President Barack Obama has been pushing relentlessly for the Trans-Pacific Partnership. He fears that if the U.S. fails to enact the new trade pact, China “will create its own set of rules” in terms of trade and commerce. WikiLeaks has come out with a confidential NSA intercept, which reveals that the United States has been “negotiating with every nation that borders China, asking for commitments that exceed those countries’ administrative capabilities, so as to confront Beijing.”
Pentagon releases its new ‘National Military Strategy’
China and the United States have locked horns in the South China Sea. Beijing continues to build artificial islands in the disputed Spratly Islands region to set up military bases. Latest satellite data shows that it has almost completed the construction of a 3,000m long runway. The Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative said, “Two helipads, up to 10 satellite communications antennas, and one possible radar tower are also visible.”
On Wednesday, the U.S. Department of Defense released its 2015 National Military Strategy, outlining the perspective of the Pentagon for future military operations. In the new report, Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman General Martin Dempsey singles out four countries that threaten the United States’ security interests: China, Russia, Iran and North Korea. Russia and China have the world’s second and third-largest nuclear stockpile after the U.S. itself.
China’s actions spike tensions in Asia-Pacific
General Martin Dempsey warned that there was a “low but growing” probably of the United States fighting a war with a major power, and such a conflict will have “immense” consequences. The Pentagon expressed concerns that some states have developed advanced technological capabilities that are now challenging the competitive advantages of the United States. China tested its hypersonic missile Wu-14 last month, which can travel at ten times the speed of sound.
Taking a note of China’s land reclamation activities in the South China Sea, the report said Beijing’s activities have spiked tension in the Asia-Pacific region. It added that Russia had “repeatedly” demonstrated that it had no sense of respect for the sovereignty of its neighbors.
