China-US Geopolitics: News & Discussions

[ahojunk]

The so-called democracy in the US is monopolized by big money politics.

I have read an article that says that a large percentage of laws passed in the US benefits the rich, but I can't remember the number.

The US political system has been hijacked by special interest groups and rich lobbyists so much so it is called "veto-cracy" by Francis Fukuyama.

At least my country is not that bad, and I hope it stays that way.

 

[ahojunk]

Interesting US tactic - sponsoring seminars and think tanks. Anyone with an ounce of brain would be able to see through the hypocrisy of the US.

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Legal Imbroglio in the South China Sea
Editor: Li Kun 丨CCTV.com
06-02-2016 18:36 BJT

By Mathew Maavak, a doctoral student in Security Foresight at Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM)

The rhetorical war between China and the United States over the South China Sea dispute is increasing in magnitude. Washington has wasted no time to sponsor seminars and think tanks to drive a wedge between Beijing and other claimant nations in the region.

Ambitious young ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) scholars and diplomats have been recruited for study fellowships and stints at prestigious American universities.

Vietnam is the suitor du jour in America's new game, called the "Asia Pivot." While Beijing is building infrastructure in Vietnam, Washington has offered weapons to Hanoi, a former enemy at war. They had fought in what was called the Vietnam War from the 1960s to the early 1970s.

Despite Chinese businesses having poured in investments worth $US7.9 billion in 2014 alone, the US has only offered to clean up chemically contaminated parts of the country some 40 years after the Vietnam War ended.

Yesterday's bitter enemies have become today's strategic partners. Yet history cannot be easily brushed aside, even if the United Nations 5-member temporary Court of Arbitration in The Hague rules in favor of the Philippines over its claims in the South China Sea. The ruling is expected to be announced this summer.

Why Extra-Regional Arbitration May Backfire

Manila's resort to The Hague may backfire for all claimants in the region, since it opens up a few legal Pandora's Boxes in Beijing's favor.

A shrewd legal expert on territorial claims and international law can punch holes once the UN and US are brought into the picture.

The US, the UN General Assembly, or any other permanent member of the UN Security Council cannot contest the validity of the 11-dash line that was unveiled on Dec 1, 1947 by the Republic of China – itself a permanent council member at the time.

Without a proper de jure challenge, "the international community" – a term Washington invokes all too often – seems to have proffered at least de facto recognition over China's 1947 claims.

Many contested islands in the South China Sea, namely the Paracels, Pratas and Spratly, were reclaimed by the Republic of China's naval forces in the immediate aftermath of Japan’s surrender in WWII.

No disputes have arisen until Vietnam lodged a counter-claim in 1951, but this was blunted by Beijing's concession of Bach Long Vi island to Hanoi in 1957.

Beijing's maritime claims were tempered by the Chinese government at that time, which had endorsed China's new 9-dash line.

For the next two decades, the status of contested islands slipped into limbo, since Washington was too busy fighting the Vietnamese.

Later it was trying to draw closer the People's Republic of China — starting in the late US President Richard Nixon's 1971 visit to Beijing. The geo-political pendulum had swung in Beijing's direction. Accordingly, there was no way Washington was going to honor Hanoi's claims.

Being the gracious loser, Washington had refused to engage in diplomatic relations with Hanoi from the end of the Vietnam War in 1975 until 1995.

Washington was also rousing international opinions, including those of ASEAN nations in favor of the genocidal Pol Pot regime in Cambodia.

More importantly in the context of the South China Sea, how did the US treat Vietnamese claims until 1995? Why is Washington offering arms and regional naval support, instead of paying war reparations to help future generations of Vietnamese babies, who may likely suffer from the after-effects of napalm?

Why are the islands in the South China Sea so important to the US? Is it just an attempt to exploit Hanoi to embolden its Pivot to Asia strategy?

 

[AndrewJin]

The so-called democracy in the US is monopolized by big money politics.

I have read an article that says that a large percentage of laws passed in the US benefits the rich, but I can't remember the number.

The US political system has been hijacked by special interest groups and rich lobbyists so much so it is called "veto-cracy" by Francis Fukuyama.

At least my country is not that bad, and I hope it stays that way.

Both liberals and labor are not good, but OK if u compare to Mrs. Clinton or Bush II.

 

[ahojunk]

No surprise, the two big guys are looking after their respective interests. I have no doubt that small countries will be sacrifice if required. I hope that Australia will get out of the way of these two elephants, but I do feel sorry for Philippines, Vietnam and to a certain extent Malaysia. More so, if US and China come to an agreement. Let's wait and see.

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China, US narrow differences over South China Sea
Reporter: Han Peng 丨 CCTV.com
06-08-2016 06:40 BJT

The eighth round of Sino-US Strategic and Economic Dialogue has wrapped up in Beijing. Officials from both countries say the two-day talks have narrowed the differences between the world's two biggest economies and reduced the risks of miscalculation. One important progress is on the South China Sea.

Tensions over South China Sea remain one of the biggest disagreements at the Sino-US Strategic and Economic Dialogue. Both countries reaffirmed their positions, but Washington has slightly softened its tone.

"The US will make it clear that we are looking for a peaceful resolution to the disputes of the South China Sea...We urged all nations to find a diplomatic solution... in rule of law," US Secretary of State John Kerry, said.

Kerry's latest remarks comes despite the US military's tough words towards China. Last Friday, US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter warned that China's actions could "erect a Great Wall of self-isolation".

The remarks were met with cautious welcome from Chinese officials.

"We hope that the United States can honor its pledge that it does not take side in the disputes in the South China Sea," Chinese state councilor Yang Jiechi said.

Despite the differences, both sides spoke highly of their newly expanded common ground, referring to their recent cooperation in nuclear issues with Iran and the Korean Peninsula, and reaching the historic Paris agreement on fighting climate change.

China says they are good examples of building a new type of major power relations, which is aimed at avoiding conflict between a rising power of China and a resident power of the United States.

"Thanks to our concerted efforts, our two countries have cooperated at bilateral, regional and global levels in a wide range of areas, and registered new programmes in our relations. We witnessed record highs in trade and two-way investment, enjoyed closer people-to-people and sub-national exchanges, and made new headway in cooperation in cyberspace, law enforcement and military exchanges," President Xi Jinping said.

Running parallel to the S&ED, was the High-level Consultation on People-to-People Exchange. John Kerry greeted the sports teams of Chinese universities, accompanied by Chinese Vice Premier Liu Yandong.

Kerry said people-to-people exchanges should go without governmental intervention, and raised concerns over China's new law on non-governmental organizations, which strengthened government supervision.

Liu rejected the remarks, saying the law is only aimed at improving the playing field for civil society, and that the NGOs which follow the law can continue to operate freely in China.

Officials from both countries say although they cannot reach agreement on every single issue, the Dialogue is important in narrowing the differences and expanding common ground. They say that keeping close communication is vital in avoiding serious miscalculation and building trust in the world's most consequential bilateral relations.

 

[TaiShang]

Never have I been so excited about a western demoncrazy election before!
Trump GO GO GO!!!

The yesterday's mass killing in Orlando just placed the last nail on Hillary's coffin.

Some call Hillary the God-mother of the ISIS, especially with respect to her dark conducts in Libya.

Trump had his best day yesterday from political realism perspective.

 

[ahojunk]

The two big guys are playing games with each other... especially when it is just after the Strategic & Economic Dialogue.

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Planned Obama, Dalai Lama meeting protested
By Li Xiaokun (China Daily)Updated: 2016-06-16 06:56

The planned meeting between US President Barack Obama and the Dalai Lama sends the "wrong signal" to Tibetan separatists and will hamper Washington's relations with Beijing, the Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday.

China has lodged a diplomatic protest with the United States, Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said.

Obama and the Dalai Lama were scheduled to meet privately at the White House on Wednesday morning. At press time, there was no confirmation of whether the meeting had been held.

The Dalai Lama is "not only a religious figure, but a political exile who has long engaged in anti-China separatist activities under the guise of religion," Lu told a regular news briefing.

"Any attempt to take advantage of Tibet issues and undermine stability in China will not succeed," he added.

Obama had been scheduled to travel to Wisconsin to appear at a campaign event with presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, the Democratic Party's presumptive nominee. But the event was postponed after Sunday's shooting at an Orlando, Florida, nightclub that left 50 people dead.

That created an opening in Obama's schedule that the White House filled with the meeting with the Dalai Lama, AP said.

Obama made a high-profile public appearance with the Dalai Lama last year at a prayer breakfast in Washington, calling him "a powerful example of what it means to practice compassion." Three previous meetings were held privately.

The White House barred the media from the meeting and arranged for it to be held in the Map Room instead of the Oval Office, which is reserved for visiting heads of state, AP said.

Niu Jun, a professor of international relations at Peking University, noted that the meeting was arranged on the heels of the China-US Strategic and Economic Dialogue, which ended last week in Beijing and had positive effects on the two countries' relations.

"But the meeting will definitely hamper Beijing's ties with Washington, as it is an issue about sovereignty and separation," he said.

 

[TaiShang]

The two big guys are playing games with each other... especially when it is just after the Strategic & Economic Dialogue.

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Planned Obama, Dalai Lama meeting protested
By Li Xiaokun (China Daily)Updated: 2016-06-16 06:56

The planned meeting between US President Barack Obama and the Dalai Lama sends the "wrong signal" to Tibetan separatists and will hamper Washington's relations with Beijing, the Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday.

China has lodged a diplomatic protest with the United States, Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said.

Obama and the Dalai Lama were scheduled to meet privately at the White House on Wednesday morning. At press time, there was no confirmation of whether the meeting had been held.

The Dalai Lama is "not only a religious figure, but a political exile who has long engaged in anti-China separatist activities under the guise of religion," Lu told a regular news briefing.

"Any attempt to take advantage of Tibet issues and undermine stability in China will not succeed," he added.

Obama had been scheduled to travel to Wisconsin to appear at a campaign event with presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, the Democratic Party's presumptive nominee. But the event was postponed after Sunday's shooting at an Orlando, Florida, nightclub that left 50 people dead.

That created an opening in Obama's schedule that the White House filled with the meeting with the Dalai Lama, AP said.

Obama made a high-profile public appearance with the Dalai Lama last year at a prayer breakfast in Washington, calling him "a powerful example of what it means to practice compassion." Three previous meetings were held privately.

The White House barred the media from the meeting and arranged for it to be held in the Map Room instead of the Oval Office, which is reserved for visiting heads of state, AP said.

Niu Jun, a professor of international relations at Peking University, noted that the meeting was arranged on the heels of the China-US Strategic and Economic Dialogue, which ended last week in Beijing and had positive effects on the two countries' relations.

"But the meeting will definitely hamper Beijing's ties with Washington, as it is an issue about sovereignty and separation," he said.

Agree. China knows it is just political score-making for the populist US presidents. Obama, too, probably knows he can play with the old man a little but his use date is over.

 

[Jlaw]

Agree. China knows it is just political score-making for the populist US presidents. Obama, too, probably knows he can play with the old man a little but his use date is over.

i think the old man is just asking for mo money

 

[TaiShang]

i think the old man is just asking for mo money

Most probably. He has lots of "hungry" souls to feed up and not in the spiritual sense.

I guess the old man knows well that spirituality does not fill one's stomach, politics does.

 

[ahojunk]

First, China protested the meeting of Obama with Dalai Lama.
Now, it is giving a friendly reminder; it's our internal affairs, our core interests.

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China Urges U.S. Not to Interfere in Internal Affairs on Tibet
2016-06-16 19:54:47 | CRIENGLISH.com | Web Editor: Meng Xue

China has urged the United States to refrain from interfering in China's domestic affairs, such as Tibet-related issues.

Beijing has lodged diplomatic representations with Washington over a meeting between U.S. President Barack Obama and the Dalai Lama at the White House on Wednesday.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lu Kang says such a meeting would send the wrong signal to Tibet separatist forces and harm China-U.S. mutual trust and cooperation.

"We urge the United States to stop using the Tibet issue to interfere in China's internal affairs, and to stop doing anything that might affect the overall cooperation between China and U.S.. In regard to the situation in China's Tibet, Chinese people have the ultimate right to comment."

Lu Kang says the 14th Dalai Lama is not a purely religious figure, but a political exile who has long engaged in anti-China separatist activities under the guise of religion.

He says the meeting goes against the US acknowledgement that Tibet is an inseparable part of Chinese territory, warning Washington not to support "Tibet-independence," or separatist forces.

"The Chinese government and people's will to safeguard national sovereignty and ethnic unity is resolute. Any plot trying to use the Tibet issue to interfere in China's internal matters, undermine China's stability and ethnic unity, will not succeed."

This is Obama's fourth White House meeting with the Dalai Lama in the past eight years.

 

[ahojunk]

The reminder works. Now, Kerry has confirmed in this statement.

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U.S. Does Not Support "Tibet Independence": Kerry
2016-06-19 08:42:12 | CRIENGLISH.com | Web Editor: Fei Fei

File Photo: Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi (L) meets with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry (R) in Washington D.C. , the United States, on Oct. 1, 2014. [Photo: Xinhua]


U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry says the United States maintains that Tibet is an inalienable part of China and does not support the independence of Tibet.

Speaking with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in a telephone conversation, Kerry has moved to try to reassure Chinese officials that U.S. policy on Tibet will not change.

For his part, Wang Yi has called on US officials to take practical action to try to maintain China-US ties.

 

[TaiShang]

The reminder works. Now, Kerry has confirmed in this statement.

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U.S. Does Not Support "Tibet Independence": Kerry
2016-06-19 08:42:12 | CRIENGLISH.com | Web Editor: Fei Fei

View attachment 311702
File Photo: Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi (L) meets with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry (R) in Washington D.C. , the United States, on Oct. 1, 2014. [Photo: Xinhua]


U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry says the United States maintains that Tibet is an inalienable part of China and does not support the independence of Tibet.

Speaking with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in a telephone conversation, Kerry has moved to try to reassure Chinese officials that U.S. policy on Tibet will not change.

For his part, Wang Yi has called on US officials to take practical action to try to maintain China-US ties.

The US just wants to keep it to troll China whenever it needs. But the trump card is getting weaker and less relevant every passing day.

Development and prosperity is the response to US provocations and meddling.

 

[ahojunk]

No doubt the US will be watching this one very closely.....

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Russian President to Visit China
2016-06-20 15:07:38 Xinhua Web Editor: Liu Yuanhui

Russian President Vladimir Putin will pay a state visit to China on June 25, according to Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lu Kang on Monday.

Putin will visit at the invitation of his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, Lu said in a press release.

Xi will hold talks with Putin and they will have an in-depth exchange of views on bilateral ties and issues of common concern, another Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Hua Chunying, told a daily news briefing.

According to Hua, the two leaders will plan the development direction and priority cooperation areas of the China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination, and they will sign important political documents and witness the signing of a series of documents of pragmatic cooperation.

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and top legislator Zhang Dejiang will also meet Putin, Hua said.

This year marks the 15th anniversary of the signing of the Sino-Russian Good-Neighborly Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation and both sides will hold events to mark the occasion, Hua said.

China hopes that Putin's upcoming visit will consolidate mutual political and strategic trust, promote pragmatic cooperation in various areas, inject new impetus to bilateral ties, and contribute more to international and regional peace, security and stability.

 

[TaiShang]

No doubt the US will be watching this one very closely.....

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Russian President to Visit China
2016-06-20 15:07:38 Xinhua Web Editor: Liu Yuanhui

Russian President Vladimir Putin will pay a state visit to China on June 25, according to Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lu Kang on Monday.

Putin will visit at the invitation of his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, Lu said in a press release.

Xi will hold talks with Putin and they will have an in-depth exchange of views on bilateral ties and issues of common concern, another Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Hua Chunying, told a daily news briefing.

According to Hua, the two leaders will plan the development direction and priority cooperation areas of the China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination, and they will sign important political documents and witness the signing of a series of documents of pragmatic cooperation.

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and top legislator Zhang Dejiang will also meet Putin, Hua said.

This year marks the 15th anniversary of the signing of the Sino-Russian Good-Neighborly Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation and both sides will hold events to mark the occasion, Hua said.

China hopes that Putin's upcoming visit will consolidate mutual political and strategic trust, promote pragmatic cooperation in various areas, inject new impetus to bilateral ties, and contribute more to international and regional peace, security and stability.

Wow, as far as I know, Mr. Xi and Mr. Putin will also meet in Tashkent tomorrow or the day after tomorrow for the signing of the SCO's Tashkent Declaration.

I anticipate big energy deals from the meeting in Beijing.

 

[ahojunk]

Now, the US must be wondering what have they done to cause this to happen ......
If China is not participating, the western sanctions against Russia is next to useless.

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China, Russia eye closer friendship amid tensions with West
AFP on June 26, 2016, 4:45 am

China, Russia eye closer friendship amid tensions with West


Beijing (AFP) - Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin promised ever-closer cooperation and oversaw a series of deals Saturday, as the two countries deepen ties in the face of growing tensions with the West.

In what was Putin's fourth trip to China since Xi became President in 2013, the two men stressed their shared outlook which mirrors the countries' converging trade, investment and geopolitical interests.

"Russia and China stick to points of view which are very close to each other or are almost the same in the international arena," Putin said.

The Russian leader added that the two had discussed "strengthening together the fight against international terrorism", the nuclear issue on the Korean peninsula, Syria, and stability in the South China Sea.

Russia and China have been brought together by mutual geopolitical concerns, among them wariness of the United States.

The two countries often vote as a pair on the UN Security Council, where both hold a veto, sometimes in opposition to Western powers on issues such as Syria.

China has raised tensions with its neighbours and the US over its claims to virtually all of the South China Sea, where it has built militarised artificial islands to bolster its claims in the contested but strategically vital region.

Russia's annexation of Ukraine's Crimea peninsula and support for other Ukrainian separatist movements have led to the worst East-West standoff since the Cold War.

At loggerheads with the West, Moscow is seeking to refocus its gas and oil exports from Europe -- its main energy market -- towards Asia and is diligently building an energy alliance with Beijing.

- 'Friends forever' -

Xi emphasised that this year marked the 15th anniversary of the China-Russia treaty of friendship and hoped that the two countries might remain "friends forever".

"President Putin and I equally agree that when faced with international circumstances that are increasingly complex and changing, we must persist even harder in maintaining the spirit of the Sino-Russian strategic partnership and cooperation," he said.

The two sides signed over 30 cooperation deals in areas such as trade, infrastructure, foreign affairs, technology and innovation, agriculture, finance, energy, sports and the media.

Notably, Russian oil giant Rosneft inked a deal with China Petrochemical Corporation (Sinopec) on developing a gas processing and petrochemical plant in East Siberia, as China seeks energy to fuel its economic growth.

Xi and Putin signed two joint statements themselves, one "to strengthen global strategic stability" and one to promote the development of information and cyberspace.

Putin said that 58 different deals worth a total of around $50 billion were currently in discussion, adding that the two countries will seek to secure an agreement on building a high-speed rail line in Russia by the end of the year.

Xi also called for closer cooperation between news agencies in Russia and China so that both countries could "together increase the influence" of their media on world public opinion.

Under Xi, Communist China has mounted crackdowns on dissidents and tightened restrictions on the media, while critics accuse Putin's Russia of rights abuses.