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☆ 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.

SummarySummary Companies China starts three days of drills around TaiwanTaiwan says 71 Chinese planes crossed Taiwan Strait median lineTaiwan says it will respond calmlyChina angered by Taiwan president meeting U.S. House SpeakerAnnouncement comes shortly after French president left ChinaFUZHOU, China/TAIPEI, April 8 (Reuters) - Seventy-one Chinese military aircraft crossed the sensitive median line of the Taiwan Strait on Saturday as China began drills around Taiwan in anger at President Tsai Ing-wen's meeting with the speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives. The People's Liberation Army said it had started the combat readiness patrols and "Joint Sword" exercises around Taiwan, having said earlier it would be holding them in the Taiwan Strait and to the north, south and east of Taiwan "as planned". SITUATION 'AS EXPECTED'There was no broader sense of alarm in Taiwan about the drills, where people are long accustomed to Chinese threats. European Union chief Ursula von der Leyen, also in China this week to meet Xi, said stability in the Taiwan Strait was of paramount importance. The Taiwan security source said China's recent efforts to charm foreign leaders proved in vain after the announcement of the drills.

The assessment of China's military said China's fleet of six Jin-class ballistic missile submarines were operating "near-continuous" patrols from Hainan Island into the South China Sea. Equipped with a new, longer-range ballistic missile, they can hit the continental United States, analysts say. Communications are crucial and complex for ballistic missile subs, which must remain hidden as part of their mission. The Chinese military has emphasised that the Central Military Commission, headed by President Xi Jinping, is the only nuclear command authority. Russia is thought to keep most of its 11 ballistic missile submarines largely in bastions off its Arctic coasts, while U.S., French and British boats roam more widely, three analysts said.

☆ China's navy is looking to junior high schools as it scrambles to find pilots for its growing aircraft carrier fleet
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-31 | by ( Minnie Chan | South China Morning Post | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The Chinese Navy's youth aviation schools have recruited about 4,500 boys aged 15 to 16 this month. China's navy needs pilots for its fleet of aircraft carriers, which grew to three ships in June. The navy draws on talent from the 14 schools for its aircraft carrier cadet pilot programme. AFP via Getty ImagesIt is unclear if this is the first year that students so young will attend the aviation schools. The average age of the newest crop of cadet pilots is 20, much younger than in previous years.

☆ Taiwan says sees no signs of PLA deployment before president's US trip
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

China, which views Taiwan as its own territory, staged war games around the island last August following a trip to Taipei by then U.S.-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. On her way back to Taiwan, she will transit through Los Angeles, where she is likely to meet current House Speaker Kevin McCarthy. Taking lawmakers' questions in parliament, Taiwan deputy defence minister Po Horng-huei said China has three to four warships operating around Taiwan every day, which has already become a "new normal". If there are any changes in China's military deployment, Taiwan must be prepared for the worst-case scenario, he said. "So far there is no sign of any special military deployment," Po added.

☆ Mistakes by the US's top spies allowed China to turn a deadly mid-air collision into an intelligence coup
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-22 | by ( James Bamford | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +36 min

On April 1, 2001, a US EP-3 spy plane collided with a Chinese fighter jet over the South China Sea. One of eleven left in the fleet, the tired 1960s-era spy plane bristled with porcupine-like antennas. Within minutes, however, the fighters had reached the lumbering spy plane, and while Zhao Yu hung back about a half-mile, Wang Wei rapidly closed in. In severe trouble, he immediately radioed the base, telling them he was unable to maneuver and being sucked in by the spy plane. "You are not allowed aboard the aircraft," Osborn said.

☆ A new Pentagon map shows how China is beefing up what a top US general calls its 'dangerous position' in the South China Sea
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-13 | by ( Benjamin Brimelow | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

China and several of its neighbors have claimed parts of the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea. The map also gives rough locations for seven Chinese outposts, including three airfields, and 63 other outposts in the Spratlys. China's outposts "are capable of supporting military operations" and "have supported non-combat aircraft," the Pentagon report says. Recent action by those forces around Taiwan, as well as ongoing Chinese activity in the South China Sea, have worried US commanders. The Spratly IslandsFilipino fishermen sail by a Chinese coast guard ship near Scarborough Shoal on February 5.

☆ U.S.-sanctioned general to become public face of China's growing military
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-12 | by ( Greg Torode | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

In 2016, Li was named deputy commander of the PLA's then-new Strategic Support Force - an elite body tasked with accelerating the development of China's space and cyber warfare capabilities. He was then appointed head of the Equipment Development Department of the Central Military Commission (CMC), China's governing defence body, headed by President Xi Jinping. Some security scholars note the sanctions - while not a deal-breaker for future meetings - add a potential complication, and could provide China's military leadership with leverage. Li's term at the Central Military Commission has highlighted his ties to Xi, who has strengthened his grip across the military. Some scholars believe Li has close ties to Zhang Youxia, a close military ally of Xi, whom Li replaced as head of the department.

☆ Analysis: Nuclear submarine plan aims to give Australia strategic edge to deter China
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-10 | by ( Kirsty Needham | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Sooner than that, around 2027, U.S. nuclear submarines are expected to be deployed in Western Australia. It is vital that Australia has the same capability to deter - or, if necessary, fight - China as it expands its nuclear submarine fleet and ranges deeper into Australia's northern waters, he said. A U.S. Defense Department report last year said the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) had a fighting force of 340 ships and submarines, including 12 nuclear submarines - six equipped with ballistic missiles - and 44 conventionally powered submarines. The report added that China would build a guided missile submarine by the middle of this decade. The U.S. has long wanted to base its nuclear submarines in Australia, and if that is the near-term solution under AUKUS, it is a significant shift, Gill said.

China's defence ministry did not respond to a request for comment about the researchers' findings. Reuters could not determine how closely the conclusions reflect the thinking among China's military leaders. A U.S. defence official told Reuters that despite differences with the situation in Taiwan, the Ukraine war offered insights for China. The conflict has also forged an apparent consensus among Chinese researchers that drone warfare merits greater investment. Beyond the battlefield, the work has covered the information war, which the researchers conclude was won by Ukraine and its allies.

☆ Factbox: What to look for at China's NPC meeting of parliament
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-07 | by ( Laurie Chen | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Besides meeting annually to deliberate legislation and appoint government personnel, it oversees the State Council, China's cabinet. Its top body, the roughly 170-member NPC Standing Committee, meets more frequently to pass legislation. The Standing Committee also has the power to amend semiautonomous Hong Kong's mini-constitution, known as the Basic Law. The NPC will also appoint top government positions including vice president, NPC chair, vice premiers, state councillors, head of the Supreme Court and ministers. Several NPC and CPPCC delegates have put forth policy proposals in recent days, with China's historically low fertility rate a hot topic.

☆ Taiwan warns of China military's 'sudden entry' close to island
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

TAIPEI, March 6 (Reuters) - Taiwan Defence Minister Chiu Kuo-cheng warned on Monday the island has to be on alert this year for Chinese military's "sudden entry" into areas close to its territory amid the rising military tensions across the sensitive Taiwan Strait. China has stepped up its military activities around Taiwan in recent years, including almost daily Air Force incursions into the island's air defence identification zone. He said the PLA might make a "sudden entry" into Taiwan's contiguous zone and get close to its territorial space, which the island defines as 12 nautical miles from its coastlines. Taiwan has vowed to exercise its right to self-defence and counterattack if Chinese armed forces entered its territory. China claims self-governed Taiwan as its own and has not renounced the use of force to bring the island under Chinese control, if needed.

☆ China aims to launch nearly 13,000 satellites to 'suppress' Elon Musk's Starlink, researchers say
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-05 | by ( Stephen Chen | South China Morning Post | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The Chinese satellites could be equipped with an anti-Starlink payload to carry out various missions, such as conducting "close-range, long-term surveillance of Starlink satellites," they said. "The Starlink satellites may use their orbital manoeuvrability to actively hit and destroy nearby targets in space," the researchers said. China plans to build more powerful radar systems powered by new technology to identify and track Starlink satellites, they said. The Ukrainian military has used Starlink services effectively against Russian forces. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on February 18 that the US government had talked to Musk about the use of Starlink satellite internet in Ukraine, but did not elaborate.

☆ China doesn't want Russia to lose in Ukraine. But Beijing's endgame is murky.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-04 | by ( John Haltiwanger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

China is becoming more involved in the Ukraine war, raising alarm in the West. As the West warns China could send weapons, experts are torn over Beijing's goals and endgame. But they agree that China does not want to see Russia lose, despite its claim of neutrality. China wants to see the war "prolonged without Russia being humiliated," June Teufel Dreyer, a China expert at the University of Miami, told Insider. A man watches a news broadcast showing military operations near Taiwan by the Chinese People's Liberation Army's (PLA), in Beijing, China, on August 3, 2022.

☆ Factbox: What to look for as China kicks off its annual session of parliament
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-02 | by ( Laurie Chen | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Besides meeting annually to deliberate legislation and appoint government personnel, it oversees the State Council, China's cabinet. Its top body, the roughly 170-member NPC Standing Committee, meets more frequently to pass legislation. The Standing Committee also has the power to amend semiautonomous Hong Kong's mini-constitution, known as the Basic Law. The NPC will also appoint top government positions including vice president, NPC chair, vice premiers, state councillors, head of the Supreme Court and ministers. China will announce its central and local government budgets, military spending budget and economic growth target on the opening day of the NPC.

☆ Chinese Jet Fighter Shadows U.S. Aircraft Over South China Sea
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-24 | by ( Alastair Gale | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

ABOARD A U.S. PATROL AIRCRAFT—A Chinese J-11 jet fighter, armed with four air-to-air missiles, appeared at the rear of an American P-8 patrol aircraft, passed above and settled a few hundred feet from the wing of the U.S. Navy plane. “American aircraft, this is the PLA air force. You are approaching Chinese airspace. Keep a safe distance or you will be intercepted,” a Chinese military ground station broadcast to the P-8, using the abbreviation for the People’s Liberation Army.

☆ Chinese Jet Fighters Step Up Pressure on U.S. Aircraft Over South China Sea
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-24 | by ( Alastair Gale | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

A Chinese air force fighter flies close to a U.S. Navy surveillance aircraft over the South China Sea on Friday. ABOARD A U.S. PATROL AIRCRAFT—A Chinese J-11 jet fighter, armed with four air-to-air missiles, appeared at the rear of an American P-8 patrol aircraft, passed above and settled a few hundred feet from the wing of the U.S. Navy plane. “American aircraft, this is the PLA air force. You are approaching Chinese airspace. Keep a safe distance or you will be intercepted,” a Chinese military ground station broadcast to the P-8, using the abbreviation for the People’s Liberation Army.

☆ Chinese air force bombers show off their growing reach with a long-range drill over the South China Sea
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-20 | by ( Kristin Huang | South China Morning Post | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Chinese H-6K bomber patrolling over islands and reefs in the South China Sea. "Probably, the fighter aircraft [was] deployed from the bases on the artificial islands in the Spratly Islands to support simulated strikes in the South China Sea. "The early warning aircraft can help monitor potential threats in the air, most notably enemy fighter aircraft that may try to shoot down the bomber. The early warning aircraft can also help coordinate activities among the different planes. Although the drill showed the enhanced ability of the Chinese air force, the bomber's capability boosted the threat already posed to US military forces by only a little, Heath said.

☆ Japan says 3 balloons that floated into its airspace years ago are 'strongly presumed' to have been Chinese spy balloons
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( David Cenciotti | The Aviationist | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Three balloon-shaped flying objects were spotted in Japanese airspace in 2019, 2020, and 2021. Japan's Defense Ministry said Tuesday that they were "strongly presumed" to have been Chinese reconnaissance balloons. "If a balloon enters Japan's airspace without permission, it constitutes an infringement of Japan's airspace. Three additional unidentified objects, later appearing to have been much smaller commercial or research balloons, were also spotted and shot down. The Chinese balloon carried "multiple antennas" capable of collecting signals intelligence, a senior State Department official said, and the balloon maker has proven ties to the Chinese military, according to a CNBC report by Abigail Williams.

☆ US restricts 6 Chinese companies tied to airships and balloons
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-11 | by ( Brian Rokus | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —The US Commerce Department is restricting six Chinese companies tied to the Chinese army’s aerospace programs from obtaining US technology without government authorization. US fighter jets shot down the balloon, which American officials have since claimed is part of an extensive surveillance program run by the Chinese military. The six companies are: Beijing Nanjiang Aerospace Technology; China Electronics Technology Group Corporation 48th Research Institute; Dongguan Lingkong Remote Sensing Technology; Eagles Men Aviation Science and Technology Group; Guangzhou Tian-Hai-Xiang Aviation Technology; and Shanxi Eagles Men Aviation Science and Technology Group. The inclusion of the companies on the Commerce Department’s “Entity List,” sends “a clear message to companies, governments, and other stakeholders globally that the entities on the list present a threat to national security,” the statement said. “Today’s action makes clear that entities that seek to harm US national security and sovereignty will be cut off from accessing US technologies.”CNN has reached out to the companies involved and the Chinese government for comment.

☆ U.S. to add Chinese entities tied to balloon program to export blacklist -sources
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

WASHINGTON, Feb 10 (Reuters) - The United States is expected on Friday to add Chinese firms connected to Beijing's suspected surveillance balloon program to an export blacklist, three sources familiar with the plans said. Earlier this week the U.S. had said it would explore taking action against entities connected to China's military that supported the flight of a Chinese spy balloon into U.S. airspace last week. The United States has used restrictions on tech exports to China to keep that country from advancing militarily. The Biden administration, and before it the Trump White House, had added numerous Chinese companies to the Commerce Department's Entity List. Chinese memory chipmaker YMTC and 21 "major" Chinese players in the artificial intelligence chip sector were added to the trade blacklist in December, broadening the crackdown on China's chip industry.

☆ U.S. may target Chinese entities linked to spy balloon
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The United States will explore taking action against entities connected to China's military that supported the flight of a Chinese spy balloon into U.S. airspace last week, a senior State Department official said on Thursday. Washington is confident that the manufacturer of the Chinese balloon, shot down by the U.S. military last weekend off the U.S. East Coast, has a "direct relationship" with the People's Liberation Army (PLA), the official said in a statement. Separately on Thursday, speaking at a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing, Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman highlighted the flight of the Chinese balloon as another sign of Beijing's efforts to reshape the international order. "This irresponsible act put on full display what we've long recognized: that the PRC (People's Republic of China) has become more repressive at home and more aggressive abroad," Sherman told the hearing. Sherman said Washington would continue to block China from using U.S. technology to advance its military modernization.

Navy photo/Handout via REUTERSWASHINGTON, Feb 9 (Reuters) - The United States will explore taking action against entities connected to the Chinese military that supported the incursion by a Chinese spy balloon into U.S. airspace last week, a senior State Department official said on Thursday. Sherman also said the United States would continue to prevent China’s exploitation of U.S. technology to enable its own military modernization. China's foreign ministry has said it was a weather balloon that had blown off course and accused the United States of overreacting. The public spectacle of a Chinese balloon drifting slowly across the United States has brought into sharp focus the challenge posed by China to the United States and its allies. An Asia diplomat told Reuters there was a free flow of information about the balloon, with the United States passing on additional details to allies and partner as they became available.

☆ Chinese spy balloon carried 'multiple antennas' for collecting signals intelligence, State Dept. says
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( Abigail Williams | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The Chinese balloon that flew above the U.S. for eight days included "multiple antennas" capable of collecting signals intelligence, a senior State Department official said Thursday, and the balloon maker has proven ties to the Chinese military. While China condemned the U.S. for destroying what it said was a weather balloon, the State Department official described the balloon as carrying equipment designed to collect communications and threatened action against Beijing. Gen. Pat Ryder said that the U.S. has gathered extensive information about the Chinese surveillance balloons over time and will be able to detect them in the future. U.S. officials said previously that there were had been multiple Chinese balloon flights over American territory during the former Trump administration and another during the Biden administration. "What we do know is that in some cases, whereas some of these balloons previously had not been identified, subsequent analysis, subsequent intelligence analysis did enable us to indicate that these were Chinese balloons," Ryder said.

☆ FBI says Chinese balloon analysis effort is in early stages
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] The suspected Chinese spy balloon drifts to the ocean after being shot down off the coast in Surfside Beach, South Carolina, U.S. February 4, 2023. Officials said the FBI still did not have access to the majority of the balloon's "payload" where most of the onboard electronics were likely carried. The FBI said much of the evidence remains underwater, and that it has begun decontaminating some of its remains by removing salt and seawater. "We have not identified any sort of any energetic or offensive material," one of the FBI officials said, when asked whether any explosives or other harmful components had been identified from the balloon. The FBI officials said they did not yet have information on where some of the balloon components were manufactured, but that such evidence when recovered could be used for intelligence purposes or possible criminal charges.

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