News and Notes
A brief round up of some of the news from Asia, Europe and the Elsewhere.
Japan will cease to provide aid, in the form of loans, to China in 2008. This is said to be recognition by Japan that China will have reached a level of economic maturity in 2008, while hosting the Olympic games. China has not reached the normal cut-off of $5k per capita earnings and will not have done so by 2008. My take is that Japan is recognizing the potential threat in China, and along with China's expanded economic and military capability simply understands that aid dollars sent to China are not in their best interest. Additionally the aid was seen as a form of reparations for Japan’s prior aggressions, an argument for it that I would never have supported.
EU plans to end the embargo on arm sales to China may be delayed. Javier Solana, the EU’s foreign policy chief, says that the "political will [to lift the embargo] remains... but I cannot guarantee [the timing]." The primary force behind the delay appears to be U.S. pressure against the effort and the Chinese passing of the anti-secession law.
Ukraine prosecutor-general Svyatoslav Piskun confirms that 18 cruise missiles were sold to China (6) and Iran (12) between 1999 and 2001. The Kh-55 missiles, also known as AS-15 Kent missiles, are mid-range (1860 miles), air launched, terrain hugging missiles used for attacks on preprogrammed targets. They were not armed with nuclear warheads and the defense attorney representing the chief executive of the company responsible for the sale claims they will not function due to their age and poor storage conditions.
Jordan may present an alternative strategy for ending the Arab-Israeli conflict at an upcoming meeting of the Arab League. The AP reportedly has seen a proposal by King Abdullah II of Jordan that does not require Israel to return to pre-1967 boundaries and calls for Arab states to declare their "preparedness to end the Arab-Israeli conflict and establish normal relations between the Arab countries and Israel through just, comprehensive and lasting peace." As the AP notes, the proposal is unlikely to adopted but is a sign of improving sentiments toward Israel, even if only from Jordan, which has signed a peace treaty with Israel in 1994. The idea that Arab states would "normalize" relations with Israel, ahead of and as an encouragement for the ending of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict is somewhat far fetched but another sign of the ever changing winds in the Middle East.
U.S. Secretary of State Rice will press for a permanent membership on the UN Security Council for Japan. This is the first public statement of support for Japan's membership by the U.S. I'll have to come back to this one, after further research, thought and your comments.
Venezuela is concerned that the U.S. is plotting an attack or assassination. Okay, maybe it’s just Chavez and his lunatic supporters. Given his support for Iran and Cuba it only seems reasonable that Chavez would feel the heat of some scrutiny at home and abroad.
More later, and as always, your thoughts and comments are welcome.
