35.650-04:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Asia Pacific"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Australia"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"China"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"India"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Japan"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"News"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Oceania"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Opinion"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Pacific"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"United States"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Cupping the Pacific — China's Rising Influence"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Cdiv dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: left;\" trbidi=\"on\"\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: large;\"\u003EChina's Rising Influence in the Pacific through Sale of Arms\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-VqWME8GTLVM\/Wrp6f6elTiI\/AAAAAAAATHE\/IrgvxsGJEo0lCR12TQWmQK7fJnI7BhtTwCLcBGAs\/s1600\/Downloads100-001.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"Cupping the Pacific — China's Rising Influence\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"800\" data-original-width=\"1600\" height=\"320\" src=\"https:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-VqWME8GTLVM\/Wrp6f6elTiI\/AAAAAAAATHE\/IrgvxsGJEo0lCR12TQWmQK7fJnI7BhtTwCLcBGAs\/s640\/Downloads100-001.jpg\" title=\"Cupping the Pacific — China's Rising Influence\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ci\u003EBy Rear Admiral Dr. S. Kulshrestha (Retd.)\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ci\u003EIndian Navy\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Ci\u003E‘\u003C\/i\u003E\u003Ci\u003EThere is one aspect of the recent revolution in Hawaii which seems to have been kept out of sight, and that is the relation of the islands, not merely to our own and to European countries, but toChina. How vitally important that may become in the future is evident from the great number of Chinese, relatively to the whole population, now settled in the islands…….China, however, may burst her barriers eastward as well as westward, toward the Pacific as well as toward the European continent.\u003C\/i\u003E\u003Ci\u003E’\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: right;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: right;\"\u003E- Alfred Thayer Mahan, Captain, United States Navy. New York, Jan. 30, 1893\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003EArms sales are always for enhancement of self-interest of the seller country, they are primarily for the furtherance of own strategic and commercial interests. The strategic reasons include widening of areas of influence \u003Ci\u003Evis-a-vis \u003C\/i\u003Ea perceived adversary, a projection of power in the desired region, quid pro quo proposition in times of hostilities through utilization of recipient’s military facilities and resources or for gaining political upper hand in international bodies. Arms sales are invariably never without a hidden agenda on the part of the seller. The sales are justified under the garb of strengthening self-defense capabilities of the recipient or providing support against an adversary. The commercial interests include furtherance of own defense manufacturing capabilities, enhancement of the profits accrued to its own defense industries or as a quid pro quo for other products of interest from the recipient.\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003EThis article takes in to account only the certified arms sales as recorded by Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) and does not detail political, social, educational or other soft-influence approaches in the Pacific region by China. The article considers a towering influence of the United States in the Pacific region since the second world war as a given and hence the arms sales by the United States (U.S.) are not discussed \u003Ci\u003Evis-à-vis\u003C\/i\u003E China. Further, an attempt has been made to indicate to the rising Chinese influence in view of its sales of arms in the region so as to spur some timely corrective measures to ensure cooperative and collective freedom of the Pacific Commons. The countries considered in the article comprise South East Asia and South America.\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Ch4 style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003EAmerican Approach to the Pacific Ocean\u003C\/h4\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003EThe American approach to the Pacific is largely an implementation of the thoughts of Mahan detailed in his book \u003Ci\u003E‘The Interest of America in Sea Power, Present, and Future’\u003C\/i\u003E [1]. He had held forth on the importance of the Sandwich Islands (Hawaii) for the Pacific, stating that they should be under the American control. He foresaw that the commercial shipping from Japan and China would pass near to the Hawaii island group and thus provide America a strong position in the Pacific to safeguard its maritime interests. He had said that Hawaii forms the center of a circle of about 2100 nm radius in the Pacific, the periphery of which touches the archipelago system of Australia- New Zealand as well as the American west coast. The power which will hold Hawaii island group, in his opinion, would oversee the Pacific. It is for the simple reason that in case of hostilities the supply lines would stretch back to over\u0026nbsp;3000-4000 nm each way making such an assault against America unstainable. The United States had structured its maritime thrust into the Pacific along a virtual \u003Ci\u003E‘arrowhead’\u003C\/i\u003E from its west coast to Hawaii on to Guam and thereafter to Taiwan. Further, the concept of Island chains was constructed utilizing island groups in the north-west Pacific[2] during the cold war, to contain the spread of communism by the Soviet Union and China. Some distances which describe the US ~6940 nm arrowhead across the Pacific up till Taiwan are: San Francisco – Hawaii (Honolulu) ~2095nm; Hawaii (Honolulu) – Guam ~3333nm; Guam – Taiwan ~512 nm. With Hawaii and Guam as entrenched US naval bases and the fact that a warship can sail 600 nm per day at 25kts, the arrowhead is well established logistically to sustain prolonged operations from the west coast of the US. The allies would also provide unstinted support in times of inevitable hostilities in the region.\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Ch4 style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003EChinese Perception of the Pacific\u003C\/h4\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003EChinese view their seaboard frontier as seas of denied opportunities, seas where their access is perpetually under watch by inimical powers. The Chinese threat perception encompasses Japan in the north and Malacca in the south. The access to the SLOCS from the Gulf is overlooked by India right up to Malacca straits, thereafter by nations which have been under the western influence. Indian island Chain of Laccadives sits astride the important 9-degree channel SLOC and the Indian island chain of Andamans looks over the entry to Malacca Straits. It may be interesting to note that Singapore and Malaysian port of Penang lies just ~1176 nm and ~807 nm from Port Blair in Andamans.\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003EThe construct of the island chains is viewed as an attempt by the Western Powers to inhibit its naval expansion to within the First Island Chain. Once China has started looking seaward it finds layers of obstruction lined up in the Pacific to dissuade it from becoming a modern Naval power. The Chinese aim in the Pacific appears to be; to overcome or pierce the island chains at their weak points by strengthening its onshore long-range missile capabilities and its naval might. Japan and Guam are considered the strongest components of the first and second Island Chains. Taiwan and Philippines are relegated to a weak component status. However, it is held that Taiwan needs to be in the Chinese fold for a strong grip on the seas.\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003EThe US-Japan-Australia-India \u003Ci\u003E‘quad’\u003C\/i\u003E (with France in support), if and when it takes concrete shape, would definitely be taken as an attempt to thwart Chinese ambitions of attaining global power status in its envisaged multipolar world. The positioning of road\/rail mobile Anti-Ship Ballistic Missiles (ASBM) DF-21 D and DF-26 C in the recent past is to put a serious deterrent in place to thwart any intimidating attempt by the U.S. Navy. It is claimed that the DF 21 D (CSS-5 Mod 5) has a range of ~1,500 km and is armed with a Manoeuvrable Re-entry Vehicle (MaRV). DF 21 D has the ability to attack large ships like the aircraft carriers. DF-26 has a claimed range of 3,000-4,000 km enough to strike Guam.It is estimated that China has command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (C4ISR) capabilities required for targeting ships at sea. However, ASBMs also require over-the-horizon (OTH) targeting support that can integrate target information from multiple sources. Once fully deployed the Chinese ASBM system-of-systems would be\u0026nbsp;the world's first system [3] capable of targeting a moving carrier group with long-range ballistic missiles fired from land-based mobile launchers and would pose a grave threat to the US forces and bases in the region.\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003EChina appears to be forging along a strategic trajectory in the Pacific in that it is developing its Navy to blue water capabilities, upgrading its land-based ballistic missiles to target mobile assets of the adversary with conventional and nuclear warheads at great ranges, and courting countries in and across the Pacific through Arms sales to build up sympathetic logistic linkages to counter US influence. \u003Ci\u003EIt is opined that China would keep building up its military might and its cross-Pacific network through the sale of arms and\/or dole of economic benefits to nations till such time that Taiwan comes firmly in its fold thereafter it could plan for making a bold move in the Pacific to challenge the US power.\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Ch4 style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003EArms sales by China\u003C\/h4\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003EChinese arms and weapons are in demand as China has started supplying modern equipment which can meet the economic requirements of middle and lower tier countries. The arms are cheap, reasonably reliable and are supplied with access to easy term loans from Chinese banks. Chinese unmanned aerial vehicles and cruise missiles are considered nearly as good as those offered for export by western countries. This has made China a leading arms supplier across the globe. It is understood that the guiding tenets of China’s arms export include, non-interference in internal matters of the country like its political or human rights record; perceived strengthening of the recipient’s self-defense capabilities; and bringing about regional arms balance. China also offers transfer of technology which makes countries gain a degree of self-reliance and allows development of their own defense industry. Whether the loans offered to push the recipients into a debt trap or force it to part with its resources or make it pliable to extract military gains for China is yet to be seen. The fact that the importing country becomes politically indebted to China cannot be denied, even when a country is hedging or diversifying its sources of arms import, as it would definitely adopt a more benign stance where China is concerned.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003EThe major countries where China seeks influence in the Pacific are those in SE Asia, Oceania, and countries in South America.\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003E\u003Ci\u003EArms Transfer to SE Asian Countries by China\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003EChina has arms trade with seven of Southeast Asia’s countries namely Indonesia, Myanmar Thailand, Malaysia, Cambodia, Laos, and Timor-Leste.\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003ESome of the major Arms transfers to SE Asian countries by China during the period 2010-2017 as per \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/armstrade.sipri.org\/armstrade\/page\/trade_register.php\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003ESIPRI Arms trade register\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E are:\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\u003Cb\u003EIndonesia\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E - Surface to Air Missiles (SAM), Anti-Ship Missiles (ASM), Naval Guns, Close-in weapon system (CIWS), Anti-Aircraft Guns (AA Guns), Multi-Rocket Launchers (MRL), various Radars, Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicles (UCAV), Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV).\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-spmJNh7gw6c\/WrpXbzjqdiI\/AAAAAAAATD0\/XqOS1Lh5zGMVXyyDzrPedwvICTUsjuUkQCLcBGAs\/s1600\/Wing-Loong-I.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"675\" data-original-width=\"1200\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-spmJNh7gw6c\/WrpXbzjqdiI\/AAAAAAAATD0\/XqOS1Lh5zGMVXyyDzrPedwvICTUsjuUkQCLcBGAs\/s640\/Wing-Loong-I.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ci\u003EImage Attribute:\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003EThe File image of Wing Loong I UAV. The Indonesian government has acquired four strike-capable Wing Loong I medium-altitude, long-endurance unmanned aerial vehicles (MALE UAVs) from Chinese state-owned aerospace and defense company Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC). The UAVs are being operated by\u0026nbsp;Indonesian Air Force’s Aviation Squadron 51 (Skadron Udara 51)\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\u003Cb\u003EMyanmar \u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E- Frigates, various Radars, ASM, Trainer\/combat aircraft, Naval Guns, Main Battle Tanks (MBT), MRL, UAV, UCAV, SAM, Transport aircraft, Fifth generation aircraft J-17, Armoured Fire Support Vehicle (AFSV), Armoured Personnel Carrier(APC).\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-6PfBTny5A7A\/WrpYvFbAx0I\/AAAAAAAATEA\/cuec9uhf7C4PyK0WQTyk8OFRjtr8o1cEQCLcBGAs\/s1600\/webjf-17.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"Image Attribute: A JF-17\/FC-1 Fierce Dragon (Jointly developed fighter by China and Pakistan) seen with the insignia of the Myanmar Air Force (MAF) on its tail conducting test flights in Chengdu, China. Date: July 25, 2017. | Inset: the JF-17B two-seater. Source: Chinese Internet.\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"786\" data-original-width=\"1600\" height=\"310\" src=\"https:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-6PfBTny5A7A\/WrpYvFbAx0I\/AAAAAAAATEA\/cuec9uhf7C4PyK0WQTyk8OFRjtr8o1cEQCLcBGAs\/s640\/webjf-17.jpg\" title=\"Image Attribute: A JF-17\/FC-1 Fierce Dragon (Jointly developed fighter by China and Pakistan) seen with the insignia of the Myanmar Air Force (MAF) on its tail conducting test flights in Chengdu, China. Date: July 25, 2017. | Inset: the JF-17B two-seater. Source: Chinese Internet.\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ci\u003EImage Attribute:\u0026nbsp;A JF-17\/FC-1 Fierce Dragon (Jointly developed fighter by China and Pakistan) seen\u0026nbsp;with the insignia of the Myanmar Air Force (MAF) on its tail conducting test flights in Chengdu, China. Date: July 25, 2017. |\u0026nbsp;Inset: the JF-17B two-seater.\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003E\u003Ci\u003EMalaysia\u003C\/i\u003E \u003C\/b\u003E- Littoral Mission Ship (LMS)\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-RIp0YeHK6Jg\/WrpbzOaSZBI\/AAAAAAAATEM\/fdUu5zbeBlossrkUyixKUGXUS67OPgrOACLcBGAs\/s1600\/ship1.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"Image Attribute: CGI Image of Chinese LMS. Chinese 70m littoral mission ships\/offshore patrol vessels (OPVs) are the ones which operate close to shore. Two will be built in China and the rest in Malaysia. Armament: Including guns, missiles, and torpedo according to the role assigned. 18 LMS are planned for Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN). 4 of them are under construction. The deal was signed on November 1, 2016, between Malaysia's Prime Minister Najib Razak and China's Premier Li Keqiang at the Great Hall of the People, in Beijing, China.\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"331\" data-original-width=\"655\" height=\"322\" src=\"https:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-RIp0YeHK6Jg\/WrpbzOaSZBI\/AAAAAAAATEM\/fdUu5zbeBlossrkUyixKUGXUS67OPgrOACLcBGAs\/s640\/ship1.jpg\" title=\"Image Attribute: CGI Image of Chinese LMS. Chinese 70m littoral mission ships\/offshore patrol vessels (OPVs) are the ones which operate close to shore. Two will be built in China and the rest in Malaysia. Armament: Including guns, missiles, and torpedo according to the role assigned. 18 LMS are planned for Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN). 4 of them are under construction. The deal was signed on November 1, 2016, between Malaysia's Prime Minister Najib Razak and China's Premier Li Keqiang at the Great Hall of the People, in Beijing, China.\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E \u003Ci\u003EImage Attribute: CGI Image of Chinese LMS.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/i\u003E\u003Ci\u003E18 LMS are planned for Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN). 4 of them are under construction.\u003C\/i\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\u0026nbsp;Similar to Chinese-made Bangladesh Navy's Durjoy-class LMS, the two such ships will be built in China and the rest in Malaysia. Armament: Including guns, missiles, and torpedo according to the role assigned. The deal \u003Cb\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/article\/us-china-malaysia\/china-and-malaysia-sign-deals-on-navy-vessels-idUSKBN12W3WF\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Ewas signed\u003C\/a\u003E \u003C\/b\u003Eon November 1, 2016, between\u0026nbsp;Malaysia's Prime Minister Najib Razak and China's Premier Li Keqiang\u0026nbsp;at the Great Hall of the People, in Beijing, China.\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003E\u003Ci\u003EThailand\u003C\/i\u003E \u003C\/b\u003E- Self-propelled MRL, ASM, Artillery Locating Radar\/Weapons Locating Radar, SAM, Tank, Submarines, Infantry Fighting Vehicle (IFV), Anti-ship and Anti-Submarine Warfare(ASW) torpedoes.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-2jbhM6_lqSI\/WrpeUbPzPxI\/AAAAAAAATEY\/aM5__IYswe4vw2j4ssXbxWvOjTzFzlUigCLcBGAs\/s1600\/1444313332-23265e0e-o.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"Image Attribute: The Chinese S-26T Yuan-class Submarine for Royal Thai Navy. Thailand's cabinet approved one submarine purchase on April 18, 2017. A budget of 13.5 billion baht ($393 million) has been earmarked for the 3 S-26T Yuan-class submarine over a six-year period.\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"540\" data-original-width=\"960\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-2jbhM6_lqSI\/WrpeUbPzPxI\/AAAAAAAATEY\/aM5__IYswe4vw2j4ssXbxWvOjTzFzlUigCLcBGAs\/s640\/1444313332-23265e0e-o.jpg\" title=\"Image Attribute: The Chinese S-26T Yuan-class Submarine for Royal Thai Navy. Thailand's cabinet approved one submarine purchase on April 18, 2017. A budget of 13.5 billion baht ($393 million) has been earmarked for the 3 S-26T Yuan-class submarine over a six-year period.\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E \u003Ci\u003EImage Attribute: The Chinese S-26T Yuan-class Submarine for Royal Thai Navy. Thailand's cabinet \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/in.reuters.com\/article\/thailand-china\/thailand-approves-393-mln-purchase-of-chinese-submarines-idINKBN17Q15O\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003Eapproved\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E one submarine purchase on April 18, 2017. A budget of 13.5 billion baht ($393 million) has been earmarked for the 3 S-26T Yuan-class submarine over a six-year period.\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\u003Cb\u003ECambodia\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E - Helicopters and Transport aircrafts\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-U_UhANq3S_k\/Wrpe0wUwu4I\/AAAAAAAATEg\/PZz6BU3H-RMx36nAZSnDuSETNImqnDEFACLcBGAs\/s1600\/H425C.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"Image Attribute: Image Attribute: The photo of Harbin H-425 registration number - MH-902 operated by Kangtrop Akas Khemarak Phumin (Royal Cambodian Air Force) taken by Michal Hergott. The helicopter is one of 12 helicopters Cambodia bought from China in the year 2013, to boost its military capacity.\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"387\" data-original-width=\"1024\" height=\"240\" src=\"https:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-U_UhANq3S_k\/Wrpe0wUwu4I\/AAAAAAAATEg\/PZz6BU3H-RMx36nAZSnDuSETNImqnDEFACLcBGAs\/s640\/H425C.jpg\" title=\"Image Attribute: Image Attribute: The photo of Harbin H-425 registration number - MH-902 operated by Kangtrop Akas Khemarak Phumin (Royal Cambodian Air Force) taken by Michal Hergott. The helicopter is one of 12 helicopters Cambodia bought from China in the year 2013, to boost its military capacity.\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ci\u003EImage Attribute: The photo of Harbin H-425 registration number - MH-902 operated by Kangtrop Akas Khemarak Phumin (Royal Cambodian Air Force) taken by Michal Hergott. The helicopter is one of 12 helicopters Cambodia bought from China in the year 2013, to boost its military capacity.\u003C\/i\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-BLU9qEzqXao\/Wrpf51iE3pI\/AAAAAAAATEw\/HtQlNNpA4EIzieqIaoVRCYqNA5zPlfiIQCLcBGAs\/s1600\/2243181.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"Image Attribute: The photo of Xian MA-60 registration MT-301 operated by Kangtrop Akas Khemarak Phumin (Royal Cambodian Air Force) taken by Michal Hergott. Two MA60s have been operated by the Royal Cambodian Air Force since 2012.\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"691\" data-original-width=\"1280\" height=\"344\" src=\"https:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-BLU9qEzqXao\/Wrpf51iE3pI\/AAAAAAAATEw\/HtQlNNpA4EIzieqIaoVRCYqNA5zPlfiIQCLcBGAs\/s640\/2243181.jpg\" title=\"Image Attribute: The photo of Xian MA-60 registration MT-301 operated by Kangtrop Akas Khemarak Phumin (Royal Cambodian Air Force) taken by Michal Hergott. Two MA60s have been operated by the Royal Cambodian Air Force since 2012.\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E \u003Ci\u003EImage Attribute: The photo of Xian MA-60 registration MT-301 operated by Kangtrop Akas Khemarak Phumin (Royal Cambodian Air Force) taken by Michal Hergott. Two MA60s have been operated by the Royal Cambodian Air Force since 2012.\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\u003Cb\u003ELaos\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E - Helicopters and Transport aircraft\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-o48VEF7WbgI\/WrphIM92q5I\/AAAAAAAATFA\/Gzp4t9qqR9M6YS_GiuycP37mF02obfIsgCLcBGAs\/s1600\/1524129-v40-15.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"Image Attribute: The photo of Harbin H-425 registration number - B-529L operated by Lao People's Liberation Army Air Force (LPLAAF). Total 5 in service.\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"270\" data-original-width=\"405\" height=\"426\" src=\"https:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-o48VEF7WbgI\/WrphIM92q5I\/AAAAAAAATFA\/Gzp4t9qqR9M6YS_GiuycP37mF02obfIsgCLcBGAs\/s640\/1524129-v40-15.jpg\" title=\"Image Attribute: The photo of Harbin H-425 registration number - B-529L operated by Lao People's Liberation Army Air Force (LPLAAF). Total 5 in service.\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ci\u003EImage Attribute: The photo of Harbin H-425 registration number - B-529L operated by Lao People's Liberation Army Air Force (LPLAAF). Total 5 in service.\u003C\/i\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-AlVhgJKPQps\/Wrph66pRN3I\/AAAAAAAATFI\/1HZ5v2sSc3Ugd75a_XShP60aXksLVnuOgCLcBGAs\/s1600\/28416_1335403320.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"673\" data-original-width=\"1197\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-AlVhgJKPQps\/Wrph66pRN3I\/AAAAAAAATFI\/1HZ5v2sSc3Ugd75a_XShP60aXksLVnuOgCLcBGAs\/s640\/28416_1335403320.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Ci\u003EImage Attribute: The photo of\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/i\u003E\u003Ci\u003EXian MA-60 registration RDPL-34026 \u003C\/i\u003E\u003Ci\u003Eoperated by Lao People's Liberation Army Air Force (LPLAAF). Total 2 in service.\u003C\/i\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\u003Cb\u003ETimor-Leste\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E- Patrol boats\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-j6gNdsEyF-o\/WrpjQtNrJoI\/AAAAAAAATFU\/4mfr7DUQn9oLw5C5ddytbtwGVZYSYeJJQCLcBGAs\/s1600\/20100820adf8114832_315.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"Image Attribute: The Jaco class is a class of two patrol boats operated by the Timor Leste Defence Force's Naval Component. The boats were built in China to the Type 062 class gunboat (also known as the Shanghai II class) design. The two boats are named Jaco and Betano and were commissioned into East Timorese service in late June 2010.\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"800\" data-original-width=\"1600\" height=\"320\" src=\"https:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-j6gNdsEyF-o\/WrpjQtNrJoI\/AAAAAAAATFU\/4mfr7DUQn9oLw5C5ddytbtwGVZYSYeJJQCLcBGAs\/s640\/20100820adf8114832_315.jpg\" title=\"Image Attribute: The Jaco class is a class of two patrol boats operated by the Timor Leste Defence Force's Naval Component. The boats were built in China to the Type 062 class gunboat (also known as the Shanghai II class) design. The two boats are named Jaco and Betano and were commissioned into East Timorese service in late June 2010.\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E \u003Ci\u003EImage Attribute: The Jaco class is a class of two patrol boats operated by the Timor Leste Defence Force's Naval Component. The boats were built in China to the Type 062 class gunboat (also known as the Shanghai II class) design. The two boats are named Jaco and Betano and were commissioned into East Timorese service in late June 2010.\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003EAs far as the \u003Ci\u003EPhilippines\u003C\/i\u003E is concerned, China has recently donated 3000 Type CQ- A5b 5.56mm assault rifles (an unlicensed Chinese variant of the M16 rifle manufactured by Chinese state-owned arms manufacturer - Norinco) for tackling the drug mafia.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-Shq5nd43ZR8\/WrpkXYgE4HI\/AAAAAAAATFg\/68smPN-XWC4io6-KAHXfpbApHsy1ncKWgCLcBGAs\/s1600\/download.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"Image Attribute: Philippine Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana (2nd from L), with H.E. Zhao Jianhua (2nd from R), ambassador of People's Republic of China to the Philippines and General Eduardo Ano (R), Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, inspects automatic rifles Type CQ- A5b 5.56mm during the handover ceremony of China's urgent military assistance to the Philippines at the military camp in Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines October 5, 2017. REUTERS\/Romeo Ranoco\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"889\" data-original-width=\"1280\" height=\"444\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-Shq5nd43ZR8\/WrpkXYgE4HI\/AAAAAAAATFg\/68smPN-XWC4io6-KAHXfpbApHsy1ncKWgCLcBGAs\/s640\/download.jpg\" title=\"Image Attribute: Philippine Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana (2nd from L), with H.E. Zhao Jianhua (2nd from R), ambassador of People's Republic of China to the Philippines and General Eduardo Ano (R), Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, inspects automatic rifles Type CQ- A5b 5.56mm during the handover ceremony of China's urgent military assistance to the Philippines at the military camp in Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines October 5, 2017. REUTERS\/Romeo Ranoco\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ci\u003EImage Attribute: Philippine Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana (2nd from L), with H.E. Zhao Jianhua (2nd from R), ambassador of People's Republic of China to the Philippines and General Eduardo Ano (R), Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, inspects automatic rifles Type CQ- A5b 5.56mm during the \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/uk.reuters.com\/article\/uk-philippines-china-defence\/china-gives-guns-to-philippines-to-show-its-a-friend-not-a-foe-idUKKBN1CA0OK\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003Ehandover ceremony\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E of China's urgent military assistance to the Philippines at the military camp in Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines October 5, 2017. REUTERS\/Romeo Ranoco\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003E\u003Ci\u003EInterests in Oceania\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Ci\u003E‘China is not just filling a political vacuum created by Western neglect…. [i]t is incorporating the Pacific islands into it's broader quest to become a major Asia-pacific power with a long-term goal to replace the US as the preeminent power in the Pacific Ocean’.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: right;\"\u003E- John Henderson and Benjamin Reilly, 2003 [4]\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003EAmong the Pacific rim countries, Chinese relations with Australia and New Zealand have been very good traditionally, however, there has been a turbulence with respect to Australia in the recent past. Its relations with Tonga have raised eyebrows in the neighborhood since it has a population of only 300-400 Chinese people and offers practically no economic benefits apart from its vast unexplored Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and fishery resources.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003EA word about the maritime importance of Tonga would not be out of place here. Tonga has a settlement history of over 3000 years based upon the discovery of Lapita pottery fragments on the islands. Lapita people are now supposed to be the ancestors of the Polynesian people. The Lapita people were considered to be proficient sailors and expert navigators. The Polynesian people succeeding Lapita settlers were great sailors and sea warriors. Tongans also continued the seafarers’ legacy and excelled in building large bi-hulled, 20-30-meter-long, Kalia sailing crafts. The structure of the Kalia was unique in that it had one larger and one smaller hull. Stability could be achieved with the smaller hull rising with the ocean swell and the larger hull dipping in the swell. They were joined by a platform forming a sort of bridge. The Tongans have been crisscrossing the Pacific islands regularly over the past three millennia. In fact, it is said that no Fiji boat ventured to and from Tonga without Tongan sailors on board. The Tongans procured stone tooling from Fiji, Society Islands, and Samoa.Tonga had also become a trading hub during the past millennia. Tongan waters have been a witness to one of the most filmed mutinies at sea amidst its Ha’apai island group, namely \u003Ci\u003E\"the Mutiny on the Bounty\"\u003C\/i\u003E.\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003ETonga, today, sits astride the SLOC from Asia to South America \u0026amp; Australia\/New Zealand to the US and has underground sea cables running through its EEZ. It also has rights to a number of satellite launch sites [5]. The area has a large number of airstrips and ports.\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003EApart from the economic aid, humanitarian assistance and education programs, Chinese ships make frequent goodwill visits to the islands.\u0026nbsp; China had also gifted a turboprop aircraft to Tonga, which had ruffled feathers in New Zealand. Recently the King Tupou VI of Tonga visited China where he stated that\u003Ci\u003E \"Tonga agrees with China on its vision to build a new type of international relations and stands ready to work with China to build a community with a shared future for mankind.\"\u003C\/i\u003E [6]\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003EKeeping the above in view, it does not appear that Chinese largesse towards these islands is a display of its charitable and humane side.It is Tonga’s strategic location on \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.indrastra.com\/2016\/02\/OPINION-Tonga-and-Third-Island-Chain-002-02-2016-0070.html\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003Ethe third island chain\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E that could be the more likely reason for the Chinese strategic foray into the region.\u003C\/div\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cb\u003E\u003Ci\u003EArms transfers to South American countries by China\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003EIt is noteworthy that China has not only made arms sales to SE Asian countries and is making friendly overtures in Oceania but that it has also made deep inroads through arms sales in South America. Significantly, it has sold arms to Venezuela, Peru, Argentina, Ecuador, Bolivia, and Trinidad \u0026amp; Tobago.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003ESome of the major Arms transfers to South American countries by China during the period 2010-2017 as per \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/armstrade.sipri.org\/armstrade\/page\/trade_register.php\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003ESIPRI Arms trade register\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E are:\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003E\u003Ci\u003EVenezuela\u003C\/i\u003E \u003C\/b\u003E- Radars, Trainer\/combat aircraft, Short Range Air-to-Air Missiles (SRAAM), Transport aircraft, self-propelled MRL\/Mortar, infantry fighting vehicles (IFV), Armoured Protected Vehicles (APV), Armoured personnel carriers (APC), light tanks, ASM.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-6gpk0q-LCRE\/Wrpp03b9m7I\/AAAAAAAATFw\/-UGNkZj05ncwfu9JWV9K8Y6cCZF6CwrowCLcBGAs\/s1600\/Y8F2000VV.png\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"Image Attribute: Venezuelan Shaanxi Y-8F200VV four-engine turboprop tactical military transport aircraft. Currently being deployed with the American C-130H Hercules.\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"400\" data-original-width=\"600\" height=\"426\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-6gpk0q-LCRE\/Wrpp03b9m7I\/AAAAAAAATFw\/-UGNkZj05ncwfu9JWV9K8Y6cCZF6CwrowCLcBGAs\/s640\/Y8F2000VV.png\" title=\"Image Attribute: Venezuelan Shaanxi Y-8F200VV four-engine turboprop tactical military transport aircraft. Currently being deployed with the American C-130H Hercules.\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ci\u003EImage Attribute: Venezuelan Shaanxi Y-8F200VV four-engine turboprop tactical military transport aircraft. Currently being deployed with the American C-130H Hercules.\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\u003Cb\u003EPeru\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E - SAM, 122 mm MRL\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-MMW90_OBBUo\/Wrprj0D1f5I\/AAAAAAAATGE\/zmvRPmg_d2May79aTYF5VggyAbo3tvuTQCLcBGAs\/s1600\/11698519_955188101188901_8828479000630106651_n.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"Image Attribute: In July 2015, Peruvian Army acquired 27 Chinese Type 90B 122mm Rocket System to replace its BM-21. \" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"640\" data-original-width=\"960\" height=\"426\" src=\"https:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-MMW90_OBBUo\/Wrprj0D1f5I\/AAAAAAAATGE\/zmvRPmg_d2May79aTYF5VggyAbo3tvuTQCLcBGAs\/s640\/11698519_955188101188901_8828479000630106651_n.jpg\" title=\"Image Attribute: In July 2015, Peruvian Army acquired 27 Chinese Type 90B 122mm Rocket System to replace its BM-21. \" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ci\u003EImage Attribute: In July 2015, Peruvian Army \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/defence-blog.com\/news\/peruvian-army-introduces-chinese-type-90b-122mm-rocket-system.html\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003Eacquired 27 Chinese Type 90B 122mm Rocket System \u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/a\u003Eto replace its BM-21.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Ci\u003EArgentina \u003C\/i\u003E- APCs\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-PHzgX7EbBz4\/Wrpxle__6lI\/AAAAAAAATGU\/NW4WIiqo9RkE2BksWbmArm8aaRByTgRswCLcBGAs\/s1600\/unnamed.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"423\" data-original-width=\"752\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-PHzgX7EbBz4\/Wrpxle__6lI\/AAAAAAAATGU\/NW4WIiqo9RkE2BksWbmArm8aaRByTgRswCLcBGAs\/s640\/unnamed.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ci\u003EImage Attribute:\u0026nbsp;VN1 APC - in this photograph fitted with a 30 mm autocannon in a turret. In 2015, Argentina ordered 110 Chinese VN1 APCs. The VN1 is an 8x8 wheeled and amphibious armored fighting vehicle, which is an export version of the ZBL-09 APC operated by the Chinese army. The Argentinan version is destined to be armed with a 12.7 mm heavy machine gun. The vehicle's armor provides protection against 12.7 mm armor-piercing ammunition at the frontal arc and all-around protection against 7.62 mm armor-piercing rounds.\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\u003Cb\u003EEcuador\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E - Air Search Radars, but the deal fell through in 2017. The plan to buy four radars from China for $60 million was canceled last year after Ecuador found they were incompatible with its military aircraft.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\u003Cb\u003EBolivia\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E - Trainer\/ combat aircraft, helicopters, APV\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-B3Al4hvwfAg\/Wrpz-tNlzgI\/AAAAAAAATGo\/G_u2eMXhp1EUc3NXxG5zVBgqtRCZMm75gCLcBGAs\/s1600\/K8_Fuerza_Aerea_de_Bolivia.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"Image Attribute: The file photo of Bolivian K-8 Karakorum Jet Trainer. In 2011, Bolivia announced the procurement deal of six jets at a cost of US$58 million from China.\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1033\" data-original-width=\"1600\" height=\"410\" src=\"https:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-B3Al4hvwfAg\/Wrpz-tNlzgI\/AAAAAAAATGo\/G_u2eMXhp1EUc3NXxG5zVBgqtRCZMm75gCLcBGAs\/s640\/K8_Fuerza_Aerea_de_Bolivia.jpg\" title=\"Image Attribute: The file photo of Bolivian K-8 Karakorum Jet Trainer. In 2011, Bolivia announced the procurement deal of six jets at a cost of US$58 million from China.\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ci\u003EImage Attribute: The file photo of Bolivian K-8 Karakorum Jet Trainer. In 2011, Bolivia announced the procurement deal of six jets at a cost of US$58 million from China.\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\u003Cb\u003ETrinidad and Tobago\u003C\/b\u003E \u003C\/i\u003E- Light Utility Vehicles\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-W9NRzrmNHeY\/Wrp1NL79R8I\/AAAAAAAATG0\/tOw9fCQZWjkGYEDNFLWix9ekbT0ALsS6ACLcBGAs\/s1600\/MengShi_4x4.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"Image Attribute: In June 2015, China delivered 20 MengShi 4×4 (DFM EQ2050) army light utility vehicle, a Humvee copy.\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"427\" data-original-width=\"640\" height=\"426\" src=\"https:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-W9NRzrmNHeY\/Wrp1NL79R8I\/AAAAAAAATG0\/tOw9fCQZWjkGYEDNFLWix9ekbT0ALsS6ACLcBGAs\/s640\/MengShi_4x4.jpg\" title=\"Image Attribute: In June 2015, China delivered 20 MengShi 4×4 (DFM EQ2050) army light utility vehicle, a Humvee copy.\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ci\u003EImage Attribute: In June 2015, China \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/defence-blog.com\/army\/china-delivers-mengshi-4x4-light-utility-vehicle-to-trinidad.html\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003Edelivered\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E 20 MengShi 4×4 (DFM EQ2050) army light utility vehicle, a Humvee copy.\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003EStrategically China has thus \u003Ci\u003E‘cupped’\u003C\/i\u003E the Pacific by securing not only its southeastern shores and Oceania but also the western shores of South America.\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Ch4\u003ESan Francisco System\u003C\/h4\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003EA Japanese peace treaty was signed on September 6, 1951, between 49 allied countries and Japan which also contained elements of regional security. A separate security treaty was signed between the U.S. and Japan on that day which made Japan’s economy, military, and diplomacy dependent upon the U.S. There was a slew of bilateral agreements and treaties thereafter which resulted in a loose and flexible collective security \u0026amp; cooperation structure in\u0026nbsp;the region. The result was a hub and spoke structure with Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, the Philippines, Thailand, and Australia as spokes and the US as the hub. Historian John W. Dower coined the term San Francisco System (SFS) to describe this informal arrangement under the security umbrella of the United States. The SFS continues to this day in the absence of any other formal security structure covering the Pacific region.\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Ch4\u003EConclusion\u003C\/h4\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003EChina has been working on the strategy of casting a strategic net across the seas with its arms sales which raises security concerns for nations directly or indirectly dependent upon sea trade. It has almost put in place a multi-polar power structure which would be difficult to dislodge. T\u003Ci\u003Ehe string of pearls in the IOR has grown into a studded ‘Jade Necklace Across the Oceans’\u0026nbsp; with its pendant as the cupped Pacific.[7]\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003EThe Chinese arms sales should not be wished away as insignificant since the market share of the US remains undented, it should instead be assessed in terms of collapsing-strategic and geopolitical space of the US and its future ramifications.\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003EThe option available today in the Pacific is striving for freedom of the Ocean commons and loosening the trade \u0026amp; economic web spun by China through strengthening the spokes in the San Francisco System. It may be worthwhile to look for additional spokes in the nearly 70-year-old system, especially in the third island chain. Island nations with a rich maritime heritage like Tonga offer a good strategic foothold and geostrategic advantage in the Pacific. For example, Tonga is ~3182 nm from US base at Guam, ~2752 nm from Hawaii, and ~1959 nm from Sydney. It has a large swath of uninhabited islands which can be utilized for security infrastructure. With the available sensor technologies innovative and cost-effective ISR, stations can be created which in turn would help in the development of the South Pacific Nations and wean them away from the influence of China.\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003EA new node in these islands nations offers the US the flexibility of using the existing seaports and airstrips as well as an alternate maneuvering and Staging Area. In turn, it could accrue scarce strategic space and strengthen the third island chain.\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003ETime to act is slipping away!\u003C\/div\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EAbout the Author:\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003ERear Admiral Dr. S. Kulshrestha (Retd.), INDIAN NAVY, holds expertise in quality assurance of naval armament and ammunition. He is an alumnus of the NDC and a Ph.D. from Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. He superannuated from the post of Director-General, Naval Armament Inspection in 2011. He is unaffiliated and writes in defense journals on issues related to Armament technology and indigenization.\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003ECite this Article:\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003EKulshrestha, S. \u003Ci\u003E\"Cupping the Pacific — China's Rising Influence\"\u003C\/i\u003E IndraStra Global Vol. 04, Issue No:03 (2018) 0055 \u003Cb\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.indrastra.com\/2018\/03\/Cupping-Pacific-China-s-Rising-Influence-003-04-2018-0055.html\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Ehttp:\/\/www.indrastra.com\/2018\/03\/Cupping-Pacific-China-s-Rising-Influence-003-04-2018-0055.html\u003C\/a\u003E \u003C\/b\u003E| ISSN 2381-3652\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ci\u003EDISCLAIMER:\u0026nbsp;The views expressed in this insight piece are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the IndraStra Global.\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EEndnotes:\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E[1] Mahan A. T. \u003Ci\u003EThe Interest of America in Sea Power, Present, and Future. \u003C\/i\u003Ehttp:\/\/www.archive.org\/stream\/theinterestofame15749gut\/15749.txt (Accessed 10 Mar 2018)\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E[2]\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;On 4 January 1954, U.S. State Department Advisor John Foster Dulles propounded the Island Chain Concept, comprising of three island chains. The key component of the First Island Chain was Taiwan (it was thereafter christened as one of the Unsinkable Aircraft Carriers); it extended from northern Philippines \u0026amp; Borneo, up to the Kuril Islands. The second line of defense was from Mariana Island to Islands of Japan. The Third Chain’s key component was Hawaii; it began at Aleutians and ended in Oceania.\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E[3] Andrew S. Erickson. \u003Ci\u003EChinese Anti-Ship Ballistic Missile Development and Counter-intervention Efforts Testimony before Hearing on China’s Advanced Weapons\u003C\/i\u003E. Panel I: China’s Hypersonic and Manoeuvrable Re-Entry Vehicle Programs U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission, Washington, DC.23 February 2017.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003Ehttps:\/\/www.uscc.gov\/sites\/default\/files\/Erickson_Testimony.pdf(Accessed 18 Mar 2018)\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E[4] John Henderson. Benjamin Reilly. \u003Ci\u003EDragon in paradise: China's rising star in Oceania. The National Interest;\u003C\/i\u003E Summer 2003. https:\/\/crawford.anu.edu.au\/pdf\/staff\/ben_reilly\/breilly1.pdf (Accessed 18 Mar 2018)\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E[5] '\u003Ci\u003EWhat Does China Want with Tonga? Featuring Gordon Chang \u0026amp; Cleo Paskal'\u003C\/i\u003E, online video, 2014, https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=K5vTeUJbN3M, (accessed 15 March 2018).\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E[6] \u003Ci\u003EChina, Tonga agree to promote the strategic partnership\u003C\/i\u003E. Xinhua. 24 Mar 2018.\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003Ehttp:\/\/www.xinhuanet.com\/english\/2018-03\/02\/c_137009307.htm(accessed 17 March 2018).\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E[7] Kulshrestha, Sanatan. \"FEATURED | Jade Necklace: Naval Dimension of Chinese Engagement with Coastal Nations Across the Oceans\". IndraStra Global 02, no. 12 (2016) 0032. http:\/\/www.indrastra.com\/2016\/12\/FEATURED-Jade-Necklace-Naval-Dimension-of-Chinese-Engagement-with-Coastal-Nations-Across-the-Oceans-002-12-2016-0032.html(Accessed 19 Mar 2018)\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-WZhm2yymRQw\/Wrp8TdvzILI\/AAAAAAAATHQ\/9-Oz8JD-JZYm_61x_NM2w6_y5QavcxTGQCLcBGAs\/s1600\/AIDN0040320180055.PNG\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"AIDN0040320180055 \/ INDRASTRA \/ ISSN 2381-3652\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"50\" data-original-width=\"648\" height=\"48\" src=\"https:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-WZhm2yymRQw\/Wrp8TdvzILI\/AAAAAAAATHQ\/9-Oz8JD-JZYm_61x_NM2w6_y5QavcxTGQCLcBGAs\/s640\/AIDN0040320180055.PNG\" title=\"AIDN0040320180055 \/ INDRASTRA \/ ISSN 2381-3652\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003E\u003Cscript async src=\"\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js\"\u003E\u003C\/script\u003E\n\u003Cins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\n     style=\"display:block\"\n     data-ad-format=\"fluid\"\n     data-ad-layout-key=\"-c6-3y+3v+0+c6\"\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-7609865815468089\"\n     data-ad-slot=\"3607324678\"\u003E\u003C\/ins\u003E\n\u003Cscript\u003E\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\n\u003C\/script\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/1461303524738926686\/posts\/default\/793128717637802480"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/1461303524738926686\/posts\/default\/793128717637802480"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"https:\/\/www.indrastra.com\/2018\/03\/Cupping-Pacific-China-s-Rising-Influence-003-04-2018-0055.html","title":"Cupping the Pacific — China's Rising Influence"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"IndraStra Global"},"uri":{"$t":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/04065983396291846323"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"32","height":"32","src":"\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-M0HD88VMMSA\/XMrUpcDhagI\/AAAAAAAAUJs\/a5ZbTU09eGMvNCplyJE9bDNBxc3o8kTeQCK4BGAYYCw\/s113\/Webp.net-resizeimage%2B%252814%2529.jpg"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"https:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-VqWME8GTLVM\/Wrp6f6elTiI\/AAAAAAAATHE\/IrgvxsGJEo0lCR12TQWmQK7fJnI7BhtTwCLcBGAs\/s72-c\/Downloads100-001.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"georss$featurename":{"$t":"New York, NY, USA"},"georss$point":{"$t":"40.7127753 -74.0059728"},"georss$box":{"$t":"40.7127753 -74.0059728 40.7127753 -74.0059728"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1461303524738926686.post-6762253635761690079"},"published":{"$t":"2017-11-06T09:12:00.003-05:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2017-11-06T09:13:49.533-05:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Asia"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Asia Pacific"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"China"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Japan"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"North Korea"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Opinion"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"South Korea"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"United States"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Trump’s Tour of Asia-Pacific, Vital for the Stability of the Region"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Cdiv dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: left;\" trbidi=\"on\"\u003E\u003Cdiv dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: left;\" trbidi=\"on\"\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\u003Cb\u003EBy\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/profiles\/tony-walker-313396\"\u003ETony Walker\u003C\/a\u003E, \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/theconversation.com\/institutions\/la-trobe-university-842\"\u003ELa Trobe University\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-ziSEtwTt97c\/WgBt1mRw83I\/AAAAAAAAQnQ\/iqvEz2Y4br0WIco3Uy-ltvFmdaTEiDKbQCLcBGAs\/s1600\/NKD.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"Image Attribute: Photo from President Donald J. Trump's Visit to North Dakota \/ Source: WhiteHouse.Gov\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"752\" data-original-width=\"1500\" height=\"320\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-ziSEtwTt97c\/WgBt1mRw83I\/AAAAAAAAQnQ\/iqvEz2Y4br0WIco3Uy-ltvFmdaTEiDKbQCLcBGAs\/s640\/NKD.jpg\" title=\"Image Attribute: Photo from President Donald J. Trump's Visit to North Dakota \/ Source: WhiteHouse.Gov\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Ci\u003EImage Attribute: Photo from President Donald J. Trump's Visit to North Dakota \/ Source: WhiteHouse.Gov\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003ENot for several presidential cycles, and perhaps not since Richard Nixon’s visit to China to initial the Shanghai Communique in 1972, has a visit to Asia assumed such significance – and one that is potentially fraught.\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003EUS President Donald Trump leaves Washington late this week for a 13-day tour of Japan, South Korea, China, Vietnam for APEC, and the Philippines before returning home via Hawaii.\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003EIn these two weeks, Trump will be exposed to an Asia-Pacific – or Indo-Pacific – that is undergoing a wrenching transformation against a background of risks to a \u003Ci\u003E“long peace”\u003C\/i\u003E. It is one that has survived more or less intact since the end of Korean War, leaving aside Vietnam.\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003EFrom an Australian perspective, the Trump Asian tour could hardly be more important, given Canberra’s challenge of balancing its security and economic interests.\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003EAn American wrecking ball in the region is the last thing Australia needs, especially one that risks mishandling a North Korean nuclear threat to regional security.\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003EIn this regard, Trump’s every utterance, including his contributions to social media, will be scrutinised over the next two weeks by a nervous region.\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003EWhat is striking about this latest period is the velocity of a geo-economic shift that is challenging long-held assumptions about US authority in the regional power balance.\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003ESeemingly, the Asia-Pacific region can no longer take for granted a US stabilizing role.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003EAs China’s power rises, so does US leverage ebb. This is not a zero-sum game.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003EThe question is how pieces of a kaleidoscope will settle, if indeed they do.\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003ETrump’s Asia tour will enable an assessment of the extent to which the US will remain a reliable regional security partner and a participant in various regional forums.\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003EFormer president Barack Obama talked about a\u003Ci\u003E “Pacific Century”\u003C\/i\u003E, involving as it did a US “pivot” to the Asia-Pacific. Trump has not used such terminology.\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003EIndeed, one of his first executive acts was to undo work that had been put into US participation in a region-wide trade initiative – the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) – aimed partly at countering China’s geoeconomic dominance.\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003EThis was a hasty, ill-considered decision that sent all the wrong signals about US commitment to building an Asia-Pacific trading and security architecture.\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003EThe other 11 TPP signatories, including Australia, are pressing on with attempts to finalise the trade liberalising protocol, but US absence significantly lessens its weight.\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003EIt may be unrealistic – given Trump’s bellicose \u003Ci\u003E“America First”\u003C\/i\u003E pronouncements on trade – but Washington would do its regional credibility no harm if it reversed itself on TPP.\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003EOn a visit to Australia last month to launch the first volume of his memoir – Not For The Faint-Hearted – former prime minister Kevin Rudd warned of the risks of the end of a period of relative stability.\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003EHis warnings were based on a paper produced by the Asia Society Policy Institute – \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/asiasociety.org\/policy-institute\/preserving-long-peace-asia\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EPreserving the Long Peace in Asia\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E – of which he is president.\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.eastasiaforum.org\/2017\/10\/19\/can-we-preserve-asias-long-peace\/\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EIn a contribution to the East Asia Forum\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E, Rudd asked the question: how can we save Asia’s “long peace” in light of North Korea’s attempts to develop a ballistic missile nuclear capability?\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cblockquote\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003EThis has been a crisis long in the making, beginning with the Soviet training of North Korean nuclear scientists and engineers after the second world war, the north’s expulsion of International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors in 2002, and the subsequent series of ballistic and nuclear weapons tests.\u003Cspan style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\u003Cblockquote\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003EThe uncomfortable truth is that for the last quarter of a century, the international community has simply been kicking the can down the road. And now, at one minute to midnight, everyone is scrambling on what to do about it.\u003C\/div\u003E\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003EIn Rudd’s view, the Asia-Pacific needs to develop a security understanding – like the Helsinki Accords in Europe – to deal with security challenges, including North Korea and, more broadly, territorial disputes that threaten regional stability.\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003EHis preferred option is to bolster the East Asia Summit (EAS) as a regional forum to promote peace and stability. He makes the valid point the EAS has, potentially, the regional heft to undertake such a stabilising role.\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003EDisappointingly, Trump is not planning to stay in the Philippines an extra day for this year’s EAS gathering. It might have been time well spent.\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003EMembership, including the ten nations of the Association of South East Asian Nations, plus China, South Korea, Japan, India, Australia, New Zealand, Russia and the US, means all the main Indo-Pacific players are participants.\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003EThis is how Rudd puts it:\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cblockquote\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003EThe EAS has the mandate to expand its activities in the security domain. The Kuala Lumpur Declaration of 2005 is clear about this. Furthermore, members of the EAS have all signed the Treaty of Amity and Co-operation, which commits partners to peaceful dispute resolution. Moreover, the EAS uniquely has all necessary players around the table.\u003C\/div\u003E\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003EWhat is required in all of this is American leadership, but as things stand there is little sign of Washington possessing an overarching vision of where it might take the region in the next stage as China continues to expand its power and influence.\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003EIn this regard it is hard to disagree with a Lowy Institute paper – \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.lowyinstitute.org\/publications\/autopilot-east-asia-policy-under-trump\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EEast Asia Policy under Trump\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E. It identified a serious case of drift in American engagement with the region under a president whose knowledge of – and interest in – the Asia-Pacific appears limited at best.\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cblockquote\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003EUS policy on East Asia is thus on autopilot, which presents two distinct risks. First that of a crisis, whether created by the president or events.\u003C\/div\u003E\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\u003Cblockquote\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003EThe US faces challenges to its economic leadership from Beijing’s Belt and Road Initiative, a program of massive infrastructure investment that will enmesh the economies of China and its Asian neighbours, challenges from Chinese attempts to shape regional institutions to its advantage, and to shape a narrative of the region’s future that puts Beijing at its centre.\u003C\/div\u003E\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\u003Cblockquote\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003EIt also faces challenges from an increasingly capable Chinese military. All this in a region that is becoming increasingly illiberal – and doubtful of US staying power.\u003C\/div\u003E\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003EThis is a fairly bleak assessment of a US ability to engage the Asia-Pacific constructively in this latest period. In fairness to Trump, he remains on a steep learning curve. How all this will play out is anyone’s guess.\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003EWhat is the case is there is no more important stop of Trump’s itinerary than his visit this coming week to China to engage the newly reinforced ruler Xi Jinping.\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003EThe China talks, in the lead-up to APEC in Vietnam, are the linchpin of Trump’s Asian foray. The two leaders exchanged a visit in April this year when Xi visited Trump in Mar-a-Lago.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003EOn that occasion, a novice American president was feeling out his main rival for global leadership. This was a getting-to-know-you opportunity.\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003EHowever, on this occasion more will be expected of a Trump-Xi encounter on issues like North Korea, concerns over China’s mercantilist behaviour, and its assertiveness in the South China and East China Seas.\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003EWhile it would be unrealistic to expect a \u003Ci\u003E“grand bargain”\u003C\/i\u003E to emerge between the leaders of a new bipolar world, what is needed is some clear guidance about US priorities amid the confusion that has accompanied Trump’s nine months in the White House.\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003ELaying out some sort of vision for US engagement in the region should be a minimum requirement at a time of considerable uncertainty.\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003EElizabeth Economy of the Council on Foreign Relations put it this way in a \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com.au\/search?q=cfr+donald+trump%27s+sia+adventure+show+me+love\u0026amp;oq=cfr+donald+trump%27s+sia+adventure+show+me+love\u0026amp;aqs=chrome..69i57j69i64.19333j0j4\u0026amp;sourceid=chrome\u0026amp;ie=UTF-8\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003ECFR blogpost\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E:\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cblockquote\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003EThe president can allay regional fears that the United States is commitment-phobic, by reinforcing at each step Washington’s allies and partners are the cornerstone of US engagement in the region. Reiterating the US commitment to freedom of navigation, free trade, and political freedoms will also reassure regional actors that it still makes sense to buy into a regional order underpinned by a US alliance system. Of course, this trip is only the first step in putting the United States on firmer ground in Asia, after many months of confusing signaling and disruptive initiatives.\u003C\/div\u003E\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"The Conversation\" height=\"1\" src=\"https:\/\/counter.theconversation.com\/content\/86772\/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic\" width=\"1\" \/\u003EExpectations for Trump’s engagement with the region may be low, but the same could not be said for the stakes at a time of considerable uncertainty and risk.\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EAbout the Author:\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/profiles\/tony-walker-313396\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ETony Walker\u003C\/a\u003E,\u003C\/b\u003E Adjunct Professor, School of Communications, \u003Cem\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/theconversation.com\/institutions\/la-trobe-university-842\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003ELa Trobe University\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ci\u003EThis article was originally published on \u003Cb\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/theconversation.com\/\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EThe Conversation\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/b\u003E Read the \u003Cb\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/trumps-tour-of-asia-pacific-is-vital-for-the-stability-of-the-region-86772\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Eoriginal article\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003E\u003Cscript async src=\"\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js\"\u003E\u003C\/script\u003E\n\u003Cins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\n     style=\"display:block\"\n     data-ad-format=\"fluid\"\n     data-ad-layout-key=\"-c6-3y+3v+0+c6\"\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-7609865815468089\"\n     data-ad-slot=\"3607324678\"\u003E\u003C\/ins\u003E\n\u003Cscript\u003E\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\n\u003C\/script\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/1461303524738926686\/posts\/default\/6762253635761690079"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/1461303524738926686\/posts\/default\/6762253635761690079"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"https:\/\/www.indrastra.com\/2017\/11\/Trump-s-Tour-of-Asia-pacific-Vital-for-Stability-of-the-Region-003-11-2017-0002.html","title":"Trump’s Tour of Asia-Pacific, Vital for the Stability of the Region"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"IndraStra Global"},"uri":{"$t":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/04065983396291846323"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"32","height":"32","src":"\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-M0HD88VMMSA\/XMrUpcDhagI\/AAAAAAAAUJs\/a5ZbTU09eGMvNCplyJE9bDNBxc3o8kTeQCK4BGAYYCw\/s113\/Webp.net-resizeimage%2B%252814%2529.jpg"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-ziSEtwTt97c\/WgBt1mRw83I\/AAAAAAAAQnQ\/iqvEz2Y4br0WIco3Uy-ltvFmdaTEiDKbQCLcBGAs\/s72-c\/NKD.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"georss$featurename":{"$t":"Plenty Rd \u0026amp; Kingsbury Drive, Bundoora VIC 3086, Australia"},"georss$point":{"$t":"-37.7206671 145.04841399999998"},"georss$box":{"$t":"-63.3757386 103.56403899999998 -12.065595600000002 -173.46721100000002"}}]}});