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

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China's front-line Fishermen

China analysts commonly discuss the fact that Beijing has both the largest navy in
the world and also the largest coast guard. But far less frequently acknowledged is
that these two official maritime forces are reinforced by the world’s largest fishing fleet.
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April 12, 2016 China's front-line fishermen
https://www.stripes.com/news/pacific/china-s-front-line-fishermen-1.404185

"China is using its vast fishing fleet as the advance guard to press its
expansive territorial claims in the South China Sea, experts say."
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“When our country needs us, we will go without a second thought to defend
China’s rights,” said Chen Yuguo in a recent interview with the Washington Post.

If Chen were a sailor in China’s People’s Liberation Army Navy, or perhaps an
officer of the Chinese Coast Guard, his pledge to use force for his country would
not be particularly noteworthy. But Mr. Chen is a fisherman.

As captain of a trawler based in the port of Tanmen, Chen is one of China’s 6 mill.
plus fishermen. He pilots one of the country’s 2,600 distant-water fishing ships.

And much of this massive fleet is charged with more than ordinary fishing. China
indeed “needs” them, as Chen said, but not to “defend China’s rights.”

Instead, the Chinese government uses its huge fishing fleet to take control
of territory that does not rightfully belong to Beijing.

“It is our water,” Chen said, referring to almost the entire South China Sea.
“But if we don’t fish there, how can we claim it is our territory?”

The Spratly Islands, which are claimed by China, the Philippines, Malaysia, Taiwan
and Vietnam. These islands are the main location where Chen Yuguo and numerous
other fishermen currently focus on asserting Chinese dominance.

South China Sea, a full third of the world’s maritime commerce passes each year.
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“This is in no way a collection of innocent, random, patriotic fishermen,” said
Andrew Erickson, a professor of strategy in the U.S. Naval War College’s China
Maritime Studies Institute. “China likes to have that camouflage and likes to
misportray it in that way,” he said, “but it is not the case at all.
-

The basic strategy, according to international security expert Alan Dupont,
happens in this sequence: First, fishing boats blaze a trail in disputed waters and
confront the vessels of other nations, then the Chinese Coast Guard steps in, next
come land reclamation projects, and it ends with militarization and domination.

“I call the strategy ‘fish, protect, occupy and control,’” Dupont said.
And the strategy is working , just look at The Scarborough Shoal or oil rig Standoff.

 

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The Scarborough Shoal

If a Filipino fisherman today wants to visit the Scarborough Shoal, he can only do so
with the permission of Chinese authorities. This has not always been the situation.

Scarborough is only 120 nautical miles from the Philippines, which means it lies well
within the area that international law calls Manila’s “Exclusive Economic Zone,” or eez.

The United Nations Law of Seas says a country’s territorial borders extend 200 nautical
miles from its coast, and this maritime region constitutes that country’s eez. Any natural
resources found within a given nation’s eez belong exclusively to that country.

But in 2012, the Philippine Navy caught a group of Chinese fishing ships anchored at the
Scarborough Shoal—some 550 miles from the closest Chinese land. Philippine authorities
boarded the vessels and found considerable amounts of endangered marine species in the
hands of the fishermen. But before they could make any arrests, two Chinese Coast Guard
ships arrived and worked with the fishing vessels to cordon off the mouth of the lagoon.

A 10-week-long standoff ensued. Throughout it, vessels from the pla Navy floated on
the horizon, sending the Philippines a silent signal of the force Beijing was willing to use.
Finally, the U.S. brokered what it believed was a deal for both sides to withdraw and
return to the status quo ante.

As stipulated by the agreement, the Philippines pulled out. But China did not honor its end
of the bargain. Instead, Beijing kept its maritime vessels at Scarborough Shoal, and they
remain there to this day on vigilant patrol.
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“[T]here was no question that Beijing had scored a tactical victory at Manila’s expense
by successfully seizing and occupying the disputed area,” said Ely Ratner, deputy director
of the Center for a New American Security’s Asia-Pacific Security Program.

Thanks largely to the fishing fleet, Beijing won this gray-zone conflict.
The Scarborough Shoal now effectively belongs to China.
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Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative/Digital Globe Ratner and other analysts agree that
if China had captured Scarborough with overt military or coast guard vessels, it would have
likely prompted a weightier response from the U.S. and considerable backlash from the
international community.

But since Beijing used nonmilitary vessels as the front line, the skirmish remained in a
gray zone. And the gray zone—meaning a place between war and peace in which conflict
occurs but stays beneath the threshold of conventional warfare—is precisely where China
wants these types of territorial clashes to take place.

After China’s victory was clear, state media lauded the fishermen as an “advanced militia
unit.” President Xi personally praised the fishermen who took part, and advised the fleet
to more actively back China’s “island and reef” development projects.

 

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The HYSY 981 Standoff with Vietnamese
Chinese fishing boat rams, and sank a smaller Vietnamese fishing boat.

On May 2, 2014, China placed its hysy 981 offshore oil rig in waters near the Paracel Islands,
about 120 miles from Vietnam’s coast. Vietnam decried the move as a clear infringement of
its sovereignty and sent 29 ships to the area to challenge it.

China used all three of its maritime forces—the pla Navy,the Coast Guard and the fishing
fleet—to form a 10-nautical-mile cordon around the oil rig. Altogether the Chinese had some
80 vessels surrounding hysy 981, and were able to forcibly repulse the Vietnamese.

“All three of China’s sea forces were there,” Erickson said, adding that “they were all com-
municating and coordinating and they were acting together in a relatively effective manner.”

Over the next few weeks, a standoff took place and each side reported being rammed and
water-cannoned by the other nation’s vessels. On May 26, a large, steel-hulled Chinese
fishing boat was caught on video ramming and sinking a smaller Vietnamese fishing boat.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3mkiTkMVemM
https://www.ctvnews.ca/world/chines...ing-sinking-vietnamese-fishing-boat-1.1839703

The Vietnamese boat capsized, throwing 8 of its crewmen into the sea. Two others remained
in the cabin, but were able to swim out through a window that had broken during the attack.

“The attack is an intentional act that was aimed at killing Vietnamese fishermen,”
said Nguyen Van Sy, an official with the company that salvaged the sunken ship.

The incident marked a dramatic escalation in the standoff. And if China had sunk
the Vietnamese vessel with a pla Navy or Coast Guard ship, the matter would almost
certainly have provoked a meaningful response from the U.S. or other nations.

But since Beijing was able to claim that the fishermen who sunk the ship were acting
independently and only in self-defense, there was little kickback. China was able to
leave the rig in the region, harvesting Vietnam’s oil, as long as it chose to.

The Diplomat said the hysy 981 standoff allowed China to achieve its “primary goals
of broadcasting to its neighbors that a rising Vietnam alone could not stop it and the
U.S. would not intervene.”

Once again, the victory for Beijing was thanks in large part to its fishing fleet.
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Two months before the hysy 981 standoff, Russian President Vladimir Putin pried the
Crimean Peninsula away from Ukraine and grafted it into Russia. Putin did not accomplish
this illegal land grab with an overt military invasion. Instead, he sent Russian soldiers into
Ukraine with the insignia removed from their uniforms and the signage taken off their vehicles.

By deploying these “little green men” instead of unconcealed troops, the Russian
government had a degree of deniability, which hindered potential challenges

Many analysts are not particularly alarmed by China’s increasing assertiveness
in the South China Sea and elsewhere. As Ratner said, “From their vantage point,
accommodation is preferable to risking war over ‘a bunch of rocks.’”
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But China’s takeover in this region is “steering the world toward war.
https://www.thetrumpet.com/16819-ch...-fighting-a-shadowy-war-to-expand-the-country

We should not mistake them for ragtag fishermen acting on their own. Beijing uses this “third arm”
as the advance guard to fight its expansionist battles in the South China Sea and beyond. And the
fishing fleet’s involvement in China’s battles is not a rare occurrence. “Local fishermen have assisted
more than 250 law enforcement operations at sea over the past three years,” the state-run China Daily
reported in 2016. Since then, such instances have only become more routine.

First, fishing boats blaze a trail in disputed waters and confront the vessels of other nations; then
the Coast Guard steps in; next come land reclamation projects; and it ends with militarization and
domination.

 

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August 20, 2017 Carpio: China virtually occupying Sandy Cay
http://www.philstar.com/headlines/2017/08/20/1730865/carpio-china-virtually-occupying-sandy-cay

MANILA, Philippines - Supreme Court (SC) Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio yesterday
expressed belief that China is breaking its vow not to occupy any more islands in the Spratlys area
because it is allegedly virtually occupying a new geological feature called Sandy Cay in the West
Philippine Sea.

In a statement, Carpio said China is guarding Sandy Cay located some 2.5 nautical miles off Pag-asa
Island in the West Philippine Sea and well within Pag-asa’s 12 nautical miles territorial waters.

It reportedly has two frigates, a coast guard vessel and two military fishing boats around Sandy Cay.
“Sandy Cay is a Philippine land territory that is being seized – to put it mildly – or being invaded –
to put it frankly – by China,” said Carpio.

He urged President Duterte and Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano to defend and
protect the country’s territory since they have both “vowed to the Filipino people that they will
not concede a single inch of Philippine territory to China.”

“The very least that they could do now is to vigorously protest this invasion of Philippine territory
by China.”Carpio suggested that the government sends a vessel to show ownership over Sandy Cay.

“If both are courageous, they should send a Philippine Navy ship to guard Sandy Cay, and if the
Chinese Navy ships attack the Philippine navy vessel, they should invoke the Philippine-US
Mutual Defense Treaty.”

“Apparently, because of China’s dredging in Subi Reef, pulverized corals drifted and gathered at
Sandy Cay and made it permanently above water at high-tide. As a high-tide elevation, Sandy Cay
is now land or territory capable of sovereign ownership with its own territorial sea and territorial
airspace,” Carpio said.
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August 22, 2017 Duterte: China not invading Philippine territory
Duterte: China not invading Philippine territory - CNN Philippines

President Rodrigo Duterte said China has assured him that it will not invade
Sandy Cay, which is Philippine territory in the disputed South China Sea.

"They are just there, but they are not claiming anything. I have that assurance
na hindi 'yan sila mag-occupy anything [I have that assurance that they will not
occupy anything]," he added.
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China’s latest moves in the South China Sea have sparked fears of a new land grab
https://qz.com/1059314/chinas-lates...na-sea-have-sparked-fears-of-a-new-land-grab/

 

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February 05, 2018 New photos show China is nearly done with its militarization of South China Sea
EXCLUSIVE: New photos show China is nearly done with its militarization of South China Sea | INQUIRER.net?
utm_content=bufferd91ca&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer

Aerial photographs obtained by Inquirer.net from a source show that China is almost
finished transforming seven reefs claimed by the Philippines in the Spratly archipelago
into island fortresses, in a bid to dominate the heavily disputed South China Sea.

Amti, which described 2017 as a “constructive year for Chinese base building” in
the South China Sea, noted the presence of underground tunnels, missile shelters,
radars and high-frequency antennas on the artificial islands.
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February 13, 2018 China named 5 undersea features at PH Rise – expert
China named 5 undersea features at PH Rise – expert | INQUIRER.net

China has moved to name five undersea features within the exclusive economic zone[EZZ]
of the Philippine Rise (Benham Rise), a maritime law expert has revealed.

The maritime expert explained to the Inquirer that the IHO has its own protocol when
accepting and approving names. Batongbacal surmised that the Philippine government
did not object at China’s proposal to name the features at that time.

“Alternatively, the ‘discoveries’ are based on hydrographic surveys by [Chinese] Navy.
[China] itself prohibits both hydrographic surveys and MSR (marine scientific research)
within its EEZ without their consent. So why do they do it to others? It’s a double standard,”
he said.

 

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China Caught Selling Oil to North Korea

The U.S. Treasury Department released reconnaissance satellite images from October
19 that show what appears to be a Chinese ship transferring oil to a North Korean vessel.
The department states that there have been at least 30 such incidents since October.

These ship-to-ship transfers to North Korea were specifically outlawed in September under UN Res.
2375. The same resolution capped North Korean petroleum product imports. But policing the resolution
has been difficult. China has been less than forceful in preventing smuggling in the Yellow Sea, which
lies between China and the Korean Peninsula.

China looks on as smugglers—government-backed or not—pump oil from their ships onto North Korean
vessels. Some ships set sail from China to destinations such as Taiwan before suddenly changing course
and meeting with North Korean ships on the high seas.

South Korea’s Chosun Ilbo quoted government officials who were angry at China’s disregard of the res.
One source stated, “We need to focus on the fact that the illicit trade started after a UN Security Council
resolution in September drastically capped North Korea’s imports of refined petroleum products.”

Unfortunately, the response coming out of America has been even softer.
President Donald Trump tweeted his displeasure on 28 Dec 2017.

Trump said on Twitter that China had been “caught RED HANDED”
allowing oil into North Korea and that would prevent “a friendly solution” to the crisis
over Pyongyang’s development of nuclear-tipped missiles capable of hitting the U. S.
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/946416486054285314?ref_src=twsrc^tfw&ref_url=https:/2F

Resolution 2375 was a defeat for American diplomacy.

China, along with Russia, has acted to allow the North Korean regime to maintain its grip on the country.
It has acted to provide the vast majority of North Korea’s oil, legally and illegally. It has acted to protect
North Korea with its veto power at the United Nations. It has conspicuously declined to take the simple
actions within its power to end the reign of the North Korean regime.

The actions of smuggling oil to the rogue regime and protecting it from meaningful enforcement of
UN resolutions reflects China’s stance. And it is an aggressive stance. China is supporting a dangerous
regime in possession of nuclear warheads and powerful intercontinental ballistic missiles which it has
fired over Japan, and which can reportedly strike the United States.

The regime also has close links to terrorist-sponsoring Iran.
After Trump criticism, of coarse China denies selling oil illicitly to North Korea.

China blocked a U.S. effort at the United Nations to blacklist six foreign-flagged ships --
five of which were mainland-China- or Hong Kong-owned -- that Washington believes had
engaged in illicit trade with North Korea, a U.N. Security Council diplomat said.
www.thetrumpet.com%2F16731-china-caught-selling-oil-to-north-korea

 

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Report: America Too Dependent on China’s Ships
American merchant fleet has become pitifully weak

While the United States Navy is still regarded as the most powerful naval force in the
world, the American merchant fleet has become pitifully weak. At the beginning of 2015,
the U.S. publicly and privately owned fewer than 2,000 merchant vessels.

In a future conflict, America could find itself outnumbered and outmaneuvered
on the high seas, according to a 2015 report on maritime security published by
Hawaii Pacific University.

Oct. 2015 Report: America Too Dependent on China’s Ships
https://www.maritime-executive.com/...ica-too-dependent-on-chinese-ships#gs.fw_J1C4
https://www.economist.com/news/economic-and-financial-indicators/21674507-merchant-fleets

“the United States has adopted an ‘abandon ship’ policy towards the crucial mer-
chant maritime industry” and let the number of merchant ships flying an American
flag dwindle to the lowest number since the end of the Spanish-American War.
https://www.maritime-executive.com/editorials/new-study-america-too-dependent-on-chinese-ships


In an effort to avoid maritime taxes and regulations, the United States now increasingly
registers its merchant vessels in other countries—like Panama, Liberia and Malta.

Because of this trend,the number of maritime vessels flying the American flag on the high
seas plunged 94 percent between 1960 and 2014.there are fewer than 200 such ships today.
Only about 80 of these actually engage in international trade.
https://www.rita.dot.gov/bts/sites/...ortation_statistics/html/table_01_24.html_mfd

America technically owns over 1,000 merch. ships currently registered in other nations,
it takes time to reclaim and staff those ships in the event of a national emergency.

In contrast to the United States, China has expanded its merchant fleet 10-fold in the last
20 years. Now 3,941 Chinese-flagged ships carry 90 percent of China’s seaborne trade.

While almost 17 percent of merchant vessels worldwide flew the Stars and Stripes 50 years
ago, less than half a percent of merchant ships fly it today. Americans take for granted the
U.S. Navy’s ability to handle any conflict that may arise. Yet navy ships need supply lines.

If China, or any other nation, decides to create a naval blockade or “no-go zone” at sea,
any vessel flying a foreign flag can choose to remain neutral and not carry American cargo
through disputed territory. If America had to fight an overseas war without international
support, the military would likely be in for a rude awakening.

 

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January 2018 Report: China Building Military Base on Afghan-Tajik Border
https://eurasianet.org/node/86661

China will build a military base along the border between Afghanistan and Tajikistan
for the Afghan armed forces, according to a January 7 report by EurasiaNet. “The plan,
if it is realized, promises a deeper Chinese military involvement in Tajikistan, which is
necessary as a supply corridor to Badakhshan,” the report said.

The plan calls for China to supply the base with weapons, uniforms and gear,
and also for Beijing to move military vehicles through Tajikistan into Afghanistan.

The news follows a visit in December by an Afghan military delegation to Beijing.
Afghan Defense Minister Tariq Shah Bahrami said the two sides agreed during the visit
to “deepen pragmatic cooperation in various fields including antiterrorism operations,
and push forward the state and military relations between the two countries.”

Building a military base in this region fits in with China’s growing security ties to
Afghanistan and its increasing presence in Central Asia.
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An increasingly important component of Beijing’s Belt and Road Initiative can be found in
the Central Asian corridor that connects China and Afghanistan,” Stratfor wrote on January 11.

China's Increasing Security Buffer on Its Western Frontier
https://worldview.stratfor.com/article/chinas-increasing-security-buffer-its-western-frontier

China’s drive to connect itself to Europe through Central Asia and the Middle East is
already redirecting some international trade in a way that marginalizes the United States.

 

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Russia to Build Naval Base in Syria

Russian President Vladimir Putin submitted an agreement to the State Duma on December 13
for Moscow to create a full-fledged naval base in Syria’s Mediterranean coastal city of Tartus.

Former head of the Russian Navy’s Main Staff, Adm. Viktor Kravchenko, told Interfax that the
move “will strengthen the operational capabilities of our fleet in the Mediterranean and, in general,
Russia’s position in the Middle East.”

Russia to build full-fledged naval base in Syria
https://www.rbth.com/international/...build-full-fledged-naval-base-in-syria_686651
Russia Will Create a Full-Fledged Naval Base in Syria | Maritime Herald

Russia and Syria signed an agreement to transform the naval repair and docking facility
in Tartus into a full-fledged naval base. Up to 11 Russian warships will be deployed in the
eastern Mediterranean within the next few years.

Until recently, the Tartus facility was nothing but a floating pontoon for rudimentary ship repair.
According to the new agreement, Russia will build a full-fledged base at Tartus and have the right
to deploy up to 11 ships in the area.

"We’re beginning major construction of military infrastructure - a wharf, barracks, headquarters,
ammunition storage, and etc.," said a retired Colonel Mikhail Khodorenok, a military observer at
the online publication, Gazeta.ru. "Tartus will turn into a naval base headed by a fleet vice admiral."

Russia, due to its unsatisfactory natural geography, has long desired warm water ports.

Moscow’s annexation of Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula in 2014 was motivated largely by this desire,
and Russia’s expansion in Tartus is driven partly by the same aspiration. Having a full-fledged naval
base in Tartus would give Russia invaluable options if the Bosporus and/or Dardanelles were blocked.

A greater presence in Tartus will also boost Russia’s ability to project power into
the Middle East and the Mediterranean.

Russia’s growing control over the Middle East, its ability to project power into the Mediterranean,
its increasing focus on military preparedness, and its expansionism into Ukraine and beyond have
many Europeans concerned. And this concern is spurring Europe to transform and be a unified force.

The Ukraine crisis continues, and America is sleeping through it. But Europe is deeply alarmed!

 

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America’s Main Battle Tank is Becoming Obsolete

For decades, the M1A2 Abrams main battle tank has been supreme on the battlefield.
However, it seems that the sun is setting on the M1A2 Abrams’ dominance. According to
comments from a top United States general, Russian technology is beginning to surpass
the American advantage in heavy armor. Washington Examiner reported:

Mar 22, 2017 General: US no longer has a 'world class' tank
General: US no longer has a 'world class' tank

“I would not say that we have the world-class tank that we had for many, many years,” Lt. Gen.
John Murray said during a Senate Armed Services subcommittee hearing on modernizing the
Army. “I’ll be the optimist and say that we’re at parity with a lot of different nations.”
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That was one example of what the Army calls a loss of “overmatch” the technological advantage
over potential adversaries that has ensured U.S. preeminence among world militaries in recent
decades. Murray warned that “our most capable enemies are closing quickly” in variety of areas,
due to recent budget cuts to military spending, but the prowess of what the military calls heavy
armor is particularly worrisome.

The worrisome development is in Russian technology. According to Murray, the fearsome
T-90 is on parity with the M1A2, though the two have never clashed on the battlefield before.
The real concern comes when the Russians will roll out their new tank.

The Russians are beginning to deploy the T-14 Armata, which boasts a 125-mm main gun and
an active protection system (aps). The aps is most important, since it deploys countermeasures
against antitank missiles, thus nullifying the major threat to heavy armor.

The U.S. is overhauling some Abrams to create the M1A2 sep V3, which will have aps,
but these units are still small in number and untested.

The main complaint against the Abrams is its weight: about 75 tons.This limits the usefulness
of the tank, since it cannot cross most of the bridges in the undeveloped nations the U.S. ex-
pects to fight in. The sep V3 overhaul would reduce the weight, but other than refurbishing
old Abrams, the U.S. has no plan for a new main battle tank. As Murray said:

"We’re just about reaching the limits of what we can do with the Abrams …. So it is time for
us to start looking at a next generation tank. What I worry about is, there is nothing on the
near horizon that indicates a fundamental breakthrough in technology where we can come up
with a lighter tank. And I think we would be mistaken to build another 75-ton tank as long as
protection requirements are where they are."

This reality could prove to be fatal for any future war that the U.S. seeks to wage.
-

While Germany and France have been jointly developing the 'Leopard 3' tank.
Germany, France to jointly develop ′Leopard 3′ tank | News | DW | 22.05.2015

 

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Doomsday Clock Ticks Ahead Two Minutes to Midnight

The minute hand of the symbolic Doomsday Clock was moved forward by 30 seconds
on January 25, 2018 bringing the time to just two minutes until “midnight”
- the symbolic hour of global nuclear destruction.

JANUARY 25, 2018 Doomsday Clock Ticks Ahead: Two Minutes to Midnight
https://thebulletin.org/2018-doomsday-clock-statement

This is the nearest the countdown has been to “doomsday” in 65 years.
“To call the situation dire is to understate the danger—and its immediacy,”
the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists ceo Rachel Bronson said .

“The Doomsday Clock is as close to midnight today as it was in 1953, when Cold War
fears perhaps reached their highest levels,” Krauss and Rosner wrote.

The Bulletin said the primary nation that has intensified the nuclear threat was N. Korea,
whose weapons development saw “remarkable progress during 2017.” The acceleration of
Pyongyang’s tests “reflects new resolve to acquire sophisticated nuclear weapons,” it said,
adding that North Korea now “has or soon will have capabilities to match its verbal threats
—specifically, a thermonuclear warhead and a ballistic missile that can carry it to the U.S.
mainland.” Pyongyang’s nuclear progress increased “risks to North Korea itself, other
countries in the region, and the United States,” the Bulletin said.

But North Korea was far from the only player to contribute to the heightened nuclear threat.

“The United States and Russia remained at odds, continuing military exercises along the
borders of nato, undermining the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (inf), up-
grading their nuclear arsenals, and eschewing arms control negotiations,” the Bulletin said.

The Bulletin also pointed to the Asia-Pacific region, where “tensions over the South China
Sea have increased” and where “relations between the United States and China” have been
“insufficient to reestablish a stable security situation.”

In South Asia, the Bulletin said risks increased due to Pakistan and India building
“ever larger arsenals of nuclear weapons.” The Bulletin also pointed to the Middle
East, saying that Iran’s nuclear activities and “uncertainty about continued U.S.
support for the landmark Iranian nuclear deal adds to a bleak overall picture.”

Another reason for its move was “a breakdown in the inter-national order.”
The United States has increasingly “backed away from its long-standing leadership
role in the world,” it wrote. “Neither allies nor adversaries have been able to reliably
predict U.S. actions,” it said, which adds to geopolitical tensions.
-

Jesus Christ prophesied about this global state of affairs. Yet with His warning, He gave
us great hope. “For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning
of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened,
there should no flesh be saved alive: [but for the elect’s sake] those days shall be shortened”

Jesus Christ was talking about a time when the annihilation of all human life
would be possible. This has everything to do with the Doomsday Clock.

 

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Russian's shows provocations and increasingly aggressive actions.

DECEMBER 2017 Russian warships keep Royal Navy busy over Christmas
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/201...ips-uk-waters-keep-royal-navy-busy-christmas/
While Britons celebrated Christmas, Russians probed their nation’s defenses.

The recent Christmas holiday was marked by an increased presence of Russian warships
in and around the waters of the United Kingdom. The Russian warship Admiral Gorshkov
passed through British waters on December 23. The Royal Navy frigate hms St. Albans
tracked the vessel, which sailed along the coast of Scotland for the next few days.

At the same time, Russian spy ships were spotted in the North Sea, close to British waters.
The Ministry of Defense reported “an upsurge in Russian units transiting UK waters,”
with the Royal Navy monitoring four different vessels.

This is the latest in a string of Russian provocations. Russia continues to grow bolder
as it gets away with increasingly aggressive actions.
-

May 2017 Russian bombers, fighter jets fly near Alaska, prompting Air Force escort
Russian bombers, fighter jets fly near Alaska, prompting Air Force escort | Fox News

It was the first time the U.S. Air Force has seen advanced Russian Su-35 fighter jets
escort Russian Cold War-era bombers near Alaska.
-

2017 Zapad Exercises- Resurrection of the First Guards Tank Army

Last summer, Russia begin amassing troops for the biggest military exercise since the
end of the Cold War. In an article by the New York Times titled “Russia’s Military Drills
Near NATO Border Raise Fears of Aggression,” Michael Gordon and Eric Schmitt wrote:

Russia is preparing to send as many as 100,000 troops to the eastern edge of nato territory
at the end of the summer, one of the biggest steps yet in the military buildup undertaken by
President Vladimir V. Putin and an exercise in intimidation that recalls the most ominous
days of the Cold War.
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/31/...l?smprod=nytcore-ipad&smid=nytcore-ipad-share
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Does Russian President Vladimir Putin really have a pattern of evil ?

Anyone who doubts it should read Brian Glyn Williams and Steven Matteo’s
article from Real Clear Defense titled “Putin the ‘Destroyer of Cities’” .
https://www.realcleardefense.com/ar...ail&utm_term=0_a399ec29cc-db54d4265d-23792989

It’s subtitled “8 Reasons for Americans (Including Trump)
to Fear Russia’s Brutal Ruler” and here are their reasons:
Putin was a member of the notorious kgb.
Putin rose to power on a lie.
Putin solidified his power via a genocidal war.
Before attacking our democracy, Putin systematically dismantled
the free press and subverted democracy in Russia.
Putin invaded Ukraine and illegally annexed Crimea.
Putin’s brinkmanship with nato risks war.
Putin committed extensive war crimes in Syria.
Putin attacked U.S. democratic elections.

It’s a long piece that is packed with solid evidence and paints a stark picture of
the Russian dictator.Perhaps the example that illustrates Putin’s evil most clearly
is his conduct during the Second Chechen War. Williams and Matteo wrote:

From October 1999 to January 2000, Putin then indiscriminately unleashed the vast
firepower of the transcontinental Russian Federation on the breakaway statelet of
Chechnya. Ballistic scud missiles rained down on busy markets on the Chechen
capital of Grozny, slaughtering civilians; strategic bombers flattened neighborhoods
with incendiary bombs in the deadliest air attacks since the Allied destruction of
Dresden in 1945, and mountain hamlets were set afire with napalm and fuel-air
explosives that turned oxygen to fire. …

 

[prove-all]

11/23/17 Putin urges military manufacturers to be ready for battle.
Vladimir Putin Tells Russian Defense Companies to Prepare for War

Russian President Vladimir Putin commanded his country’s top military manufacturers
to be ready to increase arms production in the event of a sudden declaration of war.

“The economic ability to increase the production of defense products and services quickly
is a vital element of military security,” Putin told senior defense officials on November 22.
“All strategic and simply large companies, regardless of the type of ownership, must be
able to do this.”

This proclamation comes only two months after the weeklong Zapad 2017 military exercises
held in Russia’s westernmost states. The war games involved thousands of soldiers, and were
designed to test Russian defenses against a simulated attack by Western nations.
Meeting with Defence Ministry and*defence industry senior officials and*heads of*ministries and*regions • President of*Russia

Though Putin had high praise for the Russian troops in his address, he noted that
the readiness of military manufacturing companies left much to be desired.

“We need to review once again the defense companies’ ability to quickly increase
output,” Putin said, reading a prepared statement for the meeting. “The exercise
has exposed certain shortcomings. We must analyze them so as to propose add-
itional measures to enhance mobilization readiness.”
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Many East European nations are growing concerned by Russia’s increasing
military preparedness, despite its denial of any intention to provoke a war with nato.
Russia Will Never Attack Any NATO Member: Lavrov
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After two Russian jets were discovered over Lithuanian airspace during the final days
of the exercises, the Russian ambassador to Lithuania was summoned to provide an
“immediate explanation.”

Newsweek reported, the annexation of Crimea gives countries such as Lithuania, Latvia
and Estonia a right to be worried about Russia’s plans for expansion. “[T]he increased
air force presence during a time of tense relations and high Russian military reinforce-
ment has repeatedly unnerved Baltic allies who have argued it makes it all the easier
for Russia to mask any potential assault,” it wrote.
Russia's War Game Spills Into NATO Airspace, Causing Diplomatic Spat
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A day before Putin’s call for greater wartime preparedness, he spoke of the need to
catch up and overtake the West’s military dominance. “Our army and navy need to
have the very best equipment—better than foreign equivalents,” he said.

“If we want to win, we have to be better.”
Vladimir Putin says all big Russian businesses should be ready for war production | The Independent

 

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Sweden Is Instructing Its Civilians on How to Prepare for Total War

Sweden has taken its first steps to prepare citizens for an outbreak of war with Russia.
Fearing Russia, Sweden Will Send War Instruction Manuals to Millions of Civilians
https://www.cnn.com/2018/01/17/europe/sweden-security-leaflets-russia/index.html

In addition, they will provide Swedes with information on how to take part in the defense
of their country and procure essentials like water, food and heat.
https://www.theage.com.au/world/swe...amid-unease-about-russia-20180118-h0k0r1.html

The last time material of this kind was disseminated to the Swedish public,
World War ii was raging. Sweden is again preparing for war.
https://nypost.com/2018/01/17/sweden-is-preparing-its-people-for-war/

Last year, the country voted to bring back conscription;
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2...duce-conscription-amid-rising-baltic-tensions

Russia’s increasing military readiness coupled with its invasions of Georgia
and Ukraine have alarmed Europe.

Sweden especially has cause for concern. The head of the Swedish Military Intelligence and
Security Service, Maj. Gen. Gunnar Karlson, has stated publicly that the main perpetrator
of cyberattacks against his country is Russia.

 

[prove-all]

Russia's hypersonic missile ratchets up arms race

April 01, 2017 Russia develops hypersonic 4,600 mph Zircon missile
Russia develops hypersonic 4,600 mph Zircon missile | Fox News

APRIL 2017 Russia's hypersonic missile ratchets up arms race
Russia′s hypersonic missile ratchets up arms race | News | DW | 29.03.2017

Russia is on the verge of testing a new hypersonic missile that could leave Western militaries
“obsolete,” according to analyst Tim Ripley. The new Zircon rocket is capable of traveling at
up to 4,600 miles per hour, a speed so quick that the missile is “almost immune” to interception,
according to Deutsche Welle.

The missile has been in production for several years, but Russia’s Interfax news agency
reported last month that the production was ahead of schedule, and could be tested as early
as this spring, and be fully developed by the end of this decade.

If Russia is able to fully develop this missile before the West develops a countermeasure,
it would mean the end of Western military dominance. Deustche Welle reported that even
the most sophisticated military technology that America and Britain possess wouldn’t be
able to stop these missiles:

When it comes to hypersonic missiles, America is already struggling to catch up. The same
report goes on to say that in the public realm, America is “quite a long way behind” its main
competitors. China has already successfully tested a hypersonic weapon, while the U.S. isn’t
likely to have hypersonic weapons until the 2020s.
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U.S. Air Force Chief Scientist Says Hypersonic Weapons Ready by 2020s
U.S. Air Force Chief Scientist Says Hypersonic Weapons Ready by 2020s > U.S. Air Force Scientific Advisory Board > Article Display

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China Tests New Ballistic Missiles With Hypersonic Glide Vehicles
https://sputniknews.com/military/201712281060393103-china-tests-missiles-hypersonic-glide/

 

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China’s nuclear submarines are on par with America’s.

The United States military could be in “serious trouble” in a face-off against Chinese
forces in the South China Sea, according to analyses published February, 2017.

February 2017 Does China Have a Nuclear Submarine That Could Beat the U.S. Navy?
Does China Have a Nuclear Submarine That Could Beat the U.S. Navy? | The National Interest Blog

China’s People’s Liberation Army (pla) is making massive gains in its development
of two key areas of advanced weaponry: Nuclear submarines and hypersonic missiles.
The Interest discussed the pla’s nuclear submarines on February 13, writing:

Is China’s new Type 093B nuclear-powered attack submarine on par with the U.S. Navy’s
Improved Los Angeles-class boats? At least some U.S. naval analysts believe so and contend
that the introduction of the new People’s Lib. Army Navy (plan) submarines is an indication
of just how quickly Beijing is catching up to the West.

The National Interest wrote:

If the People’s Liberation Army Navy’s newest boats are able to match the capabilities of the
U.S. Navy’s shrinking undersea fleet, Washington could be in serious trouble.f Hendrix’s
assessment is correct and future Chinese submarines are only slightly less capable than the
Virginia or Seawolf-class vessels, the Navy could be in trouble.

The technological edge the U.S. Navy—which is already woefully short on attack boats—
is counting on might not be sufficient to counter Chinese numerical superiority.

 

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China’s Hypersonic Missiles development

February 2017, the Scout Warrior military analysis firm asked if China is already
“in front of the U.S. in developing hypersonic weapons.” The article discusses
China’s recent claims of having successfully tested a hypersonic weapon, saying
the development “caused concern among Pentagon leaders and threat analysts.”

The U.S. Air Force expects to have usable hypersonic weapons by “sometime in the 2020s,”
the Warrior noted. If China’s claims of having already conducted a successful test are true,
this couldrepresent a considerable lag in U.S. progress relative to China’s, and in a vital
military realm.
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China has developed and tested a new ballistic missile system that could hit America, Japan
and India. United States intelligence assessments of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army
(pla) show that the new DF-17 “hypersonic” weapon may even be able to avoid the American
-made thaad missile-defense system, according to a Dec 2017 article by Tokyo-based news
site, the Diplomat.

Intro. the DF-17: China's Newly Tested Ballistic Missile Armed With a Hypersonic Glide Veh
https://thediplomat.com/2017/12/int...issile-armed-with-a-hypersonic-glide-vehicle/

The DF-17 is a new missile delivery method known as a “hypersonic glide vehicle” (hgv).
Minnie Chan of the So. China Morning Post describes the hgvs as “unmanned, rocket-launched,
maneuverable aircraft that glide and ‘skip’ through the Earth’s atmosphere at incredibly speeds.

Compared to conventional ballistic systems, hgv warheads can travel at much higher speeds,
lower altitudes and less-trackable trajectories.The approach leaves defense systems less time
to intercept the warhead before it drops its payload.”

The new hgv missile systems has U.S. military officials worried. On February 14, the head of
the U.S. Pacific Command, Adm. Harry Harris, told lawmakers: “China’s hypersonic weapons
development outpaces ours … we’re falling behind.”......
‘Falling behind’: US admiral warns of China dominance in hypersonic missile race | South China Morning Post

 

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Cyberwarfare is at the forefront of this technological race.

Forward Observer, a conflict monitorand threat intelligence company, believes the U.S.
military is dangerously unprepared and incap-able of dealing with cyberattacks in the
event of war with China or Russia.
https://forwardobserver.com/2015/11/how-foreign-military-capabilities-are-outpacing-the-u-s-navy/

“Defense Department officials are concerned about the devastating impacts that electronic and
cyberwarfare could create for the U.S. Navy” it wrote.“The ability to manipulate communications,
propulsion or weapons systems of a ship through a cyber- or electronic-attack is a low-cost, low-
risk alternative to fighting it conventionally, and it’s this vulnerability that potential adversaries
seek to exploit. Through a few strokes of the keyboard, a foreign adversary might be able to
cripple an entire naval fleet.”

Such threats highlight the U.S. military’s quest to stay at the head of the growing wave of high-
tech conflict. America’s commitment to staying at the forefront, however, is beginning to wane.

As a Foreign Policy article titled “America’s Military Is Choking on Old Technology”
put it: The current rate of technological change may make many current U.S. military
systems obsolete in the coming decades. ....
https://foreignpolicy.com/2018/01/29/americas-military-is-choking-on-old-technology/

Foreign Policy argues that America’s military is held back by the very weapons that had made it
the most powerful fighting force to date. America has invested so much in its military in the past.
It finds itself choking on old equipment with no easy way to retire it in favor of new technologies.

Thus, emerging powers such as Russia and China are able to “leap-frog” the U.S.
into the top place in certain areas.

 

[prove-all]

China says that last year Was a ‘Crossroads of History’ for Global Power Balance

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi issued an end-of-year assessment on December 10,
saying 2017 is closing with the world now “at a crucial stage of evolving international
landscape and shifting balance of power ….”

Speech by Foreign Minister Wang Yi at the Opening of Symposium on International Developments and China's Diplomacy in 2017

“The world is changing like never before,” Wang said, “and China is on the final leg of its march
toward national rejuvenation. In a great era that is unfolding before our eyes, let us follow the
leadership of the Chinese Communist Party’s Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its
core, keep our mission firmly in mind, live up to the trust placed on us, and scale new heights in
our major-country diplomacy with Chinese characteristics.”

Wang said, “The human society has once again come to a crossroads of history.”

Wang commended China’s “great achievements” for the year, and said Beijing aims to take on
a greater role on the international stage going forward. China will “play a bigger and more con-
structive role in upholding world stability,” he said.

He said Beijing will find ways of “resolving hotspot issues” around the world using “Chinese
characteristics.” Wang specifically mentioned the Syria crisis, the Afghanistan situation, and
the North Korea crisis as areas where China needs to be more involved to provide stability.
He also said China will try to help resolve the Israel-Palestine dispute.

The Belt and Road Initiative update

Wang mentioned the success of President Xi’s Belt and Road Initiative (bri) more than a dozen
times, and revealed that Beijing has already inked cooperation deals with 80 nations and organiza-
tions under the bri framework. He said China has also “conducted institutionalized cooperation on
industrial capacity with over 30 countries, and built 75 overseas economic and trade cooperation
zones in 24 countries,” as part of the bri.

China has invested more than $50 billion into the initiative so far, he said, and has created
almost 200,000 jobs in countries that the bri passed through.

This project is valuable not just for China, in Wang’s assessment, but also for Asia and the world.
Mr. Wang also upheld Paramount Leader Xi Jinping as a man with rare global leadership ability
during uncertain times:

 

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Xi Jinping is fast becomming Asia’s New Strongman

The Chinese Communist Party etched Xi Jinping’s name and personal ideology into
the party constitution on October 24, 2017 effectively lifting his status to the same level
as the late authoritarian Mao Zedong.

The only other sitting ruler to have his name and ideology written into the constitution
was Chairman Mao, who founded the People’s Republic of China in 1949 and led the
nation with an iron grip until his death in 1976.

Asian affairs analyst Chris Buckley said, “While there may be no ‘Little Red Book’ of
quotations for mass consumption like in the bygone Mao era, Mr. Xi’s thinking will now
infuse every aspect of party ideology in schools, the media and government agencies.”

The Wall Street Journal said even if Xi does step down from the official helm in 2022, the
revision to the constitution gives him “unassailable power” that will endure far past that time.

It lets him “impose his will on China’s leadership, global reach and economic might
well beyond his second term,” it wrote.
https://www.wsj.com/articles/chinas-xi-elevated-to-mao-status-1508825969
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