Good morning, and welcome to the Global Situation Report for Tuesday, 27 August 2024.
- HIGH-LEVEL TALKS ABOUT ESCORTING THE PHILIPPINES: Commander of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, Admiral Samuel Paparo said that escorting Philippine vessels to their resupply points in the South China Sea is “an entirely reasonable option within our Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT).” This was in response to a question about the repeated Chinese aggression surrounding the Spratly Islands.
- General Romeo Brawner, chief of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, said that the Philippines would run resupply missions on its own until they are constrained from doing so. He followed-on that the Philippines may turn to “other like minded nations” instead of the U.S.
Why It Matters: Admiral Paparo’s statement suggests the Philippines will need to activate the Mutual Defense Treaty for U.S. Navy escorts. The Philippines seeking other allied nations (such as Japan or Australia) could be seen as an intermediate step to avoid invoking the MDT and provoking China. It could also be a recognition of the U.S. Navy’s relatively weak force in the region. – J.V.
- Global Rollup
- Yesterday, Canada announced it will impose a 100% tariff on Chinese electric vehicles and a 25% tariff on Chinese steel and aluminum. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said these new tariffs are meant to align Canada to other countries’ policies. The Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland said the Canadian government is investigating potential tariffs on batteries, battery parts, semiconductors, critical minerals, more metals, and solar panels.
- A Canadian company operating in Nauru announced they will begin deep sea mining operations next year. The company expects this to yield several million tons of manganese, copper, nickel, and cobalt. (Aside from the increased metals production, sea-floor mining would require sensors around the area, potentially detecting Chinese underwater activity in a war. – J.V.)
- The Taiwanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs sent a letter of thanks to Australia and New Zealand for their mid-August joint statement committing them to “supporting peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and South China Sea.”
- The Palestinian Ambassador to Moscow announced that Palestine will apply for BRICS membership after the October conference in Russia.
- Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Charles Q. Brown visited northern Israel to discuss potential “expansion of operational tools… in response to threats in the Middle East.” Meanwhile, the USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group is officially operating with the Roosevelt Strike Group in the Gulf of Oman, at the mouth of the Strait of Hormuz.
THAT’S A WRAP: This does it for today’s edition. Thank you for reading. If you know folks who would also like to receive this email, would you please forward it to them? We appreciate you spreading the word. – M.S.