In Geopolitics Today - Wednesday, May 25th
A Series of Live-fire Missile Tests on the Korean Peninsula, The Emerging Indo-Pacific Order, Qatar and the UK Sign Strategic Investment Deal
A Series of Live-fire Missile Tests on the Korean Peninsula
A number of live-fire missiles launches have been conducted by North Korea and South Korea. North Korea is said to have fired three ballistic missiles toward waters off its east coast from the Sunan area, near Pyongyang. Hours later, the United States and South Korea jointly launched some live-fire missiles of their own, firing from the northeast of South Korea into somewhere in the East Sea as well.
Such provocations are more likely to occur in the coming month's as the new South Korean President, Yoon Suk-yeol, appears eager to strengthen the country's defence capabilities as a means of deterring North Korea’s missile threats. In response to the North’s missile launch, South Korean and US troops reportedly conducted a surface-to-surface missile launch drill. The flurry of military activity coincided with a meting between US President Joe Biden and his South Korean counterpart in which both countries agreed to hold more comprehensive military drills and deploy more US strategic assets to deter North Korea's weapons tests.
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The Emerging Indo-Pacific Order
Japanese officials have echoed affirmations made by US officials professing a readiness to defend Taiwan in the event that China invades. Both Japan and the US are actively working to establish a regional coalition focused around the threat of an attempted military reunification with Taiwan by China. To prevent such an outcome, the United States is looking to establish the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework, which will include Japan, Australia, Brunei, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand and Vietnam.
Parallel to these efforts, Washington is actively engaging with other members of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad) to establish joint maritime missions and increased intelligence sharing as a means to constrain China's freedom of action in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. As such, two geostrategic challenges are emerging for China. One is military, and comes in the form of deeper operational integration between the armed forces of Japan, India, Australia and the United States. The other is economic, as growing political unity between the United States and its allies, the European Union and members of the Quad could align economic approaches and jointly threaten China's export-driven economic strategy before the country is able to rely on domestic consumption to sustain state revenues.
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Qatar and the UK Sign Strategic Investment Deal
Qatar has committed investments of up to £10 billion into the UK economy as part of a new Strategic Investment Partnership between the two countries. A series of agreements were signed during a state visit to the UK by Qatar’s Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani’s, where he and UK government officials affirmed their mutual commitment to strengthening the Qatar-UK partnership at a strategic level.
As both governments promised to forge closer cooperation as a means of tackling shared global challenges, a memorandum of understanding on strengthening energy cooperation was signed between QatarEnergy and the UK's Department for Business. Moreover, the two governments agreed to set up a joint UK-Qatar Typhoon squadron which will provide air security in Qatar. the squadron will then be deployment to Qatar sometime in autumn this year when the fighter aircraft will enter into service of the first Qatar Emiri Air Force Typhoon Wing. Beyond defence, the UK also committed to lowering barriers to the movement of Qatari nationals in order to facilitate easier travel between the two countries.
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