The new NATO strategy is against the CCP

 Research, editing : Gan Yung Chyan, KUCINTA SETIA

News on NATO, CCP

News (1) to (4) / Reporter : Jiang Feng / Editor: Lian Shuhua / https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/22/6/27/n13768632.htm

News (1)

The expansion of the CCP in the South China Sea has caused unease, and the new NATO strategy is against the CCP

 Image : The CCP's "enclosure" operation in the South China Sea has pushed the Philippines into the embrace of the United States and Japan. The picture shows a Chinese coast guard ship (left) following a Philippine coast guard ship (right) during a maritime patrol in the South Scarborough Shoal on 2 March 2022. (Handout/Philippine Coast Guard/AFP)

The CCP's "enclosure" in the South China Sea has caused anxiety in neighboring countries. Asian countries have moved closer to the United States, and the four Pacific countries Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand will participate in the NATO summit. The summit included "countering the CCP" into the guiding principles of the organization, and it was the first time that NATO revised its strategic concept in more than a decade.

The NATO summit will be held in Madrid, Spain from 29 to 30 June. In addition to the 30 member states, leaders of Pacific countries such as Japan, South Korea, New Zealand and Australia will be invited to the meeting.

In 1949, NATO was established during the Cold War to fight against the group of Eastern European socialist countries headed by the Soviet Union at that time. Therefore, it is unusual to include "countering the CCP" as a guiding principle this time.

News (2)

CCP China's expansion in the South China Sea sparks unease among neighbours

Recently, the CCP’s military expansion in the South China Sea has been frequent. In mid-June, Japan's "Sankei Shimbun" reported that the Chinese government intends to set the South China Sea as "internal water". Japan has raised objections to the United Nations Continental Shelf Limits Committee (CLCS). Japan has expressed its willingness to stand side by side with Southeast Asian countries, Europe and the United States against the CCP regime’s claims in the South China Sea.

Le Thi Thu Hang, a spokesperson for the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, also responded that, in accordance with international law and the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), “We affirm Vietnam’s sovereignty over the Paracel and Nansha Islands, as well as its national sovereignty and sovereign rights over the relevant waters of the South China Sea. and jurisdiction."

A few days ago, Wang Wenbin, a spokesman for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, claimed that the Chinese regime has "sovereign rights" over the Taiwan Strait. exclusive economic zone".

The U.S. State Department retorted, "The Taiwan Strait is an international waterway, which means that the Taiwan Strait is an area for free navigation on the high seas. Under the protection of international conventions, it has freedom of navigation and overflight." through the Taiwan Strait. The U.S. emphasized, "The U.S. military will continue to fly, sail and perform missions wherever it is consistent with international law."

The CCP's "enclosure" operation in the South China Sea is also pushing the Philippines into the embrace of the United States and Japan. On 10 June, the Philippines accused Chinese fishing boats of “illegal fishing” not only in the area of ​​Ren’ai Reef in the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone, but also by Chinese coast guard vessels, which tracked Philippine vessels on rotation and supply missions, and installed buoys and fishing nets to close the entrance to the shoal. On 23 June, when the Philippine regime changed, the current Philippine Foreign Minister Locsin revealed that President Duterte had ordered the termination of joint oil exploration discussions between the Philippines and the Chinese Communist Party.

On 9 June 2022, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman met with newly elected President Marcos Jr. and his advisers in Manila. The two sides agreed to strengthen bilateral relations in all aspects and strengthen long-term alliances. Japanese Foreign Minister Lin Fang is preparing to visit Manila for the inauguration of Marcos. This will be the first time a Japanese foreign minister has attended the swearing-in ceremony of a Philippine president since 2004.

News (3)

CCP helps Russia invade Ukraine, promoting NATO's Entry into Asia-Pacific

In February 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine. The United States and Europe have imposed sanctions on Russia but the CCP has half-covered its support for Russia on the grounds that it opposes NATO’s eastward expansion. However, the Ukraine war has brought NATO closer to Asia-Pacific countries.

After Russia invaded Ukraine, NATO increased its ties with four Asia-Pacific countries: Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand. On 6 April, the NATO foreign ministers' meeting in Brussels was the first to invite the four foreign ministers to attend the meeting. On 27 April, British Foreign Secretary Elizabeth Truss proposed a new concept - "Global NATO". She said that the security of the "Euro-Atlantic" and "Indo-Pacific" regions is equally important.

Relations between Japan, South Korea and NATO are also advancing rapidly. On 5 May 2022, South Korea announced its participation in the NATO Cooperative Cyber ​​Defense Center of Excellence, becoming the first Asian country to join the organization. On the same day, Japan and the United Kingdom signed the "Reciprocal Access Agreement", which simplifies the process of bringing weapons into each other's borders. On May 6, Japan participated for the first time in a multilateral exercise hosted by France in the South Pacific region.

News (4)

A number of international alliances may become the predecessor of the Asia-Pacific version of NATO

Yu Maochun, a former US State Department China policy think tank, directly proposed that an "Indo-Pacific version of NATO" should be established to deal with the Sino-Russian alliance. "I think there will be discussions in the foreseeable future to create similar multilateral defense arrangements (in the Indo-Pacific) based on the NATO model," he told a Jamestown Foundation symposium on 23 June.

However, Yu Maochun emphasized that the best way is to expand NATO to Asia. He said that if Europe and Asia face a common threat, they should have a common response, and he believes that an organization such as the "North Atlantic Indo-Pacific Treaty Organization" should be established.

In fact, the United States has led the establishment of several international alliances to counter the CCP threat. They may become the predecessor of the "Asia-Pacific version of NATO".

In 2007, Japan initiated the establishment of the "Quad Security Dialogue" (Quad) including Japan, the United States, India and Australia. This dialogue mechanism was temporarily suspended due to Australia's withdrawal. Beginning in 2017, with the trade tensions between China and the United States, the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue has received renewed attention.

In September 2021, the United Kingdom, the United States and Australia announced the signing of a security agreement "AUKUS" to share advanced defense technology and intelligence. Through the deal, the US will help Australia build a nuclear-powered submarine for the first time.

On 23 May 2022, U.S. President Biden announced the launch of the "Indo-Pacific Economic Framework" (IPEF) in Tokyo, Japan. The first batch of 13 member countries are the United States, South Korea, Japan, India, Australia, New Zealand, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Vietnam, and Brunei.

U.S. Trade Representative Dai Qi said that the framework is designed to effectively counter the growing influence of the Chinese regime and is an arrangement independent of the Chinese regime. U.S. Commerce Secretary Raimondo also said the framework also includes coordinating export controls to "restrict the export of 'sensitive' products to China." The launch of the IPEF "marks an important turning point that will restore American economic leadership in the region," he said.

On 24 June 2022r, the White House stated that the United States will establish a "Blue Pacific Partnership" with Australia, Japan, New Zealand and the Pacific Island countries to strengthen the fight against the Chinese Communist Party's influence in the Pacific region. Previously, the Chinese regime and the Solomon Islands reached a framework agreement on security cooperation, which made it possible for the Chinese Communist Party to establish a military base here and project its military power into the South Pacific.