Beyond the Headlines - The Asian Connections

I'm not crazy about the situation in Asia.

And I'm not just taking about the Kim Crisis although North Korea takes the headlines. Really Asia is much more of a melting pot of strained relations than the media might lead one to believe.

Let's look beyond the headlines and see which relations are affected by current events in the region. I think it might be more than some are aware of:



North Korea/South Korea. No need to explain that one.

USA/China. As you all know, the US is an ally of South Korea and China an ally of North Korea, so naturally the Korean situation implicates the two superpowers.

China/Australia. China is bonding fast and heavily with the longtime US ally in Oceania. Huge econimic incitements for Australia to tie itself closer to China are given at the cost of both US partnership and the US dollar. Plans are to bypass the USD entirely.

Australia/USA. As noted above, the strengthen relations between China and Australia comes at the cost of US interests. Unofficially China is said to have warned Australia against siding with USA in Asian/Oceanic matters. Clearly and understandably the US are not happy about that.

Japan/China. The relations between those two countries are seriously bad. Had it not been for Iran and North Korea, this would have taken many more headlines over the past year. The Diaoyu/Senkaku standoff has the potential to erupt at any time, but are somewhat overlooked at the moment.

China/Taiwan. This really is the one positive case. The cross strait relations has been warming and China's Xi Jinping even met with a Taiwanese delegation back in February.

Taiwan/Japan. But guess what. Taiwan and Japan just announced a deal regarding fishing rights for the waters around the Senkaku (or Diaoyu) Islands - The very Islands the Chinese claims right to. By striking that deal the Taiwanese effectively recognize Japan as the rightful owner. And yes, the Chinese are furious with both countries, setting back the relations to Taiwan by a decade.


So there you have it (as I see it at least).

Tensions are NOT contained to the Korean Peninsula. Sure, Kim Jong-un might be the face of the escalating Asian crisis, but with so many so interconnected relations, the incident that sends things spiraling out of control can come from anywhere in the region.


I'm a bit spooked. Look at any of those relations isolated, and they seem manegable, but look at them as interconnected, and it's easy to imagine how things could get out of hand.

Let's hope it doesn't

reply to post by DupontDeux


Add Russia, Iran, Brazil, Venezuela, Cuba into the mix - and it's even messier.

China controls the Panama Canal, the Egypt? controls the Suez Canal - I guess the CIA orchestrated "arab spring" didn't quite turn out as planned - or did it?

reply to post by Happy1


Sure, but I'm trying to give a regional perspective. You know, as to illustrate how many things is going on in Asia alone, and how interconnected they are (and how little of that that is conveyed in the general media).

reply to post by DupontDeux


A lot of people don't understand how different their values, mores, and culture is, as compared with the western world, also.

Hopefully, we can all learn something this go around.

I haven't been following politics as much as I used to a few years ago, but weren't the Vietnamese feeling threatened by Chinese expansion as well? Some dispute over either territory or mineral rights in the South China Sea.

Some of the other SE Asian nations are also fairly wary of Chinese expansion

reply to post by MortlitantiFMMJ


You know, I haven't heard much about the Chinese/Vietnamese relations in a long time, but it seems that though the common Vietnamese have as strong an anti Chinese sentiment as ever, the political relations are doing okay. Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong recently chatted with Ji Xinping and 'exchanged views on a number of measures to further develop the Vietnam-China partnership in the near future.'

OP , you are on they money with your concern's and information.This is going to happen .I have heard so many pathetic and uneducated argument's I feel ill by the mass delusion.This has already gone beyond the point of return.
People have now argued, that China is going to slap North Korea down. The statement was, China will not tolerate monkey business in the region. N. Korea was not named.There is a reason for that. Why does everyone assume that this statement is directed at N. Korea ? Wishful thinking. China is well aware of who is doing what.They will not stand for U.S military bases of their back door step.North Korea is the one object that stand's between them. Hence The U.S is provoking N.K and playing innocent and squeeky clean.
Does anyone really think that China will allow a bogus missle defense shield on the border like the US has done to Russia ? In the same argument , people claim china need's the U.S for it's economy. Ah, no it does not .America owes them enough now.They don't need anymore bad debt.Which is another bad issue between China and the U.S.
As you mentioned there is bad blood between China and Japan. Well China will sit back and let N.Korea target American bases in Japan.The benifit's are two fold and their hands are clean.

Those two missiles are pointing at Seoul and Japan.Mark my words.Guam and the U.S is not the primary.

Well researched OP, I've been feeling all alone.

Everything, everywhere is precariously balanced waiting for that little nudge to send everything tumbling down. It seems like no country in the world is more then 1 or two steps removed from a world war. Asia (all of it, middle east, russia, mid-asia, and east asia) seems to be a hotbed that is just ready to push that nudge.

Not to mention every country also seems to be propping up some lie called their economy. Even China is no exception (just look into China's ghost cities and you will see that not everything is all hunky dory over in China). So an economic meltdown could trigger it just as well.

Fun times we live in huh?

reply to post by 13th Zodiac


I agree. I am not at all convinced China is aiming it's warnings at North Korea.

China's main concern is with Japan and Taiwan and to a lesser extent Australia. The latter to lessen US/Western regional influence by proxy. Though China most likely would prefer North Korea not to go to war, China has by far the least to loose, and in some ways even something to gain. It, Korean war, is a damned risky bet, but one China just might not go to extremes to avoid to take.

reply to post by DupontDeux


How does China feel about that slow, leaking fukushima death tower in Japan? Would they just as soon see it blown sky-high, with the bulk of the radiation going west toward the america's, than to have it leak into their waters continuously?

Any thoughts?

Originally posted by 13th Zodiac
People have now argued, that China is going to slap North Korea down. The statement was, China will not tolerate monkey business in the region. N. Korea was not named.There is a reason for that. Why does everyone assume that this statement is directed at N. Korea ? Wishful thinking.

I've been thinking the same thing. What if China has only been placating the UN, while secretly encouraging NK?

The key to peace in Asia is the presence of the US. So long as US power remains dominate the other Asian states refrain from going on an arms race and going nuclear. China much prefers things the way they are now. The US spends its money making sure everyone feels safe and that trade and oil keep flowing. War in the region is bad for China. An arms race in the region is bad for China. A dozen nuclear armed states in the Pacfic is bad for China. Right now China has it good and they know it. China's biggest fear is not US power (something it has safely lived with for decades) but the possible end of US power in the region. That could be a disaster for them.

Originally posted by Happy1
reply to post by DupontDeux

 

How does China feel about that slow, leaking fukushima death tower in Japan? Would they just as soon see it blown sky-high, with the bulk of the radiation going west toward the america's, than to have it leak into their waters continuously?

Any thoughts?

Honestly I don't think they care.

Did you know - not many do - that the radiation from coal plants in China annually by a HUGE amount exceeds that from 'a Chernobyl disaster' which really is worse than a worst case fukushima daiichi scenario? Also, Fukushima is on the East coast of Japan and almost at the point furthest away from mainland China. I'm not really sure about the ocean currents, but the North Pacific Ocean can handle almost any amount of radiated material we throw at (or rather 'in') it.