‘We’re on the frontline’: Policy experts meet in Hawaii to discuss growing Indo-Pacific tensions

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – A gathering of overseas coverage specialists in Waikiki on Wednesday offered a stark evaluation of Hawaii’s position on the world stage.

A Honolulu-based thinktank says tensions within the Indo-Pacific area are at their highest ranges since WWII.

On the Royal Hawaiian Resort, overseas coverage specialists gathered to debate easy methods to maintain one other world struggle from reaching Hawaii’s shores.

“Behind all this looms a kind of cloud over the Indo-Pacific,” stated John Hemmings, a senior director at Pacific Discussion board, who stated one menace is a potential struggle with China over Taiwan.

“When it comes to a rustic that wishes to retake Taiwan by drive, they most likely view Hawaii as one of many means stopping that from occurring,” stated Hemmings.

David Santoro, the president of the Pacific Discussion board, says China additionally poses an financial menace as extra nations begin utilizing the Yuan as their important buying and selling foreign money as an alternative of U.S. {dollars}.

One other menace recognized was North Korea, because the nation continues to construct rockets that may attain Hawaii and past.

“In 2018, we thought an assault from North Korea was coming right here, and I feel it’s waking up folks a bit bit and given folks a way of how unhealthy issues can get, however I feel in a short time we’ve forgotten,” stated Santoro.

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