Source: Defense.gov

June 2, 2023  

Well, good morning, everyone. 

It is indeed great to be back here for another Shangri-La Dialogue.

Let me thank John and everyone at IISS for their efforts to deepen our dialogue on the Indo-Pacific. You know, this is my third time speaking in Singapore at an IISS event. And so this is starting to be—it’s becoming a habit there, John. 

I also want to thank our national host, Singapore, for your tremendous hospitality.  

And it’s great to see Senior Minister Teo, and Minister Ng, and other distinguished guests from our host here today.

And I’m glad that we’re joined by so many defense ministers and leaders from around the Indo-Pacific and around the world.

One minister of defense made a special effort to be here today: my good friend Oleksii Reznikov of Ukraine. Oleksii’s seat is currently empty. I’m sure he’s working the room somewhere around here, but Oleskii, if you can hear me, I’d remind you that, I’d just tell you that your presence here reminds us that we can never take our peace and security for granted.

I’m also delighted to be here with Director Haines and many of our U.S. military leaders. 

So thanks to everyone for being here today.

This dialogue is always a great opportunity to exchange views. And the only thing more wide-ranging than the conference agenda is the breakfast buffet. 

[Laughter]

Đọc tiếp ‘A Shared Vision for the Indo-Pacific’: Remarks by Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III at the Shangri-La Dialogue (As Delivered) →

Critical Questions by Aidan Arasasingham , Emily Benson , Matthew P. Goodman , and William Alan Reinsch

Published May 31, 2023 CSIS

Negotiators from 14 Indo-Pacific nations concluded negotiations in substance on a new Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity (IPEF) Supply Chain Agreement. At a ministerial-level meeting on the margins of an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum gathering in Detroit, Michigan, IPEF parties released a statement outlining major contours of the agreement. The first of four potential agreements that the United States aims to conclude under IPEF, the supply chains agreement represents a positive step toward further economic integration in the Indo-Pacific. However, questions remain about how binding or impactful the supply chains agreement will be and which additional agreements will come to fruition under the framework this year.

Q1: What did IPEF partners agree to under the new Supply Chains Agreement?

Đọc tiếp Assessing IPEF’s New Supply Chains Agreement →

SÁNG ÁNH – 24/05/2023 10:35 GMT+7

TTCT – 12 năm sau khi Hoa Kỳ dùng NATO làm công cụ để can thiệp vào nội bộ Libya và lật đổ chính quyền Gaddafi, giờ mọi chuyện đang nát như tương và nơi đó không có một ngày yên ổn bình thường.

Ta còn nhớ bà Hillary Clinton lúc đó (2011) là ngoại trưởng Mỹ đã cười thích thú: “Chúng tôi đã đến, chúng tôi đã thấy và hắn ta (Gaddafi) đã chết!”. 

Câu này nhại câu nổi tiếng của Julius Caesar sau khi ông thắng trận tại Tiểu Á và trở về La Mã. Khi Viện Nguyên lão La Mã hỏi phúc trình về chiến dịch, Caesar đáp ngắn gọn “Veni, Vidi, Vici”, nghĩa là “Tôi đã tới, tôi đã thấy, và tôi đã thắng”.

Libya hiện đang chia năm xẻ bảy giữa các nhóm vũ trang khác nhau. Ảnh: The Diplomatic Affairs

Đọc tiếp Libya 12 năm sau mùa xuân Ả Rập →

OOPS!

U.C. Berkeley repeatedly neglected to disclose its deal with China to the U.S. government.

Yuichiro Kakutani

Updated May. 22, 2023 7:18AM ET / Published May. 22, 2023 4:59AM ET 

U.C. Berkeley has failed to disclose to the U.S. government massive Chinese state funding for a highly sensitive $240 million joint tech venture in China that has been running for the last eight years.

The Californian university has not registered with the U.S. government that it received huge financial support from the city of Shenzhen for a tech project inside China, which also included partnerships with Chinese companies that have since been sanctioned by the U.S. or accused of complicity in human rights abuses.

The university has failed to declare a $220 million investment from the municipal government of Shenzhen to build a research campus in China. A Berkeley spokesperson told The Daily Beast that the university had yet to declare the investment—announced in 2018—because the campus is still under construction. However, a former Department of Education official who used to help manage the department’s foreign gifts and contracts disclosure program said that investment agreements must be disclosed within six months of signing, not when they are fully executed.

Đọc tiếp Berkeley’s $220M mistake exposed in massive deal with China →

蔡英文 Tsai Ing-wen @iingwen

Today I begin my eighth year as president of the Republic of China (Taiwan). Seven years ago, we embraced our cause of transforming our country, and one step after the other, embarked on reform. From then to now, we have walked a long path. We have markedly changed the face of Taiwan from that of seven years ago. Going forward, we must demonstrate our determination to create an economy and industries that are even more resilient, so that we can cement Taiwan’s key position in global supply chains.

MAY 20, 2023 Source: The White House

20 May 2023, Hiroshima

Today, we — Prime Minister Anthony Albanese of Australia, Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India, Prime Minister Kishida Fumio of Japan, and President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. of the United States — met for the third in-person Quad Leaders’ Summit, hosted by Prime Minister Albanese.

Together, we reaffirm our steadfast commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific that is inclusive and resilient. The global strategic and economic environment is changing rapidly – with direct impacts on countries in the region. We believe we should navigate this time of uncertainty and opportunity together, working closely with our Indo-Pacific partners. We believe all countries have a role in contributing to regional peace, stability, and prosperity, as well as upholding international law, including the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity, and the rules-based international order. We seek a region where no country dominates and no country is dominated – one where all countries are free from coercion, and can exercise their agency to determine their futures. Our four countries are united by this shared vision.
Đọc tiếp Quad Leaders’ Joint Statement →

MAY 20, 2023

Source: The White House

Preamble

1. We, the Leaders of the Group of Seven (G7), met in Hiroshima for our annual Summit on May 19-21, 2023, more united than ever in our determination to meet the global challenges of this moment and set the course for a better future. Our work is rooted in respect for the Charter of the United Nations (UN) and international partnership.

We are taking concrete steps to:

• support Ukraine for as long as it takes in the face of Russia’s illegal war of aggression;
• strengthen disarmament and non-proliferation efforts, towards the ultimate goal of a world without nuclear weapons with undiminished security for all;
• coordinate our approach to economic resilience and economic security that is based on diversifying and deepening partnerships and de-risking, not de-coupling;
• drive the transition to clean energy economies of the future through cooperation within and beyond the G7;
• launch the Hiroshima Action Statement for Resilient Global Food Security with partner countries to address needs today and into the future; and
• deliver our goal of mobilizing $600 billion in financing for quality infrastructure through the Partnership for Global Infrastructure Investment (PGII)

as outlined in the reference documents of this Communique.

We are determined to work together and with others to:

Đọc tiếp G7 Hiroshima Leaders’ Communiqué →

By MARI YAMAGUCHI today AP

FILE – Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida speaks during an interview with foreign media members at the Prime Minister’s official residence Thursday, April 20, 2023, in Tokyo. Leaders of seven of the world’s most powerful democracies will gather this weekend for the Group of Seven summit in Hiroshima, the location of the world’s first atomic attack at the end of World War II. The leaders are expected to strongly condemn Russia’s war on Ukraine while pledging their continuing support for Ukraine. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko, File)

TOKYO (AP) — Leaders of seven of the world’s most powerful democracies will gather this weekend for the Group of Seven summit in Hiroshima, the location of the world’s first atomic attack at the end of World War II.

From the emergence of crucial developing countries to security worries, including growing aggression from China, North Korea and Russia, here’s a look at the G-7, who will attend and some of the key issues:

Đọc tiếp G-7 Hiroshima summit: Who’s attending, what will be discussed? →

In an interview, Petr Pavel — a former general with NATO — argued China is benefiting too much from the war to play peacemaker.

BY LILI BAYER AND KETRIN JOCHECOVÁ

APRIL 25, 2023 4:03 AM CET, Politico.eu

China cannot be trusted to mediate peace between Russia and Ukraine, Czech President Petr Pavel is warning, telling POLITICO that Beijing benefits from prolonging the war. 

His comments come as China is trying to position itself as a peacemaker in Ukraine, recently floating a vague roadmap to ending the conflict. And while most Western allies have been skeptical of the overtures, some countries like France insist China could play a major role in peace talks.

Đọc tiếp China doesn’t want peace in Ukraine, Czech president warns →

SÁNG ÁNH – 07/05/2023 06:03 GMT+7

TTCT – Xung đột đang nổ ra tại Sudan là kết quả của không chỉ tranh đoạt quyền lợi phe phái hiện tại. Mâu thuẫn ở vùng đất này cũng lâu đời như chính nó vậy.

Tiếng súng vang lên từ ngày 15-4. Tại thủ đô Khartoum của Sudan, Lực lượng Yểm trợ nhanh chóng (RSF) do tướng Mohamed Dagalo cầm đầu dàn quân tại các khu vực nhiều dân lao động. RSF là lực lượng dân quân võ trang hùng hậu tới 100.000 tay súng. Họ chốt ở các trại lính và căn cứ của quân đội quốc gia, vốn dưới quyền tướng Abdel al-Burhan.

Xung đột vũ trang nhiều hình thức đã dai dẳng ở Sudan suốt một thời gian dài từ khi độc lập. Ảnh: AFP

Đọc tiếp Sudan: Hồi kết còn xa →

Reuters – May 3, 20239:55 PM

TOKYO, May 3 (Reuters) – NATO is planning to open a liaison office in Japan, its first in Asia, to facilitate consultations in the region, the Nikkei Asia reported on Wednesday, citing Japanese and NATO officials.

The liaison office will enable discussions with NATO’s security partners, such as South Korea, Australia and New Zealand, with geopolitical challenges from China and Russia in mind, the media outlet reported.

Asked about the report, NATO spokesperson Oana Lungescu said the alliance would not go into details of NATO allies’ ongoing deliberations.

Đọc tiếp NATO to open Japan office to enable Indo-Pacific consultation, Nikkei Asia reports →

In an interview, Petr Pavel — a former general with NATO — argued China is benefiting too much from the war to play peacemaker.

BY LILI BAYER AND KETRIN JOCHECOVÁ

APRIL 25, 2023 4:03 AM CET, Politico.eu

China cannot be trusted to mediate peace between Russia and Ukraine, Czech President Petr Pavel is warning, telling POLITICO that Beijing benefits from prolonging the war. 

His comments come as China is trying to position itself as a peacemaker in Ukraine, recently floating a vague roadmap to ending the conflict. And while most Western allies have been skeptical of the overtures, some countries like France insist China could play a major role in peace talks.

Đọc tiếp China doesn’t want peace in Ukraine, Czech president warns →

By Matthew Knott ,

April 24, 2023 — 3.55pm, The Sydney Morning Herald

Angus Houston and Stephen Smith have delivered a blaring wake-up call to any Australians who think they still live in a sanctuary of safety at the southern edge of the Earth: you’re living in the past.

To those inside and outside the Australian Defence Force who think business-as-usual will cut it in the future: you’re delusional.

Their message to anyone confused about the biggest threat to Australia’s national security is similarly blunt: it is our largest trading partner, China.

Like a pair of doctors delivering confronting news to an ill patient, the two men tasked with reshaping Australia’s military for the 21st century have opted for admirable candour in their defence strategic review.

Rejecting vague language about rising tensions in the Indo-Pacific, the former defence chief and defence minister call out just one nation – China – for threatening Australia’s core interests.

Đọc tiếp Defence review pulls no punches: China the biggest threat we face →

The alliance is bolstering its military deterrent in Europe amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and has expanded to include Finland.

WRITTEN BY Jonathan Masters, CFR

UPDATED

Last updated April 4, 2023 7:00 am (EST)

Summary

• Established during the Cold War, NATO is a transatlantic security alliance composed of thirty-one member countries, including the United States.
• NATO has focused on deterring Russian aggression in recent years, but it has also conducted security operations in Afghanistan, Iraq, Kosovo, and Somalia. 
• Amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, many NATO allies are providing Kyiv with extraordinary quantities of military supplies, and the alliance has expanded to include Finland.

Introduction

Founded in 1949 as a bulwark against Soviet aggression, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) remains the pillar of U.S.-Europe military cooperation. An expanding bloc of NATO allies has taken on a broad range of missions since the close of the Cold War, many well beyond the Euro-Atlantic region, in countries such as Afghanistan and Libya.

Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, a nonmember, in early 2022 has shaken Europe’s security architecture and prompted a major reevaluation of NATO members’ foreign policies and defense commitments. The threat from Russia has generated the greatest tensions with the alliance in the post-Cold War era. It is driving up defense spending and has pushed some longtime NATO partners, namely Finland and Sweden, to seek full membership. Finland acceded to the alliance in April 2023.

Đọc tiếp What Is NATO? →