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☆ China is trying to overcome weaknesses in its military by 'aggressively recruiting' Western pilots to train its aviators, Five Eyes intel allies warn
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-05 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Read previewChina is "aggressively recruiting" Western military personnel to train its air force pilots and naval aviators, attempting to lure them in with "lucrative" contracts and promises of opportunities to fly "exotic aircraft," the US and its allies are warning. Related storiesChinese schemes target Western pilots, flight engineers, air operations center personnel, and technical experts knowledgeable about military tactics, techniques, and procedures. The Chinese military "wants the skills and expertise of these individuals to make its own military air operations more capable while gaining insight into Western air tactics, techniques, and procedures," the newly released bulletin said. Advertisement"The insight the PLA gains from Western military talent threatens the safety of the targeted recruits, their fellow service members, and US and allied security," it added. Despite efforts from Western governments to warn its veterans and military personnel about the Chinese poaching efforts, the recruitment continues to evolve, the bulletin noted.

Persons: —, New Zealand —, Michael Casey, Chen Jimin, Casey, Wang Jingtian Organizations: Service, New Zealand, NATO, People's Liberation Army, Business, PLA, US National Counterintelligence and Security, Zhuhai Air Show, China News Service, Getty, US, Job, US Marine Corps Locations: China, Canada, Australia, New, Beijing, Washington, Changchun, China's Jilin Province

☆ China's J-20 stealth jet isn't 'a dominating aircraft,' but it doesn't need to be for what China's military has planned
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-29 | by ( Christopher Woody | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

China's air force continues to improve and expand its fleet of J-20 stealth fighter jets. The J-20 is China's first stealth jet and a growing part of an already sizable aviation force. China's air force and navy now make up the largest aviation force in the region and the third largest in the world. They have a total of 1,900 fighter jets, including J-20s that have been "operationally fielded" by China's air force, according to the US Defense Department. AdvertisementAdvertisementA Chinese jet, believed to be a J-20 prototype, in Chengdu in January 2011.

Persons: —, Wang Jingtian, We've, Brendan Mulvaney, Mulvaney, they've, Rick Joe, Zhang Hui, Kenneth Wilsbach, Wilsbach, Jia Tianyong, Rong Xu Organizations: Service, US Defense Department, US Air Force, Beijing, Getty, WS, Reuters, China Aerospace Studies Institute, Department of, US Pacific Air Forces, Air and Space Forces Association, Air Show, China News Service, Getty Images China, People's Liberation Army, PLA, People's Republic of China, US Air, Pentagon Locations: China, East China, Pacific, Taiwan, Changchun, Chengdu, People's Republic of, China's, Xiamen, Zhuhai, American

Coins and banknotes of China's yuan are seen in this illustration picture taken February 24, 2022. Country Garden, China's largest private developer by sales, did not immediately respond to Reuters request for comment. Lower deposit rates will partially offset various pressures on banks' narrowing net interest margins - a key gauge of profitability, said Nicholas Zhu, a banking analyst at Moody's. "The impact of the deposit rate cut is material, given that close to three-quarters of Chinese banks' liabilities are deposits," Zhu said. China's mortgage loans totalled 38.6 trillion yuan ($5.29 trillion) at the end of June, representing 17% of banks' total loan books.

Persons: Florence Lo, Nicholas Zhu, Zhu, Ziyi Tang, Ryan Woo, Wang Jing, Davide Barbuscia, Anne Marie Roantree Organizations: REUTERS, HK, Industrial, Commercial Bank of China, China Construction Bank Corp, Agricultural Bank of China, Reuters, Industrial Bank Co Ltd, China Bohai Bank Co Ltd, Thomson Locations: BEIJING, Beijing, China, Washington, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, New York, Lincoln

[1/4] People wait in line at a coronavirus disease (COVID-19) test centre in Xinyang, China, this still image obtained from social media video released December 15, 2022. China reported 2,157 new symptomatic COVID-19 infections for Dec. 15 compared with 2,000 a day. There is particular concern about China's hinterland in the run up to China's Lunar New Year holiday starting on Jan. 22. The COVID scare in China also led people in Hong Kong, Macau and in some neighbourhoods in Australia to go in search for fever medicines and test kits for family and friends on the mainland. JP Morgan on Friday revised down its expectations for China's 2022 growth to 2.8%, which is well below China's official target of 5.5% and would mark one of China's worst performances in almost half a century.

"It would become a testing point regarding the government’s determination to push for the relaxation of COVID control measures," they said. China reported 17,772 new local COVID-19 infections for Nov. 14, up from 16,072 new cases a day earlier and the most since April, with major cities including Chongqing and Zhengzhou among the worst-hit. On Monday, Beijing's most populous district of Chaoyang, where most of its cases are located, moved some testing sites closer to residential compounds. On Tuesday, state broadcaster CCTV said Chaoyang district was adding more testing sites, including near office buildings. Under China's new rules, testing efforts are to be more targeted, easing what has been a significant financial burden on cities.

☆ China reports 16,203 new COVID cases for Nov 13 vs 14,878 a day earlier
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Thomas PeterSHANGHAI, Nov 14 (Reuters) - China reported 16,203 new COVID-19 infections for Nov. 13, of which 1,794 were symptomatic and 14,409 were asymptomatic, the National Health Commission said on Monday. That compared with 14,878 new cases a day earlier – 1,711 symptomatic and 13,167 asymptomatic infections, which China counts separately. Excluding imported infections, China reported 16,072 new local cases, of which 1,747 were symptomatic and 14,325 were asymptomatic, up from 14,761 a day earlier. China's capital Beijing reported 237 symptomatic and 170 asymptomatic cases, compared with 161 symptomatic and 74 asymptomatic case the previous day, local government data showed. The city of Chongqing reported 150 new symptomatic locally transmitted COVID-19 infections and 2,147 asymptomatic cases, compared with 158 symptomatic and 1,662 asymptomatic cases the previous day, local authorities said.

☆ Chinese cities including Beijing report record COVID cases
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

"Currently COVID cases are rising in major cities such as Guangzhou and Chongqing, and zero-COVID policy continues, suggesting down-side risks to the near-term growth outlook," said analysts at U.S. investment bank Goldman Sachs in a note on Monday. Shares of consumer staples (.CSICS) remained subdued on Monday, while stocks in tourism (.CSI930633) and transport (.CSI000957) slumped as domestic COVID cases surged and some investors booked profits on previous COVID easing bets. Beijing reported 407 cases on Monday, compared with 235 the previous day. Major manufacturing hub Zhengzhou in central China reported 2,981 new infections versus 2,642 a day prior. Chongqing, a southwestern city of more than 32 million people, also saw a jump in cases to 2,297 compared with 1,820 the previous day.

☆ Shanghai Disney visitors told to stay home after COVID case, Foxconn ups bonuses
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

SHANGHAI, Nov 1 (Reuters) - Several Shanghai residents received fresh stay-at-home orders and mandatory testing notices on Tuesday as authorities raced to trace contacts linked to a COVID-positive woman whose visit to the city's Disney Resort prompted its temporary lockdown. The Shanghai Disney Resort on Monday abruptly shut its gates, locking in all visitors at the time and only allowing them to leave, hours later, after they had tested negative for the virus. Marvis He was among Disney visitors caught up in the resort's lockdown, having flown in from Shenzhen in hopes of enjoying the park's Halloween themed fireworks. Foxconn has been one of the biggest corporate names affected by a quasi-lockdown of Zhengzhou, a major logistics hub in central China. In recent days, videos appearing to show departing Foxconn workers laden with luggage and walking along village roads towards their home towns have gone viral on Chinese social media.

☆ Dutch probe 'illegal' China gov't offices in Netherlands
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

AMSTERDAM, Oct 26 (Reuters) - The Netherlands is investigating offices that have been operating illegally in the country on behalf of the Chinese government, the Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday. The investigation follows reports by RTL Nieuws and website "Follow The Money" that two such offices have carried out functions, including remotely renewing Chinese citizens drivers' licences. The Chinese Embassy said in an emailed reaction to Reuters questions it "was not aware of the issue ... and not involved in it". "China`s judicial and law-enforcement authorities strictly abide by international rules and fully respect the judicial sovereignty of other countries," it said. "What is correct is that the Chinese government never informed us about the centres via diplomatic channels so that makes them illegal to begin with," Hovenkamp said.

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