Depending on the interests involved, the waters in question are called the West Philippine Sea or – in Beijing – the South China Sea. “We all know that our region and our world are being reshaped,” said Australia’s Foreign Minister Penny Wong in her opening speech at the start of the conference of the “Quad” group. This is the name of the alliance of the four countries mentioned. “Quad” is one of several imperialist alliances that at times work together in the struggle for power and influence against China and Russia. The AUKUS pact is another such alliance. It was concluded in 2021 by the USA, Great Britain and Australia. The joint construction of nuclear-powered submarines is one of its fields of activity.
China claims sovereignty and carries out aggressive maneuvers
China has developed the “Mischief Reef”, a lagoon that lies in the economic zone of the Philippines according to a court ruling in The Hague, into an island that houses a military facility of the Chinese army. The main warmonger, US imperialism, is planning a comprehensive restructuring of the US military command in Japan. There will be a new US army command center for joint operations with Japan. The USA had already strengthened a military agreement with the Philippines last year. When the US Secretary of State speaks of a “free and open Indo-Pacific”, he means an Indo-Pacific dominated by US imperialism. The Chinese Foreign Minister understands the freedom and openness of the Indo-Pacific to mean China’s claim to dominance.
Dangerous third source of war
In its brochure “The Ukraine War and the Open Crisis of the Imperialist World System”, the MLPD has analyzed that at the same time as the Ukraine War, a fierce struggle is unfolding between the USA and China for supremacy in the Indo-Pacific. To secure its ambitions for world power, China has built up what is now the largest army in the world. The imperialist struggle in the Indo-Pacific is, alongside the war in the Middle East and the Ukraine War, a third dangerous source of war in the world. It is part of the preparations for world war by almost all imperialists. In the struggle for the redivision of the world, they will not shy away from killing millions. A global peace movement is needed that will fall into the arms of the imperialist robbers and looters with active resistance. The struggle for the revolutionary overcoming of the imperialist world system and for the united socialist states of the world is on the agenda!
FRG imperialism gets involved
Of course, the imperialism of the Federal Republic of Germany is not missing from the mix of rival powers. The German Air Force is continuing its Asia-Pacific tour this year by taking part in a major exercise in Australia and the first short visit of a German military aircraft to New Zealand. In Australia, five German Eurofighters and two tanker aircraft are training for air warfare against a fictitious country called Malus (Latin for “bad”). The exercise is taking place in the far north of Australia, which the US armed forces consider to be a rear base of operations in a possible war against China. For the German Air Force, the exercise is one of a total of five exercises that it is carrying out as part of a two-month exercise tour.
Was also will Pistorius in Honululu?
Of course, he does not justify his current week-long trip to the Pacific in this way: “Germany has to get involved so that the German monopolies get a fair piece of the pie.” The War Ministry spokesman said today that it is about Germany showing its presence, setting an example for “freedom of the sea routes” and the “rules-based order.” The order is “rules-based” if it secures the dominance of the western imperialists. The EU is demanding an independent course and Germany is claiming a leading role within the EU. In addition to Hawaii, Pistorius is also traveling to South Korea and the Philippines. He is visiting the frigate “Baden.Württemberg”, a German warship that is taking part in the military maneuvers of the western imperialists in the Indo-Pacific and is cruising through international waters for a year.
The Bundeswehr, Pistorius and the “Baden-Württemberg” have no place in the Indo-Pacific! Fight the war course of the German government and the shifting of the burden of crises and war onto the backs of the masses in Germany! Come out for Anti-War Day on September 1st!
