Jindao Agreement

[Imimoya]

You must be registered for see images

Jindao was a megalopolis of the Tianlong Republic a few hundred kilometers from the anti-state border. The city is located in the Siyang Peninsula and overlooks the Pearl Gulf, so called due to the presence in the past of numerous nomadic fishermen who sold these jewels to foreign merchant ships. It was the perfect city to host the meeting between the delegation of the Tianlong Republic and the one sent by the Anti-State. For the first time in decades there was a window of opportunity to get to grips with one of the most tense borders politically. Tianlong claimed its territorial integrity, while Anti-state had a strong ideological presence in the valleys in the north, administer below the republic.

Waiting for the foreign delegation were Feng Yuhan and Shen Bai, both recently returned from the Global Security Summit which did not meet their expectations. The meeting was to be held in one of the most luxurious hotels in the city. As historic as the event was, there did not appear to be any intention on the part of Tianlong to concentrate too much media pressure on the issue if no agreement were reached.

@Touzen

 

[Touzen]

As expected by international diplomatic custom, the lineup of the Tianlong side was mirrored by the Anti-State. With Dictator Hayabusa and his right-hand man Shigeru Kato as Officer of Revolutionary Defense and Foreign Relations in attendance, the summit was a top-class event.

It was unusual for such a meeting to be held immediately at the highest levels. Normally, such proceedings were for final accords, when agreements were signed that had been meticulously prepared by lower-level diplomatic staff in the background shadows, far from the media attention and glory that was reserved for the upper echelons of government who would finally get to sign any agreement. But these were unusual times, and it was an unusual meeting. Indeed, many had wondered why the Anti-State was planning to humor the advances by their neighbors in the Republic at all. Perhaps it was the changing international climate, or the increasing importance of the economic initiatives of their southern neighbors, or perhaps the Dictator was merely humoring the Tianlonges for the chance of some good coverage in the historical records in the waning days of his administration.

Whatever the reason was, the Dictator and his secondary in charge of the mega portfolio foreign affairs, defense and intelligence, a man a generation his senior and firmly in the hawkish camp of the domestic political climate traditionally disinclined to matters of potential concession now on the agenda in Jindao, were now seated across from the Tianlongese president and his foreign minister, having exchanged the traditional official pleasantries in the public eye before retiring to the gloves off antechambers of real discourse. Noteworthily, Hayabusa had offered the traditional Golden Path salute recognized across Touyou in a right hand to his heart and an extended left palm. The man was a baptized Tiburan Catholic, though he did not usually draw attention to the fact that he belonged to a religious minority, but had no quarrels with opting into religiously-connotated cultural symbols recognized throughout the continent that the power he represented largely controlled.

The meeting was unusual in another manner: No translators were present. While both Hayabusa and Kato as a high-ranking officer who had been on many exchanges to the Federation even before his political career and Kato as a career diplomat had no issue conversing in Engellish, Tianlong and Touzen were the lingua franca of the continent and spoken to varying degrees of proficiency by the plurality of the regional elites. If issues of understanding arose, switching languages would be natural to all in attendance. If they were of the linguistical nature that was - matters of content were far more likely to cause controversy in this context.

"We sincerely thank the Tianlong Republic for the invitation to Jindao", Hayabusa began. "Although we had the pleasant opportunity to meet in another context recently, I believe that today's convergence will be of a far more intimate nature that will hopefully allow us to spend more time to understand each other's viewpoints and perhaps align policies than would be possible in other contexts."

The Touzen leader was, of course, referring to the Valls summit, from which the two Touyou powers had returned with very divergent assessment. While Hayabusa had signed on the Anti-State and it's people for a crusade against the reactionary forces of neo-imperialism, Feng Yuhan for his part had navigated his people to the periphery of the brewing storm. It wasn't necessarily a bad choice, Hayabusa thought - CETO was offering plenty of security guarantees to the dragon lands, and the country was busy turning itself into an economic powerhouse with international connections that could only be harmed by a war. They would defend themselves when war came, but they would not take a proactive step to begin a war that many hawks around Hayabusa considered inevitable. One of those hawks was sitting next to him after all.

"We come to this meeting with no pre-conditions, while keeping the positions of our respective governments regarding the issue at hand in mind. If understandings about the nature of our respective positions and the establishment of a dialog format can be reached, we will already consider this a very healthy first step towards broadening our relations", the Officer of Revolutionary Defense and Foreign Affairs, a man with a half-circle of hair and an imposing pair of glasses chimed in. "After all, the Anti-State is known to foster peaceful and friendly relations with all wherever possible."

Some of the European theater would have decisively disagreed with this statement, if only they had been able to hear it.

 

[Imimoya]

The presence of such high political offices by the Anti-State was not as obvious a matter as it might seem in the eyes of a European politician. Indeed, given the geographical proximity of the two countries, which share a continent, their relations in the best cases were of indifference. However, this should not have been considered as an adversity between the two nations, on the contrary, their border was very peaceful and little monitored for two countries that do not have excellent relations. The first to speak was

You must be registered for see links

. A politician by profession and foreign ministry of the dragon.

"Let me first of all thank you personally for your presence for this meeting that borders on the formal. I speak for both when I say that today we could make history, today's potential is almost infinite." Shen loved to insert dreamy speeches and ideas. As if he were a young boy in his early years of career, ready to see the positive in every situation. "Observing what is happening on the old European continent, it is natural to wonder if such a situation could one day happen in our eastern area. To this end, it would be appropriate to promote a common policy on the continent we share. We could start with a non-aggression agreement."

The man as he spoke, got up, and walked to the drinks table, where hot water was prepared in advance to serve the traditional Tianlong tea. Shen took the necessary and was ready to serve the guests first, interrupting his intervention only to ask "Tea?".

Feng Yuhan was the second to speak, just after tea was served. The President was a young man, perhaps the youngest to hold office since the republic was founded just over a century ago. History was full of child emperors, so those were not taken into consideration. "Therefore, I believe it is necessary to note on both sides that within our two nations, there are territorial entities that are inclined to want to change the entity that administers them out of ideological affinity. Siyang Peninsula and South Legation Coast. Our idea is to both support a referendum in the areas, and accept the results, whatever they are. A simple question, asking areas if they want to keep their current status or join the Republic or the Anti-State. We could find political peace without a fight."

 

[Touzen]

Hayabusa hoped that Shen Bai was not actually thinking that a non-aggression agreement would be needed as anything but a formality to signify a new step in the relationship between the neighbors. If his government's policy had given his Tialong counterparts pause to thought that the Army of the Revolution might actually sweep down the valleys of the Legation Coast as barrages of cruise missiles hammered airfields across the coast and special operatives parachuted onto strategic targets to commit mass genocide of the political caste of the Dragon Republic, he must have made some serious errors in how he had presented himself to the wider world. The Anti-State by his assessment was the most well-respected in the international arena it had been in decades, but perhaps it was precisely this that made anxious visitations rise from the shadows of Shen Bai's subconsciousness to torment the minister.

In any case, it was an easy concession to give. Other concessions on this would have to be won by far more effort.

"A...non-aggression agreement. Yes, certainly. I would be happy to sign our longstanding attitude of mutual peacefulness into written form, a testament to our peoples and to younger ones that diplomatic acts have not fallen out of fashion, even though war seems to be far more popular."

He quickly pondered how he had sent a submarine after the capsized oil tanker off the coast of Al-Magrab. An accident with a CETO mine that had provided the perfect cover for a false flag opportunity that would open the way to the removal of Tarusan imperialism from the crippled continent. Could not have any witnesses to debrief and cast doubt the official story, though - and the silent service had taken on that heavy responsibility. A torpedo that destroyed lives and families and exacerbate natural disaster to free millions. Necessary, but definitely not peaceful.

"For my part, I hope that Touyou shall never see such grievances. And as long as our respective regimes endure, we will not", he added upon affirming the tea. Complex aromas of ginger, the early summer harvest's mildness and citrus, and then but the hint of bitterness in the last moment. An omen?

Ah, there it was, he thought. The talk about territories. The bitterness. The Touzen leader listened attentively as the President extrapolated upon his thoughts. If Kato had thoughts of his own on the matter, he did not betray them during the brief moment in which Hayabusa averted his gaze to get a read on the hawk.

"It is a complex topic for sure", the Dictator nothinged in response. It was very complex. Siyang was where Touzen truly became an Empire in its own right, carving its birthright out of the dying carcass of the Eternal Empire. Eventually, resettlement and displacement had completely altered the character of the region. Of course, some of the natives did remain, but waves of Touzen immigrants, assimilation and in later years the settlement of the area near the border by Zionist settlers invited by the Anti-State had almost completely ravaged the pre-colonial character of the region. And while Siyang was the remodeled backyard of Touyou, it also was part of a boneyard of a dead Empire like large areas of Jizhou. Around forty million of the Xhengese had perished during the war before the revolution, in a genocide that had been hidden from the world, the charnel houses covered by time and soil. It was a taboo, even today. It was barely hinted at except in hushed conversations about great-grandfather around Xhengese kitchen tables. For all intends and purposes, the Anti-State was still the custodian of one of the worst crimes in history, perpetrated by a regime that it had strangled to death. And who knew what evidence was hiding in Siyang.

"Your Excellency of course understands, as I hear in your words, that the sovereignty of the people to decide their fate is sacrosanct. There are complex issues attached to this matter, matters of timelines, of legalities, economies, institutional transition.

And also of course the issue of a Jewish homeland."

This would be a showstopper for any move, not that Hayabusa felt the idea could be realized anytime soon anyhow even if he wanted to, given the global march to the tune of the drums of war. He also considered the talk about finding political peace without a fight concerning. Was Uicheon ready to escalate this matter, diplomatically or militarily? If so, he had made a grave mistake by humoring the invitation, even though global unity of the democratic world was needed now more than ever. But beyond that, the Anti-State's political caste was married to Zionism. It was unthinkable that they would deprive the Jewish nationalists under their patronage of a homeland, again.

"As you will know, the World Zionist Congress has been settling in the Siyang peninsula for a long time now in anticipation of Jewish statehood. Their goal is to leave the peninsula at some point - but that is easier said than done while Jerusalem is still not the capital of Zion. It would certainly make Goldbaum's successor much more ready to listen to any proposals regarding Siyang if certain guarantees of support could be secured. If Zion's statehood could be secured, that would certainly open the way for more territorial reconsiderations."

"Can you expand upon your vision perhaps a bit more? Detail your ideas around the Legation Coast, for instance?", Kato chimed in from the sides.