Paper Tiger
Paper Tiger
PLA ready to curb Taiwan independence, Russian energy revenues rise 50% YoY, Moscow-Hanoi ties anger Washington, Lloyd Austin called Andrei Belousov, RIMPAC muscle show exposes US Paper Tiger
PLA ready to curb 'Taiwan independence'
By CCTV
Chinese Defense Minister Dong Jun said on Sunday that the People's Liberation Army (PLA) is prepared to take resolute actions to curb "Taiwan independence" and ensure that "Taiwan independence" will never happen.
Dong made the remarks in a speech on China's approach to global security at the 21st International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore.
"We countries in the Asia-Pacific have the ability to resolve tensions among ourselves; we despise coercion from outside hegemonic powers," he said, before proposing six measures to safeguard security and stability in the Asia-Pacific.
On Taiwan question
Dong said the Taiwan question is the core of China's core interests, and the one-China principle has long been recognized as a basic norm of international relations.
China has always respected the reasonable concerns of all countries, and likewise, China's core interests are sacred and inviolable, he said, adding that safeguarding national sovereignty and territorial integrity is the sacred mission of the Chinese military.
He added that China has always been committed to peaceful reunification, but this prospect is being undermined by "Taiwan independence" elements and external forces.
Dong said the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authorities have been promoting "incremental independence" and pushing "de-sinicization" in an attempt to cut the social, historical and cultural ties between both sides of the Taiwan Straits.
He said external forces are continuously attempting to obscure and hollow out the one-China principle, insisting on selling arms to the Taiwan region and illegally engaging in official exchanges, which in essence are promoting "Taiwan independence" and attempting to use the Taiwan region to suppress China, and these "evil intentions" are leading the region into a dangerous situation.
On China's defence policy
Dong said that "China values peace and harmony. Peaceful development is an integral part of our Constitution. We never seek hegemony or military expansion."
Since the introduction of reform and opening up, China has chosen to downsize the PLA by over 4 million troops, which proves China never seeks hegemony and expansion, the defense minister added.
He said China maintains that disputes should be resolved through dialogue and opposes the law of the jungle.
The Chinese military also upholds open cooperation and has military exchanges with over 150 countries, Dong noted.
China supports open cooperation to jointly pursue peace and opposes building exclusive military alliances, he said, adding that the "small circles" targeting other countries will only make situations more intense.
Dong said that China will work with regional countries to build a new type of win-win security partnership with equality and mutual trust.
Each country has different security concerns and "what we need is to work together," he said, adding that bloc confrontation only intensifies conflicts and can lead to war.
The defense minister said all countries and militaries are equal regardless of strengthen. China never interferes in other countries' internal affairs, and is committed to promoting equal rights, rules and opportunities among all countries, he added.
On China-U.S. military ties
Noting that the stability of China-U.S. military ties concerns global security and stability, Dong said China is always open to exchanges and cooperation but both sides should work to meet each other halfway.
He called for more communication between the two militaries in order to find ways to get along and create positive expectations for the world.
On crises in Ukraine, Palestine
When speaking about the crisis in Ukraine, Dong said China is always committed to promoting peace and has not provided weapons to any side of the conflict.
China strictly manages the export of dual-use articles and has never fueled the conflict with more weaponry, the defense minister said. China firmly stands on the side of peace and dialogue, he added.
Regarding the Palestine-Israel conflict, Dong said China is working with the international community to promote a ceasefire and end hostilities.
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Russian energy revenues rise 50% YoY
By Alfie Shaw June 26, 2024
Russia’s oil and gas revenues for June are set to increase by more than 50% year-on-year, reaching $9.4bn (Rbs821.74bn), according to just-released figures. The rebound comes despite a reduction in refinery subsidies.
While western sanctions aimed at its energy sector continue, the redirection of oil exports to China and India has ensured Russia has been able to maintain revenues and direct funding to the war effort.
Revenues from oil and gas exports were $9.1bn in May and $6bn in June 2023, according to Reuters’ calculations.
The 2024 federal budget predicts that oil and gas revenues will rise 21% from 2023, encouraging the ongoing high level of defence expenditure.
Despite the revenue, Russia has run consecutive annual budget deficits of around 2% of gross domestic product, which have been managed through internal borrowing and the National Wealth Fund.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) forecasts that Russia’s economy will grow up to 2.6% in 2024, up from the IMF’s original forecast in October 2023.
Speaking about the Kremlin’s financial position, Alexandra Prokopenko, fellow at the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Centre, said sanctions had “paradoxically enough, protected the economy from certain external shocks”.
“Economic growth in Russia today benefits from the fact that the Russian economy is heavily geared toward free market mechanisms and forces, increased levels of government spending and the willingness of China and India to import vast quantities of Russian hydrocarbons.”
Although Russia is maintaining flows of oil and gas to China and India, its exports to Europe are set to take a further hit when the gas transit agreement it has with Ukraine comes to an end this year.
Speaking to Offshore Technology on the likelihood of the deal being renewed, Tatiana Mitrova, research scholar at the Columbia Centre on Global Energy Policy, said that there will likely be “a series of shorter-term deals that could be on a monthly basis, which would nevertheless allow some of the gas to keep flowing”.
Read more here.
Moscow-Hanoi ties anger Washington
By Zhang Han
US' hegemony-centered world order is disintegrating: analyst
Russian President Vladimir Putin has arrived in Vietnamese capital Hanoi after a state visit to Pyongyang, starting his first visit to the country since 2017, drawing an anxious tone of criticism from the US.
Large crowds of residents waved the two countries' flags and a 21-gun salute was held to welcome the Russian leader, according to Vietnam News.
The two sides discussed collaboration in "trade and economic, scientific, technological and humanitarian areas" and also exchanged views on key issues on the international and regional agenda, according to media reports.
Putin called Vietnam one of Russia's most reliable partners, and said relations had come a long way and withstood many tests with honor, TASS reported. The two countries also agreed that the Asia-Pacific region needs a reliable security architecture without military blocs.
This visit is of great significance, further deepening the Vietnam-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership in all fields, especially in the context of the two countries striving to realize the joint statement on the comprehensive strategic partnership vision to 2030, Vietnam News Agency (VNA) reported Thursday.
There is ample room to promote trade between Vietnam and Russia's Far East, head of the Vietnam Trade Office Branch in the Far East region Nguyen Hong Thanh told VNA, expressing the hope of opening connection channels between enterprises and tourists, new air routes and removing payment barriers.
President Putin's visit takes place in the context of the rapidly developing, comprehensive, and amicable Vietnam-Russia relationship. It serves as a model of mutually beneficial and equal cooperation, for the sake of peace, cooperation, and development in the region and worldwide, Vietnam News reported.
For Russia, its diplomacy is "turning east and moving south," in order to have practical cooperation with "the majority of the world" in energy, food, technology and other fields, seek support from the "middle land" in major power competition, and tackle Western containment and diplomatic isolation, Zhao Long, deputy director of the Institute of Global Governance at the Shanghai Institute for International Studies, wrote in an opinion piece for the Global Times.
The development of Russia-Vietnam relations is based on the two sovereign countries' interests and is conducive to strategic stability and balance in the region, Li Haidong, a professor at the China Foreign Affairs University, told the Global Times on Thursday.
However, the US is unhappy with their relationship. Voice of America claimed the visit will put Vietnam in a difficult position and could even be seen as risky for Hanoi, expecting no breakthrough from the visit.
"No country should give Putin a platform to promote his war of aggression," a US embassy spokesperson in Hanoi told media.
Li said the US has to accept the reality that its attempt to isolate Russia by forcing other countries to take sides is futile. There are many countries that do not want to be US puppets, and Washington, despite being unhappy with that, has to adapt to it, Li noted.
Vietnam, which officially pursues a neutral foreign policy that it calls "bamboo diplomacy" in its relations with world powers, did not join the Western condemnation of Russia over its military operation in Ukraine, media reported.
By pointing fingers at Russia-Vietnam relations, the US only exposes its "sense of privilege" in strength, ideology and system when handling foreign affairs, Li said.
US President Joe Biden visited Vietnam in September 2023, during which the two countries upgraded their relationship to a comprehensive strategic partnership.
But the US should stop dreaming of pushing Vietnam around with this relationship, as the US hegemony-centered world order is disintegrating and Washington should learn to deal with other sovereign countries on an equal footing, analysts said.
Read more here.
Lloyd Austin called Andrei Belousov
By Russia MoD
Russian Defence Minister Andrei Belousov and U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin have a phone conversation, Russian MoD informs.
On 25 June 2024, at the initiative of the American side Russian Defence Minister Andrei Belousov and U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin had a phone conversation.
The defence ministers shared their views on the situation in Ukraine.
Andrei Belousov pointed out the danger of further escalation due to continued supply of U.S. weapons to the AFU.
Other issues were also discussed.
Pentagon chief speaks with new Russian defense minister. The phone discussion took place after a Ukrainian missile exploded over a packed beach in Crimea, writes RT.
The Russian and US defense chiefs spoke over the phone on Tuesday to discuss the need to maintain communication despite the standoff between the two nuclear powers. It was Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s first direct conversation with Andrey Belousov, who replaced Sergey Shoigu as Russia’s defense minister last month.
Austin “emphasized the importance of maintaining lines of communication amid Russia’s ongoing war against Ukraine,” Pentagon spokesman Pat Ryder said in the readout of the call.
The Russian MOD released a short statement, saying Austin and Belousov “exchanged views about the situation around Ukraine.” Belousov warned the Pentagon chief about “the dangers of further escalation in terms of the continuing deliveries of American weapons to the Ukrainian Armed Forces.”
The conversation took place two days after four beachgoers, including two children, were killed in a Ukrainian missile strike on Crimea.
Moscow condemned Kiev’s “barbaric” attack, which also injured more than 150 people, saying Ukraine had used US-supplied ATACMS long-range missiles with cluster munitions. The MOD also accused the US of helping Kiev pick the targets for the missile strikes.
“We understand perfectly well who is behind this,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
Russia knows well who is behind attack on Crimea, who aims missiles — Kremlin. "It is not the Ukrainians who provide for these launches," Dmitry Peskov said.
Russia understands that it is not Kiev that targets missiles and ensures their launches, although it certainly takes part in the process, Russian Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov has told a news briefing, TASS informs.
"We’ve seen an absolutely barbaric missile attack in Crimea," the Kremlin spokesman said. "We understand perfectly well who is behind it, who targets these technically sophisticated missiles. It is not the Ukrainians who provide for these launches."
"Definitely," Peskov added, responding to an elaborative question whether Kiev was also involved in the attack.
Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier noted that such high-tech systems as, for example, ATACMS missiles, were not serviced by Ukrainian personnel: the manufacturer of these systems – the US – was in charge of intelligence, guidance and target setting.
An attack on Crimea's civilian infrastructure with ATACMS tactical missiles armed with cluster warheads was carried out on June 23. Four missiles were shot down, but the fifth exploded over the city.
According to Sevastopol Governor Mikhail Razvozhayev, the attack killed four people, including two children. More than 150 others were injured.
The Investigative Committee has launched criminal proceedings over an act of terrorism.
The US had previously authorized Kiev to use some of the Western weapons supplied to it for strikes deep into Russian territory during Moscow’s new offensive in Ukraine’s Kharkov Region.
Moscow has maintained, however, that no amount of foreign aid can change the ultimate outcome of the conflict.
Russia does not yet see any conditions for normalizing dialogue with the West despite French President Emmanuel Macron’s remarks on the possibility of interaction with Moscow, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said at a news briefing, TASS informs.
"So far, except for such hesitant statements, regretfully, we do not see any conditions for normalizing dialogue," the Kremlin official said, noting that the atmosphere of trust between Russia and the West has been shattered.
Peskov noted that restoring ties is "a matter of time." "It all depends on the stance of our counterparts," he stressed.
Read more here.
RIMPAC, a 'muscle show' exposing US' true face as a 'paper tiger'
By Global Times
The US-led 29th Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercise, the world's largest international maritime military drill, kicked off on Thursday in and around the Hawaiian Islands. One of the major focuses this year is the sinking exercise of theUSS Tarawa, a 40,000-ton retired amphibious assault ship.
Analysts believe that the RIMPAC exercise is clearly aimed at China, as the only country deemed as "enemy" by the US that operates a 40,000-ton amphibious assault ship in the Asia-Pacific region is China. Some experts also suggest that the US and its allies may be preparing for the potential scenario of the mainland using such a ship to attack the Taiwan island.
The choice of theUSS Tarawaas the sinking target reflects the concern of the US and its allies about the development and strength of China's maritime power, especially regarding the mainland's military deterrence on the Taiwan island. Ultimately, the US hopes to once again hype up the "China threat" rhetoric and intensify regional tensions through staging the RIMPAC exercise, in which America is the absolute protagonist.
The current RIMPAC exercise is more like an elaborately designed maritime show. Ensuring that every scene is shocking enough and looks impressive enough is the most critical task for the US and its allies.
The US spends so many efforts staging such a big show simply because it hopes to prove its power. However, theUSS Tarawais an amphibious assault ship that served in the US from 1976 to 2009. Such an outdated ship cannot be compared with modern military equipment. At the same time, the US should not ignore the progress of China's naval capabilities in defense and counterattack. Therefore, it is completely futile for the US to attempt to deter China through this drill.
Moreover, the US has organized joint maritime exercises targeting China many times, but China has never been intimidated by these drills. For example, during the Valiant Shield 2024 exercise organized by the US in the Indo-Pacific region this month, China directly sent three Type 055 large destroyers to the South China Sea, demonstrating China's strength and determination to defend its territorial sovereignty.
Hence, the US-led military exercises have exposed its essence as a "paper tiger." Apart from emboldening itself, the US-led military exercises may not have any other effect.
The US has increased pressure on China over the issues concerning the South China Sea and Taiwan Straits in order to maintain its global hegemony. However, the vast majority of participating countries are unwilling to actually confront China at the expense of their own national interests.
"The US targets China with the RIMPAC exercises, but most participating countries are solely cajoled by the US. The drill only represents the interests of the US. It is nothing but a show to display the weapons and equipment of the US military so as to facilitate the US' arms sales to its so-called partners and allies," a military expert told the Global Times on Thursday.
In fact, no matter how apparently thrilling the US-led military exercises look, it is impossible to shake China's determination in defending its interests. However, the most destructive effect of the RIMPAC exercise lies in its poisoning of the peaceful atmosphere in the Asia-Pacific region. This has once again revealed to the world who is the actual provocateur and the destroyer of peace that creates a vicious cycle of escalating tensions. If the US thinks that staging a "weapons display" would muddy the waters of the Pacific and disturb China's pace of development, it would undoubtedly have made a miscalculation.
Read more here.