DeCoding Qatar.

Scrambled jets.

1. Taiwan on Monday reported the largest incursion since January by China's air force in its air defense zone, with the island's defense ministry saying Taiwanese fighters scrambled to warn away 30 aircraft in the latest uptick in tensions. Taiwan, which China claims as its own territory, has complained for the past two years or so of repeated missions by China's air force near the democratically governed island, often in the southwestern part of its air defense identification zone, or ADIZ, close to the Taiwan-controlled Pratas Islands. Taiwan calls China's repeated nearby military activities "grey zone" warfare, designed to both wear out Taiwan's forces by making them repeatedly scramble, and also to test Taiwan's responses. (Source: asia.nikkei.com)

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2. China has suffered its first setback in an escalating tug of war with western powers for dominance in the Pacific after it failed to win support from island countries in the region for a comprehensive partnership centered on security. At a virtual meeting with Wang Yi, the Chinese foreign minister, on Monday, leaders from eight Pacific Island nations agreed to co-operate in five areas including health, disaster management and agriculture. But Wang said that more discussion was needed on the China-Pacific Island Countries Common Development Vision that Beijing had proposed. (Source: ft.com)

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3. Walter Mead:

China’s optimism that American attempts to build alliances in the region must inevitably fail is misplaced. Neither time nor history favor the Chinese cause in Asia, and American efforts to build a free and open Indo-Pacific can count on deep reservoirs of local support. The reason is simple: America’s vital interests in the Indo-Pacific are strategically aligned with the interests of the countries in the region, including, ultimately, those of China itself. (Source: wsj.com)