‘The Asean (representing Southeast Asia but excluding Timor Leste and Papua New Guinea, among others) should always banner the SEA Zone Of Peace, Freedom and Neutrality as well as the SEA Nuclear-Weapons-Free Zone.’
STATE of Nebulous Affairs? We all know who is liable for the Wuhan Outbreak, don’t we? “Answering the question of whether the disease spilled over naturally from animals to humans, or was the result of a lab accident, is viewed as vital to averting the next pandemic and saving millions of lives… Dr. Michael Worobey of the University of Arizona, who co-authored both papers, had previously called on the scientific community in a letter to be more open to the idea that the virus was the result of a lab leak.”
[https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/east-asia/animal-market-in-wuhan-was-epicentre-of-covid-19-pandemic-say-two-new-studies]
Will certainty about the source of SARS-CoV-2 affect the balance of power in Asia? Suppose that it will be proven beyond reasonable doubt that the criminal negligence of the Xi Jinping regime is the wellspring of the COVID-19 pandemic, what next? Meanwhile, the International Monetary Fund has been warning all governments that the world economy may soon be on the cusp of an outright recession. “A tentative recovery in 2021 has been followed by increasingly gloomy developments in 2022 as risks began to materialize. Global output contracted in the second quarter of this year, owing to downturns in China and Russia, while US consumer spending undershot expectations. Several shocks have hit a world economy already weakened by the pandemic: higher-than-expected inflation worldwide——especially in the United States and major European economies——triggering tighter financial conditions; a worse-than-anticipated slowdown in China, reflecting COVID- 19 outbreaks and lockdowns; and further negative spillovers from the war in Ukraine.” [https://www.imf.org/en/Publications/WEO/Issues/2022/07/26/world-economic-outlook-update-july-2022]
“Gloomy and More Uncertain,” the IMF calls it. Will another Great Depression trigger World War Three? As it is, the political party of Wang Ming, Peng Dehuai, and Bo Xilai is having a conniption over a visit of the incumbent Speaker of the US House of Representatives? Is she going or not? And so what? The following press exchange may be illustrative: “Q. Madam Speaker, the President said yesterday the US military does not think it’s a good idea for you to visit Taiwan. You visited Ukraine. Obviously, that was important to show your support. Would such a concern on the part of the US military deter you from going…”
Speaker Pelosi. “I don’t ever discuss my travel plans. It’s a national—it’s a security issue. You never even hear me say if I’m going to London, because it is a security issue. And so, I won’t be discussing that now.”
“Q. What is the most important thing that we can do to deter China from attacking Taiwan?” Speaker Pelosi. “That is a very major issue… I think that it’s important for us to show support for Taiwan—none of us has ever said we’re for independence when it comes to Taiwan. That’s up to Taiwan to decide. But if the inference to draw from your comment is that my going there is problematic. I think what the President was saying is—maybe the military was afraid our plane would get shot down or something like that by the Chinese. I don’t know exactly. I didn’t see it. I didn’t hear it. You’re telling me, and I’ve heard it anecdotally, but I haven’t heard it from the President.”
[https://pelosi.house.gov/news/press-releases/transcript-of-speaker-pelosi-s-remarks-at-weekly-press-conference-16]
And the hissy fit? “Beijing, July 25 (Reuters) — China delivered sterner warnings to US officials about House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s possible visit to Taiwan, a foreign ministry spokesman said on Monday, confirming a report by the Financial Times. The FT report, published on Saturday, cited six people familiar with the Chinese warnings as saying they were significantly stronger than the threats that Beijing has made in the past when it was unhappy with US actions or policy on Taiwan, which is claimed by China. The private rhetoric suggested a possible military response, the FT cited several people familiar with the situation as saying.” [https://www.reuters.com/world/china/china-confirms-warnings-us-pelosis-possible-taiwan-visit-2022-07-25/]
In all of these (Wuhan Outbreak, Great Recession, Taiwan’s existence, American policy), where is the Asean? The latest statement from the 10-country group is this: “We, the Asean Foreign Ministers, are shocked and saddened by the fatal shooting of His Excellency Shinzo Abe, former Prime Minister of Japan, in Nara on 08 July 2022, for which there can be no justification. We express our deepest sympathies and condolences to the Government and people of Japan and to the family of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who has been a beloved and good friend of Asean.” [https://asean.org/asean-foreign-ministers-statement-on-the-fatal-shooting-of-former-prime-minister-shinzo-abe-of-japan/]
Can Asean ensure balance of power in Asia? Question is raised by the Global Thursday Forum. Answer: The Asean (representing Southeast Asia but excluding Timor Leste and Papua New Guinea, among others) should always banner the SEA Zone Of Peace, Freedom and Neutrality as well as the SEA Nuclear-Weapons-Free Zone.
And whose balance of power? Communist Party of China v. Grand Old Party (Republicans)?
The Party of Abraham Lincoln and Donald J. Trump claims: “The FBI has even warned that criminals are targeting Asian-owned business owners in Democrat-run cities. Democrats are the party of lawlessness and soft-on-crime policies that allow criminals to roam the streets unchecked.” [https://www.gop.com/blog/joe-biden-has-crushed-asian-owned-businesses/] CPC v. Democratic Party? The Party of Franklin Delano Roosevelt has charged: “Mitch McConnell is threatening to kill bipartisan legislation designed to bring American manufacturing jobs home while making the United States more competitive against China in a ridiculous and reckless act of political gamesmanship in order to ensure drug companies can keep charging exorbitant amounts for life-saving medicine.”
[https://democrats.org/news/john-cornyn-joins-mcconnell-in-siding-with-china-and-big-pharma-over-american-jobs/]
Clash of civilizations? Han chauvinism vs. American imperialism? World of Warcraft, anyone?
