On Australia's "National Defence Strategy": Does the country remain in a "stretch" position between the US and the PRC?
Someone is persistently creating a situation of general insanity in the world political and information space, in which similar format “impulses” are thrown in from seemingly opposing sides, thereby deepening the line of division between them. A notable contribution to this negative process is made by propaganda, with its regular paranoia sessions by panic-stricken “experts on all issues”…
US Treasury Secretary's visit to China as an element of Washington's crisis management of relations with Beijing
US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen’s week-long visit to China, the second in less than a year, which began on 3 April, represents a remarkable development in relations between the world’s two leading powers. Among other things, it is noteworthy because it came almost immediately after the telephone conversation between the two leaders, which was the first contact between them since they met in San Francisco on the sidelines of the next APEC summit in November 2023. In the six months since then, the long process of accumulation of various kinds of negativity in the bilateral relationship has continued…
On some results of the state visit by the Japanese Prime Minister to the United States
The Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida paid a state visit to the US from April 8 to 14, accompanied by the Japanese Foreign Minister and Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry. The official part of the visit included three events: talks with President Joe Biden, a “state dinner” and a guest address to Congress. Other, unofficial events included lunches with exchanges of gifts, the planting of typical Japanese “sakura” trees and tending to specimens planted in previous years…
Chinese Foreign Minister visits New Zealand and Australia
Between 17 and 21 March, Wang Yi, a member of the Politburo of the Chinese Communist Party and China’s Foreign Minister, visited New Zealand and Australia (for the first time since 2017) at the invitation of his counterparts, Winston Peters and Penny Wong. And while the motivation for Wang Yi’s visit to the first of these countries contained its own intrigue, the main component of the entire tour was undoubtedly related to the second half…
The U.S. strengthens AUKUS
Washington continues to methodically build up the military capabilities of its most promising Asian “small geometry” alliance, AUKUS, which includes its most trusted allies, the UK and Australia, in an attempt to maintain military dominance over the PRC. On 1 December, the Defense Ministers of the three countries met at the headquarters of the Defense Innovation unit in California, where they were given a visual showcase of the U.S. progress in developing promising weapons. The choice of location and the stunning showcase were intended to provide an additional…
The Geopolitics of “AUKUS Plus”
In September 2021, the Australia, United Kingdom, and United States (AUKUS) deal brought nuclear technology for military use to the Indo-Pacific. The idea was to change the Indo-Pacific region in a way that would ultimately be ready to tackle – and scale back – China’s influence. The idea was to make Australia “sovereign ready”. Accordingly, the US and the UK are already in the middle of selling and building several nuclear submarines worth billions of dollars to Australia. While the US intends to sell at least 3 nuclear submarines by 2038, the UK and Australia are building a new SSN-AUKUS submarine that both fleets will operate. Australia is to receive Britain’s first SSN-AUKUS in the late 2030s and its first domestically built…
USA - India - Australia
In this March, at the meeting of the AUKUS block leaders, the leaders of the USA, UK and Australia in their joint statement declared the plan for the further development of the alliance within the framework of which three American NPS, Virginia type, nuclear-powered, will be sold to Canberra. This may become the first case in history when a non-nuclear state will reinforce its fleet with submarines of this type, thereby creating an international precedent. Before this, such submarines have been in service only with five members of the so-called nuclear club: the USA, Russia, UK, France and China…
Territorial disputes over the South China Sea resound with renewed vigor
On June 29, the US Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) hosted the 13th Annual International South China Sea Conference in Washington, DC. The seminar was attended by politicians, representatives of the US Departments of Foreign Affairs and Defense, as well as experts and scientists from India, Japan, Vietnam and the Philippines, who were ready to express their states’ positive and constructive position on their readiness to resolve disputes in the South China Sea by peaceful means, contributing to thereby maintaining peace and stability in the region…
Australia and the USA held a 2+2 meeting
On July 29, Australia’s third-most populous city, Brisbane, located on the eastern Pacific, “The Pacific,” is worth noting. More on this below-coast of the country-continent, which hosted a notable event in the political space of the Indo-Pacific region. In particular, we will talk about the next meeting of the Australia-United States Ministerial Consultations Committee, AUSMIN. The method of communication between two countries on a platform where foreign and defense ministers meet is commonly referred…
Are the comforting statements of QUAD and AUKUS founding States to be beli?
During the Shangri-La Dialogue security conference taking place in Singapore from June 2-4, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin stated that the United States is not trying to form a new Western defense-oriented NATO-like bloc in the Asia-Pacific region. The Pentagon chief ascertained those present that the interests of European powers in the region are not only military-related, and therefore, of course, Europe “is present here” because it wants to guarantee the preservation of “good relations with the countries of the region.” Australian Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles echoed his American…
AUKUS may turn out to be the largest financial swindle perpetrated by the United States and the United Kingdom against Australia and other Asia Pacific nations
Equipment for the country’s ground forces “arrives with depressing regularity,” years behind time, and substantially over budget, according to a report issued on April 19 by the British Parliament’s Budgetary Control Committee. For instance, the programs, which provide new Ajax armored fighting vehicles and Morpheus tactical communication and information systems, have faced significant difficulties. According to the MPs’ assessment, the issue is made worse…
The Chinese leader’s new “Global Security Initiative” and the latest AUKUS summit
On March 15, two days after the conclusion of China’s annual “Two Sessions”, Xinhua News Agency reported an equally remarkable event that was in fact a continuation of the previous one. The Chinese Communist Party officials hosted a video conference, which was titled “Path towards Modernization: The Responsibility…