CHINA says That A “State Of War” Now Exists With UNITED STATES

[Lillywolf]

CHINA Warns RUSSIA That “State Of War” Now Exists With UNITED STATES


CHINA Warns RUSSIA That “State Of War” Now Exists With UNITED STATES - Bing

China warns Russia.
The concern for me is the hackers that China employs. And why not? Computers operate on the technology China invented and patented. Of course they can hack any computer. They made the things work.

But I don't think China really wants to go to war with America. I think they're rattling their sabers to see if Trump will respond. Or maybe all the big fish in power are playing a game so that we the guppies flee to shallow waters and beliefs for what we'll need to survive.
Think about it. How dependent are we on electricity? What if that goes out all over this nation in a flow from one coast to the other. A rolling blackout. Or, worse, as one person said in an interview months ago, what if they hack the communications satellites that link the worlds finance and communications?

 

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June 25 The European Intervention Initiative
Nine Countries Unite Under European Defense System

Nine European countries have agreed to join a new military coalition specializing
in rapid deployments in times of crisis. France, Germany, Belgium, Denmark,
the Netherlands, Estonia, Spain, Portugal and Britain all signed a letter of intent
on June 25 to get the project started.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/20...aunch-joint-military-force-paris-pushes-tfor/

"
The idea for EII was first mooted by French president Emmanuel Macron in a speech
at the Sorbonne last September, and is seen by eurosceptics as an embryo for some
kind of European armed force."
-

The European Intervention Initiative: A New Military Force Established In Europe
https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2018...tiative-new-military-force-established-europe

"The new organization will have a common budget and a doctrine establishing its guide-
lines for acting and joint planning for contingencies in which NATO may not get involved.

'The initiative is not tied to the EU’s Common European Defense, which includes the
PESCO agreement as well as NATO. Great Britain has always opposed the idea of
creating a European defense alliance, fearing it would undermine transatlantic unity.
Now it has done an about-face, as the rifts within the US grow deeper.
https://www.zerohedge.com/sites/def...esco-agreement-and-the-nato.png?itok=gEVotZf-
'

The new force is to be much more efficient than anything else the EU has to offer, with a
streamlined decision-making process that will permit a quick reaction time. Its relatively
small number of members will give it more flexibility in comparison with the EU or NATO.

For instance, the EU’s four multinational military battle groups that were created
as far back as 2007 have never been deployed.

Its main mission is to offer a rapid response to crises that could threaten European
security. The operations are to be conducted independently from US control...........
'

"Will it undermine NATO? To a certain extent it will. Any defense group outside
the alliance that acts independently weakens it."

The real threat to Europe comes from the Middle East [Iran] and North Africa.
'

Europe can never be truly independent without the capability to mount a robust defense
on its own. For instance, the EU needs a joint border force to prevent illegal immigration,
which is plainly a real threat. The interests of the new group and Russia are not in conflict.

If an international operation in Libya is approved by the UN Security Council,
the EII and Russia may act together, unified by a common interest.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...erranean-migrant-centers-for-eu-idUSKBN1JM1BK

"
With the EU still unable to bring its plans to fruition, the project led by President Macron
stands a very good chance of creating a European group that would become an independent
global player. NATO and the EU are being torn apart by internal conflicts while the EII is not.
That group will be able to stand up to real threats, not imaginary ones.
'
Something is rotten in the state of Denmark, as NATO and the EU defense initiatives are failing
to meet the interests of European security, forcing those nations to seek other alternatives, such
as the EII. The threat of the Russian bogeyman has failed to paper over those differences.

The quest continues. Whatever is in store for the newborn alliance, this is very bad for NATO,
as this news is coming just a couple of weeks before the summit that may break up the alliance
and consign the much-vaunted concept of “Western unity” to its grave.
"

 

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July 11 Almost half of Germans want US army to leave the country
https://www.thelocal.de/20180711/almost-half-of-germans-want-us-army-to-leave-the-country

The survey, carried out for DPA and published on Wednesday, showed that 42 percent of
Germans would be happy if the US pulled its troops out of the Bundesrepublik. At the same
time 37 percent said they want the US soldiers to stay, while 21 percent gave no answer.

In particular, voters for the far-left Die Linke and far-right Alternative for Germany
wanted an end to US army bases, with 67 percent and 55 percent, respectively, saying
the Amis should go. On the other hand, only 35 percent of voters for Angela Merkel’s
Christian Democrats (CDU) support this

The US troops acted as a security guarantor for West Germany during the Cold War
but numbers have been drastically cut in recent years. Nonetheless, Germany is still
hosts more US soldiers than any other country except Japan.
'

Though the survey did not ask Germans why they wanted American troops removed,
recent events involving U.S. President Donald Trump may give some insight.

During the nato summit on July 11, Mr. Trump made comments about Germany being
controlled by Russia, which received a quick rebuttal from German Chancellor Merkel, who
said, “I have experienced myself how a part of Germany was controlled by the Soviet Union.

I am very happy that today we are united in freedom, the Federal Republic of Germany.
Because of that we can say that we can make our independent policies and make indepen-
dent decisions. That is very good, especially for people in Eastern Germany.”
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news...ald-trump-says-germany-is-captive-of-russians


Mr. Trump also accused the German government of not providing a strong enough military
for the country, to which Ms. Merkel responded: “Germany is the second-largest provider
of troops, the largest part of our military capacity is offered to nato and [even] today we
have a strong engagement toward Afghanistan. In that we also defend the interests of the
United States.”

Trump’s “America first” foreign policy could be the main reason for Germany’s resistance,
according to the Washington Post. “[With a] foreign-policy strategy that has included threat-
ening North Korea with destruction, dismantling nuclear deals considered crucial in Europe,
and hugging dictators, Trump may have contributed a bit to Germans’ growing oppositions
to U.S. troops here.

Trump’s ‘America first’ slogan is largely being reinterpreted in Germany
as ‘America alone,’ and Trump has approval ratings in the low single digits.”
http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/...ps-out-of-the-country/?utm_term=.64ed6ab12c83

Though the dpa survey does not include opinions from Germany’s leadership, the nato summit
is at least another indicator of the icy relations developing between the U.S. and Germany.

“President Trump’s open hostility to the European Union and his disdain for America’s
European partners in nato will be the rallying flag that Europe has lacked for a decade,”
wrote Giles Merritt, former Financial Times correspondent and founder of the think tank
Friends of Europe.

The opposition Europe is now facing, he wrote, marks the moment “when EU governments
will rediscover the virtues, indeed the necessity, of political and economic integration.”

The Europeans are far more disturbed about their safety in relying on United States
military power to protect them than Americans realize! Europeans want their own
united military power! They know that a political union of Europe would produce a
third major world power, as strong as either the U.S. or the ussr—possibly stronger!
-

Strong Leadership is needed to Unite Europe

German Chancellor narrowly avoided the collapse of her government. Angela Merkel
struck a deal on migration that saved her own skin but threw the EU into disarray.
https://www.politico.eu/article/angela-merkel-horst-seehofer-germany-migration-deals-domino-effect/

The political situation in Germany right now is ripe for the prophesied
strongman to rise. Europe’s greatest need right now is leadership.

 

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The Ongoing Break between Germany and the United States
Germany and China will be main players in trade war with America.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s statement in May 2017.

“The times in which we could completely depend on others are,
to a certain extent, over. I’ve experienced that in the last few days.
We Europeans truly have to take our fate into our own hands.”

It signaled a dramatic break from America. But then no equally dramatic actions
followed. But it has moved beyond words—Germany has started taking action.

Turkey

Turkey is in a very public spat with the United States. Turkish President Recep Tayyip
Erdogan is refusing to release American pastor Andrew Brunson, accusing him of subversion.

The U.S. is demanding his release. Turkey’s economy is in trouble and the U.S. is adding
to that trouble to try and force Erdogan to back down.

The U.S. has doubled tariffs on steel and aluminium imports from Turkey and
has blocked the delivery of F-35 fighter jets to the Turkish Armed Forces.
-

“Angela Merkel is reminding Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan that he has a potential
ally in Berlin, offering Germany’s credibility to avert a spillover of economic turmoil,” Bloomberg
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/arti...-to-calm-turkey-turmoil-as-german-stakes-rise

After a war of words over democratic values sent relations to a low point a year ago,
Germany is also making an overture by hosting Erdogan for a state visit on Sept. 28
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-07-28/germany-and-turkey-are-at-a-breaking-point

Russia

U.S. President Donald Trump has heavily criticized Germany’s pipeline deal with Russia.
This massive energy agreement undermines Europe’s nato alliance with America.

Russian President Vladimir Putin visited Germany, he and Merkel made it clear that both
countries support the deal regardless of President Trump. Politico noted that “if Trump hoped
to knock the Nord Stream 2 project off course, Putin and Merkel were keen to show it is still
very much on.”
-

Sept 8 President Putin Visits Germany
https://www.strategic-culture.org/news/2018/08/20/president-putin-visits-germany.html

"The “Meseberg Castle talks” in Germany were substantive and detailed, as Kremlin
spokesman Dmitry Peskov has noted, but evidently important enough that few details
were made public. For some time the leaders talked tête-à-tête without interpreters.

They compared notes on Ukraine (including the prospects for a UN-sponsored peace
mission and the EU’s new role of mediator), Syria (and the problems of its reconstruction),
the US sanctions on Iran, and the future of the Nord Stream 2 undersea gas-pipeline project.

The “America First” policy is pushing these two countries that are divided by their different
views on international issues toward a closer cooperation. Russia can play a very important
role in creating the right conditions under which the Syrian refugees could leave Germany
and return home, thus mitigating that pressing problem. Syria’s reconstruction is opening
up new opportunities for Russian-German cooperation."
-

On July 24, Merkel met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and the chief
of Russia’s general staff, Gen. Valery Gerasimov. The press has noted how unusual
it is for the German chancellor to meet with the chief of staff of another military.

Gerasimov is actually banned from visiting the European Union because he’s under
sanctions. Germany had to issue him a waiver to allow the meeting to take place.

The foreign-policy spokesman for Germany’s Free Democratic Party called the
meeting “regrettable and odd” and said that the silence over it was “suspicious.”

President Trump warned Germany that it has to choose between Russia and the
United States. It is becoming clear that the Germans have made their choice.
-

German-Foreign-Policy.com noted that the two leaders spoke about a new group of
nations that should discuss the future of Syria: Russia, Germany, France and Turkey.

“If the new group of four succeeds in their work, that would be a profound change in
the history of the Near and Middle East: For the first time since 1945, the United States
would not be leading the way in a long-term, highly consequential reform of the region,”
it noted.

This is less a case of Germany working against America and more an example of
the Germans forging their own path. The break between America and Germany
is an important trend to watch.

 

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Germany Brings Cyberdefense Agency Online

Aug 29 Germany, seeking independence from U.S., pushes cyber security research
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...-pushes-cyber-security-research-idUSKCN1LE1FX

Germany has announced that it plans to invest $230 million in a new cyberresearch
agency over the next five years. The new agency could finally end the German
government’s dependence on third-party software.

The Agency for Innovation in Cybersecurity will conduct research and develop
new capabilities, supervised by the defense and interior ministries.

“It is our joint goal for Germany to take a leading role in cybersecurity on an inter-
national level,” Seehofer said. “We have to acknowledge we’re lagging behind,
and when one is lagging, one needs completely new approaches.”
The new agency is scheduled to become operational this year.
-

Analysts have compared the agency to the American military’s Defense Advanced
Research Projects Agency (darpa). Like darpa, Germany’s new agency aims to
develop German-made cybersecurity and hacking software, freeing the govern-
ment from reliance on foreign software.
https://www.cyberscoop.com/germany-cybersecurity-research-agency-modeled-after-darpa/

In the past, Germany has purchased third-party software from the United States,
China and other countries. If the new program is successful, Germany will have
its own offensive and defensive cybercapabilities within the next five years.

“We cannot just sit around watching sensitive information technology of high
security relevance being controlled by third countries,” Seehofer said.
https://www.politico.eu/article/germany-to-launch-darpa-style-agency-to-develop-cyber-defense/


In April 2017, Germany established a cybersecurity branch of its military, now called
the Cyber and Information Domain Service (originally Cyber and Information Space
Command). It operates on the same level as the German Army and Air Force, with
rapidly growing employment numbers.
https://www.dw.com/en/german-army-launches-new-cyber-command/a-38246517

Cyberattacks occur more often than the average person might think. In 2017,
hackers attacked Bundeswehr networks 284,000 times within a nine-week period.
Every day, hackers make thousands of attacks against the Bundeswehr and other
German military branches. This is reality for governments and militaries in a
modern world dependent on cybertechnology.
-

Germany sees these risks and is moving to catch up. Von der Leyen called current
efforts “too slow” and advised that Germany would “have to be at least as quick
and as well equipped as the perpetrators.”
https://www.fifthdomain.com/global/...an-cabinet-approves-new-cybersecurity-agency/

We are only beginning to understand the impact of cyberweapons. John Kerry once
compared them to nuclear bombs because of their ability to paralyze a military and
disrupt almost every part of our modern lives. Cyberattacks are common.
https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/john-kerry-cyber-threats-are-modern-day-nuclear/
-

Cyberterrorism: They can come from anyone, from nations to individuals.

“They have blown the trumpet, even to make all ready; but none goeth to the battle:
for my wrath is upon all the multitude thereof” (Ezekiel 7:14).

Nobody goes to battle—even though the trumpet is blown!
Will it be because of computer terrorism?

 

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The U.S. president wants Germany to be the world’s third-largest military spender.
He wants Germany to beef up its military spending—yesterday.

President Trump complains that the U.S. spends billions defending Europe.
Spending unprecedented billions of your dollars and mine—tax dollars—
preparing Germany and Europe for defense

Germany and every other nato member has committed to spending 2 percent of their
economic output each year on their military. Germany has not done that in 25 years.
-

“[W]hat would the standoff over Greek debt or the EU’s asylum policies look like if
Germany were not just an economic powerhouse but also wielded real military might?”
asked the EU Observer last year. “How would it shape the country’s relations with
the Czech Republic, which expelled 2.5 million ethnic Germans from the Sudetenland
after World War ii? And what about with Poland?

"If Europeans are to spend more on defense, they need to be careful to do it
in a way that does not resuscitate the Continent’s old demons.”
-

Germany would emerge as the world’s No. 3 military spender—overtaking Russia.
It would be on track to becoming the world’s third-strongest military.

Look at what Russia can do, even with a backward economy, because it has a powerful
military and a government willing to use it. Germany’s economy is more than twice the
size of Russia’s—and much more advanced.

But Mr. Trump did not stop at 2 percent. In an interview with Britain’s Sun newspaper,
he said that “all the countries in Europe should pay 4 percent” of their gdp for defense.
Officials say that he made similar demands on European leaders in private.

A Europe that spends 4 percent of its economy on defense would be a superpower.
At this level, Germany’s defense spending would double Russia’s. The European
Union would suddenly rival America as the world’s No. 1 defense spender.

Mr. Trump also said some other things to spur Europe to spend more on defense.
He questioned whether America would continue to defend Europe under the nato
alliance. He even called Europe a “foe” of America’s.

 

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Relations between Germany and America have not been worse since the end
of World War ii. This is more than just a lovers’ tiff.

The covers of Spiegel, Europe’s largest newsmagazine,
have portrayed U.S. President Donald Trump as:

A middle finger to Europe- A terrorist beheading Lady Liberty- A subhuman ape
A baby riding a nuclear bomb- A meteor poised to destroy the planet
A tsunami destroying Washington, D.C.- A golfer striking a flaming planet Earth

On one Stern magazine cover, Mr. Trump is depicted as a Nazi. On the front of
Berliner Kurier, the world is swearing at him. One study found that Germany’s
public broadcaster, ard, covers the American president more negatively than
any other news source.

In 2000, 80 percent of Germans said they felt “favorable” about the U.S. By 2015, the
number had fallen to 50 percent. By spring 2017, it was only 35 percent. The same year,
another poll found that more Germans trusted Russia than the United States.

The romance began in the most unique way.
In 1945, Americans and Germans were fighting each other to the death.
But in 1947, the victorious Americans befriended their recent enemies

Under the Marshall Plan, the United States poured into Western Europe the
equivalent of $130 billion in today’s money, much of it going to West Germany.
-

Over the decades, U.S. forces kept Russia out of Western Europe. The U.S.
Navy kept the sea-lanes open, and Europe grew rich on trade.

United States government felt that it must take what we call a ‘calculated risk,’
… and try to build up Germany and Central Europe against Russia.”

America even offered the ultimate sacrifice, making a nuclear first-strike pledge.
If Soviet Russia invaded Europe, the U.S. would respond with a nuclear strike.
This would inevitably result in Russian nukes destroying U.S. cities. America
promised to lay down its life for Europe.

To prove its sincerity, America supplied Europe with nuclear bombs to be carried
on German, Dutch, Italian, Belgian and Turkish planes if the time came.

America had an interest in stopping the Soviet Union. But has any victorious
power in the history of the world treated its conquered this way?

The Americans kept Western Europe free. The Soviets took down the Berlin Wall
in 1989, and the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991. America helped the Germans reunify.

When Germany wanted to break up Yugoslavia in the early 1990s, the U.S. provided
the necessary military and diplomatic muscle, even at the cost of betraying its older
alliance with the Serbs.

Today, Germany leads all of Europe—thanks to decades of American help.
Even before Mr. Trump was elected, Time magazine wrote that the German-American
“alliance is weaker and less influential than at any other time since the 1930s.”

For decades, the U.S. has protected Europe at its own expense.During his election camp.,
Mr. Trump announced that it was time for Europe to pay its way or lose that protection.
-

In June 2017, President Trump withdrew from the Paris climate accord. Europe exploded
with fury. There, climate change is a religion. Leaving the agreement was blasphemy.
The Financial Times called it “a blow to Germany’s collective solar plexus.”

The environment is important, but this deal hobbled America’s already indebted
economy, and Europe’s leaders were cheering it on. The Paris climate summit is
about revolutionizing the world’s economic system, and turning into Capitalism.

Pope Francis: Capitalism is “the dung of the devil,” he said. The world is
headed toward “suicide” if a climate agreement isn’t reached.

From a competition standpoint, limiting fossil-fuel usage makes little sense for
America. But from a European perspective, it could be a big advantage.

For resource-constrained Europe, fossil fuels are not only more expensive,
but imported—meaning the money goes to the Saudis or Russians.
-

America threatened sanctions on European trade with Iran.

The Iran deal was disastrous. It poured money into Iran and its terrorist proxies.
Yet Europe backed it, eager for cheap oil and lucrative contracts.
-

American money and power have protected Europe and its profitable trade.
Europe has been fighting a trade war against the U.S. long before June 1.
The E. U. has slapped 10 percent tariffs on American cars and food for years.

The U.S. imposes only tiny tariffs in exchange. The EU’s mountains of regulations
hinder U.S. firms trying to do business in Europe.
-

Germany also uses the euro to cheat. Because Germany shares the euro with its strug-
gling neighbors, it enjoys a weaker currency than what a purely German currency would be.

This makes German goods cheaper in the U.S. and American goods more expensive in
Germany. It’s an invisible subsidy on everything Germany sells and an invisible tariff
on everything America exports.
-

Europe pushed the climate change agreement hard, an agreement that requires the U.S.
to lead developed countries in paying $100 billion a year and immediately cut carbon
dioxide emissions—while China can increase its emissions until 2030.

 

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SEPTEMBER 4, 2018 After demos, far-right AfD overtakes German Social Democrats
https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-g...ertakes-german-social-democrats-idUKKCN1LK1KS

“
Germany’s far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) has overtaken the centre-left Social
Democrats (SPD), a poll showed on Tuesday, days after some of the most violent protests
by radical right-wingers the country has seen in decades.

Some 6,000 supporters of the AfD and anti-Islam PEGIDA joined protests in the eastern city
of Chemnitz on Saturday, following other demonstrations last week, after a fatal stabbing on
Aug. 26. Two immigrants were arrested for the killing.

An INSA opinion poll on Tuesday put the AfD up half a percentage point at 17 percent, with
the SPD, who share power with Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservatives, slipping by the
same amount to 16 percent. Merkel’s conservative bloc was on 28.5 percent.

Germany’s next electoral test comes on Oct. 14 when Merkel’s Bavarian allies face
a major challenge from the AfD for state government.
”

 

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August 20, 2018 El Salvador switches allegiance from Taiwan to China
El Salvador switches allegiance, drawing ire from the US


El Salvador cut ties with Taiwan on August 20 to instead establish a formal
alliance with China, becoming the fifth nation in two years to switch its allegiance.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/08/23/china-picking-taiwans-diplomatic-allies-noses-us/

“We are convinced this is a step in the right direction that corresponds to the principles
of international law, of international relations and the inevitable trends of our time,”
El Salvador’s president, Salvador Sánchez Cerén, said in a nationally televised speech.

El Salvador will see “great benefits” and “extraordinary opportunities”
in the new relationship with China, he said.

El Salvador’s decision came after it had unsuccessfully petitioned Taiwan
for development funds to revive a deserted harbor.
https://www.scmp.com/news/china/dip...-alliance-stirs-us-worries-over-military-base

After Taiwan declined, saying the project was economically unsustainable due to scant
maritime traffic, China stepped in and agreed to provide funding, as long as El Salvador
would switch its allegiance from Taiwan to China.
-

The American Thinker said on August 23 that China leapt at the opportunity, not just as
a means of diplomatically isolating Taiwan, but also to extend its ability to project military
power, writing that China “ doesn’t really care if a project is economically sustainable; the
Chinese are happy to pretend it is, because the object, of course, is military.”
https://www.americanthinker.com/blo..._to_china_worrying_us_military_officials.html


China’s timetable for reviving and possibly militarizing the El Salvadorian harbor
is currently unknown. What is clear is that Taiwan has lost another ally.

 

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August 11 Thousands in Okinawa protest US Marine base relocation
https://www.dw.com/en/thousands-in-okinawa-protest-us-marine-base-relocation/a-45046501

Some 70,000 protesters rallied in Okinawa, Japan, on August 11 against the planned
relocation of a United States military base. Rather than see U.S. Marine Corps Air
Station Futenma moved from a heavily populated part of the island to the remote
Henoko Bay, the protesters want it to be removed from the island entirely.

The presence of U.S. troops in Okinawa has been a point of contention
in U.S.-Japanese relations.
-

After Japan’s defeat at the end of World War ii, the United States occupied the
nation and drafted its Constitution, including a clause barring Japan from main-
taining “land, sea and air forces, as well as other war potential.”

America and Japan then signed the Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security,
which codified Japan’s dependence on the U.S. for its defense.

The treaty said America would defend Japan by stationing U.S. forces within its
borders and near potential conflict zones in the region.

About half of the 50,000 American troops now stationed in Japan are based in
Okinawa, and American installations cover nearly one fifth of the island’s area.

Residents have complained that the troops bring violent crime, noise and pollution,
and many Okinawans want them off of the island entirely. But citizens on the country’s
other islands do not want U.S. forces moved to their cities either. As Takeharu Onaga,
son of the late governor of Okinawa, said: “The [relocation issue] is pushed to Okinawa
because nobody on the mainland wants it.”
-

In the seven decades since World War ii ended, Japan has quietly undermined the
pacifism enshrined in its Constitution. Many Japanese wish for the nation to entirely
abandon its dependence on the U.S. and to become a normal military power once again.
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/03/world/asia/japan-constitution-shinzo-abe-military.html

Japan has a self-defense force of about 150,000 active personnel, a navy rated among the
top five in the world in 2016, and an air force capable of defending Japanese airspace.
https://edition.cnn.com/2016/12/06/asia/japan-military-pearl-harbor-anniversary/index.html

This despite the fact that Japan’s constitution forbids the country from having
“land, sea, and air forces.” Escalating tensions with rogue regime North Korea
gave Japan another motivation to militarize.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/r...-S-Korea-war-games-not-negotiating-table.html

Japan’s security dependence on America will soon come to an end and the nation
will normalize its military.The Okinawans’ desire to remove U.S. bases from their
island is one factor that is setting the stage for this to happen.

 

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China Expands Economic, Military Influence in Sri Lanka

China's Xi offers fresh $295 million grant to Sri Lanka
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...sri-lanka-in-push-for-dominance-idUSKBN1KC0D8
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Two days later, Col. Xu Jianwei, a military attaché at the Chinese Embassy in Colombo,
Sri Lanka, said China would provide even more gifts: a frigate to the Sri Lankan Navy
and “various training.” One Chinese expert told the South China Morning Post that
China may give Sri Lanka one or two additional warships.
https://www.scmp.com/news/china/dip...ates-warships-sri-lanka-and-philippines-drive
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All of these gifts come with strings attached.

Sri Lanka is located along China’s cherished route of ports, sea-lanes, highways and
railroads known as the “String of Pearls.” Its strategic location in the Indian Ocean,
some 30 miles south of India’s southwestern coastline, makes it crucial for Chinese
trade and projection of its power abroad.

“Over the last few years, Sri Lanka has become a case study of how Chinese money
and clout have the capability to buy favors and concessions,” wrote the Asia Times.
http://www.atimes.com/sirisena-does-a-rajapaksa-changes-stand-on-chinese-investments/
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The Chinese provided assistance to the Sri Lankan government during its campaign
against rebels known as Tamil Tigers. The result was a “major expansion of Chinese
investments and influence in the country,” according to Jeff Smith, a research fellow
at the Heritage Foundation.
https://www.businessinsider.com/chi...owing-competition-with-india-2018-7?r=UK&IR=T
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How China Got Sri Lanka to Cough Up a Port
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/25/world/asia/china-sri-lanka-port.html

“Sri Lankan officials are quick to point out that the [Hambantota lease] agreement
explicitly rules out China’s military use of the site,” wrote the Times. “But others
also note that Sri Lanka’s government, still heavily indebted to China, could be
pressured to allow it.” After all, China once ruled out militarizing its islands in
the South China Sea. But now, it is militarizing them quite openly.
-

China is using its economic power now to secure major global trade routes
and to increase its options for naval bases in the future.

 

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August 16 Anual Report to Congress- CHINA MILITARY POWER REPORT
https://media.defense.gov/2018/Aug/16/2001955282/-1/-1/1/2018-CHINA-MILITARY-POWER-REPORT.PDF

China is advancing its capability to strike United States targets and the island of Taiwan,
according to the Pentagon’s latest annual report to Congress about “the current and
probable future course” of the Chinese military, released August 16.

According to the report, the People’s Liberation Army (pla) is “likely preparing for
a contingency to unify Taiwan with China by force, while simultaneously deterring,
delaying or denying any third-party intervention on Taiwan’s behalf.”

The report said that China has accumulated an array of military options against Taiwan
which include a sea and air blockade, a full-scale amphibious invasion, threats of a full
-scale amphibious invasion, and a surprise attack designed to “force rapid military and
political resolutions before other countries could respond.” And should the U.S. respond,
“China would try to delay effective intervention and seek victory in a high-intensity,
limited war of short duration.”

Already, the pla is likely “training for strikes against U.S. and allied targets” and
boosting its “capability to strike U.S. and allied forces and military bases in the
western Pacific Ocean, including Guam,” according to the Pentagon.
-

The report noted two key factors working in China’s favor: strong political will
and fiscal strength. China is the world’s second-largest defense spender after
the U.S. Analysts expect it to continue increasing its defense budget.

China has “continued to advance an ambitious agenda of military modernization and
organizational reforms,” the report said. The current reforms are actually “the most
comprehensive restructuring of forces in its history to fundamentally change the way
Chinese forces fight.”

For the past 30 years, China’s air force has not been part of its nuclear weapons
strategy. The report noted that the Chinese Air Force has now been “reassigned
a nuclear mission.” For the first time ever, China now possesses the nuclear “triad”
—systems for delivering nuclear strikes by land, sea and air.

Expect China to continue “to develop and deploy increasingly advanced military
capabilities intended to coerce Taiwan, signal Chinese resolve, and gradually
improve capabilities for an invasion,” as the Pentagon expects.

We can expect it to continue “increasingly undertaking military operations
in other countries’ [exclusive economic zones],” not only Taiwan’s, the
Philippines’ or Japan’s. We can expect the pla to develop “increasingly
sophisticated weapons” and pursue “an increasingly global role.”

Taiwan is destined to become a part of mainland China.

 

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August 15 Tonga Declares ‘Debt Distress’ To China

Fears over Pacific ‘debt colonies’ as Tonga struggles to repay China
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/...cific-as-tonga-admits-debt-distress-mxzc9j9fr

Tongan Prime Minister ?Akilisi Pohiva warned that the nation is in “debt distress”
on August 15, as its total loans from China have risen and now equate to more than
a quarter of its gross domestic product.
-

Tonga began official relations with China nearly 20 years ago on Nov. 2, 1998, as part of its
“Look East Policy.” During the formal ceremony, the flag of Communist China was raised at
the king’s palace in Tonga. Simultaneously, the Taiwanese Embassy, less than a mile away,
lowered its national flag as relations between Tonga and Taiwan came to an end after 26 years.
https://matangitonga.to/2015/03/02/china-and-pacific-view-tonga
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Despite China’s claims to “never attach any political conditions to such assistance,” fears have
risen in Tonga. With the country now in “debt distress,” many fear that this could lead to “debt
colonialism,” widening China’s strategic aims in the South Pacific, particularly militarily.

Pohiva has raised concern that China may seize Tongan assets if the country defaults on its
repayments and has called for China to write off debts owed by Pacific Island nations.

Are Tonga’s fears legitimate? What has China done in the South Pacific so far? Tonga is
only next on the list as China continues its expansion—and it definitely won’t be the last.

China is the world’s hungry teenager. In order to fill these colossal cravings, Beijing has
launched an extraordinary outreach program into the rest of the world. Beijing is making
a ‘resource grab’ wherever it can, creating economic alliances to fund its global ambitions
of becoming a superpower.


In place of cash, nations are giving up strategic assets such as ports and islands.
China is also using tourism as a weapon. Will these same weapons one day be used
against bigger nations like the United States?

 

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August 23 U.S. and China Escalate Trade War
https://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/201...inese-goods-Beijing-retaliates/2391535018499/
https://www.thetrumpet.com/17647-us-and-china-escalate-trade-war

Trade war between the United States and China escalated on August 23, when the U.S.
government levied 25 percent tariffs on $16 billion worth of Chinese goods, up from the
previous rate of 10 percent. China responded in equal measure, implementing 25 percent
tariffs on $16 billion worth of American products.

Currently, the dispute affects roughly 17 percent of trade between China and the U.S.
-

After the tariffs were announced, China’s Commerce Ministry called the U.S. “obstinate.”
https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/1007297/Donald-Trump-China-tariffs-trade-war-US-Twitter

U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross responded, “[A]t the end of the day, we have
many more bullets than they do. They know it. We have a much stronger economy
than they have. They know that too.”
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For the short term, it is quite possible that America will win. America’s economy is larger
and members of China’s ruling party are already facing significant criticism from those
within their own circle. For now, it looks like an American victory. But even if America
wins the trade battle, it will not win the trade war. Deuteronomy 28:52

For many years, China has been trying to get the better of America economically, militarily
and technologically. Only now has an American president attempted to confront the issue.

The National Review wrote:
We have learned that Chinese espionage agents have been deeply buried within the U.S.
hierarchy, from Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s former limousine driver of some 20 years to Jerry
Chun Shing Lee, a former [Central Intelligence Agency] agent recently arrested and charged
with exposing U.S. contacts and sources inside China.
https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-u...scalates-as-new-tariffs-kick-in-idUKKCN1L809M
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China knows how to play the long game, and there is no sign that it plans to stop competing
against the West. Though limited right now, trade wars against the U.S. will intensify to the
point where the nation could fall under a dangerous economic siege.

 

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The American “homeland is no longer a sanctuary”
https://www.militarytimes.com/news/...ng-near-peer-threats-northcom-commander-says/

United States Air Force Gen. Terrence O’Shaughnessy said on August 23,
warning that America is more vulnerable to attack than ever.

“We’re in a changing security environment,” he said at the 140th National Guard Association
Conference and Exhibition. “We used to think about the sanctuary we had with oceans and
friendly countries to our north and south, but that’s changing with adversaries that are actually
able to reach out and touch us now.”

Geographic barriers like oceans and mountains have protected nations like the U.S. from
invading armies. But nuclear warheads and intercontinental ballistic missiles have changed
this reality, threatening the homeland more than ever.
-

Russia and China pose mortal threat to U.S.

The general went on to point out that America’s biggest threats are not terrorists
or hostile Middle Eastern nations. Instead, America’s greatest threats are its peer
competitors: Russia and China.
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The concern falls in line with Defense Secretary Jim Mattis' new National Defense
Strategy, which prioritizes peer-level adversaries as greater threats than lower-end
insurgent forces like those seen in Iraq and Afghanistan over the past decade.
https://www.militarytimes.com/news/...helmingly-backs-plan-to-rebuild-our-military/
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Russia has unveiled nuclear-capable missiles that it claims are invulnerable
to modern missile defense systems

Presidential [Vladimir Putin] Address to the Federal Assembly
http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/transcripts/56957
https://www.news4jax.com/news/putin-unveils-nuclear-weapons-program-nukes-florida-in-animated-video

Speaking in a state-of-the-nation speech, Putin said the weapons include a nuclear-powered
cruise missile, a nuclear-powered underwater drone and new hypersonic missile that have
no equivalent elsewhere in the world. He said the creation of the new weapons has made
NATO’s U.S.-led missile defense “useless,” and means an effective end to what he described
as Western efforts to stymie Russia’s development.

He noted that Russia had to develop the new weapons as the U.S. has developed a missile
defense system that threatened to undermine the Russian nuclear deterrent and ignored
Moscow’s concerns about it. “No one has listened to us,” he said. “You listen to us now.”
-

and China’s navy is rapidly growing to challenge the U.S. Navy.
Both Russia and China are working closely with each other.
https://glblgeopolitics.wordpress.com/2018/08/30/general-the-homeland-is-no-longer-a-sanctuary/

The U.S. can no longer be effectively defended by conventional military strategy.

“It’s probably dangerous for us to think we can physically be a sanctuary when we’re in com-
petition below a level of armed conflict, and we have a couple of new domains that our adver-
saries are operating in: cyber and space,” said Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Dave Goldfein.

“Our competitors have studied the way we fight and the way we operate and are investing
in and training in ways to take those advantages away from us.”

America has been blessed with unprecedented peace and security. Unlike almost any other
nation on Earth, it has had a history virtually free from foreign invasion. It is easy to think,
therefore, that the nation is invulnerable. It’s sobering to hear from senior U.S. military
officers that the homeland is at risk.

 

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August 27 Germany announced it was working on its own European version of swift

SWIFT, which is short for the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication,
is the financial network that provides high-value cross-border transfers for members across
the world

Europe Is Working On Alternative To SWIFT For "Financial Independence" From The US
https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2018-08-27/europe-working-alternative-swift-financial-independence-us

"
In the aftermath of a report that Germany was working on a global payment system that is
independent of the US and SWIFT, on Monday Germany and France said they’re working
on financing solutions to sidestep U.S. sanctions against countries such as Iran, including
a possible role for central banks, Bloomberg reported.

"With Germany, we are determined to work on an independent European or Franco-German
financing tool which would allow us to avoid being the collateral victims of U.S. extra-territorial
sanctions," French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said Monday during a meeting with press
association AJEF. “I want Europe to be a sovereign continent not a vassal, and that means
having totally independent financing instruments that do not today exist.”

The discussions, which also involve the U.K., are a signal that European powers are trying to
get serious about demonstrating a greater level of independence from the U.S. as President
Donald Trump pursues his “America First” agenda.

After the US reimposed sanctions on Iran, making funding to Iran projects virtually impossible,
European companies including Daimler and Total halted activity or backtracked on investment
plans to avoid U.S. punishment, but France and Germany and their European Union partners
want business with the Islamic Republic to continue..............
"

"
Maas also announced plans to reveal a new foreign policy strategy towards the US.

“We have to react and strengthen Europe’s autonomy and sovereignty in trade, economic and
finance policy,” Maas said in a speech in Berlin. "It’s high time to recalibrate the Transatlantic
Partnership – rationally, critically, and even self-critically," the FM added.

Maas echoed his comments from last week when he called for European autonomy to be
strengthened by creating payment channels that are independent of the United States,
establishing a ‘European Monetary Fund’.

Europe's desire to create its own system is connected to Washington’s recent withdrawal
from the Iran nuclear deal, and the re-imposition economic sanctions against the Islamic
Republic. As Brussels stays committed to the pact signed in 2015 between Tehran and the
world powers, the EU had to enforce the ‘Blocking Statute’ in order to safeguard European
businesses operating in Iran from US sanctions against the country.

However, the measure failed to keep European majors like Total, Maersk, Mercedes in Iran,
as they cannot function independently of the US-dominated international banking system and
international financial markets. ..............

 

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China may be building a military base in Afghanistan

China may be building a military base in Afghanistan to help combat terrorism in the region,
the South China Morning Post reported on August 29. Citing anonymous sources tied to the
Chinese military, the report said that China was planning to station at least one battalion of
troops at the base to train Afghani soldiers. If the report is true, it marks a significant step
forward in China-Afghanistan relations.
https://www.scmp.com/news/china/dip...hina-building-training-camp-afghanistan-fight
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The Chinese government denies the existence of the base. Hua Chunying, spokeswoman for
the Chinese Foreign Ministry, dismissed the idea at a press conference this week, saying,
“After looking into it, the relevant report is not true.” When asked if China was planning on
sending troops to the base, she said, “Since the construction and training, this situation,
it doesn’t exist—it’s not true. So anything related naturally is not true.”

However, the Chinese government has previously denied reports of military developments
that have turned out to be true. It denied that it was building islands in international waters
of the South China Sea—until the islands became too obvious to ignore. It also denied it was
planning its first overseas military base in Djibouti—which opened last year.

The military base in Afghanistan may be a similar situation. One anonymous military
source told the South China Morning Post that the base is already under construction.

[But] China denies planning military base in Afghanistan
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...ng-military-base-in-afghanistan-idUSKCN1LE0X0

"
Last year, China opened its first overseas military base, in the Horn of Africa country Djibouti.
It has previously denied having plans for other overseas bases, but the United States expects
it to build more, with Pakistan a likely location.
"
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This is not the first time that rumors have surfaced about China’s Afghanistan base.
In January, Russia-based Ferghana News reported that Afghanistan was building a
military base in Badakshan, paid for by China. China swiftly denied the claims.
http://enews.fergananews.com/news.php?id=3685

Ferghana quoted a spokesman from the Afghan Ministry of Defense, who said that China
was funding “all material and technical expenses for this base—weaponry, uniforms for
soldiers, military equipment, and everything else necessary for its functioning.”

But Wu Qian, a spokesman for the Chinese Defense Ministry, said that China was not
building a “military base” in Afghanistan, although China “has provided some aid and help
to the Afghanistan side and is willing to continue to make common efforts with the Afghan-
istan side to maintain the security and stability of both countries and the region at large.”
https://thediplomat.com/2018/08/with-rumored-training-camp-chinas-afghanistan-presence-set-to-grow/
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The war-torn Central Asian country has become increasingly important for China’s
own security, as well as President Xi Jinping’s “Belt and Road Initiative”, a huge
trade and infrastructure plan.

The initiative requires the cooperation of key Central Asian countries, including
Afghanistan. In January, Stratfor called the Wakhan corridor “an increasingly
important component” of the new Silk Road.
https://worldview.stratfor.com/article/chinas-increasing-security-buffer-its-western-frontier
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The easiest overland route from China to Europe crosses through Afghanistan and
neighboring Tajikistan. If the base is real, it will help China keep out Islamic influences
and ensure that the activities of the Belt and Road Initiative can progress.

The Rumored installation would help China protect economic interests
and ultimately project military power in the Region.

 

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China’s ‘New Colonialism’ in Africa

African leaders leave Beijing forum hailing ‘new world order’ as China offers $60bn
investment China's Xi Jinping says investment comes with 'no political strings attached'
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/...-investment-interest-free-loans-a8522376.html

China is the largest infrastructure investor in Africa.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-45394668

China has pledged $60 billion worth of investments to Africa and sparked renewed concerns
about its “debt trap” diplomacy and economic colonization in the poorest continent in the
world and the largest mineral repository on Earth.

Chinese President Xi Jinping announced the pledge at the seventh Forum on China-Africa
Cooperation (focac) in Beijing on September 3. The two-day summit, which included all African
heads of state but one, was the largest ever gathering of African leaders outside the continent.

According to one observer, China “far outstrips the economic clout and engagement in
Africa of either the [United States] or Europe.”

The $60 billion comes in addition to China’s previous aid package of $60 billion over the past
three years, pledged by President Xi at the sixth focac in 2015. The pledge he made this year
includes interest-free loans, concessional loans, credit lines, grants, imports from Africa, and
various forms of investments. China will even forgive debts owed by the poorest African nations.

Resource-rich nations like Zambia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and geopolitically
strategic nations like Djibouti, are examples of African countries that are at high risk of debt
distress—because of Chinese loans.
https://static1.squarespace.com/sta...83/Briefing+Paper+1+-+August+2018+-+Final.pdf


The Democratic Republic of the Congo’s debt to China is so large and yet so ambiguous that
the nation’s president visited China two months ago to ascertain exactly how much it owed.

Zambia’s failure to pay its debts is allowing China to seize ownership of the national broad-
caster and electricity company. These nations are falling into debt traps that will guarantee
steady supplies of mineral resources to China.
https://www.lusakatimes.com/2018/09/04/china-to-take-over-zesco-africa-confidential/

In Djibouti, where Beijing owns 77 percent of the national debt, China is already
operating its first overseas naval base.
-
China is the second-biggest donor to the United Nations Peacekeeping Operations budget
https://peacekeeping.un.org/en/how-we-are-funded

And the overwhelming majority of those peacekeeping operations are in Africa.
https://peacekeeping.un.org/en/where-we-operate
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“[T]he uncertainty of trade tensions with the United States [is likely pushing] China to more
aggressively seek export markets in Africa for its products or even to increase its manu-
facturing investment in Africa in order to export to the United States through duty-free access
under the African Growth and Opportunity Act (agoa),” wrote China-Africa Research Initiative
at Johns Hopkins University.

The West tends to overlook African nations or attach stringent preconditions for its invest-
ments in Africa. But “China’s investment in Africa comes with no political strings attached,”
as President Xi said at the focac.

Xi’s assertion is true, but only to a certain extent.

China will likely not attach any political strings to its investments in South Africa
despite the nation’s high crime rates, systemic corruption or its plans to expropriate
white-owned farmland without compensation.
-

China also will likely not attach any such strings to its aid to Zimbabwe, but
The U.S. and EU said that the nation’s recent elections were not free and fair.
https://www.dailynews.co.zw/article...ot-good-enough-sa-pledges-to-assist-mnangagwa
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Swaziland was the only African leader absent at the focac. His kingdom is the only African
nation that recognizes Taiwan as independent from China, a standpoint that automatically
cuts nations off from Chinese diplomatic ties.

Beijing is “waiting for the right time,” said China’s special representative for African Affairs
Xu Jinghu. “I believe that day will come soon.” That day may indeed come soon as it did
recently for the Dominican Republic, Burkina Faso and El Salvador.
https://thediplomat.com/2018/09/is-eswatini-on-the-brink-of-cutting-ties-with-taiwan/
https://www.washingtonpost.com/worl...ey-except-one-country/?utm_term=.797619af3cdb
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Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohammed warned about Chinese debt traps
and what he called “a new version of colonialism” when he canceled a $20 billion
Chinese-financed railway project.
https://www.dw.com/en/malaysias-mahathir-dumps-chinese-projects-amid-new-colonialism-fear/a-45160594

Nations like Sri Lanka and several small islands in the Pacific like Tonga, Palau and Vanuatu
are now case studies for the Chinese version of colonialism and “debt trap” diplomacy.
And more are vulnerable to it.

The reality is that when it comes to China’s globalist aspirations, Chinese investment
does come with strings attached here —geopolitical strings.

 

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September- Russia and China Rehearse Nuclear World War III

Vostok 2018: Russia lets the war games with China begin
https://www.dw.com/en/vostok-2018-russia-lets-the-war-games-with-china-begin/a-45435748

“Looking at which and how many troops are involved, it’s clear that Russia is training for
world war,” Sarah Pagung of the German Council on Foreign Relations told Deutsche Welle.
-

Dr. Stephen Blank, a senior fellow at the American Foreign Policy Council, wrote
for the Interpreter, “Clearly Russia is rehearsing a large-scale war.”
https://www.lowyinstitute.org/the-interpreter/russia-s-vostok-2018-rehearsal-global-war
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Russia’s Defense Ministry says the exercise will include 300,000 soldiers, 36,000 combat
vehicles and 80 ships. The troop component is twice the size of the entire British Army.

Russia’s nuclear-capable missiles will be included in the drills. Russia’s two fleets capable
of launching nuclear weapons are both participating. Civil authorities are also taking part:
They are rehearsing Russian society’s ability to cope with nuclear war.

And China is invited.
-

“Coming six months after Beijing’s biggest ever offshore naval drills, the joint war games
are another reminder of how central military posturing now is to the world’s two most
powerful authoritarian states,” wrote Peter Appa at Reuters.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...bsessed-with-vast-new-war-games-idUSKCN1LE1O6

Appa warned that “both Beijing and Moscow want to give every impression they are
increasingly ready—and are relying on that message to dominate their neighborhoods
and intimidate less-powerful nearby nations.”
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The South China Morning Post wrote that “the decision to include China in Vostok 2018
surprised some defense analysts because the drills had previously been off-limits to foreign
armed forces—and in some cases included potential conflict scenarios with China.”
https://www.scmp.com/news/china/mil...ftersales-service-how-russias-military-making
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The book of Revelation gives a detailed countdown of world events that lead to Jesus Christ’s
return. One key event is an attack from a massive army, 200 million strong (Revelation 9:14-16).
Revelation 16:14 tells us this is the army of “the kings of east”—powerful nations east of the
Holy Land: Russia and China. This army wipes out one third of all mankind (Revelation 9:17).

 

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09/08/2018 U.S. Government Financial Balance Sheet One Step Closer To Blowing Up
https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2018...nancial-balance-sheet-one-step-closer-blowing

as Hong Kong Overtakes New York as City With Most Super-Rich People
https://www.wealthx.com/report/world-ultra-wealth-report-2018/

On July 1, 1997, the United Kingdom handed over Hong Kong, nicknamed
the “Pearl of the Orient,” to China.