User Panel
User Panel
User Panel
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Posted: 3/16/2024 12:37:50 AM EDT
[#1]
It's all certainly connected, no doubt about it. Unfortunately for us, we're definitely past the point of where and how things started. John Keegan, in his book A History of War, wrote in that book's epilogue on why wars happen; that it wasn't so much nations "coveting" resources, but it was as simple as the appearance of weakness invites Attack.
We're at a point now where we can't even direct the momentum of events in a direction that is favorable or even less detrimental due to this one fact: for over 30 years the owners of the Democratic Party have always assumed that America's enemies are inside America, and America's friends are outside of America. (While the Soviets had a similar attitude, they didn't have this as a belief. They would show their "love" of their fellow workers by slowing down the executions of so many of them, and then have them march on East Berlin to put down a counter-revolutionary revolt. We won't even get that. Oh well.) The Beginning of events was either misunderstood or ignored by American planners. This middle period is one of playing the little Dutch Boy plugging dikes and not being able to keep up. Right now, today, we cannot control outcome. That's not a good place to be. We're playing someone else's game by their rules. We will not win under this circumstance, and even survival may be questioned. |
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Posted: 3/16/2024 12:56:49 AM EDT
[#2]
Let's do some revisiting of the Two Sessions to see what's going on there!
'Two sessions' 2024: China 'all about the party's leadership' as it gets more control over cabinet When we did "what is the Two Sessions" not too far back, we talked about how this legislative meeting was not entirely dominated by the CCP. Well...that's changing!!! The legislature on Monday passed a revised law giving the Communist Party more control over the State Council, China's cabinet a move experts say marks an end to any separation of power between the party and state. On the final day of the annual legislative session in Beijing, lawmakers approved the amended Organic Law of the State Council with 2,883 votes in favour, eight against and nine abstaining. The law now states that the cabinet must uphold the party's leadership, "implement decisions" it makes, and closely follow the political teachings of top leaders including President Xi Jinping. "The era of work separation between the party and the government is now over after four decades, China is now all about the party's leadership," said Deng Yuwen, former deputy editor of Study Times, the Central Party School's official newspaper. "Xi has successfully revived Mao's famous slogan about the party's overall leadership," he added. Former leader Mao Zedong's slogan "Government, the military, society and schools, north, south, east and west the party leads them all" was written into the party's charter after the 19th party congress in 2017. Deng said Xi had "consolidated all the major decision-making power for the party and himself, making the State Council just an arm to execute the party's policy decisions". "He put Li Qiang there [as premier] to make sure the State Council performs that exact role it has been given." I use the word "victim" because that's how Americans have been trained to think by the American Left. Americans also believe that being a "victim" imbues an individual with a transcending understanding of all things related the victimization. Their "victimization" has granted them a perfect understanding of why it's wrong and what to do about it to prevent it from happening in the future. In real life, that's all bullshit. There's mostly a need for revenge while the precious few have the strength to offer forgiveness. Most people when being whipped only realize it's better to be whipping someone than getting whipped, and they will try and turn those tables. Xi is a survivor. He learned that it's better to rule in Hell than serve in Heaven to borrow a phrase from Dante. Now, on with our Show! The revision is the first change to the State Council law since it was passed in 1982. Then leader Deng Xiaoping had pushed for a "separation of party and government work" to prevent the overconcentration of power seen during the Mao era, when the Cultural Revolution was unleashed. Under Deng's watch, those words "separate the party from the government" were also included in the 13th party congress report in 1987. Those efforts were hindered when Beijing's pro-reform camp was purged in 1989, but party dominance only really took off when Xi became leader, according to a political scientist at Peking University. "The party's tighter grip mainly started after Xi took power in 2012, and especially in the watershed year of 2017," said the political scientist, who declined to be named because of the sensitivity of the matter. "Wang Qishan set the tone at that year's 'two sessions', and the 19th party congress in October then introduced sweeping changes to the party and state structure allowing the party apparatus to take charge of all the key aspects of China's politics, economy and society." Wang, who retired from politics last year, was at the time a member of the powerful Politburo Standing Committee and the party's anti-corruption chief. He had openly brushed aside calls since the 1980s for Beijing to limit the party's power and separate it from the administrative branches to improve checks and balances, saying there was "no such thing as separation between the party and the government there is only a division of functions". The party absorbed more power from the cabinet during a smaller overhaul in March last year, when it formed powerful bodies to take command of the vast financial sector, social work, Hong Kong and Macau affairs, and technological development. The State Council also amended its work rules to clarify that it would closely follow instructions from the party. Several provisions related to government transparency and disclosure of information were also removed. Since then the cabinet has no longer held weekly meetings, instead gathering two or three times a month. Deng Yuwen, who is now an independent political researcher based in the United States, said Xi's consolidation of power would make the decision-making authority clearer but the process would be even more opaque. "Under the State Council, at least there are some public channels where you can question the ministers on policy directions," he said, adding that decisions could also take longer now with Xi "becoming the decision-maker for almost all the important policy aspects". Deng also noted that the premier's annual press conferences, usually held at the end of the legislative session, had been scrapped. "With the premier's pressers gone, we will not hear directly from China's top leadership in coming years as Xi has not held any press conferences since he came to power," he added. |
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Posted: 3/16/2024 1:11:03 AM EDT
[Last Edit: zoinks]
[#3]
Let's do a little Propaganda Friday. First up, Taiwan makes a slick move"
Taiwan asks for China help after bomb threats Deputy legislative speaker, lawmakers targeted by individuals outside country Taiwan put on a press conference to publicly "to ask China for help" knowing full well no such help will be offered. TAIPEI (Taiwan News) Taiwan has asked China to help out with finding the author of bomb threats against several lawmakers, Interior Minister Lin Yu-chang ( ) said Saturday (March 9). Legislators from both opposition and ruling parties have received messages threatening them with violence if they did not pay varying sums of money. The list of targeted politicians included Deputy Legislative Speaker Johnny Chiang ( ), while some of the threats were authored by someone using the name of Kaohsiung City Mayor Chen Chi-mai ( ). The investigation showed the messages had been routed from several countries, including China, according to Lin. As a result, the Ministry of Interior (MOI) asked China to locate the person behind the threats, per Radio Taiwan International (RTI). Here's a story from the South China Morning Post. It might be behind a paywall. Not certain, but you can just toggle "reader view" in the address bar in case it is: Xi's dominance in Chinese politics to grow with change to State Council: expert .. The first quote will be a little more detail of the previous post, but then we'll go into their economic goals. China's legislature is set to approve a bill to impose further and stronger Communist Party control on the State Council, the country's cabinet. The amendment to the Organic Law of the State Council is expected to pass on Monday, the last day of the National People's Congress (NPC) China's annual parliamentary meetings. It includes specific clauses saying the council will closely follow the Communist Party's ideology, leadership and instructions, further defining its role as faithful policy implementer of the ruling party. The bill comes at a time when Premier Li Qiang who was sworn in as the customary head of the State Council at the NPC last March appears to be scaling back his office's role in diplomacy and public discourse as the party focuses on loyalty to President Xi Jinping. Li, China's No 2 official, will also not be meeting reporters at the close of this year's NPC, after the premier's annual press conference was scrapped ending a tradition dating back at least three decades. Li Hongzhong, vice-chairman of the NPC Standing Committee, said the amendment was part of China's party-state overhaul that began last year, which sought to further consolidate policy-formulation and decision-making power within the party apparatus led by Xi. The law is of "crucial significance to ensuring that the State Council performs its duties in accordance with the constitution and other laws", Li told the legislature on Tuesday in explaining the draft amendment, which consists of 20 articles. A China politics researcher at Peking University said the revision of the Organic Law at the NPC was "a final step in redefining party and state relations" in the country. "The law's passing means the hierarchy of Xi leading the Communist Party to decide on China's overall direction and policy, while Li's State Council becomes Xi's loyal policy implementer, is being endorsed by the highest legislative body," said the researcher, who declined to be named due to the sensitivity of the matter. "Xi and the party's dominance in Chinese politics will be even more solid as the State Council will never be a challenger." Okay, I exceeded the SCMP limit on reading their articles and they threw me out!!! Odd behavior for Socialists/Communists! Risks ahead but China's economy to stay on long-term, tech-led course Let's get to their economic goals: Chinese Premier Li Qiang delivered a message of continuity when he presented his first work report to the country's legislators on Tuesday, with China largely hewing to the same growth economic targets as last year and defying market hopes of stimulus. So, let's start walking in some mud!!! Opening the annual session of the National People's Congress in Beijing, Li said the government was aiming for around 5 per cent growth, roughly as much as it grew in 2023. Amid deflationary risks, a prolonged downturn in the real estate market and dampened business confidence, Li said the government was "keenly aware" of the challenges ahead. "In setting the growth rate, we have taken into account the need to boost employment and incomes and prevent and defuse risks," he said. "Achieving this year's targets will not be easy." "Global economic growth lacks steam and the regional hotspot issues keep erupting. This has made China's external environment more complex, severe and uncertain," he said. But there was no announcement of any splashy quick fixes. The government would press on with a "proactive fiscal policy and prudent monetary policy", the premier said, suggesting no major change in the leadership's approach to the economy. Thing about economic growth is that you need to have extra money for it. That's inflationary. There's an identity that goes Money Supplied = Goods and Services produced. If you want to grow your economy, you'll need to supply it with some money. Not enough money and production stops/slows down, and the economy may become deflationary which is the opposite of growth. And I'll state it again, this is why China's currency will never be a "reserve currency". The PRC will not give up control of it nor produce extra money for the World to use. Here's where things really get fuzzy: That strategy was reflected in other targets. As in 2023, the government is aiming for an urban unemployment rate of around 5.5 per cent and is pushing for the creation of more than 12 million new jobs in cities this year. The goal is in range of the 11 million target and 12.44 million jobs created last year, according to official data. Inflation is forecast to be around 3 per cent, the same target as 2023, and well above the mere 0.2 per cent actual inflation of last year. China kept its headline fiscal deficit at last year's 3 per cent target. But China will issue 1 trillion yuan (US$139 billion) in central government special bonds and 3.9 trillion yuan in local government ones. In addition, it announced it would issue "ultra-long term special treasury bonds" starting this year and over each of the next several years, in order to "systematically address funding shortage facing major projects", according to the work report. RED: this is a useless sentence as there are no definitions. At face value, the PRC plans on creating jobs for approximately .86% of it's population. Maybe it lost something in translation. Blue: this is one of China's bullshit statistics. I doubt they can influence their inflation rate with any precision, and only .2% inflation rate in 2023??? Since all statics lag to one degree or another, something that low can't be measured for one, plus the PRC is on record of having a 5% growth rate last year with little to no growth in money supplied. It's all nonsense. Green: Does this sound like another Country you guys might be familiar with? Many analysts noted the GDP target was "ambitious" given the high base, lack of effective measures to turn around the faltering property sector and China's increasing trade frictions with the United States and Europe. "It is very likely that the announcements will disappoint the market," said Ding Shuang, chief economist with Greater China at Standard Chartered. "However, the government has reiterated several times that it will not launch a strong stimulus." Instead, the work report and the budget released by the National Development and Reform Commission on Tuesday signalled the government was doubling down on structural change, channelling more funds to the science and technology needed to make that wholesale economic transition. "Beijing's budget inclination on technology, education, national defence and agriculture is in line with its current moves to ward off external shocks and increase strategic investment," Ding added. Anyway, the rest of the report is more of the same. It's all Propaganda for the masses. We get the same here. |
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Posted: 3/16/2024 6:19:57 PM EDT
[#4]
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Posted: 3/16/2024 10:54:13 PM EDT
[#5]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By CarmelBytheSea: https://www.dvidshub.net/video/915823/officials-testify-pacific-islands-strategy At roughly the 38 minute mark to 43 minutes, Sen. Bob "I don't know how that stolen gold ended up in my collection" Menendez had some tough things to say and asked a couple of tough questions about about any sort of Trade Agreements between the US and the Island countries. The .gov response was "the Strategy...we have it." Next highlight was actually, maybe even weirdly, from Sen. Romney at the 54 to 59 minute marks. He pointed out the China has a plan and asked the the US plan was. The .gov response was "we have a strategy." Next one is at the 1:07 to 1:12 minute marks with Sen. Hagerty, former Amb to Japan under Pres Trump. He started with a story about how when Hanjin Heavy Industries who owned Subic Bay Shipyard went bankrupt, he and a few others became concerned about the two Chinese companies that were going to buy the facility. He organized, along with others, to get a private equity firm, everybody's favorite - Cerebus, and others in there to buy before the Duterte accepted the Chinese offer. Sen. Hagerty then talked about how he tried to get the rest of the US gov't involved through maybe a development corp or even a facility to keep Subic Bay Shipyard out of the hands of the Chinese. However, none of the government agencies would help beyond attending meetings. The Senator then asked the panelists why no government agency would help. The .gov response was "yes." Next, Sen. Young asked about the plans to stop the PRC illegal fishing throughout the entire part of the Ocean at the 1:18 to 1:23 minute mark. The .gov response was "to increase awareness." Right after this was Sen Van Hollen at the 1:23 to 1:28 minute marks specifically asking about Chinese Police in Kiribati and also in general about the US anticipating the PRC putting their Police on these islands. The .gov response was "be present and listening." Then the Senator asked about embassies and was the State Dept having trouble finding staff for this locations. (Apparently, they're having problems building permanent facilities, and there are still no Ambassadors yet.) The .gov response was "everybody's exited to go, but we're still staffing sites." There you have it! Your Tax dollars at work. |
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Posted: 3/16/2024 11:00:23 PM EDT
[#6]
I should've add some stuff about Subic Bay Shipyard.
Here's a story from the original series of reports that caused concern: Hanjin shipyard bankruptcy poses dilemma for Duterte I couldn't find the original Nikkei story, but here's a good substitute from CNBC: A bankruptcy in the Philippines sparks concerns of Chinese firms taking over a former US naval base Then here's a wikipedia entry that neither the climate change autists or anti-Trumpers have changed...yet: Agila Subic Shipyard So, so far, no one really owns it. Cerebus wants to sell because they always want to sell, but Huyndai may buy. |
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Posted: 3/17/2024 8:14:52 AM EDT
[Last Edit: CarmelBytheSea]
[#7]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By zoinks: That was a long watch!!! But there were a few high spots!! At roughly the 38 minute mark to 43 minutes, Sen. Bob "I don't know how that stolen gold ended up in my collection" Menendez had some tough things to say and asked a couple of tough questions about about any sort of Trade Agreements between the US and the Island countries. The .gov response was "the Strategy...we have it." Next highlight was actually, maybe even weirdly, from Sen. Romney at the 54 to 59 minute marks. He pointed out the China has a plan and asked the the US plan was. The .gov response was "we have a strategy." Next one is at the 1:07 to 1:12 minute marks with Sen. Hagerty, former Amb to Japan under Pres Trump. He started with a story about how when Hanjin Heavy Industries who owned Subic Bay Shipyard went bankrupt, he and a few others became concerned about the two Chinese companies that were going to buy the facility. He organized, along with others, to get a private equity firm, everybody's favorite - Cerebus, and others in there to buy before the Duterte accepted the Chinese offer. Sen. Hagerty then talked about how he tried to get the rest of the US gov't involved through maybe a development corp or even a facility to keep Subic Bay Shipyard out of the hands of the Chinese. However, none of the government agencies would help beyond attending meetings. The Senator then asked the panelists why no government agency would help. The .gov response was "yes." Next, Sen. Young asked about the plans to stop the PRC illegal fishing throughout the entire part of the Ocean at the 1:18 to 1:23 minute mark. The .gov response was "to increase awareness." Right after this was Sen Van Hollen at the 1:23 to 1:28 minute marks specifically asking about Chinese Police in Kiribati and also in general about the US anticipating the PRC putting their Police on these islands. The .gov response was "be present and listening." Then the Senator asked about embassies and was the State Dept having trouble finding staff for this locations. (Apparently, they're having problems building permanent facilities, and there are still no Ambassadors yet.) The .gov response was "everybody's exited to go, but we're still staffing sites." There you have it! Your Tax dollars at work. On a side note, traffic in D.C. is almost as bad as Los Angeles and San Francisco levels, it was a zoo there and I couldn’t wait to get out of there |
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Posted: 3/17/2024 1:53:31 PM EDT
[#8]
I've only had two friends stationed there, one at the Pentagon, and the other was outside of Washington in VA. Neither of them liked it. One retired out then and there, and the other would rather be at Los Alamos. I remember thinking, "wow. that's better than being in civilization."
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Posted: 3/19/2024 11:28:18 PM EDT
[#9]
Time for another Score Card!!!
Taiwan tracks 15 Chinese military aircraft, 10 naval ships around nation So far this month, Taiwan has tracked Chinese military aircraft 209 times and naval vessels 133 times. As for PLAN ships, this is really a big month, but I suspect they're counting the increased patrols around Kinmen Island as well as Taiping Island. But that daily average is 7 ships per day!!!! I've never seen those numbers before for ships!! Keep in mind with between the coming weather change and the fact that the seas in the area will be rising a bit...it's good weather for an invasion...for a little bit. :) (I think the PRC is going to use some heavy duty scare tactics before the Inauguration in May.)  Attached FileThe flight tracker didn't show any specific tracks this time...again, but just a couple of red outlines in the areas that the PLAAF and PLAN aircraft flew did their air shows. |
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Posted: 3/19/2024 11:49:29 PM EDT
[#10]
Here's a story a little bit ahead of Propaganda Friday, but I present it as a way to look at a disconnenct between what is asked and what was assumed by the receiver of the message.
Taiwanese disagree with defense minister on likelihood of war with China Story first: TAIPEI (Taiwan News) Half of Taiwanese disagree with Defense Minister Chiu Kuo-cheng's ( ) assertion that the Taiwan Strait is "on the brink" of a heightened alert with China, according to an opinion poll released Tuesday (March 19). In an interview with CommonWealth Magazine last month, Chiu cautioned that Taiwan needs to be ready for battle and beef up its war preparations. At the Legislative Yuan on March 7, he said the Taiwan Strait is "on the brink" of a heightened alert with China launching more frequent and closer military drills. According to a Taiwanese Public Opinion Foundation (TPOF) poll, 37.1% agreed with the defense chief, but 50.4% rejected his thesis. A majority of the supporters of each political party did not believe that an invasion or attack by China was imminent, per Radio Taiwan International (RTI). In blue is the result of the sample population's opinion that they do not think that an invasion or attack by China was imminent. That is quite a disconnect between what was stated by the Defense Minister and the poll sample. The opinion poll sample quoted gave an answer to a question that was not asked. There's a couple of reasons why this would happen with the first answer being "in denial" which is understandable while another reason is with so many heightened alerts that amount to nothing, they are morally exhausted to all the false alarms that continually happen. Neither the former nor the latter is good for society to be able to withstand an actual invasion. War is a matter of Will. No Will to fight, no victory will be had. What I found interesting is the disconnect between what the Defense Minister said, and the actual choice given by the Poll takers. That was a choice, a very subtle choice made by those who created the poll for some reason. I'm assuming that because I can't read Taiwanese: 2024 2024 3 19 Maybe one of you guys can and give us some insight on this poll. |
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FL, USA
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Posted: 3/20/2024 1:27:56 AM EDT
[#11]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By zoinks: That was a long watch!!! But there were a few high spots!! At roughly the 38 minute mark to 43 minutes, Sen. Bob "I don't know how that stolen gold ended up in my collection" Menendez had some tough things to say and asked a couple of tough questions about about any sort of Trade Agreements between the US and the Island countries. The .gov response was "the Strategy...we have it." Next highlight was actually, maybe even weirdly, from Sen. Romney at the 54 to 59 minute marks. He pointed out the China has a plan and asked the the US plan was. The .gov response was "we have a strategy." Next one is at the 1:07 to 1:12 minute marks with Sen. Hagerty, former Amb to Japan under Pres Trump. He started with a story about how when Hanjin Heavy Industries who owned Subic Bay Shipyard went bankrupt, he and a few others became concerned about the two Chinese companies that were going to buy the facility. He organized, along with others, to get a private equity firm, everybody's favorite - Cerebus, and others in there to buy before the Duterte accepted the Chinese offer. Sen. Hagerty then talked about how he tried to get the rest of the US gov't involved through maybe a development corp or even a facility to keep Subic Bay Shipyard out of the hands of the Chinese. However, none of the government agencies would help beyond attending meetings. The Senator then asked the panelists why no government agency would help. The .gov response was "yes." Next, Sen. Young asked about the plans to stop the PRC illegal fishing throughout the entire part of the Ocean at the 1:18 to 1:23 minute mark. The .gov response was "to increase awareness." Right after this was Sen Van Hollen at the 1:23 to 1:28 minute marks specifically asking about Chinese Police in Kiribati and also in general about the US anticipating the PRC putting their Police on these islands. The .gov response was "be present and listening." Then the Senator asked about embassies and was the State Dept having trouble finding staff for this locations. (Apparently, they're having problems building permanent facilities, and there are still no Ambassadors yet.) The .gov response was "everybody's exited to go, but we're still staffing sites." There you have it! Your Tax dollars at work. Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By zoinks: Originally Posted By CarmelBytheSea: https://www.dvidshub.net/video/915823/officials-testify-pacific-islands-strategy At roughly the 38 minute mark to 43 minutes, Sen. Bob "I don't know how that stolen gold ended up in my collection" Menendez had some tough things to say and asked a couple of tough questions about about any sort of Trade Agreements between the US and the Island countries. The .gov response was "the Strategy...we have it." Next highlight was actually, maybe even weirdly, from Sen. Romney at the 54 to 59 minute marks. He pointed out the China has a plan and asked the the US plan was. The .gov response was "we have a strategy." Next one is at the 1:07 to 1:12 minute marks with Sen. Hagerty, former Amb to Japan under Pres Trump. He started with a story about how when Hanjin Heavy Industries who owned Subic Bay Shipyard went bankrupt, he and a few others became concerned about the two Chinese companies that were going to buy the facility. He organized, along with others, to get a private equity firm, everybody's favorite - Cerebus, and others in there to buy before the Duterte accepted the Chinese offer. Sen. Hagerty then talked about how he tried to get the rest of the US gov't involved through maybe a development corp or even a facility to keep Subic Bay Shipyard out of the hands of the Chinese. However, none of the government agencies would help beyond attending meetings. The Senator then asked the panelists why no government agency would help. The .gov response was "yes." Next, Sen. Young asked about the plans to stop the PRC illegal fishing throughout the entire part of the Ocean at the 1:18 to 1:23 minute mark. The .gov response was "to increase awareness." Right after this was Sen Van Hollen at the 1:23 to 1:28 minute marks specifically asking about Chinese Police in Kiribati and also in general about the US anticipating the PRC putting their Police on these islands. The .gov response was "be present and listening." Then the Senator asked about embassies and was the State Dept having trouble finding staff for this locations. (Apparently, they're having problems building permanent facilities, and there are still no Ambassadors yet.) The .gov response was "everybody's exited to go, but we're still staffing sites." There you have it! Your Tax dollars at work. You have to admit, the CCP is good at manufacturing well-paid-off US officials. The kind who stay bought. Wholesale cleaning of .fed agencies would be the solution, and entirely achievable by the POTUS. Trump didn't do so. Conclusion: Trump is just as owned (indirectly) as Biden is. No one is allowed to get near the White House who isn't already bought and paid for, with the full extended warranty upgrade as well at checkout... |
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Posted: 3/20/2024 3:33:01 AM EDT
[Last Edit: GoldenMead]
[#12]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By zoinks: Here's a story a little bit ahead of Propaganda Friday, but I present it as a way to look at a disconnenct between what is asked and what was assumed by the receiver of the message. Taiwanese disagree with defense minister on likelihood of war with China Story first: In red is the thesis (the PRC is increasing provocations that may result in further heightened defensive postures for Taiwan.) In blue is the result of the sample population's opinion that they do not think that an invasion or attack by China was imminent. That is quite a disconnect between what was stated by the Defense Minister and the poll sample. The opinion poll sample quoted gave an answer to a question that was not asked. There's a couple of reasons why this would happen with the first answer being "in denial" which is understandable while another reason is with so many heightened alerts that amount to nothing, they are morally exhausted to all the false alarms that continually happen. Neither the former nor the latter is good for society to be able to withstand an actual invasion. War is a matter of Will. No Will to fight, no victory will be had. What I found interesting is the disconnect between what the Defense Minister said, and the actual choice given by the Poll takers. That was a choice, a very subtle choice made by those who created the poll for some reason. I'm assuming that because I can't read Taiwanese: 2024 2024 3 19 Maybe one of you guys can and give us some insight on this poll. I have a cousin who lives in Taipei and he’s been there for ten years now. He married a woman from a extremely wealthy family. They have homes all around the world and their business operates all over Asia. They do not think China will use military force on Taiwan. Me personally I think China will move on Taiwan this year, but my cousin and his wife’s family just laugh at that. |
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Posted: 3/20/2024 5:06:19 AM EDT
[#13]
There must be some money in it somewhere, for Biden the Terrible, or for his disgusting son.
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Posted: 3/20/2024 9:22:07 AM EDT
[#14]
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Posted: 3/20/2024 9:44:07 AM EDT
[#15]
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Posted: 3/20/2024 9:45:07 AM EDT
[#16]
Do we start with Guadalcanal again and work our way west?
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Posted: 3/20/2024 9:46:46 AM EDT
[#17]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By zoinks: I've only had two friends stationed there, one at the Pentagon, and the other was outside of Washington in VA. Neither of them liked it. One retired out then and there, and the other would rather be at Los Alamos. I remember thinking, "wow. that's better than being in civilization." I worked at the Pentagon in the 1990s and comparing traffic which I thought was bad then to tiday is night and day difference - its almost 3rd world |
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Posted: 3/20/2024 12:17:44 PM EDT
[#18]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By zoinks: Here's a story a little bit ahead of Propaganda Friday, but I present it as a way to look at a disconnenct between what is asked and what was assumed by the receiver of the message. Taiwanese disagree with defense minister on likelihood of war with China Story first: In red is the thesis (the PRC is increasing provocations that may result in further heightened defensive postures for Taiwan.) In blue is the result of the sample population's opinion that they do not think that an invasion or attack by China was imminent. That is quite a disconnect between what was stated by the Defense Minister and the poll sample. The opinion poll sample quoted gave an answer to a question that was not asked. There's a couple of reasons why this would happen with the first answer being "in denial" which is understandable while another reason is with so many heightened alerts that amount to nothing, they are morally exhausted to all the false alarms that continually happen. Neither the former nor the latter is good for society to be able to withstand an actual invasion. War is a matter of Will. No Will to fight, no victory will be had. What I found interesting is the disconnect between what the Defense Minister said, and the actual choice given by the Poll takers. That was a choice, a very subtle choice made by those who created the poll for some reason. I'm assuming that because I can't read Taiwanese: 2024 2024 3 19 Maybe one of you guys can and give us some insight on this poll. Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By zoinks: Here's a story a little bit ahead of Propaganda Friday, but I present it as a way to look at a disconnenct between what is asked and what was assumed by the receiver of the message. Taiwanese disagree with defense minister on likelihood of war with China Story first: TAIPEI (Taiwan News) Half of Taiwanese disagree with Defense Minister Chiu Kuo-cheng's ( ) assertion that the Taiwan Strait is "on the brink" of a heightened alert with China, according to an opinion poll released Tuesday (March 19). In an interview with CommonWealth Magazine last month, Chiu cautioned that Taiwan needs to be ready for battle and beef up its war preparations. At the Legislative Yuan on March 7, he said the Taiwan Strait is "on the brink" of a heightened alert with China launching more frequent and closer military drills. According to a Taiwanese Public Opinion Foundation (TPOF) poll, 37.1% agreed with the defense chief, but 50.4% rejected his thesis. A majority of the supporters of each political party did not believe that an invasion or attack by China was imminent, per Radio Taiwan International (RTI). In blue is the result of the sample population's opinion that they do not think that an invasion or attack by China was imminent. That is quite a disconnect between what was stated by the Defense Minister and the poll sample. The opinion poll sample quoted gave an answer to a question that was not asked. There's a couple of reasons why this would happen with the first answer being "in denial" which is understandable while another reason is with so many heightened alerts that amount to nothing, they are morally exhausted to all the false alarms that continually happen. Neither the former nor the latter is good for society to be able to withstand an actual invasion. War is a matter of Will. No Will to fight, no victory will be had. What I found interesting is the disconnect between what the Defense Minister said, and the actual choice given by the Poll takers. That was a choice, a very subtle choice made by those who created the poll for some reason. I'm assuming that because I can't read Taiwanese: 2024 2024 3 19 Maybe one of you guys can and give us some insight on this poll. Maybe the defense minister is just trying to get $$$'s for acquisitions and a future board spot at BAE or Lockheed? 
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Posted: 3/20/2024 1:11:17 PM EDT
[#19]
Manila should arm some of those fishing boats with tubes.
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Posted: 3/21/2024 1:26:23 AM EDT
[#20]
We have an update about Nvidia from a few months back!!
Tech war: Chinese chip executives put faith in global cooperation despite intensifying US restrictions Chinese chip companies are excited about the progress made by US chip designer giant Nvidia, founded and helmed by Taiwan-born American businessman Jensen Huang, according to Chen Nanxiang, chairman of China's top memory chip maker Yangtze Memory Technologies Corporation. Nvidia developed three new data-centre graphics processing units the H20, L20 and L2 specifically for Chinese customers after its A800 and H800 GPUs, tailor-made for Chinese clients to comply with an earlier version of US export controls, were banned from being sold to China in October. While Nvidia is not allowed to export many of its best chips to China, including the new Blackwell GPUs B200 and GB200, the powerful chips raised major attention in the country amid an intensifying AI race with the US. Neither Nvidia nor Huawei are taking part in this year's edition of Semicon China. New developments in AI and electric vehicles will boost demand for chips, with global semiconductor sales expected to grow between 13 to 16 per cent this year to reach around US$600 billion after an 11 per cent drop last year, according to Ju Long, president of Semicon China. Global sales of semiconductor equipment dropped by a lower-than-expected 1.9 per cent last year, thanks to a 28 per cent jump in demand from China to US$36 billion, Ju said. China, the world's largest semiconductor market, relies heavily on imports to meet its demand for advanced chips, tools and software, making the country vulnerable to US sanctions. The global chip tool market is still monopolised by foreign companies, including Dutch firm ASML and US firms Lam Research, Applied Materials and KLA, which together control 85 per cent of the market, according to Zhao Jinrong, president of Naura Technology Group, a key tool supplier to Chinese foundries. |
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Posted: 3/21/2024 1:35:11 AM EDT
[#21]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By 2tired2run: Maybe the defense minister is just trying to get $$$'s for acquisitions and a future board spot at BAE or Lockheed? Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By 2tired2run: Originally Posted By zoinks: Here's a story a little bit ahead of Propaganda Friday, but I present it as a way to look at a disconnenct between what is asked and what was assumed by the receiver of the message. Taiwanese disagree with defense minister on likelihood of war with China Story first: TAIPEI (Taiwan News) Half of Taiwanese disagree with Defense Minister Chiu Kuo-cheng's ( ) assertion that the Taiwan Strait is "on the brink" of a heightened alert with China, according to an opinion poll released Tuesday (March 19). In an interview with CommonWealth Magazine last month, Chiu cautioned that Taiwan needs to be ready for battle and beef up its war preparations. At the Legislative Yuan on March 7, he said the Taiwan Strait is "on the brink" of a heightened alert with China launching more frequent and closer military drills. According to a Taiwanese Public Opinion Foundation (TPOF) poll, 37.1% agreed with the defense chief, but 50.4% rejected his thesis. A majority of the supporters of each political party did not believe that an invasion or attack by China was imminent, per Radio Taiwan International (RTI). In blue is the result of the sample population's opinion that they do not think that an invasion or attack by China was imminent. That is quite a disconnect between what was stated by the Defense Minister and the poll sample. The opinion poll sample quoted gave an answer to a question that was not asked. There's a couple of reasons why this would happen with the first answer being "in denial" which is understandable while another reason is with so many heightened alerts that amount to nothing, they are morally exhausted to all the false alarms that continually happen. Neither the former nor the latter is good for society to be able to withstand an actual invasion. War is a matter of Will. No Will to fight, no victory will be had. What I found interesting is the disconnect between what the Defense Minister said, and the actual choice given by the Poll takers. That was a choice, a very subtle choice made by those who created the poll for some reason. I'm assuming that because I can't read Taiwanese: 2024 2024 3 19 Maybe one of you guys can and give us some insight on this poll. Maybe the defense minister is just trying to get $$$'s for acquisitions and a future board spot at BAE or Lockheed? If you're at the top levels of Gov't, then you know way more information than the average citizen. As for the average citizen, if you have a two possible forks in the road, one to be in a war or the other just watch your children grow up, which would you prefer? (rhetorical question) But, it's the way it's always been on this planet. |
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Posted: 3/21/2024 7:58:49 AM EDT
[#22]
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Posted: 3/21/2024 9:35:09 AM EDT
[Last Edit: zoinks]
[#23]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By CarmelBytheSea: https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2024/03/21/asia-pacific/politics/taiwan-china-invasion-2027/ Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By CarmelBytheSea: https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2024/03/21/asia-pacific/politics/taiwan-china-invasion-2027/ The top U.S. military commander in the Pacific pointed to China's official defense budget, which he said had risen over 16% from $192 billion to $223.5 billion in recent years, as evidence. Since 2021, the year he took command, Aquilino said the PLA has added over 400 advanced fighter aircraft and more than 20 major warships, and has more than doubled its inventory of ballistic and cruise missiles. "Perhaps most concerning," he added, "has been the rapid pace at which (China) has bolstered its nuclear arsenal, increasing its warhead inventory by well over 100% since 2020." Xi, who has cemented his grip on power in recent years, has called for China to build a "world-class military" by 2027, when the PLA marks 100 years since its founding. Last year, Aquilino told lawmakers on Capitol Hill that "everybody is guessing" when it comes to predicting timelines for a conflict over Taiwan. ETA: I'm eating breakfast. Priorities! On Thursday, Taiwan's Defense Ministry said that 32 Chinese military aircraft had been detected around the island over a 24-hour window through 6 a.m. Twenty of the aircraft, it added, had crossed the so-called median line of the Taiwan Strait the unofficial boundary that separates the island from China. In late January and early February, the ministry said it had detected 33 Chinese warplanes around the island, for the highest number in a single day this year. Aquilino said these kinds of moves "a new, more dangerous status quo for PLA activity and posture around Taiwan" were part of rehearsals for encircling Taiwan and simulating a maritime and air blockade, while bracketing the island with ballistic missile launches. Chinese military exercises last year, he added, had "focused on rehearsing counterintervention and amphibious assault operations," the latter featuring extensive use of civilian ferries and vehicle carriers, as Beijing "leverages civilian capabilities to prepare its forces for seizing Taiwan." |
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Posted: 3/21/2024 9:46:37 AM EDT
[#24]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By CarmelBytheSea: https://amp.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3256118/solomon-islands-pm-praises-chinas-governance-while-criticizing-democracy-immoral Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By CarmelBytheSea: https://amp.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3256118/solomon-islands-pm-praises-chinas-governance-while-criticizing-democracy-immoral The guy that actually started this thread comes out of the Closet!!! In a fiery campaign speech, Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare criticised democracy for promoting LGBTQ culture and lauded China's system of governance for its economic success. The prime minister, who is widely expected to win reelection on April 17, told a campaign rally in Auki, the capital city of Malaita Province, that democracy allows you to "do whatever you want". "Men can marry men, women can marry women [those] are the principles associated with the values of democracy," he said. "You have to ask yourself, what values are you comfortable with as a Christian country?" The Solomon Islands is a highly conservative Christian-majority nation in which same-sex relations are illegal for both men and women. Sogavare also said China had embraced a "socialist system of government" that was "Chinese style", which fuelled its economic progress. "You don't see beggars in China asking for money [you] see that in every major city in the United States [and] it's supposed to be the number one economy in the world," he said. Sogavare added his decision to switch diplomatic recognition from Taiwan to China "put the Solomon Islands on the map". During his speech in Malaita, which opposed switching ties in 2019, Sogavare touted the economic benefits of aligning with China. "For the past 45, years we have been struggling to make headway in development under [the previous] arrangement [with Taiwan]," he said. The article does a little foreshadowing for us; it is South China Morning Post afterall: The country hosted the 2023 Pacific Games in a new China-funded stadium that Sogavare projected as a key achievement of his government. In 2021, he announced plans to suspend the 2023 election to manage the event, triggering anti-government riots that resulted in the capital city of Honiara's Chinatown being torched. Meanwhile, Sogavare's party last week accused the electoral commission of not being "impartial" and claimed Australia, a major donor for the agency, was trying to influence the next month's poll. Chief electoral officer Jasper Anis rejected the allegations, saying the commission was an independent body. |
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Posted: 3/21/2024 12:02:15 PM EDT
[#25]
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Posted: 3/21/2024 4:59:10 PM EDT
[#26]
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Posted: 3/21/2024 9:25:34 PM EDT
[#27]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By CarmelBytheSea: https://www.yahoo.com/news/china-tells-us-not-sides-052316628.html Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By CarmelBytheSea: https://www.yahoo.com/news/china-tells-us-not-sides-052316628.html This is a simple story of a single excerpt from your Favorite Secretary of State, Blinken, and those same overly enthusiastic press at the Chinese Manila Embassy. We've read plenty of their stuff...so, here's more!! BEIJING (Reuters) - China said the United States must refrain from "stirring up trouble" or taking sides on the South China Sea issue, after U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said a security deal with the Manila extended to attacks on the Philippine coast guard. Blinken called the U.S. security commitment with the Philippines "ironclad", and said China's actions in the South China Sea had triggered a wider international reaction. The Philippines and United States are bound by a 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty by which they must support each other if there is an attack. Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr last year pushed Washington to make clear the extent of that security commitment. On Tuesday, Blinken said the deal extended to armed attacks on the Philippine armed forces, public vessels and aircraft, and its coast guard. The rest of it is from the Chinese Embassy: The Chinese embassy in Philippines said in a statement on Wednesday that Chinese activities in the South China Sea were "legitimate and lawful", adding that Blinken's remarks "ignore the facts, baselessly accuse China". It also said Blinken has again "threatened China with the so-called U.S.-Philippine Mutual Defense Treaty obligations", which China firmly opposed. Yup, here it is again, and once again, Reuters failed to mention it in an article: International Court Issues Unanimous Award in Philippines v. China Case on South China Sea (This is a new source for us.) China has said the United States threatens peace and stability in the South China Sea, is not a party to issues there, and has no right to intervene in maritime issues between it and the Philippines. "The U.S. keeps saying that it wants to safeguard freedom of navigation in the South China Sea, but in fact it wants to guarantee the freedom of navigation of U.S. warships. The fact that U.S. warships and planes traveled thousands of miles to China's doorstep to flaunt their might and provoke trouble is an out-and-out hegemonic activity," the Chinese embassy said. The other thing that really amazes me about this article is this line: China has said the United States threatens peace and stability in the South China Sea, is not a party to issues there, and has no right to intervene in maritime issues between it and the Philippines. |
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Posted: 3/21/2024 9:34:01 PM EDT
[#28]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By CarmelBytheSea: https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/policy/defense/2930893/guam-wont-have-missile-defenses-taiwan-war/ Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By CarmelBytheSea: https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/policy/defense/2930893/guam-wont-have-missile-defenses-taiwan-war/ Still, his written remarks put an emphasis on the vulnerabilities that political leaders have allowed to develop. "As the most forward U.S. territory in the Western Pacific, Guam is a strategic outpost critical to projecting power, maintaining deterrence and stability, and responding to regional crises or conflicts," Aquilino noted in his prepared testimony. "As of today, USINDOPACOM believes the completion and integration of the GDS will be late to need and continues to advocate for prioritizing and accelerating the necessary operations, activities, and investments (OAIs) to complete the initiative this decade."  Guam will Capsize and Tip Over into the ocean Hank Johnson After this quote, the authors paraphrase several times: The necessity arises from the way that China has stockpiled a variety of missiles with the range to strike U.S. military outposts around the region. One intermediate-range missile is known as the "Guam killer" because of its ability to deliver a nuclear warhead to the U.S. territory. Those missiles exist for "countering third-party intervention," as Aquilino put it, raising the specter of extensive missile bombardments to provide cover for a campaign involving their growing military forces. "Their numbers and their capability and capacity are increasing that's a conscious decision by the [Chinese Communist Party] to support a 7.2% defense increase, despite an economy that is on the decline," Aquilino said. "It is the world's largest Navy, right now. It is soon to be the world's largest air force as they continue to produce." Aquilino noted, in this prepared testimony, that "the risk is high and trending in the wrong direction, specifically due to delayed delivery of military construction, advanced capabilities, and resources to persistently project and maintain forces west of the International Date Line." On the other hand, President Joe Biden's latest budget request would not provide the funding necessary to meet the needs he has provided to Congress and military leaders. "We've identified a requirement of $26.5 [billion] of which there's an $11 billion shortfall," he told Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-WI). "Any delays in those fundings or reduced fundings [would] push everything out. And then those capabilities we've asked for [would be delivered], not in a relevant time or in a time where they don't deliver the deterrent effect soon enough." Gallagher, who also chairs the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, noted that the Department of Defense returned $11 billion to the Treasury Department last year that remained unspent from other appropriations. "Not only did we fail to take advantage of money that was appropriated that we could have rerouted for our priority theater, the Indo-Pacific to give you the resources you need to prevent World War III the department was actively working against a legislative effort to give DoD the flexibility to reroute that money," Gallagher said. |
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Posted: 3/21/2024 9:44:51 PM EDT
[#29]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By GlockZen: Its amazing that 78 years later we are right back at square one https://thediplomat.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/sizes/td-story-s-2/thediplomat-6232313.jpg Maybe the prophecies of Tom Navy’s return will come true! |
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Posted: 3/22/2024 7:08:21 AM EDT
[#30]
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Posted: 3/22/2024 7:49:20 AM EDT
[#31]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By CarmelBytheSea: https://www.france24.com/en/asia-pacific/20240322-record-number-of-chinese-aircraft-detected-around-taiwan-says-govt I read an article the other day that China moved some of its commercial air routes in the straights so they are right next to the AIDZ. Thought was that it's done to wear out the Taiwanese air defense alert system |
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Posted: 3/22/2024 10:35:24 AM EDT
[#32]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By dedreckon: I read an article the other day that China moved some of its commercial air routes in the straights so they are right next to the AIDZ. Thought was that it's done to wear out the Taiwanese air defense alert system Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By dedreckon: Originally Posted By CarmelBytheSea: https://www.france24.com/en/asia-pacific/20240322-record-number-of-chinese-aircraft-detected-around-taiwan-says-govt I read an article the other day that China moved some of its commercial air routes in the straights so they are right next to the AIDZ. Thought was that it's done to wear out the Taiwanese air defense alert system But I did find that on pg 17, post #26, most PLA aircraft ever at 35; and on pg 22, post#44, most balloons ever at 16; and on pg 24, post #2, posted another story about the PRC plan of removing "the existence of the median line." For some reason, I seem to remember in the month of December is when the PRC adjusted Chinese civil flight paths originating out of China closer to Taiwan, but I couldn't find the post. |
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Posted: 3/22/2024 11:36:59 PM EDT
[#33]
Score Card time!!!
Taiwan tracks 36 Chinese military aircraft, 6 naval ships around nation We have a new daily winner. In the last the 24 hours, 36 PLA aircraft were flying along the median line or crossing over it. Let me get the quote instead: Of the 36 People's Liberation Army (PLA) aircraft, nine crossed the Taiwan Strait median line, according to the MND. Twelve PLA aircraft entered the northeast sector of Taiwan's air defense identification zone (ADIZ), while four flew into the southwest corner of the ADIZ. So far this month, Taiwan has tracked Chinese military aircraft 277 times and naval vessels 144 times. Score card:  Attached Fileand here's what's left of their Flight Tracker:  Attached FileI also have a "fire and brimstone" speech from the Chinese Foreign Ministry 'spokesman.' This happens because they don't want the actual Foreign Minister saying/speaking in an inflammatory way. You'll understand when you see the words used. The story: China calls Taiwan vice president-elect's Czech visit 'egregious move' TAIPEI (Taiwan News) China on Tuesday (March 19) demanded the Czech Republic immediately halt "egregious moves" after Vice President-elect Hsiao Bi-khim ( ) visited the country and met a senior Czech lawmaker. When asked at a Tuesday press conference about Hsiao's visit to the Czech Republic, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Lin Jian ( ) said Beijing strongly opposes any form of interaction between Taiwan and countries that have diplomatic relations with China. Lin said the Czech Republic had pledged to adhere to the "one-China" policy. Lin called on the Czech Republic to honor its commitment and "strictly restrain certain politicians," an apparent reference to Vystrcil and former Prague Mayor Zdenek Hrib, both of whom are staunch advocates of Taiwan. Lin said that Prague must, "immediately stop the egregious moves that undermine the national credibility of the Czech Republic and its relations with China." Lin closed by warning that anyone who promotes "one China, one Taiwan" will "get burned for playing with fire and taste the bitter fruit of their own doing." |
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Posted: 3/22/2024 11:53:39 PM EDT
[#34]
A few weeks back, we covered the Chinese nationals who were using a speed boat inside of Taiwanese waters at Kinmen Island. 4 occupants, two drowned when their boat capsized because as most of us know, a speed boat at a high throttle isn't make a sharp turn especially in the direction the propellers are turning. The International Press is still calling these 4 individuals "Chinese Fishermen."
 I'm still trying to track down more on this, but this time the Chinese Coast Guard picked up two Taiwanese fishermen: Taiwanese fisher suspected of being soldier still held by China TAIPEI (Taiwan News) China said Friday (March 22) it is releasing one of two Taiwanese fishers it recently rescued but is keeping a second individual suspected of being a soldier. A 25-year-old surnamed Hu ( ) and a 40-year-old surnamed Wu ( ) have been held by the Chinese coast guard since it rescued them on Sunday (March 17). On Friday, China issued a notice saying Wu will be repatriated first, reported CNA. Hu and Wu, from Kinmen County's Jincheng Township, drifted into Chinese waters near Quanzhou, during foggy conditions where they were picked up by the Chinese coast guard. Although the Taiwan Affairs Office said they would be returned to Kinmen at noon on Monday (March 18), they were detained on a Chinese coast guard vessel for several days. Sources familiar with the matter were cited by UDN as saying that when Chinese authorities investigated the men, they suspected that Hu was a member of Taiwan's military. This led them to change their handover plans and investigate further. Kuomintang legislator for Kinmen Chen Yu-chen ( ) was cited by CNA as saying that China would let Wu be repatriated first. She thanked China and said she could make a trip to China to assist in returning Hu to Kinmen. Chen said the two sides of the Taiwan Strait are "one family." The last part of the story has a quote from the KMT legislator for Kinmen Island. I wouldn't read too much in that...yet. The Taiwanese first concern is to get their citizen back. Saying nice things may be costly, saying mean things will be costly. Second is this: The Chinese Coast Guard claims they rescued the crew of a drifting boat. The lawful procedure is to return the rescued to their country of origin unless there's evidence of a crime. Drifting into territorial waters with no intention to do so, is not a crime. Doing this intentionally, can be. The Chinese are saying the detained fishermen is suspected of being a soldier. There is no mention of him being a spy. The two individuals are more likely related to each other. It's obiviously a power play by the PRC. I'll keep looking for another source than SCMP, but I may end up posting that in any event. I still want another source. |
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Posted: 3/23/2024 2:36:22 AM EDT
[#35]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By zoinks: We covered that one here, and I did my best with "control F", but I didn't find the relevent posts. But I did find that on pg 17, post #26, most PLA aircraft ever at 35; and on pg 22, post#44, most balloons ever at 16; and on pg 24, post #2, posted another story about the PRC plan of removing "the existence of the median line." For some reason, I seem to remember in the month of December is when the PRC adjusted Chinese civil flight paths originating out of China closer to Taiwan, but I couldn't find the post. Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By zoinks: Originally Posted By dedreckon: Originally Posted By CarmelBytheSea: https://www.france24.com/en/asia-pacific/20240322-record-number-of-chinese-aircraft-detected-around-taiwan-says-govt I read an article the other day that China moved some of its commercial air routes in the straights so they are right next to the AIDZ. Thought was that it's done to wear out the Taiwanese air defense alert system But I did find that on pg 17, post #26, most PLA aircraft ever at 35; and on pg 22, post#44, most balloons ever at 16; and on pg 24, post #2, posted another story about the PRC plan of removing "the existence of the median line." For some reason, I seem to remember in the month of December is when the PRC adjusted Chinese civil flight paths originating out of China closer to Taiwan, but I couldn't find the post. Hard to keep up with all you post  I found it here, on Realcleardefense. An article about pushing back on Chinese Grey Zone actions. I laugh because that will never fucking happen. Biden will lay out the red carper for these commies to do what they want. https://www.realcleardefense.com/articles/2024/03/21/chinas_grey-zone_provocations_time_to_reciprocate_1019777.html In the skies, China now daily sends its military aircraft, sometimes armed, into Taiwanese and Japanese Air Defence Identification Zones (ADIZ). Responding to these incursions is taxing for both. China further ratcheted up tensions in late 2022 by firing ballistic missiles over Taiwan into the sea beyond; five impacted in Japan’s EEZ. Late last year, China started sending balloons over Taiwan; by mid-February 2024, some 26 had overflown at similar altitudes to airliners. In January, China announced it would unilaterally move eastward a mutually agreed civil aircraft flight corridor in the Taiwan Strait. This means Chinese civil aircraft making even minor diversions for weather conditions are now likely to intrude into Taiwan’s ADIZ. |
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Posted: 3/23/2024 12:52:48 PM EDT
[#36]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By dedreckon: Hard to keep up with all you post I found it here, on Realcleardefense. An article about pushing back on Chinese Grey Zone actions. I laugh because that will never fucking happen. Biden will lay out the red carper for these commies to do what they want. https://www.realcleardefense.com/articles/2024/03/21/chinas_grey-zone_provocations_time_to_reciprocate_1019777.html  We've been trying to just catalog the events as best we can, and there's really no way to index said events as if this thread were a data base! Duplicate reports are welcomed as things are hard to find in the pages. I think we're starting the 3rd year of this? Centuries from now digital archeologists will find this thread and sit back in wonder!!!  Since the PRC started sending their para-military police to some of the island nations, and there's been no response from the Biden Admin about any of these instances, we concluded that "yup, Biden wasn't going to do shit." But, it's really become a flash point for the potential for a big regional war, maybe even evolving into a world war. The PRC now is at a similar point in its life as compared to the USSR in the late '70s. They can produce war materiel at will, they promulgate an ideology that they control and can justify anything they do; they can imprison and execute anyone that is a detractor, disillusioned, or wants to be left alone. PRC leadership has it made. The only thing left to do is to It's not that they don't have a choice in the matter, it's that they went down a path that has a logical conclusion to War with someone somewhere. Choosing another path means getting rid of current leadership. Will they (CCP) go away willingly? Peacefully" The Soviets got to this same point in their development and invaded Afghanistan instead of Western Europe. That ended up being Phase 1 of their self-destruction. I suspect the PRC will do the same thing, but they'll (PRC) get way more people killed. Anyway, thanks again for posting and the same to the rest of you that aren't named "CarmelbytheSea" or "zoinks." |
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Posted: 3/24/2024 2:45:37 PM EDT
[#37]
Enough of that, let's get it on!!!!!!!!!! First up is this story: For many Chinese, there are 'more important things' than Taiwan unification It's a report how the Chinese citizens aren't really into War with Taiwan. Also, let me interject with this thought. These two stories are going to parallel Hitler and Nazi Germany's attack on Poland officially starting the historical demarcation of the beginning of World War II. Beijing has not ruled out using force to annex Taiwan, but there is little appetite for war among Chinese people. "It is difficult to imagine that this used to be a warzone," 23-year-old *Shao Hongtian told Al Jazeera as he wandered along a beach near the city of Xiamen on China's southeast coast. The communists won the Chinese Civil War in 1949, and the nationalists of the Kuomintang (KMT) fled Beijing for the island of Taiwan. It was on Kinmen, the main island of the archipelago of the same name, less than 10km (6.2 miles) from the coast of China, that the nationalists repulsed repeated communist invasion attempts, but not before the fighting had wreaked havoc on both Xiamen and Kinmen. Kinmen and its outlying islets some of which lie even closer to the Chinese coast have been a part of Taiwan's territory ever since. Chinese citizens like Shao were once able to get tourist visas to visit the islands, but that ended with the pandemic. "Kinmen, China and Taiwan are all part of the same nation, so it should be possible to visit, and I hope I can visit one day," Shao said over a video connection his eyes fixed on Kinmen. Standing on the beach looking out towards Kinmen, Shao says hostilities are not the way to bring China and Taiwan together. "I want unification to happen peacefully," he said. If that is not possible, he would prefer things to remain as they are. He knows that many of his friends feel the same way. According to Shao, if they go to Kinmen and Taiwan, it should be as visitors, not as fighters. "The Taiwanese haven't done anything bad to us, so why should we go there to fight them?" he said, convinced that any war between China and Taiwan would result in significant casualties on both sides. "Unification with Taiwan is not worth a war." Like Shao, Chinese President Xi Jinping and the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP) claim that Taiwan and its territory are part of China. Xi said in his New Year's address that China's unification with democratic Taiwan was an "historical inevitability", and China has not ruled out the use of force to achieve unification. Last year Xi called on China's armed forces to strengthen their combat readiness. In recent years the Chinese military has increased its pressure on Taiwan with almost daily airborne and maritime incursions close to Taiwan's air and sea space. At times of particular tension, such as during the visit of former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to Taipei, such manoeuvres have been accompanied by sabre-rattling rhetoric and large-scale military drills. Zhu Fenglian, a spokesperson for the Chinese government's Taiwan Affairs Office, said the February incident was "vicious" and stressed the waters were "traditional" fishing grounds for fishermen in China and Taiwan. There were no off-limits waters around Kinmen, she added. A second capsize was reported on Thursday, and on this occasion China asked for help from the Taiwan coastguard. A study published by the University of California San Diego's 21st Century China Center last year suggests that Shao and his friends are not alone in opposing a war over Taiwan. The study explored Chinese public support for different policy steps regarding unification with Taiwan and found that launching a full-scale war to achieve unification was viewed as unacceptable by a third of the Chinese respondents. Only one percent rejected all other options but war, challenging the Chinese government's assertion that the Chinese people were willing to "go to any length and pay any price" to achieve unification. Mia Wei, a 26-year-old marketing specialist from Shanghai is not surprised by such results. "Ordinary Chinese people are not pushing the government to get unification," she told Al Jazeera. "It is the government that pushes people to believe that there must be unification." At the same time, support for a unification war turned out to be close to the same level found in similar studies from earlier years, indicating that despite the growing tension in the Taiwan Strait and renewed talk about taking control of Taiwan, there has not been a corresponding increase in support for more forceful measures. Wei believes that Chinese like herself are more concerned with developments inside their country. "First there was COVID, then the economy got bad and then the housing market got even worse," she said. "I think Chinese people have their minds on more important things than unification with Taiwan." According to Associate Professor Yao-Yuan Yeh who teaches Chinese Studies at the University of St Thomas in the United States, there is currently little reason for Chinese people to be more supportive of conflict with Taiwan. US President Joe Biden has on several occasions said the US will defend Taiwan in the event of a Chinese invasion. At the same time, the US has been strengthening its military ties with countries such as Japan and the Philippines Taiwan's immediate neighbours to the north and the south. "There is no guarantee of a quick victory in a war over Taiwan," Yeh told Al Jazeera. "Also, many people in China have business partners, friends and family in Taiwan, and therefore don't want to see any harm come to the island and its people." The study also showed that young Chinese were more averse towards forceful policy measures than earlier generations. "Young people are usually among the first to be sent to the battlefield so naturally they are more opposed to war," Yeh said. Then back to our "everyman": Shao from Xiamen thinks that any hope of victory in a war over Taiwan and its partners will require the mobilisation of a lot of young people like him. "And I think many young people in China [will] refuse to die in an attack on Taiwan." The Nazis were sucessful at guiding Germany out of the Depression of 1930. (Only the US called this depression, the "Great Depression.") So successful were they, that many political and societal elites across the Northern Hemisphere admired the Nazis and wanted to emulate what they could of the movement. This is why there's a "House Un-American Activities" committee in Congress (1938). But the Nazi movement in and of itself was a socialist movement, but after the 1923 Beer Hall Putsch dropped its International Revolutionary aspect and only sought socialism with in (and here's another change up) the Germanic peoples spread through out the Northern Hemisphere. This is why they went after the Sudaten Land, and sent "Nazi party" scientists throughout the Northern Hemisphere looking for evidene of the Master Race. You might have seen the movie, Seven Years in Tibet, or even Raiders of the Lost Ark and the third movie Indiana Jones and the Last Cruade used the Nazis as the antagonists. This was actually, not the movie plots!, happening with scientific expeditions. Upshot is we have a Pan-Germanic socialist movement that was going to unite all Germanic peoples under one banner. Back to the news: Not an issue for debate Regardless of what Chinese people might think, unifying Taiwan with the mainland will remain a cornerstone of the CCP's narrative, according to Eric Chan who is a senior fellow at the Global Taiwan Institute in Washington, DC. "Unification is not a topic that is up for any sort of debate with the general public," he told Al Jazeera. Although the Chinese leadership often claims that China is a democratic country where the party is guided by the will of the Chinese people, there are no regular national elections or free media while online discourse is restricted and regularly censored. Speaking out against the CCP can also result in criminal convictions. Since Xi became president in 2012, crackdowns on civil liberties have intensified, and Xi has centralised power around himself to a degree unprecedented since the rule of Mao Zedong the man who led the communists to victory against the nationalists and became communist China's first leader. During Mao's rule, reforms and purges of Chinese society led to the deaths of millions of Chinese people, while upwards of 400,000 Chinese soldiers died as a result of his decision to enter the 1950-1953 Korean War on North Korea's side. But according to Chan, the days when a Chinese leader could expend tens of thousands of lives in such a manner are over. Recent government actions that exacted a heavy toll on citizens led to public pushback, and Xi did not appear immune. During the COVID pandemic, Xi ardently defended the country's zero-COVID policy even though its mass testing and strict lockdowns had dire socioeconomic consequences. The government eventually abandoned the policy as the economy sank, and people took to the streets across China's major cities demanding an end to the lockdowns, even calling for Xi to step down. As for war, the circumstances are also different. Unlike, for example, the Sino-Indian War of 1962 and the Sino-Vietnamese War of 1979, a battle for Taiwan would be existential for the communist party and Xi, according to Chan. "The party (CCP) would not have been threatened by a loss or high casualties in those wars," he said. Today, Xi would need to assume that those types of losses would be unacceptable to the Chinese people, he added. Public outrage over a long unification war that might even end in a Chinese defeat could, in Chan's view, endanger the party's rule. Mindful of the mood of the Chinese people, Chan sees the CCP instead continuing to engage in low-cost grey zone operations against Taiwan while developing a Chinese military that would be able to score a swift victory. For Shao, however, any attempt to settle the issue through conflict would be a disaster. "I don't think it will end well for anyone not for those that have to fight it and not for the government that starts it," he said. *Shao's name has been changed to respect his wish for anonymity given the sensitivity of the topic. At this point, I'd like to bring up that one of the Ministries of the Reich's government was called the Minstry of Propaganda and Enlightenment run by Minister Jozef Goebbels. This Ministry had several taskings beyone just simply creating propaganda. They also secretly polled individual German citizens about their thoughts and feelings as to what was going on within Germany and outside of Germany before and during the War. Hitler understood that War is a matter of Will, and just because he orders someone to take the explosive charge to go blow up the pill box, doesn't mean that guy's going to be enthusiastic about it. Gauging the People's enthusiam or willingness or even acceptance of Nazi Party goals was very important to their planning. (At least in the beginning; by 1943 this would change.) When the Germans invaded Poland in 1939, Hitler and the Party Leadership was very interested in how the German peole would accept it. Nazi Leadership was disappointed to say the least when there weren't throngs of millions marching up and down streets proclaiming "Hail Victory." Next story: 'Insane': Xi's call for ethnic Chinese to tell Beijing's story stirs anger Before we go on, we've covered the "overseas Chinese" in this thread previously. We wrote that they were not to be trusted until Xi came to power, and he changed that substantially to where now these people can be party members. Our point was that these "overseas Chinese" lived, worked, intermarried with the Foreign Devils, and therefore weren't really 'Chinese'. This article takes a different view, and doesn't mention any sort of Chinese xenophobic tendencies at all, and that even during the time of Emperors, everything was cool! To that, I say, "Ha!" In late February, 59-year-old Phillip Chan Man Ping became the first person in Singapore to be officially designated a "politically significant person". The city-state's authorities had already announced that Chan had "shown susceptibility to being influenced by foreign actors, and willingness to advance their interests" and that Chan's activities "were directed towards a political end in Singapore" making it in the public interest for "countermeasures" to be taken. For Chan, the designation means he is required to disclose any received political donations above a certain amount as well as inform the authorities of any foreign affiliations. He can appeal to the home minister against the designation. Until he was designated, Chan was in many ways the embodiment of a Singaporean success story. Originally from Hong Kong, he had spent more than 30 years in the Southeast Asian city-state becoming a wealthy businessman, taking Singaporean citizenship and emerging as a leading voice for the strengthening of ties not only between his native Hong Kong and Singapore, but also between Singapore and China. Singapore is the only majority ethnic Chinese country in Southeast Asia the result of migration from southern China in the 19th and 20th centuries and as a strategically important city-state it has maintained strong ties with its neighbours, at the same time as it has deepened cooperation with Beijing, its largest trading partner. While Singaporean authorities did not specify which "foreign actors" were involved in Chan's case, Assistant Professor Dylan Loh from Nanyang Technological University's public policy and global affairs division told Al Jazeera there was little doubt from Chan's activities and comments that he was coordinating with actors of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Chan encouraged ethnic Chinese from across the world to unite, and with the help of Chinese officials, to work together to spread positive messages about communist-ruled China. After mass protests in Hong Kong in 2019, Chan facilitated a gathering during which participants chanted: "Support Hong Kong police, protect Hong Kong, justice will win." Singapore has strict rules on public gatherings and he was given a police warning, according to the Straits Times newspaper. In 2023, Chan attended Beijing's annual session of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference in and said that "we should put more effort in mobilising righteous individuals overseas" and "expose the hypocrisy of fake news from the West". Loh sees that focus as "akin to a call to action". "And along with some of his other activities he does cross a line as a Singaporean national in his advocacy for the interests of another country," he said. This is a long article, so I'm going to divide it up as best as I can, so to some of you it may seem "choppy," so I would then recommend reading it. Sorry! Here's the crux of the CCP plan: Xi homes in on ethnic Chinese In Loh's view, Chan's engagement in grassroots committees as well as his high standing in the city-state probably triggered concern that he might use his position to influence Singaporean society. "As he openly called on overseas Chinese to tell China's story well, he also attempted to blur the distinction between Chinese nationals and non-China nationals of Chinese descent," Loh said. "And I think that most countries will find it unacceptable to have its own citizens working for a foreign actor to exert influence that might work against the interests of your country." Beijing often states that there are about 60 million people of Chinese origin living abroad in nearly 200 countries and regions, presumably excluding those living in Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan, the self-ruled island that the CCP claims as its own. People of Chinese ethnicity can trace their roots back centuries in countries like Malaysia, where they make up some 23 percent of the population, and Thailand and Indonesia. In the telling of China's story, Xi has recently highlighted the role that "Chinese sons and daughters at home and abroad" must play in "uniting all Chinese people to achieve the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation". According to Associate Professor Ian Chong Ja, who teaches Chinese foreign policy at the National University of Singapore, Xi's language suggests that the CCP sees ethnic Chinese across the world as a vehicle to mobilise support and advance Beijing's interests, even if those people are not nationals of China and have no allegiance to the country. That has created a dangerous situation for some people, according to analysts. "The Chinese diaspora is very diverse and reactions to the CCP's mission abroad have been quite mixed across different Chinese communities," Chong told Al Jazeera. "While some people have become willing participants, others have become targets." I'm going to take out a chunk of the article and put it here as this part is a direct comparison to the Nazis from above: Chinese beyond China have often broadly been called huaqiaohuaren by the CCP with huaqiao referring to Chinese citizens living abroad and huaren referring to ethnic Chinese with foreign nationalities. Xi has spoken about both groups as "members of the great Chinese family" who would "never forget their homeland China" and "never deny the blood of the Chinese nation in their bodies". According to Chong, this indicates that Beijing defines membership of the Chi nese nation less in legal terms and more in ethnic and racial terms. "In many parts of the world, the rule has been to see people and their loyalties in terms of the values that they ascribe to, but Xi's approach is to say that more important than that is your blood and the soil that your ancestors came from," Chong said. Back to our parallel, this is what the Nazi's meant by "Lebensraum": enough land for all the Germanic peoples to settle in. Hitler was going to "carve" out the lands he needed out of other existing countries. Xi is taking a different tact as he needs ethnic Chinese to stay in place. Many people on this site have mentioned over the years, that this is one way for CCP claims on lands in other countries: wherever the ethnic Chinese or even asiatics, in the case of the "Native Americans", lived is susceptable to PRC take over. At this point, Associate Professor Chong makes his case that overseas Chinese have always been, more or less, welcomed. I grew up with "Chinese" in San Francisco. Nope!!! Anyway...he does make one outstanding point in that it complicates the lives of those ethnic Chinese who will be always be under suspicion" In recent years, Beijing's outreach to the Chinese diaspora has been channelled through local trade guilds, student groups, friendship associations and new organisations, often under the umbrella of the party's United Work Front. While killings and crackdowns may have disappeared into history, many Chinese communities, particularly in Southeast Asia, continue to face suspicion. Beijing's recent rhetoric and actions will not have helped. "Beijing's attempts to play on diasporic nationalism complicates the efforts of ethnic Chinese to integrate," Chong said, noting that it could even stir renewed suspicion and animosity towards Chinese minorities. "Whether intended or not, there would be a risk of that." |
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Posted: 3/24/2024 3:03:06 PM EDT
[#38]
I should've broke the above up. Apologies about the wall of text!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I'll figure out a scheme to do better. Next story is about another Chinese Coast Guard attempt to sink Philippino Ships by flooding them with water: Philippines accuses China of new water cannon attacks in South China Sea Check out the accompanying photo:  Attached FileThe attack was the second this month near Second Thomas Shoal [Armed Forces of the Philippines via AP Photo] As a former Fire Fighter, that is one hell of a water stream!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! That's enough to kill someone if they were hit with it. 23 Mar 2024 Manila has accused China's coastguard of firing water cannon at one of its supply boats, in the latest incident between the two countries in the disputed South China Sea. The Philippine military said the Saturday morning confrontation lasted for nearly an hour and took place as it sought to resupply a small garrison of sailors on board the sunken Sierra Madre off Second Thomas Shoal. The military released a video clip showing a white ship marked China Coast Guard crossing the bow of a grey vessel it identified as the Philippine supply boat Unaizah May 4, and unleashing its water cannon. "The UM4 supply boat sustained heavy damages at around 08:52 (00:52 GMT) due to the continued blasting of water cannons from the CCG vessels," the military said in a statement, without going into detail about the damage. A Philippine Coast Guard escort vessel later reached the damaged boat "to provide assistance", the military said. Gan Yu, a spokesman for the China Coast Guard, said that the Philippine convoy "forcibly intruded into the area despite the Chinese side's repeated warnings and route controls", adding the Chinese carried out "control, obstruction and eviction in accordance with law". al-jazeera, despite its reputation, does a better job than most alledged new organizations in describing the terms of the conflict: China claims almost the entire South China Sea, despite an international court finding in 2016 that the nine-dash line on which it bases its claim was without merit. The Philippines claims areas of the sea around its coasts as do Brunei, Malaysia and Vietnam. The self-ruled island of Taiwan is also a claimant. Manila has revived and expanded its military ties with the United States, a longtime ally, as the situation has become more tense. The United States lays no claims to the strategic waters but has sent Navy ships on transit missions through the waterway in what it calls "freedom of navigation" operations, which have been criticised by China. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited the Philippines last week and stressed the US commitment to Manila was "ironclad". Two days after that visit, the Chinese coastguard also tried to drive away Filipino scientists who landed on two cays near Scarborough Shoal, a contested South China Sea outcrop that Beijing seized from the Philippines after a months-long standoff in 2012. |
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Posted: 3/24/2024 4:55:21 PM EDT
[#39]
You can see that the second guy behind the prime minister is bought and paid for.
 China’s blatant bullying on Fiji territory | 60 Minutes Australia |
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Posted: 3/26/2024 7:36:37 AM EDT
[#40]
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Posted: 3/26/2024 5:20:42 PM EDT
[#41]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By Banditman: You can see that the second guy behind the prime minister is bought and paid for.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FzW1APWxBjsMinistry of Home Affairs After the Coup allowed for democratic elections, Fiji has a constitution and a Parliamentry system modeled after the British. I have no idea how that breaks down into political parties, but it works the same: Parliament votes for the Prime Minister. I have no idea how precarious his position is within the government structure, but you're right, Banditman. You don't make a play like that the very next day without some heavy protection to your position. |
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Posted: 3/26/2024 5:42:12 PM EDT
[Last Edit: zoinks]
[#42]
I want to get a partial score card in today from the Taiwan News. They seem to be "under cyber attack" today, or maybe they instituted an entirely different scheme for their protection. In any event, I'm getting a different looking website when I could finally get in.
Taiwan tracks 13 Chinese military aircraft, 7 naval ships around nation So far this month, Taiwan has tracked Chinese military aircraft 314 times and naval vessels 172 times. (I don't have access to the usual assortment of formerly posted items.) In another story, Taiwan has received two more locally produced Naval ships: Taiwan takes delivery of 2 new Tuo Chiang-class corvettes Lung Teh Shipbuilding Co. Chair Huang Shou-chen ( ) said that the Tuo Chiang-class corvette possesses the "characteristics of a fast ship, with a maximum speed of over 40 knots when fully loaded. It has a shallow draft, enabling it to dock at fishing ports along the coast of Taiwan. It features a stealth design, making it less detectable. Additionally, it incorporates advanced and forward-looking automation and digital systems." The Tuo Jiang-class corvette has a displacement of only 685 tons and can reach a maximum speed of 40 knots, approximately 74 kph. Although small, it is well-equipped with the subsonic Hsiung Feng II missiles and supersonic Hsiung Feng III anti-ship missiles, as well as the Sea Sword II air defense missiles, capable of striking aircraft carriers. It is also armed with an OTO Melara 76 mm naval gun and a Phalanx close-in weapon system. With its capabilities for close combat, anti-ship, and air defense, along with its ability to punch above its weight, it serves as a crucial asset for asymmetric warfare. The An Chiang and Wan Chiang corvettes are the last of the first batch of six corvettes to be delivered to the Navy, with a total of 11 to be built by the end of 2026. And in a foreshadowing (possibly) of Propaganda Friday: Kuomintang legislators plan trip to Taiwan's Taiping Island I've been waiting for this specific story to build up to see where it's going to go. The jist is this,
TAIPEI (Taiwan News) Kuomintang (KMT) Legislator Ma Wen-chun ( ) is set to visit Taiwan's Taiping Island on May 16 with a delegation of other KMT and Taiwan People's Party lawmakers on the Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee. The group plans to fly to the island from Pingtung Air Force Base aboard a C-130 plane. Once on the island, the lawmakers will inspect defense facilities and hardware before returning to Pingtung the same day, CNA reported. Lawmakers have urged President Tsai Ing-wen ( ) to visit the island to reaffirm Taiwan's sovereignty over it. However, both National Security Bureau Director General Tsai Ming-yen ( ) and Foreign Minister Joseph Wu ( ) have warned against such a trip. A visit at this time could be perceived as creating tension, thus affecting Taiwan's foreign relations, Tsai said. The high degree of militarization in the South China Sea also provides security concerns about the president's flight to the island, he said. Wu said that due of regional tension, particularly between China and the Philippines, it would be inappropriate for the president to be traveling there at this time. The government needed to make clear it was not a troublemaker amid rising tension, he added. ETA: made a boo-boo. Wrote that Taiping Island was near PRC. I meant Borneo. Can't tell you if that means its closer to Malaysia or Brunei, but it's not close to China. I need Chocolate!!! |
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Posted: 3/26/2024 5:45:24 PM EDT
[#43]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By CarmelBytheSea: https://breakingdefense.com/2024/03/air-force-wishlist-seeks-additional-3-5b-for-spares-construction-and-pacific-maneuvers/ I'm guessing this is Phase 1 of cutting training budgets. Oh well. |
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Posted: 3/26/2024 5:47:44 PM EDT
[#44]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By 32DOHC: Oh no! NOT THE SANCTIONS! And yet made in China rubber dog shit will still be on the shelves. |
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Posted: 3/26/2024 6:26:36 PM EDT
[#45]
I can now update the story about the two Taiwanese men who were drifting in waters and resuced by the Chinese Coast Guard. We have already done the Taiwan News story, and I've been hesitant about the SCMP story, but now I can post the SCMP story as we have a different source now that I'm going to take a risk on!! It's written in a sensationalistic style and uses now public photos of other events for editorial purposes. It's a risk!!!
Beijing holding 'Taiwanese soldier' who 'lied about identity' after being picked up by mainland Chinese coastguards Here's what they said last week when the event happened: - The Taiwan Affairs Office says the man was picked up along with a companion off the coast of Fujian province on Monday after their boat lost power - Mainland authorities said they had discovered he was a member of the Taiwanese armed forces who had 'intentionally concealed' his occupation Beijing holding 'Taiwanese soldier' who 'lied about identity' after being picked up by mainland Chinese coastguards Beijing says it is holding a Taiwanese soldier who was rescued by mainland Chinese coastguards earlier this week and then tried to conceal his real identity. Chen Binhua, a spokesman for Beijing's Taiwan Affairs Office, said that man, identified only by the surname Hu, was one of two people rescued by coastguards off the coast of Fujian province early on Monday after they called for help when their small fishing boat lost power in Weitou Bay. Here's the follow up. I'm posting the version that MSN published as it's not in some "micro font with seraph" bullshit: Original: China Discovers Rescued Fisherman Is Actually a Soldier, Holds Him for Concealing Identity MSN version: China Discovers Rescued Fisherman Is Actually a Soldier, Holds Him for Concealing Identity hen two Taiwanese fishermen near the Taiwan-controlled Kinmen Islands strayed off course and got lost on March 17 due to foggy conditions, the Chinese Coast Guard promptly rescued them. Typically, this would result in a bureaucratic process to send them back home quickly. Except one of the men, surnamed Hu, was an active duty Taiwanese soldier who lied about his identity to Chinese authorities, Knewz.com has learned. During the typical repatriation process, something in Hu's answers triggered suspicions among mainland authorities, who suspected he was a member of the Taiwan military, according to CNA. Hu was fishing with a 40-year-old man surnamed Wu when the duo got lost, and Wu is expected to be repatriated shortly. Taiwanese officials do not have a timeline for Hu's return, but lawmaker Chen Yuzhen asked China to treat him well. She represents the Kinmen Islands and said she plans to organize a trip to visit Hu and negotiate his return to Taiwan. China's Taiwan Affairs Office Spokesperson, Chen Binhua, said Hu was being held because he "intentionally fabricated information about his occupation in an attempt to conceal it." Chen said China is now diving deeper into Hu's story to better understand why he was in the area and his role in Taiwan's military. The detention comes as tensions between Taiwan and China near the Kinmen Islands are at a high point. The tensions were sparked when two fishermen died after their boat crashed when they were chased out of restricted waters by Taiwan's Coast Guard when they did not listen to earlier demands to leave the area. Since the accident, China has ramped up its activity around the islands, even boarding a sightseeing vessel and demanding paperwork from the crew. Beijing has said it would not recognize restricted waters around the Kinmen islands and has sent Coast Guard boats into those waters, but so far, it has left when warned by Taiwan. On Thursday, the U.S. and Taiwan governments had to deny reports that the Americans had permanently stationed troops on the island after a Taiwanese official's comments were interpreted to suggest an observation convoy had been sent to Kinmen. Despite the tensions, there have been moments of cooperation within the Taiwan Strait, as Taiwanese and Chinese authorities worked together in two separate search-and-rescue incidents involving boats that had gotten into trouble. Adm. John Aquilino, the commander of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, said China continues to increase its military stockpiles and budgets and appears on track to be able to invade Taiwan by 2027, but added that conflict is not inevitable. "All indications point to the PLA meeting President Xi Jinping's directive to be ready to invade Taiwan by 2027," Aquilino said in prepared testimony. He added that the situation is the "most dangerous" he has seen in his 40 years in uniform. China's foreign ministry responded to Aquilino's comments by saying "Some people in the U.S. have been trying to hype up the China-threat narrative." So, now as to why this is happening as nothing happens in a vacuum. Earlier this month a Taiwanese soldier left his "garrison". He's been found in the middle of China. This was published on 13MAR24. Missing Taiwanese Soldier Shows Up in Mainland China TAIPEI Taiwan says a soldier who went missing from his garrison on the front lines of the self-ruled island's defenses against invasion by Beijing has turned up in mainland China, and that authorities are investigating how he got there. Self-ruled Taiwan's top official in charge of relations with the island 's former civil war foe said mainland Chinese authorities had confirmed the army cook, identified only by his surname Chen, was in mainland territory. Beijing is still investigating the incident, Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Office head Chiu Tai-san told lawmakers on Monday. Taiwan says soldier who went missing has been found in China Taipei, Taiwan CNN A Taiwanese soldier who went missing last week from an island near the Chinese coast has been found in mainland China, a Taiwan official said on Monday, raising the possibility of a highly unusual defection amid heightened tensions across the Taiwan Strait. Speaking to reporters, Chiu Tai-san, minister of Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council, said China had notified Taiwan that the soldier, surnamed Chen, is currently in mainland China. Chen was reported missing on Erdan island following a roll call, the Taiwanese Defense Ministry said in a statement Thursday, adding it had set up a special task force to locate him. Erdan, part of the Taipei-controlled Kinmen islands, is located less than 5 kilometers (3.1 miles) from the Chinese port city of Xiamen in southeastern Fujian province. In recent years, Beijing has ramped up economic, diplomatic and military pressure on Taiwan a self-ruling democracy the Chinese Communist Party claims as its own despite having never governed it. China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) frequently sends aircraft and warships close to Taiwan, in a campaign aimed at intimidating the island and wearing down its equipment. |
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Posted: 3/26/2024 7:22:24 PM EDT
[#46]
Can’t recall if i already posted this https://www.army.mil/article/272919/logistics_in_the_indo_pacific_setting_the_theater_for_a_conflict_over_taiwan
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Posted: 3/26/2024 7:24:23 PM EDT
[#47]
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Posted: 3/27/2024 2:23:23 PM EDT
[#48]
CCP rep says China is victim and never invaded another country.
 US military build up as China targets territories in the Pacific | 60 Minutes Australia |
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Posted: 3/27/2024 2:27:47 PM EDT
[#49]
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Posted: 3/27/2024 6:03:57 PM EDT
[#50]
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