Trending Now
We have updated our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use for Eurasia Group and its affiliates, including GZERO Media, to clarify the types of data we collect, how we collect it, how we use data and with whom we share data. By using our website you consent to our Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy, including the transfer of your personal data to the United States from your country of residence, and our use of cookies described in our Cookie Policy.
{{ subpage.title }}
Chinese aircraft carrier Liaoning sails through the Miyako Strait near Okinawa on its way to the Pacific in this handout photo taken by Japan Self-Defense Forces and released by the Joint Staff Office of the Defense Ministry of Japan on April 4, 2021.
Japan tells China to cool it with maritime incursions
Tokyo has shared “serious concerns” with Beijing after a Chinese aircraft carrier traversed a section of the sea within Japan’s contiguous waters for the first time on Wednesday. This took place between the islands of Yonaguni and Iriomote, off Taiwan’s east coast. Owing to Yonaguni’s proximity to Taiwan, smaller Chinese vessels conduct regular drills and patrols in its vicinity.
Chinese incursions into Japanese waters are common, with hundreds of incidents every year. Japan is most concerned, however, by maneuvering near the Senkaku Islands, which China also claims. There are intrusions around that archipelago almost daily.
To beef up its own position in the conflict, Tokyo has embarked on military reform and diplomatic strengthening of ties with other democracies in the region. This, says David Boling, Eurasia Group’s director for Japan, is to remind China that “You may be bigger than us, but we’ve got more friends.” Tokyo is also in talks with the US to host a deployment of intermediate-range missiles that China would hate to see deployed so close to the mainland. The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs addressed the missiles in a press conference on Wednesday, the same day that the carrier made its close transit.
Japan is in the middle of its own election campaign for the leader of the Liberal Democratic Party, who will then replace outgoing Prime Minister Fumio Kishida. All the likely winners take strong stances on China deterrence and are hoping for backup from whoever wins the White House in November.
“One of the things that is always at the top of their minds when a new US president comes in is an assurance that the security agreement between the US and Japan extends to the Senkaku Islands,” says Boling.
Members of the Indian Navy on board the vessel INS Kadmatt (F29) (L) and INS Satpura (F48) arrive for a four-day goodwill visit which aims to strengthen ties between India and the Philippines, at the Pier 15 in Port Are, metro Manila, Philippines October 3, 2017.
India sends ships to South China Sea as it builds naval strength
When Indian warships steamed into Manila Harbor on Monday, they sent a message to Beijing. With its land borders cut off by archrival Pakistan, wartorn Myanmar, and an increasingly hostile Beijing, New Delhi is committed to becoming a world-class naval power. The port call in the Philippines followed similar stops in Singapore, Vietnam, and Malaysia as India attempts to build stronger bonds with Southeast Asian partners, many of whom share anxieties about China’s territorial ambitions.
New Delhi has a long way to go. The Indian fleet is only around a third the size of China’s (the world’s largest by number of vessels), but it has over five dozen ships under construction. By 2050, New Delhi hopes to have 200 ships afloat, ideally built at home — a plan that looks all the more feasible given India’s recent economic growth.
And a navy will be key to maintaining those high, export-driven growth rates by keeping the seas safe for Indian traffic. In just the last nine months, the Indian Navy has come to the aid of four ships that were attacked while transiting the Red Sea. We’re watching how a more capable India throws its weight around on the high seas, and how China responds.Protesters against President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador's plan to reform the electoral authority, in Mexico City, Mexico, February 26, 2023.
Hard Numbers: Mexicans protest AMLO changes, North Korea seeks grain, Iran hearts Ipanema, a controversial kiss from Kosovo
500,000 or 90,000?: How many people in Mexico City took part in recent mass protests against President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador’s overhaul of the electoral system? Organizers say 500,000 turned out to oppose the changes, which would weaken independent election oversight. But authorities in Mexico City, which is controlled by AMLO’s party, say it was only 90,000.
1 million: North Korea is estimated to be short at least 1 million tons of grain right now because of mismanagement and pandemic-related interruptions of imports from China. That’s equal to about one-fifth of the Hermit Kingdom’s annual consumption. In the past, North Korea has suffered famines so bad that people were forced to eat grass and tree bark.
2: Brazil’s government allowed two Iranian warships to dock in Rio de Janeiro over the weekend, despite demands from the US to turn them away. The move is a reminder that although Presidents Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Joe Biden may see eye to eye on a lot, Lula’s perspective — in line with much of the Global South — often differs from Washington’s on key issues such as China, Iran, and Ukraine.
3: The young Kosovo artist Ermira Murati has gotten thousands of threats over her striking, 3-meter tall painting of Kosovo PM Albin Kurti and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic kissing. The two leaders, who famously despise each other, are meeting early this week in Brussels to try to reach a peace deal. Here’s our recent piece on why that’s so hard to do. And, while we’re kissing in the former Eastern bloc, here’s one of the greatest smooches of the 20th century.Freedom of navigation: China navy chief takes dig at US
QINGDAO (China) • Freedom of navigation should not be used to infringe upon the rights of other countries, China's navy chief Shen Jinlong said yesterday, taking a dig at the United States and its allies who have sailed close to disputed South China Sea islets.