Konflikti Kiinan merellä

[ctg]

Taiwan on Thursday welcomed US approval of a $120 million sale of naval equipment that the two allies said would bolster the island's "combat readiness" and ability to work with American forces.

Self-ruled, democratic Taiwan lives under constant threat of invasion by authoritarian China, which views the island as part of its territory to be retaken one day -- by force if necessary.

Under a law passed by Congress, the United States is required to sell Taiwan military supplies to ensure its self-defence against Beijing's vastly larger armed forces.

US President Joe Biden, meanwhile, has come under bipartisan pressure to deepen ties with Taiwan as Washington vies for influence in the Asia-Pacific region to counter China.

Washington announced Wednesday it had approved the sale of spare and repair parts for ships and ship systems, as well as "logistical technical assistance", all of which would enhance Taiwan's "interoperability with the United States and other allies".

"The proposed sale will contribute to the sustainment of the recipient's surface vessel fleet, enhancing its ability to meet current and future threats," the Pentagon's Defense Security Cooperation Agency said in a statement.

It would be the fourth arms sale to Taiwan under Biden, and the third this year.

Taiwan welcomes fourth US arms sale under Biden

METATEXT

www.spacewar.com

 

[ctg]

At a ceremony this week, Cambodian and Chinese officials proclaimed their friendship as they announced a new construction project. Holding spades decorated with red bows, they turned over soil to signal the start of building work at Cambodia’s biggest naval base, Ream. It will be expanded and renovated, thanks to a Chinese grant of an undisclosed sum – a development that has alarmed the US.

“China and Cambodia have become ironclad brothers,” said China’s ambassador to Cambodia, Wang Wentian, at the ceremony.

‘Ironclad brothers’: what China wants from its role in Cambodia’s biggest naval base

Analysis: reports the Chinese military will get exclusive use of part of Ream base have been denied, but experts say nature of the arrangement remains unclear

www.theguardian.com

 

[ctg]

The US and Chinese defence ministers held their first face-to-face talks in Singapore Friday, as the superpowers lock horns over security disputes ranging from Taiwan to contested waters.

The relationship between the two countries has deteriorated due to myriad issues in recent years. As well as Taiwan and the South China Sea, they have clashed over cybersecurity and human rights in Hong Kong and Xinjiang.

US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin met his Chinese counterpart Wei Fenghe on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue summit, which brings together security officials from around the world, for around an hour.

Austin is the latest senior US official to visit Asia as Washington seeks to shift its foreign policy focus back to the region from the Ukraine war.

Wei told reporters the talks were "honest and sincere" and went "smoothly". Austin tweeted they had "discussed (US-China) defense relations, as well as global and regional security issues".
The pair had previously only held discussions on the phone in April.

Further details on the talks were not released. But a major issue on the agenda may have been Taiwan, a self-ruled, democratic island that lives under the constant threat of invasion by China.
Beijing views the island as its territory and has vowed to one day seize it, by force if necessary.
Tensions have been stoked by the ramp-up in Chinese aircraft incursions into the island's air defence identification zone (ADIZ).

US President Joe Biden, during a visit to Japan last month, appeared to break decades of US policy when, in response to a question, he said Washington would defend Taiwan militarily if it is attacked by China.

The White House has since insisted its policy of "strategic ambiguity" over whether or not it would intervene has not changed.

China, US defence ministers hold talks in Singapore

METATEXT

www.spacewar.com

 

[ctg]

Beijing will “not hesitate to start a war no matter the cost” if Taiwan declares independence, China’s defence minister, Wei Fenghe, was reported as telling his US counterpart, Lloyd Austin, as they met on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue security summit in Singapore.

Austin called on China to “refrain from further destabilising actions” on Taiwan, a US statement issued after their first round of talks said.

Taiwan’s foreign ministry denounced China’s “absurd” claims of sovereignty and thanked the US for the show of support. “Taiwan has never been under the jurisdiction of the Chinese government, and the people of Taiwan will not succumb to threats of force from the Chinese government,” said ministry spokeswoman Joanne Ou.

The US defence department said Austin “reaffirmed the importance of peace and stability across the [Taiwan] Strait, opposition to unilateral changes to the status quo, and called on [China] to refrain from further destabilising actions toward Taiwan”.

China will ‘start a war’ if Taiwan declares independence, says defence minister

Wei Fenghe issues threat at Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore while US defence secretary denounces Beijing’s ‘destabilising’ actions

www.theguardian.com

 

[ctg]

China’s military buildup must be accompanied by transparency and reassurances to its neighbours or risk triggering an arms race, Australia’s deputy prime minister and defence minister, Richard Marles, has said.

Speaking in Singapore at the Shangri-La Dialogue on Saturday, Marles laid out a vision of economic cooperation balanced with military deterrence, but sounded a warning about militarisation in the Asia Pacific.

“China’s military buildup is now the largest and most ambitious we have seen by any country since the end of the second world war,” he said.

“So it is critical that China’s neighbours do not see this buildup as a risk to them. Because without that reassurance, it is inevitable that countries will seek to upgrade their own military capabilities in response. Insecurity is what drives an arms race.”

Australian defence minister warns China risks sparking arms race

Richard Marles outlines vision of economic cooperation and military deterrence but warns lack of transparency can upset balance

www.theguardian.com

 

[ctg]

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has called for preemptive action to “forestall violence” and calm regional tensions, citing Russia’s invasion of his country as an example of what can happen anywhere in the world.

Speaking during an unprecedented address delivered via video link at the Shangri-La Dialogue security forum in Singapore, Zelenskyy said the world must push for diplomatic solutions to support countries that are in need of help.

“We must not leave them behind at the mercy of another country which is more powerful in financial terms, in territorial terms and in terms of equipment,” he said in response to a question about what Taiwan can do in the face of military and political pressure from China. “No one benefits from [open conflict}, apart from certain political leaders, who are not content with the present level of their ambitions. Therefore, they keep growing their appetites and their ambitions.”

Zelenskyy also spoke of the importance of international law for smaller states, quoting the words of Singapore’s first prime minister, Lee Kuan Yew: “If there had been no international law, and the big fish ate the small fish and the small fish ate shrimps, we would not have existed.”

Ukrainian president calls for preemptive diplomacy at Shangri-La security forum

Speaking during an unprecedented address delivered via video link at the Shangri-La Dialogue security forum in Singapore, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the world must push for diplomatic solutions to support countries that are in need of help.

www.defensenews.com

 

[ctg]

New Hong Kong textbooks will teach students that the city was never a British colony, after an overhaul of a school subject that authorities have blamed for driving the pro-democracy protests.

According to local reports, the new texts will teach students that the Chinese government didn’t recognise the treaties that ceded the city to Britain after the opium wars. They ended in 1997 when Britain returned Hong Kong to Chinese control, and therefore the texts claim Hong Kong was never a British colony.

The new books also adopt Beijing’s narrative that the 2019 protest movement was driven by “external forces”, South China Morning Post reported.

New Hong Kong textbooks ‘will claim city never was a British colony’

School books will reportedly say China never recognised the treaties that ceded it to colonial powers during opium wars

www.theguardian.com

Several of the textbooks discuss the 2020 national security law – widely criticised as infringing on basic freedoms by outlawing acts of dissent as terrorism, secessionism, foreign collusion or sedition. One reportedly says the law was introduced in response to “violent terrorist activities” and illegal acts in 2019 which endangered national sovereignty and security.

Another mentioned “national security” 400 times across 121 pages, the report said.

China’s state-backed tabloid, the Global Times, said the changes would ensure “some teachers will no longer be able to convey their wrong and poisonous political views to students when teaching this course”.

 

[ctg]

New Zealand is developing its own maritime security “work plans” with Solomon Islands, its defence minister has said, months after news of China’s defence pact with the Pacific nation emerged.

New Zealand minister Peeni Henare said in an interview with Newsroom published on Tuesday that the two countries had begun discussions of a work plan, focused on maritime security, after his meeting with Solomon Islands’ national security minister, Anthony Veke, over the weekend.

New Zealand to boost maritime security with Solomon Islands amid China focus on Pacific

‘Small work plan’ is another signal of intensifying security interests in the region, in the wake of Beijing’s security deal with Honiara

www.theguardian.com

 

[ctg]

China’s president, Xi Jinping, has signed legal orders allowing a trial of military operations beyond China’s borders amid heightened tensions over claims by China’s foreign ministry that the Taiwan Strait is Chinese territorial water.

Official state media reports published this week were light on detail but said Xi had signed orders announcing trial outlines on “military operations other than war”. It said the trials would begin on Wednesday.

A subsequent report from the Global Times, a state-backed nationalistic tabloid, said the unpublished outlines would provide a legal basis for China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) to “safeguard China’s national sovereignty, security and development interests”. They would also allow military missions around disaster relief, humanitarian aid and peacekeeping, it said.

The legal changes would allow troops to “prevent spillover effects of regional instabilities from affecting China, secure vital transport routes for strategic materials like oil, or safeguard China’s overseas investments, projects and personnel”, the report said.

Some analysts said the move appeared to mimic Vladimir Putin’s labelling of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as a “special military operation”.

Tensions heighten in Taiwan Strait as China acts to extend military operations

Xi Jinping signs trial order allowing ‘military operations other than war’ beyond China’s borders

www.theguardian.com

invaasio lähestyy

 

[apumekaanikko]

Kohtakos niillä on katapultit ja vehkeet paateissaan. Toivottavasti on yhtä vaikeata kuin USA:n uusimman sähköpultin kanssa

https://twitter.com/x/status/1537014701170872321

 

[ctg]

Michelle Bachelet has said wasn’t able to speak to any detained Uyghurs or their families during her controversial visit to Xinjiang, and was accompanied by government officials while in the region.

The UN human rights chief, who this week announced she would not be seeking another term, told a session of the 50th Human Rights Council in Geneva that there were limitations on her visit to the region in China, where authorities have been accused of committing crimes against humanity and genocide against the Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities.

UN human rights chief could not speak to detained Uyghurs or families during Xinjiang visit

Michelle Bachelet says she was supervised by China officials throughout six-day visit that critics have called a propaganda coup for Beijing

www.theguardian.com

“I visited Kashgar prison plus a former so-called VETC [vocational education and training centre], where I spoke to the authorities. I was not able to speak to any Uyghurs currently detained or their families during the visit. However, in anticipation of this, I did meet with some former detainees who are now outside the country and with families who have lost contact with loved ones ahead of my visit.”

 

[aj77]

”Uusi sota on jopa todennäköinen” kirjoittaa IL plusjutussaan. Xi:n pelätään hakevan syksyllä valtuutusta Taiwanin operaatioon puoluekokouksessa. ”Yhdysvallat on avoimesti ilmoittanut puolustavansa Taiwania ja luopunut näin strategisesta epävarmuudesta jolla reaktio jätetään avoimeksi”. ”Strategisen epävarmuuden päättämisellä on syynsä. Todennäköisesti Usalla on tiedustelutietoa joka kertoo hyökkäysaikeista”

Hullu maailma.

 

[arix]

”Uusi sota on jopa todennäköinen” kirjoittaa IL plusjutussaan. Xi:n pelätään hakevan syksyllä valtuutusta Taiwanin operaatioon puoluekokouksessa. ”Yhdysvallat on avoimesti ilmoittanut puolustavansa Taiwania ja luopunut näin strategisesta epävarmuudesta jolla reaktio jätetään avoimeksi”. ”Strategisen epävarmuuden päättämisellä on syynsä. Todennäköisesti Usalla on tiedustelutietoa joka kertoo hyökkäysaikeista”

Hullu maailma.

Kohta pitää laajentaa kotivaraa parilla kuukaudella...

 

[aj77]

Kohta pitää laajentaa kotivaraa parilla kuukaudella...

Niin. Kai minä perheen jätän paikalleen.

 

[Marakatti]

Kohtakos niillä on katapultit ja vehkeet paateissaan. Toivottavasti on yhtä vaikeata kuin USA:n uusimman sähköpultin kanssa

https://twitter.com/x/status/1537014701170872321

Tuskin ongelmitta sujuu näilläkään hommat. Varsinkii ku luultavasti koko botski perustuu varastettuun tietoon ja sit vanhempiin aluksiin. En usko et vetää vertoja jenkkien parhaimmistolle läheskään. Toivotaan et paljon ongelmia ilmenee ja sitä myötä myös rahaa palaa paljon.

 

[arix]

Tuskin ongelmitta sujuu näilläkään hommat. Varsinkii ku luultavasti koko botski perustuu varastettuun tietoon ja sit vanhempiin aluksiin. En usko et vetää vertoja jenkkien parhaimmistolle läheskään. Toivotaan et paljon ongelmia ilmenee ja sitä myötä myös rahaa palaa paljon.

Tuolla on sama korruptio-ongelma kuin Venäjällä, todellisuus voi olla aika erilaista ilmoitettuun kyvykkyyteen nähden...

 

[ctg]

China carried out a test of “ground-based midcourse anti-missile intercept technology” that “achieved its expected purpose”, the defence ministry in Beijing has said, describing it as defensive and not aimed at any country.

Beijing has tested missile interceptors before; the most recent previous public announcement of a test was in February 2021, and before that in 2018. State media has said China has conducted anti-missile system tests since at least 2010.

China has been ramping up research into all sorts of missiles, from those that can destroy satellites in space to advanced nuclear-tipped ballistic missiles, as part of a modernisation overseen by President Xi Jinping.

China carries out anti-missile tests amid opposition to US systems in South Korea

Beijing says test was not aimed aimed at any country, though it has objected to US THAAD system positioned in South Korea

www.theguardian.com

 

[ctg]

Chinese tornado causes minute of havoc

A tornado has severely damaged buildings, cars and infrastructure in the southern Chinese city Foshan.

www.bbc.co.uk

Urbaani tornaado. Ensimmäinen näkemäni ja se tapahtuu saastepilven keskellä

 

[ctg]

According to Rissman, the analyst in San Francisco, legislation on both the supply and the demand side could help offset those higher costs and encourage more investment in greener technologies. Governments, he said, could incentivize the use of low-carbon steel for building and infrastructure by requiring state-funded projects to use low-carbon versions of designated construction materials. They could also enforce policies that make it more expensive to buy from countries where rules on emissions are less stringent. That will help domestic producers “stay competitive” as the market for clean steel “grows and new production processes achieve economies of scale,” said Rissman.

Perhaps the biggest roadblock is China, where about 90 percent of steel production is achieved using blast furnaces. In September 2020, President Xi Jinping announced that the country aims to become carbon neutral by 2060. In a bid to reduce pollution from domestic steel mills, which account for roughly 15 percent of the nation’s overall carbon emissions, Beijing has also pledged to achieve peak steel emissions by 2030. Even so, 18 new blast-furnace projects were announced in China just in the first six months of 2021, according to the Helsinki-based research group Center for Research on Energy and Clean Air.

The race to produce green steel

The steel industry is testing new technologies that don’t rely on fossil fuels.

arstechnica.com

Liittyen yllä olevaan, meidän oman viraston mukaan Kiinalla on suunniteilla 18 masuunia tämän vuoden aikana. Samaan aikaan jenkeissä ja länsinaapurissa painitaan uuden vihreän teknologia parissa, ennenkuin kuin koko teollisuushaara päätyy Kuuhun. Mihin covid kirouksen jälkeinen Kiina tarvitsee 18 lisämasuunia?

 

[ctg]

The Cyberspace Administration of China has announced a policy requiring all comments made to websites to be approved before publication.

Outlined in a document published last Friday and titled "Provisions on the Administration of Internet Thread Commenting Services", the policy is aimed at making China's internet safer, and better represent citizens' interests. The Administration believes this can only happen if comments are reviewed so that only posts that promote socialist values and do not stir dissent make it online.

To stop the nasties being published, the policy outlines requirements for publishers to hire "a review and editing team suitable for the scale of services".

Those teams will be required to review each and every comment before it is published, and – if they detect "illegal and bad information" – report it to the Administration.

Another requirement calls for the improvement of complaint mechanisms, so that members of the public can also report comments they feel deserve attention from the review and edit teams.

The document further requires sites that offer comments to collect and verify account holders' real names – suggesting that actual real-world consequences may follow posting comments that Beijing opposes.

Beijing requires review of all reader-generated chat

'Editing and review' teams will be required to read everything and report dissent

www.theregister.com

Kun valtio moderoi kansalaisten kommenteja ollaan hyvin kaukana vapaasta yhteiskunnasta