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☆ The Urgent Need to Nuclear Talks with China - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-04 | by ( The Editorial Board | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The talks come at a perilous moment for the systems of global controls, painstakingly built over decades, to avoid nuclear conflict. The United States, for its part, is in the midst of upgrading its own nuclear weapons. As the United States and Russia lose their safeguards, the Chinese government is expanding its nuclear arsenal. For decades, the People’s Liberation Army has felt secure with a few hundred nuclear weapons. Currently, the United States and Russia have about 1,670 deployed weapons each, with thousands more in storage.

Organizations: Comprehensive, People’s Liberation Army, Pentagon Locations: United States, China, Russia, New

☆ Exclusive: Chinese jet fired flares close to submarine-hunting helicopter in South China Sea, Canadian Navy says
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-03 | by ( Brad Lendon | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

The first incident was over international waters outside of 34 miles from the Paracel Island chain in the northern part of the South China Sea. The warship was operating in international waters 100 miles (160 kilometers) east of the Paracels at the time. The Canadian helicopter was searching for a previously detected submarine when the incidents occurred, officers aboard the Ottawa said. The Paracels, called the Xisha Islands by China, are in the northern part of the South China Sea, east of Da Nang, Vietnam, and south of China’s Hainan Island. On Tuesday, a PLA fighter jet came within 10 feet of a US Air Force B-52 bomber flying over the South China Sea, the US military said.

Persons: ”, Rob Millen, Millen, Andrew Vaughan, “, It’s, Noble, Rafael Peralta, Hoon, Li Shangfu, ” Li, Li, Iain Huddleston, Huddleston, Ely Ratner, ” Ratner Organizations: HMCS, HMCS Ottawa CNN, Canadian, Royal Canadian Navy, Sikorsky Cyclone, People’s Liberation Army Navy, CNN, Sikorsky CH, Cyclone, The Canadian Press, New, US Navy, PLA, Navy, U.S . Air Force, ., US Air Force, 1st Air Division, Radio Canada, Canada’s Defense Ministry, Ministry, US, East, South China Locations: HMCS Ottawa, South, Ottawa, Canada, South China, HMCS Montreal, Halifax, China, Da Nang, Vietnam, China’s Hainan, The Hague, United States, New Zealand, Taiwan Strait, Taiwan, Canadian, Montreal, Singapore, “, U.S, Chinese, East

☆ Secretive Taiwanese power plant opens to public for the first time — as an art space
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-02 | by ( Wayne Chang | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Beigan, Taiwan CNN —In a sleepy Taiwanese island village just eight miles off the coast of mainland China, scooters whiz past an unassuming building that has stood here, largely overlooked, for decades. YI.ng Lighting DesignKnown locally as Jun Hun (or “Army Soul”), a nickname shared with the Taiwanese army division that built it, the Beigan Power Plant entered service in 1975 and became a linchpin of the local economy before closing in 2010. Art in the ‘heart’ of MatsuThe transformed Beigan Power Plant is the flagship venue of the Matsu Biennial, which runs through November 12 and features artworks exploring the outlying islands’ heritage, cultural identity and military past. “The power plant is the heart of Matsu that hasn’t stopped beating, and the generators are the essence of the power plant,” Liu said told CNN at the studio he shares with Chu. “I want to use sound to breathe new life into the deserted power plant, so that viewers can grasp what it was like when these generators were still running,” Wang told CNN at her studio.

Persons: Taiwan CNN —, —, Hun, ”, Mao Zedong’s, Matsu —, Matsu, Annie Chu, Liu Ping, hasn’t, ” Liu, Chu, Kinmen, Wang Yu, ” Wang, ” Chu Organizations: Taiwan CNN, Matsu, Taiwanese, Plant, Kuomintang, KMT, People’s Liberation Army, CNN, Visitors, Beigan, Matsu Biennial Locations: Beigan, Taiwan, China, Matsu, Taiwan’s, Taipei, Wang, Beijing

☆ Russia’s Debacle in Ukraine Hangs Over Xi Jinping’s Plans for Taiwan - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-29 | by ( Bonnie S. Glaser | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

To some observers, it may seem like Xi Jinping is itching to unify Taiwan with China. He has instructed the Chinese military to be prepared by 2027 to take Taiwan by force, if necessary, and China increasingly uses its growing military might to intimidate Taiwan’s people into yielding to Chinese control. Officers who are lining their own pockets, if that is the case, are likely not taking seriously enough Mr. Xi’s instruction to be prepared to seize Taiwan by 2027. Mr. Xi has frequently admonished the P.L.A. Russia’s debacle in Ukraine is a cautionary tale for Mr. Xi.

Persons: Taiwan’s, Xi Organizations: Liberation Army, Mr Locations: Taiwan, China, Ukraine, United States, Kyiv, Taiwan Strait

JIUQUAN SATELLITE LAUNCH CENTER, China (AP) — China launched its youngest-ever crew for its orbiting space station on Thursday as it seeks to put astronauts on the moon before 2030. Tang is a veteran who led a 2021 space mission for three months. It built its own space station after it was excluded from the International Space Station, largely due to U.S. concerns over the control of the program by the People’s Liberation Army, the military branch of the ruling Communist Party. China’s first manned space mission in 2003 made it the third country after the former Soviet Union and the U.S. to put a person into space using its own resources. ___Associated Press video producer Caroline Chen at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center and journalist Kanis Leung in Hong Kong contributed to this report.

Persons: Tang Hongbo, Tang Shengjie, Jiang Xinlin, Tang, Caroline Chen, Kanis Leung Organizations: —, China Manned Space Agency, CCTV, U.S, International, Station, People’s Liberation Army, Communist Party, Soviet Union, SpaceX, Associated Press, Center Locations: China, — China, Beijing, U.S, Hong Kong

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — China announced plans on Wednesday to send a new telescope to probe deep into the universe as it prepared to launch the country’s next, three-member crew for its orbiting space station. The telescope, dubbed Xuntian, will be installed by China's Tiangong space station and will co-orbit with it, according to a statement from Lin Xiqiang, spokesperson and deputy director general of the Chinese Manned Space Agency. Tang is a veteran who led a 2021 space mission for three months. China built its own space station after it was excluded from the International Space Station, largely due to U.S. concerns over the control of the program by the People’s Liberation Army, the military branch of the ruling Communist Party. China’s first manned space mission in 2003 made it the third country after the former Soviet Union and the U.S. to put a person into space using its own resources.

Persons: Lin Xiqiang, — Tang Hongbo, Tang Shengjie, Jiang Xinlin —, Tang Organizations: —, Manned Space Agency, CCTV, International, Station, People’s Liberation Army, Communist Party, Soviet Union, SpaceX, Xinhua News Agency Locations: TAIPEI, Taiwan, — China, China, United States, Europe, Southeast Asia, South America, U.S

☆ China’s Military Is Making Risky Moves and Adding Nuclear Warheads, U.S. Says
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-19 | by ( Chris Buckley | More About Chris Buckley | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

Risky ManeuversSince the fall of 2021, the Pentagon report says, the United States has recorded more than 180 intercepts of U.S. aircraft by Chinese military forces in the region. Beijing has long bristled at the U.S. military aircraft and ships that operate in international skies and seas near China. Beijing did not immediately comment on the Pentagon report. The most eye-catching evidence of China’s nuclear buildup in recent years has been three clusters of missile silos that have been dug out of the deserts of northern China. The Pentagon report found that construction of the silos had been completed by last year and that “at least some” intercontinental ballistic missiles had been installed in them.

Persons: Xi Jinping, Xi Organizations: Pentagon, U.S, People’s Liberation Army Locations: United States, Beijing, China . China, China, Canada, U.S, Chinese, Taiwan, Russia

To underscore the pattern, the Pentagon released previously nonpublic photos and videos of Chinese fighter jets intercepting US aircraft flying in international airspace. The images, which date back to January 2022, show Chinese fighter jets getting dangerously close to US military jets in international airspace in an attempt to “intimidate” them, the Pentagon said in a statement about the incidents. Some of the Chinese fighter jets came within 20 feet of the US planes, the videos show. Office of the Secretary of Defense Public AffairsThe photos and videos also show the Chinese jets releasing objects and projectiles, including flares. But the Pentagon’s efforts this year to engage with Chinese military leadership have gone unanswered, and US officials have grown increasingly concerned about the lack of military-to-military dialogue between the countries.

Persons: ”, Ely Ratner, ” Ratner, Austin, Adm, John Aquilino, Defense Lloyd Austin, “, Wei Fenghe, Nancy Pelosi, “ I’ve, ” Aquilino Organizations: CNN, US, East, South China, Pacific Security Affairs, Pentagon, PLA, Defense Public Affairs, People’s, Army, Defense, National Defense, Military, Security, China Locations: South, “, People’s Republic of China, Beijing, Taiwan

☆ Cartoon elves and scrolls visualize Chinese military’s goal of Taiwan ‘reunification’
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-03 | by ( Jessie Yeung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

It has long vowed to “reunify” Taiwan with the Chinese mainland, by force if necessary. The Chinese painting "Dwelling in the Fuchun Mountains" displayed in its entirety in the National Palace Museum Taipei on June 1, 2011. As a result, the scroll has long been seen as a living symbol of the division between China and Taiwan. Visitors look at "Dwelling in the Fuchun Mountains" at the National Palace Museum Taipei on June 1, 2011. The “Escape from the British Museum” series “has struck a chord in people’s hearts and reflects the deep patriotic sentiments,” said one article in the state-run tabloid Global Times.

Persons: Hong Kong CNN —, “, Patrick lin, Huang Gongwang, —, Shi Tang, Xi Jinping, ” Xi’s, Chiang Kai, Mao Zedong’s, ” Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Eastern Theater Command, People’s Liberation Army, PLA, Communist Party, Theater Command, Palace Museum, Getty, National, Museum, Zhejiang Provincial Museum, National Palace Museum, Taiwan, World Health Organization, Olympic Games, Asian, British Museum ’, British Museum, Beijing’s, Nationalist, Global Times, British Locations: Hong Kong, Taiwan Strait, People’s Republic of China, Taiwan, Palace Museum Taipei, AFP, Taipei, Hangzhou, China, National Palace Museum Taipei, Beijing, Ukraine, Fujian, London, Mao Zedong’s Communist, Greater China

Li’s disappearance follows a series of unexplained personnel shakeups that have roiled the upper ranks of China’s ruling Communist Party this summer, including the ousting in July of former Foreign Minister Qin Gang. The Financial Times reported that the US government believes the defense minister has been placed under investigation, citing American officials. Li, who was sanctioned by the US in 2018 over China’s purchase of Russian weapons, is still listed as China’s defense minister, one of its five state councilors, and a member of the party’s powerful Central Military Commission (CMC). Beijing has never issued an explanation for Qin’s removal nor said that the former minister was under investigation. China’s State Council Information Office has not replied to queries from CNN on the matter.

Persons: Li Shangfu’s, Wu Qian, “, China’s, Qin, Li, Wu, Xi Jinping, they’ve, Li Shangfu, Antony Blinken Organizations: Beijing CNN, Defense Ministry, Communist Party, Foreign, Qin Gang, People’s Liberation Army Rocket Force, CNN, Reuters, Communist, Street Journal, The Financial Times, Central Military Commission, Development Department, State, Wall Street Journal, Financial Times Locations: China, Beijing, Washington, United States

☆ Opinion: It doesn’t take an Agatha Christie detective to work out something’s up in Xi’s China
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-22 | by ( Sheena Mckenzie | Opinion Frida Ghitis | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

She is a weekly opinion contributor to CNN, a contributing columnist to The Washington Post and a columnist for World Politics Review. The latest to vanish from view is China’s Defense Minister Li Shangfu. But anti-corruption campaigns are an ideal vehicle for political crackdowns, and in the opaque world of China’s regime, with no official explanation, there’s much that doesn’t meet the eye. (Rahm Emanuel, dripping with sarcasm, joked that the unemployment rate among Xi’s ministers might exceed that of China’s young people.) But China, of course, still promotes its system as a superior alternative to western-style democracy; tries to pretend that it’s not a dictatorship.

Persons: Frida Ghitis, Li Shangfu, “ I’m, Nobody, Rahm Emanuel, ”, Xi’s, Agatha Christie’s, Li, China’s, Qin Gang, Qin, Xi Jinping, Wang Yi, Qi, Xi, Mao Zedong, didn’t, Joe Biden, “, Hu Jintao, Hu, chastened, Jack Ma, Jeff Bezos Organizations: CNN, Washington Post, Politics, Frida Ghitis CNN, China’s Defense, People’s Liberation Army, PLA, Twitter, Qin, Street Journal, PLA’s, Force, United Nations General Assembly, Communist Party Congress Locations: China, Japan, Denmark, Vietnam, Beijing, Washington, Russia, Ukraine, Germany

☆ Turbulence in China’s top ranks raises questions about Xi Jinping’s rule
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-19 | by ( Nectar Gan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

Defense Minister Li Shangfu has not been seen in public for three weeks, sparking speculation he is under investigation. Both Li and Qin serve among China’s five state councillors, a senior position in the cabinet that outranks a regular minister. Li also sits on the Central Military Commission, a powerful body headed by Xi that commands the armed forces. China's Defence Minister Li Shangfu gives a speech during the Moscow Conference on International Security on August 15. Last week, as speculation mounted over the whereabouts of the defense minister, Xi called for unity and stability within the military during an inspection in China’s northeast.

Persons: China’s, Li Shangfu, Weeks, Qin Gang, Xi, Li, Qin, outranks, “ What’s, ”, Drew Thompson, Xi Jinping, James Char, Lloyd Austin, Alexander Nemenov, Xi’s, Deng Yuwen, ” Rahm Emanuel, Agatha Christie’s, “, –, Craig Singleton, General Zhang Youxia, Zhang, He’s, Thompson, they’re, ” Thompson, Mao Zedong, Char, …, ” Char, Jinping Organizations: Hong Kong CNN —, Defense, Foreign, Central Military Commission, People’s Liberation Army Rocket Force, Wall Street Journal, Communist Party, National University of Singapore, Rajaratnam, of International Studies, Belarus ’, US, Singapore’s Navy, China's, Conference, International Security, Getty, Twitter, Foundation for Defense of Democracies, Washington DC, Development Department, Rocket Force, Equipment Development Department Locations: China, Hong Kong, United States, Washington, Beijing, Singapore, Moscow, Belarus, Minsk, AFP, Japan, Soviet, Sichuan, “

As China’s spy balloon drifted across the continental United States in February, American intelligence agencies learned that President Xi Jinping of China had become enraged with senior Chinese military generals. The spy agencies had been trying to understand what Mr. Xi knew and what actions he would take as the balloon, originally aimed at U.S. military bases in Guam and Hawaii, was blown off course. Mr. Xi was not opposed to risky spying operations against the United States, but American intelligence agencies concluded that the People’s Liberation Army had kept Mr. Xi in the dark until the balloon was over the United States. American officials would not discuss how spy agencies gleaned this information. But in details reported here for the first time, they discovered that when Mr. Xi learned of the balloon’s trajectory and realized it was derailing planned talks with Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken, he berated senior generals for failing to tell him that the balloon had gone astray, according to American officials briefed on the intelligence.

Persons: Xi Jinping, Xi, derailing, Antony J, Blinken Organizations: People’s Liberation Army Locations: United States, China, Guam, Hawaii

☆ Li Shangfu: Speculation grows over whereabouts of China's defense minister
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-15 | by ( Nectar Gan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Hong Kong CNN —China’s Foreign Ministry on Friday skirted questions on the whereabouts of the country’s defense minister, amid mounting speculation the recently promoted general has been placed under investigation. Qin, who was only foreign minister for seven months, has retained the position of state councillor – a senior role in China’s cabinet which Li also holds. On Chinese government and military websites, Li is still listed as the defense minister, state councillor and a member of the party’s powerful Central Military Commission (CMC). “The foreign minister and the defense minister are both externally facing interlocutors with the international community. Two weeks away from the public view is not unprecedented for China’s defense minister, who typically has less frequent public engagements than the foreign minister.

Persons: Hong Kong CNN —, Li Shangfu, China’s, Li, Mao Ning, “ I’m, Qin Gang, Qin, –, Rahm Emanuel, Li hadn’t, Emanuel, Xi’s, Agatha Christie’s, Li Shangfu hasn’t, ”, Xi Jinping, ” Drew Thompson, Lee, Sergey Shoigu, Alexander Lukashenko Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Hong Kong CNN — China’s, Communist Party, Financial Times, Street, Foreign Ministry, Central Military Commission, People’s Liberation Army, Force, CNN, Foreign, Rocket Force, Defense, Lee Kuan Yew, of Public, National University of Singapore, Development Department, Equipment Development Department, Security Forum, ”, Reuters, ” Reuters, Border Defense Friendship Exchange Locations: Hong Kong, Beijing, China, United States, Africa, Russia, Belarus, Moscow, Minsk, Hanoi

☆ China’s Defense Minister Has Not Been Seen in Weeks, Fueling Intrigue
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-15 | by ( Chris Buckley | More About Chris Buckley | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

China’s defense minister, Gen. Li Shangfu, has not been seen in public in more than two weeks, fueling speculation about further upheaval in the military after the abrupt removal of two top commanders in charge of the country’s nuclear force. Just six weeks ago, China’s leader, Xi Jinping, replaced the two most senior commanders of the People’s Liberation Army Rocket Force, which oversees China’s nuclear missiles. The abrupt dismissals suggested that Mr. Xi was seeking to reassert his control over the military and purge perceived corruption, disloyalty and dysfunction from its ranks, analysts have said. Many experts believe that the military commanders may be accused of corruption, though some have said that suspicions of disloyalty toward Mr. Xi may be involved. In July, China also dismissed the foreign minister, Qin Gang — another official who had risen rapidly under Mr. Xi — without explanation.

Persons: Li Shangfu, General Li’s, Li’s, Mao Ning, Xi Jinping, Xi, Qin Gang — Organizations: Chinese Foreign Ministry, People’s Liberation Army Rocket Force, Qin Locations: Vietnam, China

CNN —The nominee to be the US military’s most senior general warned US airmen in a letter this week that the Chinese military wants “to exploit your knowledge and skill to fill gaps in their military capability.”Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Charles Q. Concerns over western pilots training China’s military has grown in recent years, as Australia, the United Kingdom, and New Zealand – all members of the Five Eyes intelligence sharing alliance, which includes the US – have taken steps to prevent former military pilots from offering their expertise to Beijing. Last October, the UK Ministry of Defense said it believed up to 30 former British military pilots were providing training in China and that many others have been approached, including pilots who were still serving. He has denied the allegations, saying he was only training Chinese civilian pilots seeking to improve their skills. And recently, two Navy sailors were arrested and indicted for allegedly sending classified information to Chinese intelligence officers.

Persons: Charles Q, Brown, Mark Milley, ” Brown, “, ”, Richard Marles Organizations: CNN, ” Air Force, Joint Chiefs of Staff, NATO, Liberation Army, Air Chiefs, The Washington, New Zealand, UK Ministry of Defense, UK Armed Forces, People’s Liberation Army, Australian, “ Defense, Foreign Intelligence Services, Navy Locations: Australia, United Kingdom, New, Beijing, China, People’s Republic of China

☆ In U.S.-China AI contest, the race is on to deploy killer robots
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +26 min

In this high-tech contest, seizing the upper hand across fields including AI and autonomous weapons, like Ghost Shark, could determine who comes out on top. This could become critical if the United States intervened against an assault by Beijing on Taiwan. Cheap and expendableThe AI military sector is dominated by software, an industry where change comes fast. Still, the available disclosures of spending on AI military research do show that outlays on AI and machine learning grew sharply in the decade from 2010. The Costa-Mesa, California-based company now employs more than 1,800 staff in the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia.

Persons: America’s, Shane Arnott, Anduril, ” Arnott, Arnott, ”, “, Mick Ryan, Eric Schmidt, hasn’t, Lloyd Austin, –, Stuart Russell, Russell, Kathleen Hicks, “ We’ll, Palmer Luckey, Luckey, ” Arnott didn’t, Biden, Tsai Ing, Frank Kendall, Datenna, Martijn Rasser, Feng Yanghe, Feng, Palmer, ” Anduril, Arnott wouldn’t, David Lague, Edgar Su, Catherine Tai, Peter Hirschberg Organizations: Australian Navy, Ghost Sharks, Sharks, Reuters, Defense, Australian, Chinese Communist Party, Beijing, People’s Liberation Army, PLA, Department of Defense, Pentagon, Australia’s Department of Defence, Australian Defence Force, Technologists, University of California, U.S ., U.S, Teledyne FLIR, Facebook, VR, Military, . Air Force, FH, U.S . Central Intelligence Agency, Department, Statistics, Harvard University, Biden Administration, Special, Command, Ministry of Defense, Veteran Locations: China, Australia, United States, Sydney, Britain, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, Europe, Asia, Ukraine, ”, America, U.S, Taiwan, East Asia, Beijing, Russian, Berkeley, Fort Campbell , Tennessee, Kenya, “, Russia, Colorado, Zhuhai, Netherlands, Costa, Mesa , California, United Kingdom, Virginia, Canberra, Washington

☆ China Wants to Challenge U.S. Military Power Around the World - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-07 | by ( Craig Singleton | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

At Cambodia’s Ream Naval Base, China is nearing completion of what U.S. officials suspect will be its first overseas military outpost in the Indo-Pacific region. Beyond facilitating Chinese military adventurism in the South China Sea, the new base could provide the People’s Liberation Army (P.L.A.) with a staging ground to monitor and influence vital maritime routes like the Malacca Strait, through which an estimated 40 percent of the world’s trade flows. But the base also shines a light on Beijing’s broader embrace of an innovative strategy to challenge American military strength that has potentially grave implications for Washington and its allies. China has plainly stated that these points are designed to “provide support for overseas military operations” and “exert political and military influence” abroad.

Organizations: Ream, Liberation Army Locations: Base, China, South China, Malacca, Washington, Aden . China, Djibouti, East Africa, Equatorial Guinea, Solomon Islands, South Pacific

Together, experts say, these efforts aim to enhance China’s military reach, which currently includes only one operational overseas naval base in Djibouti on the Horn of Africa. “It’s a question of when – not if – China will secure its next overseas military outpost,” he said. This photo taken on August 1, 2017, shows Chinese People's Liberation Army personnel attending the opening ceremony of China's new military base in Djibouti. The Hambantota commercial port in Sri Lanka has long been considered a prime candidate for a Chinese naval base. However, China’s path to developing permanent overseas bases, if indeed that is its aim, is not straightforward.

Persons: FDD, Craig Singleton, “, –, ”, Tea Banh, FDD’s Singleton, Tang Chhin Sothy, Singleton, Xi Jinping, Stringer, ” AidData, Stephen J, Townsend, ” Townsend, Bata, Ali Bongo Ondimba, Ken Ishii, ’, ” Singleton, China’s, Aaron Favila, Isaac Kardon, Kardon, ” Kardon, BlackSky Singleton, Rob Wittman, Fu Tian, Seth Moulton, ” Moulton, Martin Meiners Organizations: South Korea CNN, People’s Liberation Army Navy, Foundation for Defense of Democracies, People’s Liberation Army, PLA, Ream, Base, CNN, China’s Ministry of Defense, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ream Naval Base, ” Cambodian Defense, Cambodian, Getty, Fleet, Communist Party, US, Liberation Army personnel, William & Mary University, Sri Lankan Navy, US Africa Command, Gabonese, of, Xinhua, Naval Research Academy, Carnegie Endowment, International Peace, East China Seas, China, Control, Organization, Force, Strategic, International Studies, Defense Department, Chinese Communist Party, ”, Virginia Republican, The Defense Department, Qingdao Port, People's Liberation Army Navy, China News Service, America, Pentagon, US Defense Department Locations: Seoul, South Korea, China, Beijing, Washington, Cambodia, Argentina, Cuba, Djibouti, of Africa, Africa, West Asia, Gulf, Thailand, United States, Preah Sihanouk, AFP, Horn of Africa, “, South, Taiwan, Virginia, —, Sri Lanka, Bata , Equatorial Guinea, Gwadar, Pakistan, Kribi, Cameroon, Ream, Vanuatu, Nacala, Mozambique, Nouakchott, Mauritania, Colombo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, West Africa, South China, East Asia, East, Asia, Washington In Washington, Nanchang, Qingdao, Shandong province, Massachusetts

☆ In Warning to Taiwan, China Announces Military Patrols
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-18 | by ( Amy Chang Chien | More About Amy Chang Chien | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

China’s military said it would stage “joint combat readiness” patrols around Taiwan on Saturday, sending a warning gesture to the island democracy soon after a leading candidate in Taiwan’s presidential election finished an overseas trip that Beijing had denounced. Vice President Lai Ching-te, the candidate, had flown to Paraguay — one of 13 states that keeps diplomatic relations with Taipei, and not Beijing — making stops in the United States on his way there and back. The Chinese government is trying to curtail the international activities of Taiwan, which it claims as its own territory. It especially objects to Taiwanese leaders’ visits to the United States, the island’s most important political and military supporter. He is the presidential candidate of Taiwan’s ruling Democratic Progressive Party, which favors asserting Taiwan’s distinctive identity and sovereignty — a position that Beijing condemns as threatening its claim to the island.

Persons: Lai Ching, ’, Lai’s, Taiwan’s, Lai, Shi Yi Organizations: Democratic Progressive Party, Eastern Theater, People’s Liberation Army Locations: Taiwan, Beijing, Paraguay, Taipei, United States

Vice President Lai Ching-te of Taiwan rose to prominence as a pugnacious opponent of Beijing’s claims over the island. But now, as a leading candidate in Taiwan’s presidential race, he is likely to present a more muted persona when he visits the United States starting Saturday. Expect restraint, not rousing speeches, Taiwanese officials and scholars say. Nonetheless, his stops in New York and San Francisco will be closely watched — in Taiwan, in Beijing and in Washington — for clues to how he might handle crucial relations with the United States and China as president, a top issue in Taiwan’s intense presidential race. And his visit, however low-key, is also likely to prompt an escalation of Chinese military flights and naval maneuvers near Taiwan, bringing into focus the risks of real conflict over its future.

Persons: Lai Ching, Beijing’s, Washington —, there’s, ”, Shu Hsiao, huang, ” Mr, Lai, William Organizations: United States, People’s Liberation Army, Taiwan’s Institute for National Defense and Security Research, Democratic Progressive Party Locations: Taiwan, New York, San Francisco, Beijing, Washington, United States, China, Taipei

☆ China-Philippines tensions: Is a maritime militia Beijing says doesn't exist causing chaos in the South China Sea?
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-12 | by ( Brad Lendon | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Most of the Chinese ships involved are marked “China Coast Guard,” but among the flotilla are also at least two blue-hulled vessels that resemble fishing boats. After the confrontation last weekend, China claimed the Philippines had violated its sovereignty by grounding the ship on the shoal. That symbiotic relationship became even clearer in 2021 when the China Coast Guard came under the jurisdiction of the Chinese Central Military Commission effectively making it part of Beijing’s military. The Chinese vessels “physically blockaded the supply ship. Ted Aljibe/AFP/Getty ImagesChina’s waiting gameAnalysts say they don’t see any appetite in Beijing for actual combat over Second Thomas Shoal, but they also say China can afford to play a waiting game.

Persons: Thomas Shoal, Jay Tarriela, Thomas, “, ”, China’s, People’s Liberation Army –, Lyle Morris, CNN ‘, doesn’t, Ray Powell, SeaLight, Powell, Morris, ” Powell, Shoal, Ted Aljibe, Lionel Fatton, ” Washington Organizations: CNN, China Coast Guard, United, “, Philippine Coast Guard, Hague, People’s Liberation Army, PLA Navy, Chinese Central Military Commission, Asia Society, Center for China, National Security, Stanford University, Central Military Commission, US Navy, US Coast Guard, Getty, Webster University Locations: Philippine, South, Philippines, Spratly, United States, Beijing, China, Palawan, Sierra Madre, ”, South China, Malaysia, Vietnam, Brunei, Taiwan, Washington, Manila, Sierra, AFP, Switzerland

☆ Xi Remade China’s Military to His Liking. Now a Purge Threatens Its Image.
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-07 | by ( Chris Buckley | More About Chris Buckley | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

As Xi Jinping has entrenched his hold on power in China, he has likened himself to a physician, eradicating the toxins of corruption and disloyalty that threaten the rule of the Communist Party. And his signature project for over a decade has been bringing to heel the once extravagantly corrupt military leadership. But recent upheavals at high levels of the People’s Liberation Army forces suggest that Mr. Xi’s cure has not endured. “It’s like a virus in the system that has come back. It’s a deep-rooted problem, and it has survived in the system.”

Persons: Xi Jinping, Xi’s, ”, Andrew N.D, Yang, “ Organizations: Communist Party, People’s Liberation Army, Rocket Force Locations: China

The announcement was the first time either of the two – who had both been in military positions outside the Rocket Force – were named as the force’s leadership. Beijing gave no reason for the change, making the case yet another example of the lack of transparency in China’s political system. The newly appointed Rocket Force leadership both previously held deputy positions in other parts of the military. New missile silosThe leadership change comes as evidence points to an expanding Chinese nuclear force – creating an even more important role for the Rocket Force, which until 2016 was known as the PLA Second Artillery Force. They are responsible for handling and delivering China’s nuclear weapons,” said Drew Thompson, a senior research fellow at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at the National University of Singapore.

Persons: Xi Jinping, Wang Houbin, Xu Xisheng, Li Yuchao, Qin Gang, Li, Xu Zhongbo, Xu, China’s, ”, Yun Sun, Li Gang, Xi, “, Qin, Wang Yi, Carl Schuster, “ Xi, ” Schuster, Wang, Neil Thomas, Roderick Lee, Drew Thompson, Lee, ” Thompson Organizations: CNN, Liberation Army Rocket Force, Rocket Force, Xinhua, Communist Party, Stimson, Communist Party’s, Military Commission, People’s Liberation Army, PLA, Pacific Command’s Joint Intelligence Center, PLA Navy, Southern Theater Command, Asia Society, Center for, USAF Air University China Aerospace Studies, ” CNN, China’s Ministry of Defense, PLA Second Artillery Force, US Defense Department, Lee Kuan Yew, of Public, National University of Singapore, “ Locations: China, Suzhou, Taiwan, Washington, Beijing, Xinhua, Hawaii, Center for China, United States

☆ Xi’s Surprise Shake-Up Exposes Problems at Top of China’s Nuclear Force
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-02 | by ( Chris Buckley | More About Chris Buckley | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

In the years since China’s leader, Xi Jinping, transformed the People’s Liberation Army, one of his crowning creations has been the Rocket Force, the custodian of China’s expanding nuclear arsenal. But this week, Mr. Xi abruptly replaced the Rocket Force’s two top commanders with outsiders with no experience in the nuclear force. The shake-up in the rocket force indicated that the force’s expansion has been accompanied by serious problems in its top ranks. Suspicions of corruption or disloyalty to Mr. Xi may slow or complicate China’s upgrade of its conventional and nuclear missiles, several experts said. “I imagine this could disrupt the modernization,” said David C. Logan, an assistant professor at the Fletcher School of Tufts University who studies the Rocket Force and China’s nuclear weapons modernization.

Persons: Xi Jinping, Xi’s, Xi, Qin Gang, “, ”, David C Organizations: People’s Liberation Army, Rocket Force, Fletcher School of Tufts University Locations: China, Logan

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