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Late last month a Chinese fighter jet flew in front of a U.S. warplane over the South China Sea, drawing a rebuke from the United States. China regards the United States as an outsider interfering in a region in which it sees itself as a force for peace and stability. The United States says such patrols defend the right of all countries to sail in international waters. Some analysts say Chinese military commanders have been encouraged to act more assertively against foreign military ships and planes. And that's when the United States would eventually take the necessary measures to reduce the risk."

Persons: Xi Jinping, ”, Jennifer Parker, Derek Grossman, China's, Tong Zhao, Nancy Pelosi's, Michael Martina, Martin Pollard, Yew Lun Tian, Laurie Chen, Don Durfee, Gerry Doyle Organizations: U.S, People's Liberation Army Navy, PLAN, PLA, Australian Strategic Policy Institute, RAND Corporation, Communist Party, Princeton University’s School of Public and International Affairs, Pentagon, ., Reuters, Washington, Thomson Locations: WASHINGTON, BEIJING, Chinese, U.S, Taiwan Strait, South China, United States, China, CHINA, Beijing, Asia, Philippines, Vietnam, Taiwan, Hainan

☆ New US Navy video clearly shows Chinese warship cutting off a US destroyer during 'unsafe' encounter in the Taiwan Strait
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-05 | by ( Ryan Pickrell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A new video, clearer than an earlier one, of a close call between US and Chinese destroyers in the Taiwan Strait has come out. The US Navy video shows the Chinese ship cutting off the US vessel. This incident follows another in the air in which a Chinese fighter jet flew directly in front of a US plane. "This is wildly unprofessional and provocative behavior on the part of the Chinese Navy," he said. American and Chinese naval vessels have had other close calls like this in the past, such as when a Chinese destroyer sailed dangerously close to the US destroyer USS Decatur near the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea five years ago.

Persons: —, Arleigh Burke, Hoon, James Stavridis, Barry, Li Shangfu, Defense Lloyd Austin, Austin, Li Organizations: US Navy, Service, Fleet, 052D, Suzhou, Pacific Command, People's Liberation Army Navy, American, Twitter, Chinese Navy, PLA Navy, US, South China, US Air Force, Defense Locations: Taiwan, American, Montreal, Chinese, Decatur, Spratly, South, China, Singapore

Questioned after his speech on the incident, Li said the US naval presence in the strait was an example of Washington creating chaos in the region. “They are not here for innocent passage, they are here for provocation,” Li said of US warships. Li said if the US and other foreign powers did not want confrontation, they should not send their military assets near China. The incident is the second time in two weeks that Chinese military personnel have engaged in aggressive maneuvers in the vicinity of US military personnel near China’s border. US and Chinese defense chiefs are not expected to meet this year – a mark of the depth of the fracture in relations between the two countries.

Persons: Li Shangfu, ”, Lloyd Austin, Li, ” Li, USS Chung, Hoon, Arleigh Burke, “ Chung, “, Chung, Paul Mountford, Shi Yi, Austin, ” ‘, General Jing Jianfeng, ” China’s, Xi Jinping, Jing Organizations: Singapore CNN —, US, Canadian, Pacific Command, USS, Canada’s Global, PLA, East China Seas, Command, Taipei’s Defense, Chinese Communist Party, People’s Liberation Army, CCTV, Communist Party, Taiwan Locations: Singapore, United States, Washington, China, Taiwan, Canadian, Montreal, South, East, China’s, Beijing, “, Austin

Here are the meanings of the least-found words that were used in (mostly) recent Times articles. Because the pull of gravity varies everywhere, this model, called the geoid, resembles a lumpy potato. — A Side-Effect of China’s Strict Virus Policy: Abandoned Fruit (Feb. 5, 2022)5. boogaloo — a genre of Latin music and dance popular in the 1960s:Afro-Cuban jazz was pioneered in the 1940s by Mario Bauza in Harlem. — A Vegetable Soup That Delicately Balances Sweet and Sour (Feb. 17, 2023)8. vivace — musical direction to play in a brisk manner:In her Op. — 36 Hours in Oslo (Jan. 26, 2023)And the list of the week’s easiest words:

Persons: geoid, finitude, infinitude, Richard Powers’s, Hope, longan, Worakanya, boogaloo, Mario Bauza, —, deadeye, Diego State’s, Scholl, galangal, vivace, Mitsuko Uchida, tacet, Marina Abramovic, Igor Levit’s, ‘ Goldberg Organizations: New, Diego, Huskies, Aztecs, pla Locations: U.S, Thailand, Vietnam, China, Cuban, Harlem, South Bronx, New York, saunas, Oslo

CNN —China has rejected a United States proposal for Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to meet with his Chinese counterpart Li Shangfu at the Shangri-La Dialogue Security Forum in Singapore this week, according to a Pentagon statement. In the statement, the Pentagon said China had declined an invitation extended in early May for a meeting, but said the refusal would not deter the US from seeking better lines of communication. In response, the Chinese Embassy in the US questioned the sincerity and significance of the invitation, pointing to US sanctions imposed on Chinese officials, institutions and companies. The Wall Street Journal first reported China’s refusal to participate in a meeting between the defense chiefs. Austin told CNN earlier this year that he had not spoken to his Chinese counterpart in “months,” and China has continued to rebuff requests for meetings and phone calls, defense officials said.

☆ Under Xi Jinping, China's military has become an untouchable nationalist symbol
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-26 | by ( Nectar Gan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

Yue’s alleged transgression: “uglifying” and “insulting” China’s military, the People’s Liberation Army (PLA). Under Xi, China passed a law in 2018 to ban the slander of national “heroes and martyrs,” a crime punishable by up to three years in prison. To outsiders, it may appear puzzling that China’s military, the largest and one of the most powerful in the world, would be so easily offended by a seemingly tame joke. Xi has staked his legitimacy on returning China to its former greatness, and a strong and powerful military plays a key role in driving that nationalist agenda. He has also ramped up China’s military posturing, sending fighter jets and warships to the Taiwan Strait and around the disputed islands with Japan.

[1/3] A person walks past a show venue of stand-up comedy company Xiaoguo Culture Media Co that has closed its business, in Beijing, China May 19, 2023. "Stand-up comedy has been the last bastion in which people ... can still enjoy entertaining commentary about public life," said Beijing-based independent political analyst Wu Qiang. "After this, the space for stand-up comedy and public expression in general will inevitably keep shrinking." China's comedy scene rose quickly during the COVID-19 pandemic as people spent more time indoors watching viral streamed comedy shows. The most popular were produced by Xiaoguo Culture Media Co, the firm at the centre of the current uproar.

☆ The joke that cost $2 million: China imposes huge fine for comedian’s army-themed quip
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Chris Lau | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

As the official backlash grew, Li canceled all his performances while the entertainment company that represents him, Shanghai Xiaoguo Culture Media, issued an apology. He went on to say that their chase after a squirrel one day reminded him of eight words, before he unleashed the controversial punchline, according to audio posted to Chinese social media site Weibo. Shanghai Xiaoguo Culture Media is one of the biggest stand-up comedy show producers in the country. ‘Low form of art’Li had already apologized on Chinese social media platform Weibo, where he has 136,000 followers. Shanghai Xiaoguo Culture Media previously said it had suspended the comedian from all productions indefinitely.

☆ Chinese authorities slap comedy firm with $2 mln fine after military joke
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Casey Hall | Thomson Reuters | Casey Has Reported On China'S Consumer Culture Her Base In Shanghai For More Than A Decade | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The incident has strongly divided the Chinese public over what sort of jokes are inappropriate as performances such as stand-up comedy become increasingly popular and also highlighted the limits of appropriate content in China where authorities say it must promote core socialist values. In response to the fine, Xiaoguo Culture blamed the incident on "major loopholes in management" and said it had terminated Li's contract. Reuters could not immediately reach Li for comment and Weibo appears to have banned him from posting to his account there. Founded in Shanghai in 2015, Xiaoguo Culture's popularity has grown in sync with China's embrace of stand-up comedy and had known for raising the profile of hundreds of local comedians. (This story has been refiled to add a dropped word in the headline and fix a typo in paragraph 1)($1 = 6.9121 Chinese yuan renminbi)Reporting by Casey Hall; Editing by Michael PerryOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Chinese stand-up comedian forced to apologize after military joke angers officials
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Chris Lau | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

He went on to say that one day his two energetic canines gave chase to a squirrel, which reminded him of eight words, before he delivered the controversial punchline, according to audio posted to Chinese social media site Weibo. “Fine style of work, capable of winning battles,” he said, flipping a well known Chinese Communist Party slogan referring to the PLA. Shanghai Xiaoguo Culture Media described the joke as “inappropriate” before offering an apology in a statement on Monday. Comedians make a name for themselves by taking part in these shows and often expand their careers to live shows – as Li did. Last May, former investigative journalist Luo Changping was sentenced to seven months in prison and ordered to offer a public apology for calling Chinese soldiers portrayed in a blockbuster movie about the Korean war “stupid.”Li’s sense of humor divided users on Chinese social media.

☆ With eye on Ukraine, top Chinese general calls for unconventional warfare capabilities
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BEIJING, May 16 (Reuters) - Drawing lessons from the Ukraine crisis, a top Chinese general urged greater integration of novel capabilities, including artificial intelligence, with conventional warfare tactics ahead of any confrontation with the West. A new genre of hybrid warfare has emerged from the Ukraine conflict, with the intertwining of "political warfare, financial warfare, technological warfare, cyber warfare, and cognitive warfare," General Wang Haijiang, commander of the People's Liberation Army's (PLA) Western Theatre Command, wrote in a front-page article in an official newspaper on Monday. The scale and sweep of Chinese military preparations are closely watched not just by the West, but also by China's neighbours and democratically governed Taiwan, which China claims as its own. "At present and in the future, local conflicts and turmoil are frequent, global problems are intensifying, and the world has entered a new period of turmoil and change," Wang wrote in Study Times. The ability to win is needed to maintain national security, Wang wrote.

Landing of aircraft at night and in bad weather, for instance - crucial to regular offshore carrier operations - remain far from routine, several of the attaches and analysts said. "Carrier operations are a very complicated game, and China's got to figure this out all by itself. A new plane, the KJ-600, designed to perform a similar role to the E-2C/D Hawkeye launched from U.S. carriers, is still in testing, according to the Pentagon's latest annual report on China's military. Several countries operate aircraft carriers but the U.S. remains the most dominant, running 11 carrier battlegroups with global reach. A September editorial published in a magazine run by a PLA weapons manufacturer, titled "Four great advantages the PLA has in attacking Taiwan", did not mention the role of Chinese carriers.

☆ In first-of-its-kind drill, US Army special operators train to defend Taiwan against Chinese attack
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Drew F. Lawrence | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

At US Army Special Operations Command's annual capabilities exercise, soldiers trained to defend Taiwan. The training was part of the USASOC's annual capabilities exercise, or CAPEX, and the mission they were gaming out was an insertion into Taiwan to defend against a Chinese invasion. So instead of hovering 8,000 miles away in the South China Sea where the island actually is perched, the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment's Chinooks landed on Range 68 at Fort Bragg. US Army Rangers conduct an air-assault raid during Capabilities Exercise at Fort Bragg on April 20, 2023. Soldiers take part in US Army Special Operations Command's annual Capabilities Exercise in June 2019.

☆ Australian police searched pilot's home for China fighter jet records
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( Kirsty Needham | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

SYDNEY, May 2 (Reuters) - Australian police searched the home of a British former test pilot for documents related to China's J-16 strike fighter, Australia's intelligence partners, and China's biggest aviation company, a court judgment shows. The search in November was part of an investigation into Western military pilots training China's military at a time of growing tension between China and the United States and its allies. Federal police searched Hartley's home on suspicion he had broken the law by providing military style training directed or funded by China between 2018 and 2022, the Federal Court heard. The judgement shows police had searched for documents and digital records including emails and encrypted messages relating to TFASA, the PLA, four models of PLA fighter jets and fighter training aircraft including the J-16 strike fighter and J-11 fighter, AVIC and two individuals whose names were redacted. It states conduct capable of constituting an offence, and it does so with a reasonable degree of precision," she wrote.

CNN —A large blimp developed by the Chinese military has been spotted for the first time at a remote base in the desert of northwestern China, exclusive new satellite imagery obtained by CNN shows. “You can expect because it’s available via satellite imagery that we’re tracking the object,” the official said. Military patentsAdditional satellite imagery and analysis of the site suggests that the PLA has significantly loftier goals for its site, and its airship program. Additional satellite imagery provided to CNN by BlackSky shows construction, which includes subterranean excavation and foundation pouring, is continuing. “At this site in particular, I would really want to see the big airship,” Hayes said.

CNN —Thousands of foreign nationals have been evacuated from Sudan as clashes between two rival military factions vying for control of the country continue despite a supposed truce. Another eyewitness told CNN that Rapid Support Forces had moved in to the Wad Al-Bashir area, west of Omdurman (a major city just northwest of the capital Khartoum). Residents on the ground have told CNN that markets and shops have been heavily targeted by looters in the past few days. China, meanwhile, said it had evacuated 940 Chinese citizens and 231 foreign personnel from Sudan to Saudi Arabia between Wednesday and Saturday. “In order to protect the lives and property of Chinese citizens in Sudan, the Chinese military has been ordered to evacuate Chinese personnel in Sudan,” said Senior Colonel Tan Kefei.

☆ China says its newest aircraft carrier will be able to launch 'new-type aircraft'
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Jack Lau | South China Morning Post | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The Chinese navy currently operates two aircraft carriers. Neither carrier features the Fujian's signature catapult system, which allows planes to launch more frequently and carry more fuel and munitions. Despite plans for the navy to gain the ability to operate globally, the CCTV report only referred to operations in domestic waters when saying that China would build more aircraft carriers. "But due to China's vast oceans, the demand cannot be met with only three aircraft carriers — the Liaoning, Shandong and Fujian. Therefore, new aircraft carriers are bound to be built in the future."

CNN —China is making “significant progress” building the country’s fifth research facility in Antarctica after a several years-long lull in construction, according to a report by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). The site – a research station China has hailed as a means to expand its scientific investigation in the Antarctic – could also be used to enhance the country’s intelligence collection, according to CSIS. In February 2020, a team of US inspectors visited the station, where they were hosted by station leader Wang Zhechao of the Polar Research Institute of China. China has established four scientific research bases in Antarctica since 1984, according to the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Under the 1959 treaty Antarctic Treaty, to which China is party, activities on the continent are restricted to “peaceful purposes.”Military personnel are allowed to conduct scientific research, but may not set up bases, test weapons of carry out maneuvers.

☆ Leaked US assessment says China readying supersonic spy drone unit - Washington Post
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( Kanishka Singh | Thomson Reuters | Kanishka Singh Is A Breaking News Reporter For Reuters In Washington Dc | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, April 18 (Reuters) - A leaked U.S. military assessment says the Chinese military may soon deploy a high-altitude spy drone that travels at least three times the speed of sound, the Washington Post reported late on Tuesday. The newspaper cited a secret document from the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency. The Washington Post said it obtained the assessment of the program from a trove of images of classified files posted on the Discord messaging app, allegedly by a member of the Massachusetts Air National Guard, who was arrested last week. The FBI on Thursday arrested Jack Douglas Teixeira, a 21-year-old member of the U.S. Air National Guard, over the leaks online of classified documents that embarrassed Washington with allies around the world. The leaks first became widely known earlier this month, setting Washington on edge about the damage they may have caused.

☆ China ramps up construction on new Antarctic station, report says
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-18 | by ( Michael Martina | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/3] A satellite view with overlays shows areas to be developed at the new Chinese station under construction, on Inexpressible Island, Antarctica, January 2, 2023. CSIS told Reuters that while the U.S. still maintains a larger research presence in Antarctica – including the biggest facility in its McMurdo station – China's footprint is growing faster. China's fifth station will be 200 miles (320 km) from the McMurdo station, it said. Under the 1959 Antarctic Treaty, to which China is party, activities on the continent are restricted to "peaceful purposes." A 2022 Pentagon report said China's new Antarctic infrastructure was likely intended in part to strengthen its future claims to natural resources and maritime access and improve PLA capabilities.

☆ China ramps up construction on new Antarctic station –report
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-18 | by ( Michael Martina | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

BEIJING/TAIPEI, April 11 (Reuters) - China's latest military drills near Taiwan show it is serious about being able to cut off the democratically ruled island in a conflict, analysts said, as Beijing said its aircraft carriers could "shatter" defences from the east. 1) Carrier OperationsMany analysts noted the jets flying off the Shandong aircraft carrier, which took up position east of Taiwan, about 230 kilometres (143 miles) south of Japan's Miyajima island. The aim of the drills was to show that they could encircle Taiwan in a blockade and deter foreign powers from intervening, Zhao said. 3) Precision TargetingThe PLA also said it carried out virtual simulations showing how its forces could execute targeted missile attacks on Taiwan. Japan's military said in a briefing on Tuesday that it was assessing China's manoeuvres around Taiwan, but described them as "without question, serious training".

☆ Photo catches Taiwan pilot with a patch of Winnie the Pooh getting punched in the face — a jab at China's Xi as Beijing ups the pressure
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-11 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Amid this, Taiwan's defense ministry published a photo of a patch worn by fighter pilots. The patch depicts a cartoon Winnie the Pooh getting punched by a bear — a dig at Xi Jinping. Her visit stoked ire in Beijing, with China's defense ministry calling it "provocative." Beijing's defense ministry said the war games — dubbed "Joint Sword" — are meant to be a "stern warning" to Taiwan, which sharply criticized the exercises. #ROCArmedForces have monitored the situation and tasked CAP aircraft, Navy vessels, and land-based missile systems to respond these activities," Taiwan's defense ministry wrote in a statement posted to social media.

Eastern Theatre Command/Handout via REUTERSTOKYO/TAIPEI, April 10 (Reuters) - Japan has been following China's military drills around Taiwan consistently and "with great interest", a top government spokesperson said on Monday, on the last scheduled day for the exercises where Beijing has simulated striking the island. China claims democratically-governed Taiwan as its own territory and has never renounced the use of force to bring the island under Beijing's control. Japan has long worried about China's military activities in the area given how close its southern islands are to Taiwan. The United States has said it is also watching China's drills closely. China's military simulated precision strikes against Taiwan in the second day of drills around the island on Sunday.

☆ U.S. says it's monitoring China's drills around Taiwan as Beijing kicked off 3 days of military drills
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-09 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Two Chinese military helicopters fly past a PLA Navy tugboat, as seen from Pingtan island, the closest point to Taiwan, in China's southeast Fujian province on April 7, 2023. The U.S. says it's closely monitoring China's drills around Taiwan after Beijing began three days of military exercises around the island. The United States is monitoring China's drills around Taiwan closely and is "comfortable and confident" it has sufficient resources and capabilities regionally to ensure peace and stability, the de facto U.S. embassy in Taiwan said on Sunday. China, which claims democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory, began three days of military exercises around the island on Saturday, the day after Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen returned from the United States. "We are monitoring Beijing's actions closely," said a spokesperson for the American Institute in Taiwan, which serves as the United States' de facto embassy in the absence of formal diplomatic ties.

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