Chinese Defense Chief Criticizes U.S. ‘Interference’ at Asian Security Summit

In a speech yesterday at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, Chinese Defense Minister Wei Fenghe vowed to “fight to the end” (WaPo) if “anyone dares to secede Taiwan from China.” Earlier in the conference, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Washington would counter Beijing’s growing influence in the Indo-Pacific.

At the event, Austin and Wei held their first in-person talks (VOA) since U.S. President Joe Biden took office, and a Pentagon statement said they discussed North Korea’s nuclear program and the war in Ukraine. Singapore’s defense minister said their meeting was “reassuring” (SCMP), as were their affirmations that countries in the region would not need to choose between the two powers. The United States and Taiwan are preparing to hold a security dialogue later this month, Nikkei reported.

Analysis

“While the Wei-Austin meeting seemed to be aimed at putting in place guardrails for Taiwan, the public back-and-forth shows that we face a long road to any kind of stability,” the Lowy Institute’s Natasha Kassam tells the Financial Times.

“Military planners in the United States and in Washington’s allies and partners must grapple with the fact that, in a conflict over Taiwan, China would consider all conventional and nuclear options to be on the table. And the United States is running out of time to strengthen deterrence and keep China from believing an invasion of Taiwan could be successful,” the Center for a New American Security’s Stacie Pettyjohn and Becca Wasser write for Foreign Affairs.

Pacific Rim

North Korea Names Foreign Minister as Nuclear Negotiator

Choe Son-hui is North Korea’s first female foreign minister and has participated (Kyodo) in the country’s nuclear negotiations with the United States for several years.

For Foreign Affairs, Katrin Fraser Katz and Victor Cha discuss how North Korea is upping the nuclear ante.

South and Central Asia

Protests Over Islamophobic Remarks by Indian Officials Turn Violent

Two people were killed and several were injured during protests in India’s eastern Jharkhand State that erupted following anti-Muslim comments made by members of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Al Jazeera reported.

Afghanistan: An Afghan-American man who spent months in Taliban custody helped negotiate (Axios) the release of an American woman who was detained by the Taliban in May.

Middle East and North Africa

Bloc of Iraqi Lawmakers Resigns Amid Efforts to Break Political Deadlock

Seventy-three lawmakers from Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr’s bloc resigned yesterday (AFP). No political faction has been able to form a majority since October’s elections.

U.S./Qatar: Retired U.S. Marine Corps General John R. Allen stepped down (CNN) as president of the Brookings Institution, a Washington-based think tank, amid a federal probe over whether he lobbied the United States on behalf of Qatar.

Sub-Saharan Africa

Legal Challenges Could Delay UK Plans to Send Asylum Seekers to Rwanda

Ongoing lawsuits by a group of charities could delay (The Guardian) the first asylum seekers being sent to Rwanda under the United Kingdom’s new policy. The first flight is slated for tomorrow.

DRC: Members of the March 23 Movement (M23) rebel group seized (Reuters) the town of Bunagana in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, a local activist said. Over twenty-five thousand people have fled the area due to violence, according to the United Nations.

Europe

UK’s Johnson to Present Overhaul to Northern Ireland Portion of Brexit Deal

The bill to unilaterally overhaul trade rules regarding Northern Ireland’s border would require approval (FT) in the UK Parliament’s House of Lords.

This Backgrounder looks at the future of peace in Northern Ireland.

Russia/Ukraine: Russian forces have pushed Ukrainian troops (NYT) out of the center of the eastern city of Severodonetsk in Ukraine’s Donbas region, Ukrainian officials said. The Russian army has also destroyed a second bridge into the city, which some officials predict could fall soon.

Americas

Iran, Venezuela Sign Twenty-Year Cooperation Plan

Leaders of the two countries signed the deal (Al Jazeera) during Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro’s visit to Tehran. The details of the deal have not been made public.

Argentina: Argentine authorities seized (MercoPress) a Venezuelan-registered airplane with five Iranian passengers aboard after it was red-flagged by the United States.

United States

Bipartisan Group of Senators Reaches Agreement on Gun Control

The deal, which has enough support to overcome a Senate filibuster, provisionally includes (CNN) a more rigorous review process for gun buyers under the age of twenty-one and tougher penalties for so-called straw purchasing of guns for third-party users.

This Backgrounder examines U.S. gun policy in a global context.

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