“The United States hopes that a united front will convince China that its largest trading partners are prepared to erect trade barriers that will prevent Chinese electric vehicles, batteries and panels from dominating Western markets.”
via @NYTimes nytimes.com/2024/05/21/bus…

Interesting little report on a cutting (for the 2nd time) of a maritime sensor cable north of Norway.

Highlights again the challenges of protecting infrastructure and the difficulties of attributability

U.S. Embassy in Tokyo to have officer for China affairs
... 'The United States will collect more information about China's coercive activities in cooperation with the Japanese government.' japantimes.co.jp/news/2024/05/1…

Middle of an interesting thread by a returning expat.

Fascinating thread--well worth a read.

“China…tripled its network of intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance satellites since 2018, which [creates] a “kill web over the Pacific Ocean to find, fix, track and, yes, target United States and allied military capabilities.” nytimes.com/2024/05/17/us/…

The New Age of Naval Power (Alessio Patalano)
...Strong navies are critical to national security because of today's 'unprecedented reliance on maritime connectivity' but...'the ability to overcome losses makes all the difference in war at sea.'
time.com/6836406/naval-…

China May Be Starting Work on Another Artificial Island in S. China Sea
... It would be helpful to have some actual proof one way or the other.
sgq.io/xyAHm1L

US officials warn undersea cables vulnerable to Chinese interference
... 'The warnings highlight an overlooked security risk to undersea fiber-optic cables...that U.S. officials fear could endanger the security of commercial and military data.'
wsj.com/politics/natio… via The Wall Street Journal

'Taiwan’s voters are aware of rising security risks in the Taiwan Strait, but they are not panicking. Lai will want to keep it that way. He will benefit by showing steadiness and the capacity to garner greater global support for Taiwan’s security.'
brookings.edu/interactive/la…

Philippines to Buy Five Coast Guard Ships From Japan in $400M Deal
… “Japan will [also] loan the Philippines $413 million to buy the five 97-meter Multi-Role Response Vessels and pay for the development of the required support facilities,” thedefensepost.com/2024/05/17/phi…

US to Deploy Triton Surveillance Drones in Japan This Month
… “The Guam-based US Navy drones will be deployed at the US Air Force base until October to “conduct intelligence missions in the Nansei region and its surrounding areas.” thedefensepost.com/2024/05/15/us-…

Civilian Protest Convoy Reaches Chinese-Occupied Scarborough Shoal
… “However, this initial success was ultimately thwarted [when] China's forces closed in and chased off all the Philippine fishing boats that had received the supply deliveries.”
scl.io/oon0Prl

Excellent, concise piece on US policy regarding the status of Taiwan by Bonnie Glaser / 葛來儀 🇺🇦 and Michael Green.
csis.org/analysis/what-…

“forces from the U.S., Australia and the Philippines sank a decommissioned [Chinese-built] product tanker to test out their equipment and targeting techniques” drawing ire from the PRC.
scl.io/1tJTV7b

“Before the war, Russia’s trade with the European Union was double that with China; now it’s less than half. The Chinese yuan, not the dollar or the euro, is now the main currency used for trade between the two countries” nytimes.com/2024/05/15/opi…

In summit with Putin, “Xi will seek to bolster his strategic partner and “old friend,” but is also under pressure to avoid further alienating the West over his support for Russia.” nytimes.com/2024/05/15/wor…

China Builds World’s First Dedicated Drone Carrier
… excellent
Pierce by H I Sutton
navalnews.com/naval-news/202… via Naval News

The IMF faces pressure to reform structure, shareholdings, and strategy as China pushes for increased influence.
... but no changes in composition are expected until at least next June as IMFC Executive Board considers a new quota system.
africa-confidential.com/article/id/149…

Philippine Coast Guard monitoring Chinese fishing vessels, Chinese Coast Guard, and PLAN vessels dumping material at Sandy Cay in an apparent attempt to alter the feature. This appears to be illegal Chinese activity on the Philippine continental shelf. manilatimes.net/2024/05/12/new…