Monday, May 31, 2021

澳大利亚前总理陆克文 - “我们需要团结起来反对中国”

 Kevin Michael Rudd, Australia's Worst Traitor in History

陆克文接受BBC专访:“我们需要团结起来反对中国”

澳大利亚前总理陆克文(Kevin Rudd)对BBC说,各国应团结起来,反对中国日益增长的经济和地缘政治胁迫,否则就有被北京单挑惩罚的风险。

63岁的陆克文表示,西方政府不应该害怕在人权等问题上挑战中国。

BBC亚洲商务记者瓦斯瓦尼(Karishma Vaswani)报道说,在世界范围内,各国正在应对一个以中国不断崛起的主导地位为框架的新地缘政治秩序。

“如果你要反对北京,就像世界上许多政府现在做的那样,最好是与其他国家共同达成一个立场,而不是单方面进行,因为这使得中国更容易对你施加双边影响,”陆克文说道。

陆克文在BBC的《Talking Business Asia》节目中发表上述言论之际,澳大利亚和中国的关系正恶化到几十年来最糟糕的程度。在双方进行了一系列经济和外交对抗之后,两国关系不复以往。

澳大利亚已取消了与中国的大型基础设施项目“一带一路”有关的协议。它还禁止中国电信公司华为建设该国的5G网络。

但实际上,正是澳方呼吁调查新冠疫情大流行的源头,在双方之间掀起了新的风暴。

作为报复,中国对澳大利亚的进口产品(包括葡萄酒、牛肉、龙虾和大麦)实施了制裁,并暗示可能会出台更多制裁措施。

北京还暂停了与堪培拉的重要经济对话,这实际上意味着双方没有高层接触来平息事态。

新战场

陆克文曾在2007年至2013年间两次成为澳大利亚领导人。他批评了澳大利亚现任政府的对华政策,称其有时会适得其反。

“保守派政府对中国的反应有时是有分寸的,但坦率地说,其他时候都是言辞过激和刺耳的,”现任亚洲协会政策研究所(Asia Society Policy Institute)所长的陆克文表示。

这位工党前总理认为,这可能会危及澳大利亚对中国一项重要出口品的命运:铁矿石。

“他们(中国领导人)将视澳大利亚为不可靠的铁矿石长期供应国,因为北京将对堪培拉的保守派政府作出地缘政治结论。”

“这种长期供应可能会因为地缘政治因素而面临风险。”

澳大利亚五分之一的出口是销往中国的,这种经济关系在过去几十年里的重要性只增不减。

对抗中国

越来越多的国家,尤其是那些在意识形态上与美国结盟的国家,都在公开反对中国。在很多方面,他们都紧随美国的脚步。

在美国前总统特朗普(Donald Trump)的领导下,美国与中国发起了一场激烈的贸易战,对价值数千亿美元的商品加征关税。

这引发了两国在贸易问题上针锋相对的斗争,并改变了两国关系的基调。

中国曾希望在拜登(Joe Biden)总统的领导下,情况可能会有所不同,但事实并非如此。

尽管贸易谈判仍在进行,但拜登的国家安全问题副助理库尔特·坎贝尔(Kurt Campbell)本周表示,美国实际上已经结束了与中国的接触期。

过去,包括澳大利亚和美国在内的许多国家对中国采取了不同的态度。随着中国变得更加富裕,人们也感到它将变得更加自由。

接触和对话是国际社会试图应对中国的方式,但似乎有越来越多的共识认为这并不奏效。

陆克文表示,应对中国意味着有选择地战斗。

“中国不会喜欢的,”他表示,中国对待新疆维吾尔人以及香港和台湾问题的方式越来越令人担忧。

“中国不喜欢某件事,并不意味着我们其他人也不应该去做,”他补充说。“但这并不是说你每天都去找中国的麻烦。”

能说流利普通话的陆克文对中华文化有浓厚兴趣,他曾被视为是澳大利亚的“亲华派”或“知华派”。但在采访中,他驳斥了有关在他执政期间,对中国可能过于天真或乐观的批评。

他说,他就人权问题向中国政府提出了一些关切。

“我过去与中国在人权问题上有很多很多分歧,”他告诉BBC。“在我作为总理第一次访问北京时,我在北京大学用中文发表演讲,批评了中国的人权表现。”

然而,他说他处理与中国关系的方式是通过外交。

“它是强硬的,但我们也设法保持了两国关系的总体平衡。”

 

Cina locks down Guangzhou

 Would China's Draconian Coronavirus Lockdown Work Anywhere Else? | Time

(May 30): China’s southern metropolis Guangzhou ordered residents in one of its neighbourhoods to stay home to contain an outbreak from becoming more widespread.

Households in an area spanning five streets within the Liwan district have been barred from leaving their homes except for selected family members to buy daily necessities, the city government said in a notice on its official WeChat on Saturday. There was no mention of the length of the lockdown, or the number of people that were affected.

Authorities also ordered all schools in Liwan, as well as some areas in several other Guangzhou districts to suspend most in-person lessons. Indoor stadiums, wholesale markets and entertainment facilities in the affected areas were also closed, while dine-in services were banned at restaurants.

Guangzhou started taking measures to contain the spread since May 21 when confirmed cases and asymptomatic infections began showing up in the city, the government said in a separate notice. It reported 12 local asymptomatic infections and four imported infections on Saturday.

Indonesia to triple submarines fleet to fight Cina incusions

First submarine export as S. Korea hands over vessel to Indonesia - YouTube 

Indonesia to ramp up submarine fleet in response to Chinese incursions

 In response to repeated Chinese incursions into its waters, Indonesia aims to expand its submarine fleet by as much as triple its current line up to 12 vessels, according to multiple defence sources.

S Korea to Deliver Submarine to Indonesia Jakarta is also seeking to ramp up its fleet of corvettes and has deployed five submarines, but lost one, the KRI Nanggala-402, reported Nikkei Asia.

Though Indonesia ranks third in the world with the area of waters that fall under its exclusive economic zone, the size of its submarine fleet lags behind countries like Japan, which ranks sixth and has 20 vessels.

South Korea plans to deploy enhanced submarines in the next five yearsThis comes after the Indonesian submarine that went missing off Bali with 53 crew members on board sunk last month, killing all crewmen.

"There is no hope of finding survivors among the 53 crew members aboard," said an official.

Critics have slammed the government for sending out the 44-year-old submarine on drills. The Navy said the German-made vessel was "ready for battle", reported DW News Agency.

After the accident, Indonesian Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto indicated that the country will step up investment in military equipment and is pursuing a joint production agreement with South Korea, while France, Russia and Turkey have offered to export the vessels, reported Nikkei Asia.

The accident has fueled a sense of urgency in the country about the state of its submarine fleet.

Japan happy to build submarines in Australia if it wins bid for $20bn  project | Japan | The Guardian  Meanwhile, China's 'nine-dash' line intersects a portion of Indonesia's EEZ around the Natuna Islands, which is operated by Chinese fishing boats and Beijing has also deployed its coast guard ships. After China authorised its ship to use firepower, Jakarta is bracing for a possible increase in activity in the area.

Indonesia has been working with South Korea on submarines in recent years and is pursuing technical cooperation with Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering, reported Nikkei Asia.

When Indonesia imports defence kit, it asks for technology transfers to boost its own technical abilities and to secure jobs. Though South Korea has offered favourable terms with its prices, the Indonesian side has not been satisfied with the capabilities of these vessels, citing power supply problems connected to batteries, among other problems.

The ill-fated submarine that sank was also completely refurbished in South Korea in 2012.

Japan commissions its first submarine running on lithium-ion batteries  On the other hand, submarines from Japan would be more state-of-the-art, being much quieter and offering more time of operation underwater. However, their prices are higher and technology transfer conditions would be much more sensitive.

  China claims sovereignty over almost the entire South China Sea and has overlapping territorial claims with Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam and Taiwan.

Beijing's rising assertiveness against counter claimants in the East and South Sea has resulted in unprecedented agreement across the Indo-Pacific.

 

Xi is CCP's liability

 Assassination of Julius Caesar - Wikipedia

China crisis: Xi Jinping 'could be overthrown' as Wuhan lab leak theory gains momentum

CHINA would be thrown into a devastating political crisis if the Wuhan lab leak theory for the origin of the coronavirus is proven true, even sparking the potential overthrow of Chinese Communist leader Xi Jinping.

Chinese Communist leader Xi Jinping would be toppled and Beijing would be liable for unprecedented reparations around the world if the Wuhan lab leak theory is proven true, according to a leading WHO advisor. Jamie Metzl told LBC's Maajid Nawaz that if the Wuhan lab leak theory on the origin of Covid is proved true, it would be a "massive geopolitical blow" for China. On Sunday, it was revealed that British intelligence services are now considering the theory that COVID-19 originated in and was leaked from a lab in Wuhan as "feasible".

Mr Metzl said: "In China, if it was absolutely proven, I think there is a real chance Xi Jinping could be overthrown.

"There would be claims for reparations around the world against China.

"It would be a massive geopolitical blow to China.

"Just think of the anger of everyone around the world who has lost a spouse, a child, parents, would feel. Not just at the original mistake but the criminal cover-up afterwards."

More Reasons to Question the Holy See's Accord with China| National  Catholic RegisterMr Nawaz told LBC listeners that the "consequences are incredibly serious" for the Chinese regime if the theory is proved.

He said "the entire planet for the first time in history has been locked down because of this thing" and the Chinese Communist Party would have to "foot the bill" for that.

The radio broadcaster said China will face the full force of the international community.

The move from British intelligence services to step up research into the lab leak claims has sparked a sharpening of tension with Beijing.

Previously, intelligence services believed there was only a “remote” chance the virus had originated in the lab.

However, last week, US President Joe Biden ordered an inquiry into the origin of the virus as the lab leak theory gains traction.

Beijing has repeatedly denied that the Wuhan Institute of Virology is the source of the virus that has caused more than 3.5 million deaths.

 China's foreign ministry accused the US of "political manipulation and blame shifting".

Meanwhile, MPs in the UK are demanding a fresh investigation, with the Conservative MP Tom Tugendhat telling the Sunday Times: “The silence coming from Wuhan is troubling.

"We need to open the crypt and see what happened to be able to protect ourselves in the future.

"That means starting an investigation, along with partners around the world and in the WHO.”