Penman/Sword Laugh &Nagging Sister
This year and tomorrow, three bilateral meetings that have attracted much attention will be staged in turn.
Whether from the information involving the state or released in advance, they regard China as a "key concern", and the anti-China concentration is different but quite high.
Strengthening the uk-australia defense link "is a key part of countering China's aggressive posture." ”
"Aggression", yes, you read that right. British Foreign Secretary Traus, already in Canberra, unabashedly attacked China in an exclusive interview with The Australian.
The "2+2" talks between the British and Australian defense ministers and foreign ministers will only be held tomorrow, but now they have released full malice toward China.
Also on the 21st, the first Japan-U.S. summit meeting during the Kishida period, which has been "long awaited" by the Japanese side, will also be staged. Although it was held by video, the two sides had already created a strong anti-China atmosphere in advance, and the spearhead was also aimed at China.
In addition to tomorrow's talks, the "2+2" talks between the Japanese and French foreign ministers and defense ministers, which have been held today, are also crammed with China-related issues such as the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea, focusing on China, which is "increasingly active in military activities."
The three meetings all have explicit or implicit American factors behind them. They have been staged one after another, which is exactly in line with Washington's wishes and has stirred up the anti-China issue quite lively.
But can this be considered a "success" for Washington to win over allies?
01
Mr. Truss blamed China and Russia together.
"Russia and China have become more aggressive," she said. ”
Mr. Tras believes Russia has increased the number of tanks heading to the Ukrainian border and launched numerous cyberattacks. China, on the other hand, is engaged in "economic coercion," "especially when dealing with Lithuania and Australia."
"Economic coercion" is the hat that the United States and Australia have given to China. The Spokesperson of the Chinese Foreign Ministry has already responded several times. Just the day before yesterday, Zhao Lijian stressed that China firmly opposes any form of political and diplomatic coercion and has never treated other countries with economic coercion.
In fact, whether it is a neutral relationship or a Sino-Australian relationship, the merits and wrongs are very clear.
Lithuania's insistence on setting up a representative office in the name of "Taiwan" and nakedly creating "one China, one Taiwan" seriously violates the one-China principle.
As for Australia, the difficult situation in China-Australia relations today is entirely caused by the Australian side. It is Canberra, which has set unreasonable limits on normal exchanges and cooperation between the two countries; it is also Canberra, which also regards itself as a "victim" and beats the Chinese side upside down.
Tras went on to say that "many countries have unhealthy strategic vulnerabilities". In her eyes, Europe's dependence on Russian gas and the Asia-Pacific region's growing economic dependence on China are so-called "unhealthy strategic vulnerabilities."
After watching this interview with Terrass, no one will suspect that the "2+2" between Britain and Australia is aimed at China.
Although the relevant statement from the British Foreign Office did not break the window paper: Tras "used her trip to focus on economic, security and technological interests, as well as to stand up against malicious invaders".
But when Tras stepped onto Australian soil and sat in front of the Australian media, she didn't want to hide her hostility to China and Russia.
In doing so, Tras clearly had her intentions.
First, she had a preconceived notion about China.
Before becoming foreign minister, Mr. Tras, who served as post-Brexit international trade secretary, made high-profile calls for the government to "tougher" China on trade.
Mr. Tras opposed China's definition as a "developing country" and expressed dissatisfaction with China's practice of "unfairly subsidizing state-owned enterprises."
Second, it is timing.
The domestic political situation in the UK is highly tense. The "Partygate" scandal continues to ferment, and Johnson's position as prime minister is in turmoil. If Johnson is forced to step down, many believe that it will be Truss who is most likely to become prime minister.
On the Australian side, the epidemic has not eased. On the 18th, there were 77 new deaths, which was the highest number of deaths in Australia since the outbreak of the epidemic.
At this time, Two cabinet ministers, Tras and the British Defense Minister, went to Australia to open a "2+2" with the Australian Defense Minister and Foreign Minister, making no secret of their intention to win over Australia and promote the concept of the so-called "free network".
You see, after Cue Russia and China, Tras immediately followed: "Some countries use economic pressures, security pressures, and technological power to try to erode freedom and democracy. ”
What freedom, what democracy, is a pretext for others to explain. However, 10 Downing Street wants to make a bad in the Indo-Pacific, and then let the "global Britain" land and the image of a big country rise to the sky.
Trastevers pointed out, "After nearly 50 years, 'Global Britain' has once again found its voice." Such voices will be welcomed by the Australian Government. ”
However, London probably forgot that the waters beyond the Atlantic Ocean were no longer the scene of the "Empire of the Sun Never Sets".
02
On the same day as the Anglo-Australian "2+2" talks, a video meeting between the heads of state of Japan and the United States will also be staged. According to the information that came out in advance, the spearhead was also aimed at China.
Japanese media said that this will be the first formal Japan-US summit dialogue after the kishida regime was launched. Prior to this, Kishida had been looking forward to a face-to-face meeting with Biden as soon as possible, and had wanted to visit the United States before the end of the year, but the trip could not be made.
The reason given by the Japanese side is that the Aomi Kerong mutant poison strain is threatening. However, some US media revealed that "it is believed that it was not achieved within the year because the White House needed to concentrate on major bills." In other words, Kishida was in a hurry, but Biden didn't have time to see him.
Now the talks have been changed to online, but the theme is still that set.
The White House of the United States announced five days ago that the two sides will confirm the policy of strengthening the Japan-US alliance, promote the vision of "free and open Indo-Pacific" through the four-way security dialogue mechanism between the United States, Japan, India and Australia, and explore joint responses to the gas crisis and cooperation in research and development of new technologies:
Behind a set of "strengthening the Japan-US alliance", "it is expected that security cooperation will also be discussed against China", which immediately makes people understand the true content and direction of the talks.
If the White House's "preview" is not straightforward enough, then a report by the Japanese Asahi Shimbun on the 17th gives a more detailed reference, that is, the online meeting between the Heads of State of Japan and the United States "should be further discussed on the basis of the 2+2 meeting."
What was the 2+2 meeting between Japan and the United States on January 7?
The meeting was also conducted by video. Japan's Kyodo News Agency made it clear at the beginning of the report on the same day that the two sides were "focusing on China" and confirmed the strengthening of the deterrence of the Japan-US alliance.
During the talks, U.S. Secretary of State John Blinken falsely claimed that "China's provocative actions are exacerbating tensions in the Taiwan, East and South China Seas." Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshinori Hayashi echoed this, saying that "japan and the United States are united in leading the way for regional peace."
Based on unreasonable interference and smear attacks on Taiwan-related issues, the foreign ministers and defense ministers of Japan and the United States discussed cooperation in various fields on the same day, including new security areas such as space, networks, and electromagnetic waves, in order to "cope with China's rapidly increasing armaments."
VOA later added a general addition to this:
At the 2+2 meeting, Japan "made new and important commitments to strengthening the Japan-US military alliance and responding to military threats in the Taiwan Strait, including the joint use of U.S.-Japanese facilities, expanding and reorganizing support for the U.S. military, and strengthening the self-defense forces' combat readiness in Japan's southwestern islands."
Kishida and Biden's "first formal dialogue" is based on these contents, and the tone can be imagined.
03
Before the Japanese-US summit video talks were staged, they were already permeated with a strong smell of gunpowder against China. The 2+2 talks between the Japanese and French foreign ministers and foreign ministers held today also released similar signs.
In the draft joint statement exposed by Japanese media such as Kyodo News Agency, in addition to talking about the North Korean nuclear issue, the two sides will also focus on China, which is "increasingly active in military activities."
The contents of the draft show that the two sides will jointly express "serious concerns" about the situation in the East and South China Seas, and state that they strongly oppose attempts to unilaterally change the status quo. In addition, the two sides are expected to stress "the importance of peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait."
In the field of security, Japan and France will implement some specific cooperation.
For example, it was confirmed that regular military exercises would continue to be held in the future to improve synergy. There was also an exchange of views on the possibility of concluding a Reciprocal Access Agreement. This agreement has aroused concern when Japan and Australia reached it before. It will greatly facilitate the visits of the forces of the two countries to each other's countries.
Since last year, Japan has jumped higher and higher on Taiwan-related issues and hugged the US thighs more tightly.
Of course, there are factors that the United States pressures and encourages it to cooperate, but it is also related to the intensification of Japan's domestic political right-leaning color, and Tokyo's attempt to introduce extraterritorial forces to help it counter China's "grand strategic" plan.
Some analysts have pointed out that by doing so, Japan is tantamount to "luring wolves into the house" in the Asia-Pacific region, especially in East Asia, and that its own geopolitical calculations have failed, and it will also bring great damage to regional stability.
Of course, looking at the three bilateral meetings today and tomorrow, there are either explicit or implicit US factors behind them.
Several of the meetings involved countries involved the United States and its allies. Among them, Japan, Britain and Australia are the hardcore in the "small circle" of the United States. They have worked hard with Washington to make the anti-China issue quite lively.
Still, Kim Chan-young, a professor at Chinese University, believes the Biden administration has been less successful in pulling together allies.
The United States originally organized an "anti-China small group," including the "Five Eyes Alliance, Japan, and so on, and Lithuania and several other "new European" countries were also among them. But apart from these "hardcore" little brothers, no more countries are running after the United States.
Other allies, or washington's mouthed partners, such as old European countries, ASEAN and South Korea, have largely maintained a delicate balance in their direction toward China. In the UNITED States' provocations and games against China, many countries simply maintain a wait-and-see attitude.
Can this be considered a "victory" for the United States?
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