“We’re going to invest in technology to have a three-way hotline for the leaders and others inside their governments to communicate,” among other announcements to come Friday, said a top NSC official.
By Justin KatzAmong the political elite in Wellington, there is disagreement about the value of New Zealand joining this element of the partnership — disagreement that could end any realistic chances of New Zealand becoming the fourth member of AUKUS.
By Tim FishCampbell, the NSC’s coordinator for Indo-Pacific affairs, said the US will launch a new effort next week to help the Pacific islands, including initiatives to build new embassies.
By Colin ClarkStopping short of saying “red line,” a senior State Department official said a US delegation warned the Solomon Islands about a US response should China attempt to have a “de facto” military presence there.
By Colin ClarkThe White House announced that Daniel Kritenbrink, assistant secretary of State for east Asian and Pacific affairs, and Kurt Campbell, the National Security Council’s Indo-Pacific Coordinator, will lead an interagency delegation to the Solomon Islands, Fiji and Papua New Guinea.
By Colin ClarkWASHINGTON: New agreements between the US and China will reduce the risks of accidental war in the western Pacific. That’s good news — but don’t imagine for a minute that it changes the fundamentals of the competition. Chinese president Xi Jinping’s summit deals with President Obama and Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe represent Xi’s tactical…
By Sydney J. Freedberg Jr.WASHINGTON: There’s an increasing consensus in Washington that America’s future lies in the Pacific. It’s one of the few things both parties can agree on. Unfortunately, if we can’t reach an agreement to get our fiscal house in order, the governments in the Asia-Pacific region will have every reason not to take our strategy seriously.…
By Otto KreisherWASHINGTON: The United States is still the world’s indispensable nation and we’ll probably avoid sequestration, albeit by the skin of our teeth. That’s the modestly reassuring message from the unlikely duo of Michèle Flournoy, who recently left her job as under secretary of defense for policy, and Dov Zakheim, Pentagon comptroller under George W. Bush.…
By Sydney J. Freedberg Jr.WASHINGTON: The State Department’s top official dealing with Asia says the American relationship with China is “much more challenging, much more complicated than the one we had with the Soviet Union.” Speaking at a conference hosted by the Center for a New American Security, Kurt Campbell, assistant Secretary of State for east Asian and Pacific…
By Colin Clark