China and America Peacock in the SCS
Great power navies get sassy while Beijing gives Iran $300B | #TC78
Welcome to Third Cultured, a Queer Reading of the American Empire through crisis-after-crisis — written by yours truly, Kyle Borland.
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Beijing is scaling down its military presence on its border with India after their skirmish. Unfortunately for China, that didn’t stop India from ordering $5.55 billion in arms (just in case). I don’t think it’s a coincidence this drawdown is occurring following the US’ assertiveness in the South China Sea. The CCP has invested a lot of resources into asserting its dominance over the SCS and its disputed nine-dashed line. China can’t be found overextended, defending multiple fronts, if tensions are rising by the day with Washington.
Just last week, the PRC performed a five-day naval drill in disputed waters of the SCS, drawing condemnation from the Philippines, the US, and Vietnam. The foreign ministry of Vietnam called the drills a “violation of sovereignty” and stressed the continued militarization of the SCS would threaten Beijing’s relationship with ASEAN. China hit back with a thinly-veiled swipe at the US accusing, “some country outside the region” coming to flex its muscle “often” and that is the true destabilizer.
The US Navy didn’t miss a beat. Over the weekend, the aircraft carriers USS Ronald Reagan and USS Nimitz launched hundreds of jets, surveillance planes, and helicopters during the largest US military drills in recent years in the South China Sea. The exercise was meant to simulate sustained attacks on enemy bases, including strike fighters and electronic-warfare jets, that would be used on the Chinese missile bases, radar facilities, and the PLA’s airfield on the Paracel Islands.
Needless to say, Beijing was not happy having US aircraft carriers in the SCS.
A further thorn in the PLA’s side? The US deployed a B-52H strategic bomber task force, capable of carrying cruise missiles and nuclear bombs, to tag-team with the US aircraft carrier battle groups.
If you thought the US would stop at its strongest show of naval force in years, then you haven’t been paying attention to how the Trump administration approaches US aggression. They prefer an “all-at-once” approach. On top of playing footsie with the PLA Navy, the White House announced sanctions on four CCP officials, including one from the Politburo, for their human rights abuses against Uighur Muslims and other ethnic minorities in Xinjiang. Additionally, companies that want to sell goods or services to the US government will now have to prove they do not do business with the following Chinese companies: Huawei, ZTE, Hikvision, Dahua, and Hytera Communications Corp.
And – as I’m sure you’ve heard – America is looking to ban TikTok.
"The purpose is to show an unambiguous signal to our partners and allies that we are committed to regional security and stability.”
– Rear Adm. George M. Wikoff, commander of a strike group led by USS Ronald Reagan, on the Navy’s show of force in the South China Sea.
Based on this whirlwind week, the signal was received loud-and-clear.
Beijing denied US calls for China to join nuclear arms talks, but clarified that the PRC would be “happy” to join the discussions if DC brought its arsenal down to China’s numbers. China has about 320 to America and Russia’s more than 5,000.
Hong Kong’s new national security law applies to everyone, anywhere in the world. This portion of the law makes it difficult for multinational companies to continue operating as normal. Facebook, Twitter, and Google announced a temporary moratorium on responding to requests for user data from the Hong Kong government because of article 38 of the new national security law that allows the Hong Kong authorities to request data and action on any account located anywhere in the world that engages in online activity that the Hong Kong authorities say violates the national security law. Article 38 states:
This Law shall apply to offences under this Law committed against the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region from outside the Region by a person who is not a permanent resident of the Region.
China inked an economic and security partnership with Iran, defying US sanctions, and campaign to isolate Tehran from the international community. Beijing will provide $400 billion in development assistance for 25-years of steady oil supply from the Persian Gulf nation. Iran’s people are nervous of how much their government gave to the CCP since details have yet to be released.
The nearly 100 projects, including airports, high-speed railways and subways, would touch the lives of millions of Iranians. China would develop free-trade zones in Maku, in northwestern Iran; in Abadan, where the Shatt al-Arab river flows into the Persian Gulf, and on the Gulf island Qeshm.
The agreement also includes proposals for China to build the infrastructure for a 5G telecommunications network, to offer the new Chinese Global Positioning System, Beidou, and to help Iranian authorities assert greater control over what circulates in cyberspace, presumably as China’s Great Firewall does.
With Hong Kong’s “Committee for Safeguarding National Security” drawing comparisons to the French Revolution’s Reign of Terror and its “Committee of Public Safety” – already arresting “dissidents” at-will and banning pro-democracy books – it’s more important than ever for the US to organize and apply multilateral pressure, in alignment with our allies, against Beijing and other revisionist powers.
We know we can’t expect that with Putin’s cuck in the White House, but hopefully, a Biden win in November (with a strengthened wing of foreign policy progressives) will pivot us in the right direction.
Stay safe and healthy, beautiful people. And, thanks for reading.
xoxo,
Kyle (@kgborland)
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American Empire & Other Forces
All Black Lives Matter – The Movement for Black Lives announced the BREATHE Act, a bill calling for an overhaul of the criminal justice system, reparations, and universal basic income. | Breonna Taylor’s death is connected to a massive gentrification makeover plan in Western Louisville. | The House blocked funding for construction projects at military bases with Confederate names unless a process to change the names is initiated. | Newsrooms are dropping the mug shot. | Every racist memorial that’s been removed in the South. |
COVID-19 (as of 07/11/2020) – Total Confirmed: 12,684,409; Total Deaths: 564,506; Total Recovered: 6,981,170 | US Cases: 3,355,646; US Deaths: 137,403; US Recovered: 1,490,446; US Tested: 39,553,395 | Expect 3,800 and 5,000 COVID deaths per week over the next month. | The Treasury released the recipients of COVID relief PPP loans and – spoiler alert – it’s mostly big companies, political elites, and churches. The Catholic Church received $1.4B total, with the majority going to dioceses bankrupt from paying clergy sexual abuse cover-ups. | Foreign students at US universities could be forced to leave the country if their school switches to all online classes as visas currently limit them to a single online course. | Trump’s Operation Warp Speed awarded a $1.8B contract to a company that’s never brought a vaccine to market. | (Graphic: NYTimes)
Election 2020 – Biden announced a $700B “Buy American” economic plan to contrast with Trump’s “America First” that calls for investments in clean energy, manufacturing, and tech innovation. | The “Southern Strategy” – the decades-old GOP electoral strategy of playing to white American’s racism – doesn’t seem to be working for Trump. |
Indigenous Rights – SCOTUS ruled in favor of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation determining Oklahoma did not legally terminate the tribe’s reservation when becoming a state therefore Eastern Oklahoma remains largely under the Muscogee’s jurisdiction for criminal, and potentially most civil, matters. | In a massive win for the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, a federal judge in DC ordered the Dakota Access pipeline shut down and drained within 30 days. | The $8 billion Atlantic Coast Pipeline is shutting down due to “ongoing delays and increasing costs” (aka legal challenges and protests). The pipeline was set to be built under the Appalachian Trail, through WV, VA, and NC. | (Graphic: WaPo)
Iran – The fire that consumed Iran's Natanz nuclear facility last week caused significant damage, slowing the development of advanced centrifuges for at least a year. A cyberattack orchestrated by Israel and the US, similar to Stuxnet over a decade ago, is believed to be the cause. The fire was the latest escalation from the White House after Iran settled for a slap on the wrist following the assassination of its top general – which the UN condemned as “unlawful and arbitrary under international law” – but Tehran seems okay to wait Trump out. Another blast went off in western Tehran on Friday, targeting military facilities.
LGBTQ+ Rights – Poland’s president has put all his eggs in the anti-Queer basket to secure his re-election in Sunday’s final round vote, comparing the “LGBT ideology” to communism and making the election, ultimately, a referendum on Queer rights.
Russia – Putin and Erdogan are close to a “lasting ceasefire” in Libya. | Denmark granted Nord Stream 2 permission to finish the project. | 22.4 million votes may have been falsified in the recent election that resulted in Putin being allowed to rule until 2036.
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