The Day in Politics

SOUTH CHINA SEA China target of Western capitalist aggression is in the spotlight Philippines re:  South China Sea Permanent Court of Arbitration (at The Hague) set to hand down decision joke decision probably more about PR & building public consent to war with China than anything else: Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) "body, based in the neo-Gothic extravagance of the Peace Palace in The Hague, has no enforcement powers" "Winning parties typically pursue their claims in domestic courts - often a fruitless exercise." LOL ... so the ENTIRE EXERCISE is bullsh*t, Philippines. Australia's SBS notes it is the first legal challenge re South China Sea territorial dispute. This is key regional dispute:  WORLD DICTATOR, USA versus China, rising power POLITICAL & MILITARY rivalry intensified, according to SBS   But, really:  it is AMERICAN CAPITALIST & ALLIED CAPITALIST rivalry with rising power China that is at issue http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/2016/07/12/why-philippines-south-china-sea-legal-case-matters IRON LADY Being prime minister must be a puppet position. Looks like it doesn't matter who is the head puppet: Theresa May to become Britain's new PM on Wednesday after Andrea Leadsom ends campaign ABC Australia: Theresa May will become Britain's new prime minister on Wednesday, with the task of steering its withdrawal from the European Union, after her last rival in the bid to succeed David Cameron abruptly abandoned her short-lived campaign. Ms May became the only contender when Andrea Leadsom — who had stirred a storm for suggesting she was more qualified to be the leader because she had children — quit the race on Monday. "I am honoured and humbled to have been chosen by the Conservative Party to become its leader," Ms May told reporters outside Parliament. "Brexit means Brexit and we are going to make a success of it. "We need a strong, new positive vision for the future of our country. A vision of a country that works not for the privileged few, but that works for every one of us."  [comment:  May's lying already.  She's there to secure the interests of the privileged ... LOL ] http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-07-11/andrea-leadsom-withdraws-from-tory-leadership-contest/7588006 I'm with the 'right-wingers' on women in politics:  they shouldn't even get the vote.  LOL (Half) kidding aside, I get the feeling this is some symbolic PR appointment by the Conservatives, whose last woman PM, Margaret Thatcher, is probably one of the most detested women in British, if not world, politics. Uh-oh, this is no empty symbolic appointment.  The Conservatives are set to give the working class a kick in the nuts, using Brexit and a woman PM as cover for their nasty agenda head.  That's my best guess. 11th February 1975 Tories appoint Margaret Thatcher as leader of Conservatives - BBC: "Mrs Thatcher - a mother of twins married to Denis, an oil executive - put in a brief appearance at a party in Pimlico  ..." BBC Sh*t, that doesn't bode well. LOL  ... they always put a woman in, as a cover for their nasty agenda. Why the hate on Maggie? List below sounds like it's drawn by a Culturally Marxist liberal leftie. LOL ... I've gone to have a proper read of below list, and it's one of those Yeah-NAH-list moves. So ignore fascist Thatcherite that wrote that list. LOL  [ummmm ... I don't know that he actually is; I just said that for effect.] But, yeah, I can see how the Maggie Thatcher led Conservatives were crap when you take a look at the overall charges. Thatcherism the conservative policies, political philosophy, and leadership style of former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, characterized especially by monetarism, privatization, and labor union reform. EXTRACT 10 Reasons why Margaret Thatcher is Britain's most hated politician 2013-07-19 destroyed Britain’s manufacturing industry and her policies led to mass unemployment presided over interest rates of 15% [raising VAT from 8% to 15%] voted against the relaxation of divorce laws abolished free milk for School Children precipitated a Social Housing crisis still being felt today Poll Tax [head tax, ancient to 1800s, not on income based] sowed the seeds of NHS Privatisation Section 28 – Thatchers quiet homophobia? The Irish Hunger Strikes SOURCE | more http://josharcher.uk/blog/why-margaret-thatcher-is-hated/ Good Old Days Under Conservative WOMAN PM  [CLICK IMAGE TO ENLARGE]   [CLICK IMAGE TO ENLARGE]  [CLICK IMAGE TO ENLARGE]   [CLICK IMAGE TO ENLARGE]   [CLICK IMAGE TO ENLARGE]  [CLICK IMAGE TO ENLARGE] Conservative Government Scumbags Under-fund Essex Police LINK | post

Capitalists Gang Up on China

China South China Sea http://www.straitstimes.com/asia/east-asia/china-says-it-does-not-make-or-fear-trouble China does not 'make or fear trouble', top military official says at Shangri-La Dialogue Published Jun 6, 2016, 5:00 am SGT Walter Sim     Japan Correspondent China does not "make or fear trouble", a top Chinese military official said yesterday, as he warned against the "provocations of certain countries for their own selfish interests". The territorial spat over the South China Sea once again dominated the Shangri-La Dialogue, in what was becoming a geopolitical competition. Admiral Sun Jianguo, deputy chief of general staff of the People's Liberation Army, said China and Asean are perfectly capable of working together to preserve peace and stability in the waterway and iron out any differences through consultation.  [People's Liberation Army = China] "Any countries that are not directly concerned are not allowed to sabotage our path of peace for their selfish gains," he said at the security summit, which ended yesterday. The three-day event was organised by the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies. Admiral Sun spoke for half an hour in a speech that did not explicitly refer to the US when criticising interference in the disputes. Dr Jonathan Pollack, a senior fellow at the Centre for East Asia Policy Studies at the US-based Brookings Institution, said that by not referring to the US, China signalled that it did not want to "let what are obviously strong bilateral differences to get so injected into the conversation that it makes any reasonable or reasoned discussion impossible". Last Saturday, US Defence Secretary Ashton Carter had warned that China's actions in the South China Sea were putting it at risk of "erecting a Great Wall of self-isolation".  [comment:  LOL ... that's their stock standard bullsh*t; it's what they say about Russia when the US capitalist target Russia for sanctions and US capitalist aggression. ] Admiral Sun yesterday rejected this notion, saying many countries have been "warmer and friendlier to me, and respect and trust me more" as compared with last year, when he also attended the summit. "We were not isolated in the past, we are not isolated and we will not be isolated," he said. He also said escalating tensions in the South China Sea were because of threats and military exercises by "some big countries", and that the levels of threat meant China needed military defence there. Admiral Sun also lashed out at the Philippines for initiating a case against China at the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague, saying it was in breach of a bilateral agreement and in violation of international law. China has said that it will reject the ruling, which is expected in weeks. Asked how China will respond to Philippine President-elect Rodrigo Duterte's desire to resume bilateral talks with China, Admiral Sun said he hopes Mr Duterte "can shake off the burden of the last administration and remove the obstacle to bilateral development". The disputes in the East and South China seas have caused concern beyond the region, with Canada's Minister for National Defence Harjit Singh Sajjan saying that, as a Pacific power, it wants to contribute to regional maritime security.  [comment:  Of course, the Canadian cucks want to get in on the action:  they are vassals of the same US-Anglo capitalist elites.] French Defence Minister Jean- Yves Le Drian said he will make a proposal to his European Union counterparts to coordinate patrols in Asian waters in defence of international law.  [comment:  the French are in the same US-Anglo capitalist vassal camp and the French are as shifty as sewer rats.] Professor Huang Jing, from the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, said: "The Asia-Pacific has become the centre of gravity not just for economics but also for security, diplomacy and politics."  [ The Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy is associated with National University of Singapore.  There is x1 US military base in Singapore.  Report of Feb 2015:  US intends to operate x4 warships out of Singapore by 2018.  2015 - US planning on BUILDING x52 LCS vessels  @ $37 billion.  LCS = littoral combat ship (LCS) is a class of relatively small surface vessels (close to shore ops).   2012:  US announced shift of BULK of naval fleet to Pacific by 2020; strategic focus on Asia.  Note:  US is not a claimant in the territorial South China Sea dispute.  http://archive.is/QNGuo   /  Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy is based primarily in Manasseh Meyer & Oei Tiong Ham buildings.  Manasseh Meyer, Baghdad born, Jewish, Calcutta educated, Singaporean, British, businessman.  Oei Tiong Ham (d. 1924) described as Chinese Indonesian businessman; son of multinational trading company owner, born in what was Dutch East Indies (Indonesia); wealth sugar industry; money-lending or credit involved; main debtors = owners of sugar factories East Java; when unable to pay 1880s, x5 factories acquired as creditor.] He added: "What is interesting is that, on the one hand, the South China Sea is becoming a major playground for all the major powers but, on the other hand, it is exactly because of this that peace and stability are all the more important." http://www.straitstimes.com/asia/east-asia/china-says-it-does-not-make-or-fear-trouble COMMENT China's South China Sea territorial dispute involves: Brunei, Malaysia, Philippines, Vietnam, Taiwan. I'm on China's side ... but I'm not very reliable. The capitalists are ganging up on China.

Japan Hyping China Threat

SOURCE http://www.ecns.cn/2015/07-23/174137.shtml Chinese ambassdor to Japan warns against hyping China threat 2015-07-23 08:50   Global Times Editor: Li Yan Ambassador Cheng urges Japan to face history with right perspective The Chinese ambassador to Japan on Wednesday warned against Japan's attempt to hype up "China threat" while adjusting its security policy to a path away from its post-War pacifism. In an exclusive interview with the Global Times on Wednesday, Cheng Yonghua, Chinese ambassador to Japan, said China is alarmed by Japan's recent move to portray China as a "security threat" in its latest defense white paper while mustering support for a defense bill that seeks to expand Japan's military role overseas. "We resolutely oppose the Japanese government using China as an excuse for pushing its security policy. It is dangerous [for the Japanese government] to make up and exaggerate 'China threat,' as it would lead to escalation and confrontation, in particular because China and Japan are neighbors," Cheng told the Global Times. In the defense white paper released Tuesday, Japan's defense ministry said China has continued "attempts to alter the status quo by coercive measures" in the South China Sea. Cheng, however, pointed out that China has historically held sovereignty over the South China Sea. "We have to look back into history, as China since the Han and Tang dynasties become the first to discover, name and manage the islands and reefs," Cheng noted, "During World War II, Japan occupied the islands of Nansha and Xisha. But after the war, the Potsdam Declaration stipulated that these islands be returned to China." The neighboring countries in the region never declared sovereignty over these islands until the end of 1960s, Cheng said. Having worked in the Chinese Embassy in Japan for over 20 years, Cheng has observed a promising development in Sino-Japanese relations, from the four-point principled agreement reached between Japan and China in November 2014, to the increasing economic exchanges between the two countries. But he pointed out that the historical problems have for long cast shadow on the Sino-Japanese relations. This year, which marks the 70th anniversary of the end of WWII, offers Japan an opportunity to, based upon the reflection of the past, turn a new page in history and move forward. As the world commemorates the 70th anniversary of the victory of the World Anti-Fascism War this year, and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe prepares to make a statement in August, Cheng urged the Japanese leader to face the history with a correct point of view. "Without a right view of history, the future path will be dangerous," said the ambassador. "Japan must demonstrate sincerity of a perpetrator to the victims, and guarantee through action that history won't repeat itself," he said. With a series of events planned in the country in September to mark the end of the war, China has invited the leaders of all the relevant countries to those events. Whether or not Abe will attend the events in Beijing has not been decided, according to the ambassador. SOURCE http://www.ecns.cn/2015/07-23/174137.shtml ---------------------  COMMENT Why isn't anyone concerned about the Japanese breaking the pacifist position? Is Japan proposing to attack China along with USA and its allies after provoking some kind of confrontation over the South China Sea dispute? --------------------- LOOK-UPS Potsdam Declaration Terms of Surrender of Japanese, WWII conflict - here. Japan didn't immediately act on surrender, so USA dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

CHINA'S FIRST AIRCRAFT CARRIER

China's aircraft carrier puts naval ambitions on show Published: 25 Jul 2014 at 10.48 | Online news: Asia Writer: AFP DALIAN (CHINA) - At a northern quayside China's first aircraft carrier dwarfs nearby vessels, its take-off ramp rising higher than the top deck of the cruise ship at the next berth, symbolising the country's naval ambitions. ... Beijing proclaims that China's rise is entirely peaceful and it has no interest in hegemony [imperialism], but analysts say its goal is to surpass the naval capability of Japan's Self-Defense Forces and ultimately rival the US Navy, masters of the Pacific. ... The 300-metre (1,000-foot) Liaoning -- a Soviet-era vessel Beijing bought from Ukraine -- was commissioned in September 2012, and officers have acknowledged that it is not yet ready for combat, with naval fighter pilots taking years to train. But it is only the first Chinese vessel of its type. Analysts say future carriers will be entirely Chinese-made and ultimately nuclear-powered, vastly extending their range. The People's Liberation Army (PLA) is already the world's largest standing military, and when Chinese President Xi Jinping went on board the Liaoning last year he spoke of building "a powerful people's navy". Xi has made a point of visiting several military bases since taking office and has said that "being able to fight and win battles is the essence of strengthening the military". ... [British military publisher Jane's] In the medium to long term, they said, China will need "an expanding presence around the world" to secure its interests in resources, markets and shipping routes. "A widespread naval presence thus will be required." Earlier this year reports in state-run media ... saying a second vessel was already under construction in Dalian and two more were in the pipeline. The PLA clouds its activities in secrecy, and the military zones at the tip of the Lushunkou peninsula ... are forbidden to outsiders. ... China has long proclaimed itself as rising peacefully and insists that its military expansion is purely to defend itself. Washington has 10 aircraft carriers at its disposal, soon to rise to 11 when the USS Gerald R Ford enters service.

For its part Tokyo ... will soon have a helicopter carrier of its own, which could potentially be adapted to carry vertical take-off fighter jets. But in recent months Beijing has asserted itself ever more aggressively in maritime territorial disputes with Japan in the East China Sea and several southeast Asian nations in the South China Sea, raising fears of clashes. It has four ships taking part in the US-led Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) joint exercises off Hawaii, which analysts have touted as a step towards improving military ties, and visiting US Admiral Jonathan Greenert was given a tour of the Liaoning earlier this month.  But Beijing also sent a surveillance ship to spy on the RIMPAC drills, according to US reports citing the US Navy. China's "behaviour in its near seas and its territorial claims suggest that it is going to robustly defend its 'core interests'", said the Jane's specialists. "... you can say that China is closing the gap on Japan in most areas and outpacing it in others," they added. "The PLA has substantial offensive capabilities in the form of ballistic and cruise missiles, fast jets, bombers, amphibious forces, heavy armour, destroyers, frigates and so on, so the idea that it is armed just for self-defence doesn't really wash."  By 2030 China could have four or possibly five aircraft carriers in service, including the Liaoning, says Fisher, and could ultimately decide to build as many as 10. It will be the culmination of decades of ambition, he said, describing Mao Zedong and other Chinese leaders' denunciations of the US and Soviet Union for their "imperialist" military capabilities in the 1950s and 60s as "a reflection of their intense envy". "Mao always wanted to have a superpower level of global influence but was also quite happy to condemn those who had it, when he did not," he said. "All of Mao's successors have worked to fulfil a dream of future Chinese strategic dominance." Source - Bangkok Post - here.

China has its first aircraft carrier.

US is about to launch its 11th.

Japan (who may now enter into conflicts abroad) will soon have a helicopter carrier.

Meanwhile, Thailand and Philippines have "jointly called for peaceful resolution of disputes in the South China Sea" (here):

"Tensions spiked anew in the troubled waters when China placed an oil rig in waters it jointly claims with Vietnam, sparking a maritime standoff between the two neighbors and Vietnamese raids on Chinese-ran factories in Vietnam.

China’s expanding law enforcement jurisdiction and patrols encompassing nearly the whole of South China Sea have also alarmed the Philippines as it covers sections of its territorial waters, known locally as West Philippine Sea.

Adding to the tensions is China’s reclamation of at least two South China Sea reefs being claimed by the Philippines that were transformed into artificial islands."

"The Thai minister said his government is hoping for an early conclusion of the code of conduct as well as the full and effective implementation of a non-binding non-aggression document, called Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea or DOC.

The DOC was signed by China and the 10-member ASEAN in 2002. It calls on all claimants to exercise restraint and stop new occupation of territories in the South China Sea. However, the document lacks the power to sanction states that violate its provisions.

Sihasak [Acting Thai Foreign Minister] said ASEAN will hold a meeting with China in Thailand in October to try to move forward with the full and effective implementation of the DOC and push for the swift conclusion of a code of conduct in the South China Sea."

Sounds like everyone's nervous of China.

It's early days with the aircraft carrier, but I suppose if you were a small nation in the Pacific having "the world's largest standing military (China's People's Liberation Army) nearby, being a tad nervous or intimidated is understandable.

---------------------------------------------
NEWS SOURCE # 1 - AFP

Agence France-Presse (AFP) is an international news agency  headquartered in Paris. It is the oldest  news agency in the world and one of the largest. Currently, its CEO is Emmanuel Hoog and its news director Philippe Massonnet. AFP headquarters is in Paris ...

Vietnam's Cam Rahn Bay facilities - Vietnam looking to East or West?

 The Japan Times Article

China removes oil rig that triggered Vietnam riots from disputed waters

AP

... 

It said oil and gas has been discovered during the operation, but was assessing the data gathered before deciding its next move. It has always been unclear whether the Beijing deployed the rig for genuine exploration reasons or geopolitical ones. When it announced the deployment, Beijing said it would withdraw it on Aug. 15, also citing the typhoon season.

Ha Le, deputy director of Vietnam’s fisheries resources surveillance department, said China began removing the rig and escorting vessels Tuesday night, and by 8 a.m. Wednesday it was 40 nautical miles northwest of its original location and continuing to move toward Hainan island.

Le said 30 vessels from Vietnam’s coast guard and fisheries patrol forces that were sent to try to force the Chinese oil rig away will return to port to avoid the incoming Rammasun typhoon.

China’s unwillingness to move the rig exposed Vietnam’s lack of options when dealing with its giant neighbor. The workings of the Vietnamese government are shrouded in secrecy, but it has long been assumed that the Communist Party is split between a faction that favors a tough line against Beijing — and consequentially stronger ties with the United States and its allies in Asia — and those members who believe a compromise can be reached with their ideological allies to the north.

As a result of the rig placement, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has said the country was preparing to file a legal challenge to China’s claims in an international tribunal, something that risks angering China. It remains to be seen whether Vietnam will go ahead with that now the rig has been withdrawn.

Former Vietnamese Ambassador to Beijing Nguyen Trong Vinh said China’s removal of the rig didn’t signal a change of attitude on behalf of the country.

“The removal of the oil rig from our continental shelf and exclusive economic zone is only temporary. Maybe they pulled out the oil rig ahead of the typhoon season. It does not mean that they have abandoned their resolve to take control of most of the East Sea,” he said, using the Vietnamese term for the South China Sea.

EXTRACT ONLY - Source - The Japan Times - here.

--------------------------------------------
Article Publisher Background

Toshiaki Ogasawara has been Chairman of The Japan Times Ltd. since 2001 and serves as its Chief Executive Officer and Publisher. ... He served as an Advisory Director with Bank of America. Mr. Ogasawara ...

Board Members Memberships*

Trustee

University of Southern California

Unknown/Other Education

Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs  - [Princeton University]

 Other Affiliations*

University of Southern California

...

Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs [Princeton University]

Business Breakthrough, Inc. [Educational services - Tokyo Japan]

...

Source - Business Newsweek - here. 

--------------------------------------------
Vietnam Government

The Socialist Republic of Vietnam, along with China, Cuba, and Laos, is one of the world's four remaining single-party socialist states officially espousing communism. Its current state constitution, which replaced the 1975 constitution in April 1992, asserts the central role of the Communist Party of Vietnam in all organs of government, politics and society.

[wikipedia]

 --------------------------------------------
Japan Government

Japan is a member of the G8, APEC, and "ASEAN Plus Three", and is a participant in the East Asia Summit. Japan signed a security pact with Australia in March 2007 and with India in October 2008.

It is the world's third largest donor of official development assistance after the United States and France, donating US$9.48 billion in 2009.


Japan has close economic and military relations with the United States; the US-Japan security alliance acts as the cornerstone of the nation's foreign policy.  A member state of the United Nations since 1956, Japan has served as a non-permanent Security Council member for a total of 20 years, most recently for 2009 and 2010. It is one of the G4 nations seeking permanent membership in the Security Council.

Japan is engaged in several territorial disputes with its neighbors: with Russia over the South Kuril Islands, with South Korea over the Liancourt Rocks, with China and Taiwan over the Senkaku Islands, and with China over the EEZ around Okinotorishima.  Japan also faces an ongoing dispute with North Korea over the latter's abduction of Japanese citizens and its nuclear weapons and missile program (see also Six-party talks).


Japan maintains one of the largest military budgets of any country in the world.  Japan contributed non-combatant troops to the Iraq War but subsequently withdrew its forces.

[wikipedia]

--------------------------------------------
COMMENT

[NOTE - The above background info is largely for my own benefit, trying to make out who's who.]

China pulling its oil rig from the contested waters is a development which may -- or may not -- influence current negotiations purportedly taking place between Vietnam and both US and Russia, in respect of the Cam Rhan Bay port -- a deep sea port 'seven miles from open sea', which has recently been upgraded to the tune of millions of dollars and is capable of accommodating aircraft carriers as well as docking and maintaining sea vessels.

So the question is, which way will Vietnam turn and:  is the Communist Party in Vietnam divided when it comes to deciding how to best address maritime territorial interests?

Vietnamese Communist Party factional divisions (if any) can only be guessed at.

However, I suspect that alliance-shy Vietnam is looking to make the best deal it can negotiate and, as mentioned, discussions are purportedly 'well under-way' with both Russia and the US.

From the US perspective, Vietnam has common interests with with the US who:

... also wants to protect what is, according to a 2012 U.S. estimates, $1.2 trillion in U.S. trade transiting along South China Sea shipping lanes. 

[Source - stripes.com]

Of course, the US also has military interests in the Asia-Pacific region, so Cam Rahn Bay access is also of wider strategic military value to the US.

At this stage (June 2014), it appears that the US is quietly hopeful that the Vietnam's attitude has warmed towards the US in more recent times:

“There have been remarkable strides already made in last few years, and it’s been very rapid since 2010 in terms of U.S.-Vietnam military relationships,” said Christian Le Mière, senior fellow at the International Institute for Strategic Studies. “Continued assertiveness by China in the South China Sea will only further convince the Vietnamese that they should be expanding their international alliances, and that includes the United States.”

The U.S. Navy has been making port visits to Da Nang in recent years, engaging in activities that started with sports and ship tours with Vietnamese sailors, and developed into a joint search-and-rescue exercise last year. Greater U.S. Navy access to Cam Ranh Bay, further south near Nha Trang, would represent a bigger step in the military-to-military relationship.

The deep water port is about seven miles from open sea and is capable of accommodating aircraft carriers, and its facilities recently underwent millions of dollars in upgrades. Its airport is used by both Vietnamese military forces and by commercial carriers.

U.S. Military Sealift Command ships have visited for repairs — the first came along with former U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta in 2012 — but no active U.S. Navy ship has visited the port since the Vietnam War.

[Source - stripes.com] 

What is also interesting is that the US has set up the PSI (Proliferation Security Initiative) which received over 50% UN support since its inception:

Launched by United States President George W. Bush in May 2003 at a meeting in Kraków, Poland, the PSI has now grown to include the endorsement of 103...nations around the world, including Russia, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Poland, Singapore, New Zealand, Republic of Korea and Norway. Despite the support of over half of the Members of the United Nations, a number of countries have expressed opposition to the initiative, including India, China and Indonesia.
[wikipedia]

Vietnam, along with China, appears to have opposed the PSI initiative -- until Vietnam backed off last month:

PSI was created by the U.S and Poland in 2003 as an international effort to interdict [prohibit] vessels carrying weapons of mass destruction, and it has since garnered signatories from more than 100 countries.

Vietnam joined with China in strenuously arguing that PSI violated international law, until Hanoi changed its mind last month.

“It’s a bait on the hook to request the United States to assist in standing up their ability to conduct maritime reconnaissance and surveillance, and link to shore-based radars and other technical equipment,” Thayer said.

The additional U.S. presence could force China to act less aggressively in the area, while at the same time allowing Vietnam to show that it took no provocative action against China.

[Source - stripes.com]

If I have that straight, it would seem that Vietnam backing off from opposing the PSI is perhaps signalling it may be inclined towards making way for US presence at the Cam Rahn Bay facilities -- or it may simply be one of the concessions Vietnam is willing to make in the interim, towards forwarding its Cam Rahn negotiations.

Uncertain what the 'bait in the hook' request is & too lazy to re-visit article (LOL).  Expect Vietnam has requested the US to assist in Vietnam with reconnaissance and surveillance, if I'm reading that right.

Whatever the outcome of negotiations, the US are purportedly keen on getting a foot in the Cam Rahn door.

One suspects that even if negotiations fail, the US would not be averse to creating an 'international logistics hub' via a less 'threatening' option (to Vietnam) -- ie the 'Places Not Bases' initiative -- where it would be envisaged that the Cam Rahn Bay facilities would provide the US with assured access for repair, refuelling, restocking and so on (as well as presence in the region), on an informal "partner" arrangement basis, such as the one the US has apparently negotiated with Singapore.

The 'Places Not Bases' strategy is explained below:

... the Pentagon fashioned a policy of “places, not bases,” whereby the U.S. military sought access to naval facilities of “partner” countries.

Compared to “bases” run by formal allies such as South Korea and Japan, “places” in Singapore — and other countries such as Malaysia and Brunei — enabled the U.S. military to maintain its presence in the region ...

Singapore is the quintessential example of such a “places, not bases” strategy.

SOURCE - The China Post (Taiwan) - here.

So will Vietnam look towards the east or the west when it comes to negotiating maritime concerns in the region?

If The Japan Times is correct, the final decision may depend on intra-party politics in Vietnam.

Politics aside, Vietnam's decision may well pivot on how attractive the commercial prospects are for Vietnam.

Or ... on how impressed they may be with Bill Clinton's visit (LOL):


--------------------------------------------
Thanhnien News

Bill Clinton to visit Vietnam again

Thanh Nien News

July 16, 2014 17:13

Former US President Bill Clinton will return to Vietnam on Friday (July 18) as part of his Asia-Pacific trip to visit the work of the Clinton Foundation and deliver remarks at the 20th International AIDS Conference, according to a release by the Clinton Foundation.

Clinton, who visited Vietnam for the first time in November 2000, is scheduled to visit India, Vietnam, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and Australia from July 16-23.

The trip highlights Clinton’s longstanding commitment to the Asia/Pacific region, as well as the work of the Clinton Foundation on a number of issues that are critical to the region, including global health and improved access to medicines, climate change and economic development, the release said.

In Vietnam, he will visit an orphanage outside of Hanoi to view a Clinton Health Access Initiative program that aims to prevent tuberculosis among children living with HIV.

Clinton's November 2000 visit to Vietnam was the first by a US President since the two countries normalized diplomatic relations in 1995, 20 years after the end of the Vietnam War.

He later returned to Vietnam in several occasions to promote work of the Clinton Foundation in the country.

Source - Thanhnien News - here.

--------------------------------------------

Hmmm ... what a coincidence Bill's in town.

Maybe I'm a cynic, but it looks like the US are pulling out all stops to win over Vietnam -- and Clinton's charity tour schedule just happens to coincide.

Charity foundations really are the way to go; good access, favourable impressions etc.

China withdraws oil rig from disputed waters claimed by Vietnam - Pew Research Centre chimes in

 Time Article

China Removes Contentious Oil Rig From Waters Claimed by Vietnam

David Stout

4:40 AM ET

...

... state-backed China Oilfield Services Limited said the billion-dollar platform, which had been drilling in the heart of highly contested waters claimed by Vietnam, had “precisely extracted the related geological data as planned” and was being redeployed to sea blocks off China’s Hainan Island.

The Vietnamese coast guard confirmed the platform was being towed out of the disputed waters south of the Paracel Islands, claimed by Vietnam but occupied by the Chinese, late Tuesday night.

...

... smoldering nationalist anger exploded into deadly bouts of rioting at industrial parks in the suburbs of Ho Chi Minh City and in central Vietnam’s Ha Tinh province in mid-May.

Factories were razed, several Chinese workers were killed and relations between the neighbors deteriorated to their lowest ebb since diplomatic ties were renewed in the early 1990s.

Beijing remained unmoved by Hanoi’s objections, despite continued protests from the highest levels of government.

“The relations are certainly damaged and the outlook is not encouraging, particularly as China has indicated it has plans to send out more oil rigs to disputed waters and has made provocative statements with respect to its plans in the Spratly chain,” Jonathan D. London, a professor and Vietnamese scholar at Hong Kong’s City University, tells TIME.

Tensions remain high. A study released by the Pew Research Center on Monday reported that 84% of the Vietnamese polled said they were concerned that conflict could erupt with their northern neighbor.

Professor Bruce Jacobs, an Asia expert at Australia’s Monash University, says the deployment of Haiyang Shiyou 981 must be viewed within the context of Beijing’s brazen maneuvers to consolidate its long-held, albeit highly disputed, grandiose maritime claims across the Asia-Pacific. “The oil rig was just part of that,” he says.

With China unrepentant, the U.S. has attempted to use the episode to strengthen relations with its Asian partnerships and position itself as an arbitrator in the Pacific. 

Last week Michael Fuchs, U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Strategy and Multilateral Affairs, called on all states claiming a stake in the South China Sea “to clarify and agree to voluntarily freeze certain actions and activities that escalate disputes and cause instability.”

In response, Beijing accused the U.S. of unsolicited meddling.

“We hope that countries outside the region can stay neutral, distinguish right from wrong and truly respect the joint efforts made by regional countries for peace and stability of the region,” said Hong Lei, China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson, on Tuesday.

 Full Article @ Time - here.

----------------------------------------------

COMMENT

China moving on should ease immediate tension.

It remains to be seen if the US, who is wooing Vietnam & hoping to ease US navy (and aircraft) docking at Vietnam's Cam Rahn Bay facilities, will eventually win Vietnam over.

Funny how Pew Research Centre chimes in with one of their trusty little surveys.  LOL.

 

CHINA: Xi says confrontation between US and China would be disastrous for both countries

 ARTICLE: Online International News Network - here.

World

Xi says US-China confrontation would be 'disaster’

Dated: 2014-07-10
Beijing: Confrontation with the US would be a "disaster", Chinese President Xi Jinping Wednesday said as he called for mutual respect between the two nations. Mr Xi's comments came at an annual China-US dialogue held in Beijing.

Diplomats are expected to discuss China's currency, North Korea and tensions in the South China Sea. The US delegation is led by Secretary of State John Kerry, who in his opening remarks said that the US was not seeking to "contain" China. 

Mr Xi said the two countries' interests were now "more than ever interconnected", with much to gain from co-operation.

"China-US confrontation, to the two countries and the world, would definitely be a disaster," he said. "We should mutually respect and treat each other equally, and respect the other's sovereignty and territorial integrity and respect each other's choice on the path of development." 

Kerry, meanwhile, said the US did "not seek to contain China" and urged Beijing not to "interpret it as an overall strategy" when the US differed from China on certain issues.

US President Barack Obama also said in a statement that the US "welcomes the emergence of a stable, peaceful, and prosperous China".

"We remain determined to ensure that co-operation defines the overall relationship," he said. But US leaders have also called on China to do its part in maintaining stability in Asia.

Mr Kerry said the US welcomed a China that "contributes to the stability and development of the region and chooses to play a responsible role in world affairs".

The talks come with China locked in bitter disputes with several neighbours in the region, notably Vietnam and the Philippines, over claims in the South China Sea.

In turn, the US has stepped up joint military exercises with the Philippines and its military presence there, a move over which China has raised concerns. One of the latest exercises was conducted in the South China Sea near disputed waters two weeks ago.

Increased anti-Japan rhetoric has also come from China in recent weeks, following a decision by the Japanese cabinet to reinterpret the constitution, giving the Japanese military greater latitude to fight overseas.

Both countries claim a string of islands in the East China Sea and ties are severely strained over this issue.

The US and China have also had disagreements in recent months, particularly over cyber-attacks. In May, US authorities charged five Chinese military officers with hacking into American businesses.
Beijing has vigorously denied the charges, accusing the US of launching cyber-attacks against China.

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COMMENT

In this blog poster's opinion, general coverage from various sources, of the US-China talks, comes across as friendlier than it would seem at first glance.

When the poster first read China's remark (yesterday in some other report) that confrontation between US and China would be disastrous for both countries, the poster took that to mean that China is squaring up to the US and that behind all the diplomacy there's a steeliness.

Bear in mind US is conducting military exercises in the disputed waters (much like it is in Russia's backyard, the Black Sea), so the poster takes this to be a flexing of muscles and an attempt at maybe intimidation of the opponent (although the Russians put it as the US-NATO (in their case) putting 'pressure' on).

China also reminds the US of the need to respect each other's sovereignty in equal relations etc.  Again, the poster took that as:  hey, respect China's sovereignty.

Perhaps as a new political watcher, I'm reading too much into these statements.

Kerry conveys that:

the US was not seeking to "contain" China. 

but what is actually happening, the Asia-Pacific alliances that are 'iron clad' and even the Philippine ally's assertion that the US is surrounding China (Fox News article), would indicate that perhaps the US wishes to do just that in the region.


As a novice political watcher, the poster perhaps reads too much into what's said and what's done.

Anyway, catch-ups in relation to US-China and Philippines are complete.

[cross-tagged to Ukraine, Russia, US-Nato]