Cadence of Conflict: Asia, January 2, 2018

China claims no part in the Hong Kong and Taiwan -related ships recently stopped by South Korean officials for illegally supplying oil to North Korea. China’s claim might be believable, but during the holiday week, China blocked a UN attempted to blacklist those very vessels caught in the act. By blocking the block of the “smoking gun” ships, as it were, China has defined itself as an accomplice. It’s a mere matter of fact and definition. There is no defense for China in regard to having some part to play with these two seized vessels.

Russia’s role, however, seems more dominant and should be more disconcerting. But, where does the attention from the press turn to blame but China. The press loves to make China the global scapegoat, but China’s responses don’t help its own disposition any.

Beijing made it clear that military exercises all around Taiwanese airspace are the “new normal” and Taiwan will just have to get used to it. Taiwan is re-focusing strategy for asymmetric warfare—politically correct military language for “fighting a bigger enemy”. Several Taiwanese companies are “rethinking” the presence of their factories in China after an entire zone was targeted for zone-wide shutdown. The catch to the zone shutdown story is that the entire zone is said to be targeted for a few blackout days because only some factories in the zone are polluting the environment too much. Factories that are within environmental regulations also have to shut down, argued to include Taiwanese-owned factories. Many factories in that zone are Taiwanese-owned. If China isn’t sending a message that Taiwanese aren’t welcome then Beijing could do a better job of not making it look that way.

Again, China’s actions indicate more and more that China is hostile toward democracies in the East Pacific, namely South Korea and Taiwan. From the perspective of Americans reading Western headlines, it is more difficult every day to come to China’s defense. That perspective among the masses is what the Pentagon is waiting for.

Korea

U.S. Sanctions Two Top North Korean Missile Experts | Yahoo – AP, TIME

South Korea seizes Hong Kong tanker after ‘oil delivery to North Korean ship’ | SCMP

South Korea seizes another ship suspected of transferring oil to North Korea | Business Insider – Reuters

Seoul seizes second ship accused of supplying fuel to North Korea | Independent

Russian tankers are reportedly smuggling fuel to North Korea with ship-to-ship transfers | Business Insider – Reuters

Taiwan

Get used to air force drills: China | Taipei Times

Taiwan firms rethink China operations | Taipei Times

Defense report focuses on asymmetric warfare | Taipei Times

Chinese activist jailed for eight years | Taipei Times