US policies pushing China, Philippines to brink of conflict

US policies pushing China, Philippines to brink of conflict

The China-Philippines maritime dispute does not, in of itself, reflect anything approaching an existential conflict. It has, however, become an increasingly dangerous proxy and potential flashpoint for underlying China-U.S. tensions in the South China Sea.

FYI, this article is full of disinformation. I’m posting it to point out that there’s an information war going on in the South China Sea (using embedded journalists, civil society activists, and various US think tanks). The Philippines plans on building a military base, on the disputed Second Thomas Shoal, to replace the BRP Sierra Madre (which is about to break apart). Marcos is also re-starting oil exploration, in the Reed Bank, which is part of the disputed territory.

Related:

US Shapes Philippines into Southeast Asia’s “Ukraine”

Why the US is Picking a Fight with China in the South China Sea

Beijing rejects tribunal’s ruling in South China Sea case

Paul Reichler, of the law firm Foley Hoag LLP, who who coordinated the Philippines’ legal team, said: “The tribunal’s ruling not only benefits the Philippines, it also benefits other states bordering the South China Sea like Indonesia, Malaysia and Vietnam. If China’s nine-dash line is invalid as to the Philippines, it is equally invalid to those states and, indeed, the rest of the international community.”

Paul S. Reichler

US Primes the Philippines for War on the People’s Republic of China

20-11-2023: In a short space of time, the Philippines has been transformed from a friendly neighbour of the People’s Republic of China (PRC), to one which is being pushed in the direction of a hostile adversary. The election of President Ferdinand “Bong Bong” Marcos Jr has been the catalyst for the tilt towards the US hegemon and away from an ally of the PRC and of the Russian Federation, which was cultivated by the former Filipino President Rodrigo Duterte. In fact, it is potentially much worse than just a shift in foreign policy. As The New Atlas points out, the Republic of the Philippines is being shaped into being South-East Asia’s “Ukraine” – a hapless Nazified proxy of US imperialism destroying itself in a failed war on Russia.[1] However, this rapid about turn is not being implemented in the Philippines without opposition, seemingly from such allies of the former President Duterte as current Vice President Sara Duterte (the daughter of Rodrigo Duterte) and former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. While it is the case that Rodrigo Duterte and Sara Duterte have not always been side by side in politics, it does appear as though the Philippine elite are dividing on the pro-US course of Marcos Jr.

US Primes the Philippines for War on the People’s Republic of China

Critics renew calls for a TikTok ban, claiming platform has an anti-Israel bias

The perceived performance of pro-Palestinian content on the platform depends on how you parse TikTok’s data.

Critics renew calls for a TikTok ban, claiming platform has an anti-Israel bias

Related:

Israel losing media war on Tik Tok; Palestinian civilian casualties continue to mount:

However, Tik-Tok has become the latest battle ground for the conflict between Israel and Palestine, with potentially dangerous consequences for the side that fails to influence the most hearts and minds on an international scale.

Regime Change Assets: Peter Zeihan & Srđa Popović

When working for Stratfor (Shadow CIA), Peter Zeihan, et al, met with Srdja Popovic.

Thanks for the email! I think the idea of meeting this April/May is great! Since Stratfor is based in Austin (we also have an office in DC), we would it was very easy to “jump” to Colorado. When are you exactly in Colorado? It is most convenient for me to meet around the first week of May, but i am flexible. Otherwise, I will work on that Peter Zeihan, our “head-analyst” and my “boss”, came with me.

Meeting – CANVAS/Stratfor

Related:

Meet Srdja Popovic, the secret architect of global revolution

Who is Behind Regime Change? “Revolution Business” NGO Supported by Wall Street and US Intelligence (archived)

[WTF?!] US army could help Venezuela with nonviolent resistance against Maduro

Both Juan Guaidó, and Leopoldo Lopez, have already been trained to use Gene Sharp’s tactics to overthrow a ‘dictator’ in ‘nonviolent ways’, which was used by US-funded OTPOR, to overthrow Yugoslav President Slobodan Milošević (which wasn’t as peaceful as they made it to be), in 2000. Ivan Marović was a member of OTPOR. Another member, Srđa Popović, went on to start CANVAS, which worked with Stratfor to spy on activists and overthrow governments. CANVAS has been declared a terrorist group in the UAE.

Investigation Shows Israeli Malware Firms Pitching Spyware To Embargoed Countries, Serial Human Rights Abusers

from the never-even-bothering-to-ask,-are-we-the-baddies? dept

Thu, Oct 12th 2023 04:13pm – Tim Cushing


As we’re all painfully aware by now, former Israeli intelligence analysts are capable of producing private sector malware companies faster than the CIA can produce successful coups.

Investigation Shows Israeli Malware Firms Pitching Spyware To Embargoed Countries, Serial Human Rights Abusers

Related:

Investigation: How Israeli Spyware Was Sold to Egypt and Pitched to Qatar and Saudi Arabia

House Republicans Propose The Study Of An Oil Naval Blockade Of China

The House of Representatives is discussing a move that would effectively amount to an act of war if carried out: a naval blockade on China.

House Republicans Propose The Study Of An Oil Naval Blockade Of China

The following is outdated, especially considering the problems with the US Navy’s LCS ships, but I thought that the bold quote was interesting. I highly doubt that Russia would ever submit to the US!

Related:

[2013] Stranglehold: The Context, Conduct and Consequences of an American Naval Blockade of China

In short, Russia would not only be China’s best hope of overcoming an American blockade, but it would also be the United States’ key to closing China’s transit route through Central Asia and preventing China’s two neighboring oil producers from supplying it with petroleum. In an American blockade of China, Russia’s importance as a swing state cannot be overstated, as is borne out by the observation that “no blockade of China in history has succeeded without Russian acquiescence.”

NATO to expand Asia-Pacific presence by opening office in Japan + What can China do about it?

Last week, news emerged that NATO intends to open a liaison office in Tokyo, Japan next year. The office would be NATO’s first in the Asia-Pacific region and represents the increasing role of the organisation in preparation for a US-led war against China. Both Tokyo and NATO have confirmed the plans.

NATO to expand Asia-Pacific presence by opening office in Japan

Related:

What can China do against NATO’s foray into Asia?

So what can China do to respond to this attempt at ‘alliance encirclement’ against it? First, it can strengthen its ties with Russia and aim to create a deeper balance of power in the Asia-Pacific. Secondly, it can revitalize old alliances and strengthen its ties with North Korea as a military partner. After all, the DPRK is still obligated by the 1961 treaty of mutual assistance to come to China’s aid in a war and can be used to contain Japan and South Korea. Thirdly, it can look to build new military partnerships with regional countries who feel similarly threatened by US expansionism; for example, Laos, Cambodia, and Myanmar. While the rest of ASEAN are likely to stay neutral, including Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam (excluding the US-aligned Philippines), China should work to improve its relationships with these countries in order to prevent the US from trying to ‘force’ them to choose.

How much did Trump-era tariffs on China cost Americans? New US findings confirm ‘self-inflicted harm’

Import tariffs placed on more than US$300 billion worth of Chinese goods during the Trump administration increased US prices, according to a report from a bipartisan US trade commission, confirming a widely held view among analysts of trade and tariffs that they caused “self-inflicted harm”.

How much did Trump-era tariffs on China cost Americans? New US findings confirm ‘self-inflicted harm’