Obama Asia Tour Has Only One Purpose: War with China

November 16, 2011 • 10:24AM

Following Obama's Hawaii APEC Summit attacks on China as the primary cause of the Western financial collapse (see earlier briefings), Obama is travelling to Australia to announce a new U.S. military basing agreement down under, to expand the U.S. "Ring Around China." From there he will attend an East Asia Summit (EAS) and an ASEAN Summit, both in Bali, where he is planning to force the meetings' agenda to be an attack on China's role in the South China Sea as a threat to the region and to the U.S.

* In Hawaii, Obama used the APEC Summit to push U.S. allies heavily to join the proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) — free-trade pact, gloating that Japan (as well as Mexico and Canada) agreed to discuss participation in the TPP. Making clear that Obama intends the TPP to be a STRATEGIC confrontation with China (which is not "qualified" to join it, according to U.S. officials), Japan's Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda told the Upper House upon his return to Japan that the TPP would "stabilize the security situation" in the region.

* In Darwin, Australia on Thursday, Obama plans to announce a new agreement with Australia for a permanent U.S. Marine military presence — just short of official basing rights. Darwin sits on the north coast of Australia on the Timor Sea, with a straight shot through the Indonesian islands into the South China Sea and the Philippine Sea. U.S. and Australian military experts have described the agreement as a counter to the rising power of China in the region. U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, during his October Asia visit, also described the Australia plan as a counter to China's growing presence.

* In Bali, Indonesia for the East Asia Summit (EAS), as the U.S. and Russia join the EAS for the first time this year, ASEAN Secretary General Surin Pitsuan told the press today that the U.S. is threatening to usurp the agenda to its own security interests, naming the U.S. challenge to China in the South China Sea. "Asean will have to be extremely careful not to overload our own forum to the point where Asean will be unable to maintain its centrality and leadership as convenor of the forum," Surin said. He also warned that the South China Sea issue requires "careful handling" so as to avoid "any unintended consequence." He added that ASEAN countries had to show that the disputes over islands in the South China Sea could be settled "between ASEAN and China and among the ASEAN countries involved" — a clear warning that U.S. meddling could threaten war.

* The Philippines, whose leadership since the coup against Marcos in 1986 has been owned by Wall Street, has already granted the U.S. a permanent military presence (skirting the Philippine Constitutional restriction against foreign "bases"). Philippine President Aquino is peddling an anti-China resolution at the ASEAN Summit, clearly authored in Washington, declaring the South China Sea (which he now calls the "West Philippine Sea!") to be a "zone of peace, freedom, friendship and cooperation."

* Back in Washington, the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee held hearings on Iran today, where China's role was repeatedly blamed, by both parties, for the crisis with Iran, arguing that China's (totally legal) relations with Iran undermine western efforts to impose their will on Tehran.