How China's Military Views the United States

tampagtr · Jul 21, 2021

Good further explainer on the latest cyber confrontation. We have allies joining, but they are hesitant to go too far due to China’s economic power

IntelBrief: Operating in the Gray Zone: China’s Cyber Operations Call for a Unified Response - The Soufan Center

wingtee · Jul 22, 2021

Emmitto said: ↑

I mean, to be fair, they're right.
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Right about what ?

chemgator · Jul 23, 2021

China has been sending prosecutors over to the U.S. to pressure U.S. citizens (former Chinese citizens) to return to China and go on trial. Sometimes, they use former police officers to help them harass and threaten the victims. Sometimes they drag the person's parent over to plead with them.

CCP prosecutor worked with ex-NYPD officer to pressure US resident to return to China

Chinese Communist Party officials, police, and prosecutors conducted a scheme with alleged co-conspirators inside the United States, including a former New York Police Department officer, who acted as illegal foreign agents as they attempted to coerce U.S. residents into returning to China, the Justice Department revealed Thursday.

Prosecutors said the illegal conspiracy was part of a Chinese Ministry of Public Security global extrajudicial repatriation effort dubbed “Operation Fox Hunt,” which seeks to force Chinese “fugitives” abroad, including in the U.S., to return to China.

The DOJ said that Hu Ji, a police officer with the Wuhan Public Security Bureau, and Tu Lan, a prosecutor with the Hanyang People’s Procuratorate, “traveled to the United States and directed several individuals” to engage in “unsanctioned and illegal conduct in the United States on behalf of the PRC for the purpose of coercing John Doe-1 to return to the PRC.”

The charges stated that, between 2016 and 2019, the two Chinese officials were among nine defendants working for China who “sought to achieve this objective by pressuring John Doe-1 and his family members by imprisoning and threatening to imprison John Doe-1’s family members in the PRC, transporting John Doe-1’s elderly father to the United States to convey threats to John Doe-1, and surveilling and harassing John Doe-1 and his family members, including his adult daughter, Jane Doe-2.”
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tampagtr · Jul 23, 2021

chemgator said: ↑

China has been sending prosecutors over to the U.S. to pressure U.S. citizens (former Chinese citizens) to return to China and go on trial. Sometimes, they use former police officers to help them harass and threaten the victims. Sometimes they drag the person's parent over to plead with them.

CCP prosecutor worked with ex-NYPD officer to pressure US resident to return to China
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I saw that. That is unacceptable.

tampagtr · Aug 1, 2021

Continued Freedom of Navigation exercises

NavyGator93 · Aug 1, 2021

tampagtr said: ↑

Continued Freedom of Navigation exercises

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I have hundreds of flight hours doing FON in the Straits of Hormuz and around the Spratly Islands. Hours upon hours of mind numbing boredom interspersed with a few minutes of terror.

Oddly enough, I sometimes miss it.

tampagtr · Aug 1, 2021

NavyGator93 said: ↑

I have hundreds of flight hours doing FON in the Straits of Hormuz and around the Spratly Islands. Hours upon hours of mind numbing boredom interspersed with a few minutes of terror.

Oddly enough, I sometimes miss it.
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Very cool. 2034 had a lot of problems as a book but you might find it interesting, and a bit familiar

chemgator · Aug 1, 2021

China cracks down on capitalism in support of motherhood and bamboo pie.

Xi Jinping’s Capitalist Smackdown Sparks a $1 Trillion Reckoning

Call it progressive authoritarianism. From exhausted couriers in the gig economy, to stressed parents struggling with ever-rising housing prices and tuition fees, to small businesses battling tech monopolies, Xi is swinging the cudgel of state power in support of the squeezed middle class. These challenges aren’t unique to China, but the policy response has been.

Weeks after Xi’s school visit, China said private education had been “hijacked by capital” and ordered tutoring companies to become non-profits, accelerating a selloff that at its most extreme erased $1.5 trillion from Chinese stocks and dented the portfolios of some of the biggest names in global finance.
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For decades, even as they kept strict control over strategic sectors like banking and oil, China’s leaders gave entrepreneurs and investors freedom to drive the adoption of new technologies and open up fresh opportunities for growth. Deng Xiaoping set the tone back in the mid-1980s when he said it was OK if some got rich first. Now, with growth slowing and relations with the U.S. increasingly hostile, they’re emphasizing different goals: common prosperity and national security.
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And, true to their Communist roots, China’s leaders have no problem trampling on the interests of venture capital, private equity or stock investors when they conflict with its long-term development plan. Liao said that focus is now on what has been dubbed the “three big mountains”: the crushing burden of payments for education, healthcare and property.
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Xi is starting to make Biden look weak in the progressive agenda department.

tampagtr · Aug 3, 2021

Of note

tampagtr · Aug 7, 2021

Good piece on the impact and history of the Quad as an instrument to counter Chinese regional domination

chemgator · Aug 7, 2021

China's nationalism rears its ugly head at the Olympics, as Chinese athletes are caught wearing Chairman Mao pins on the podium (against Olympic rules regarding keeping politics out of the Olympics). Chinese censors are removing the pins from the broadcast of the games, and nationalists in China are calling them cowards and saying that they are kowtowing to the capitalists. They suggest that China should host a Communist version of the Olympics.

Chinese Nationalists Furious Beijing Backed Down Over Celebrating Mao at the Olympics

Two cycling sprint champions, Bao Shanju and Zhong Tianshi, have kicked off a social media civil war in China after wearing badges featuring a silhouette of the country’s modern founder and former leader Mao Zedong at the podium.

In an uncharacteristic move, the Chinese state media has backtracked fast after initially celebrating the controversial display of pride in the authoritarian whose policies led to the deaths of up to 45 million people. The Olympic team also back down promising it would not happen again, according to International Olympic Committee spokesperson Mark Adams as the IOC carried out an investigation into a possible breach of article 50 of the Olympic Charter which prohibits political, religious, or racial propaganda.

But the backtracking has appalled many young people in China, where Mao has seen a recent surge in popularity. They turned on the “weak” authorities, demanding more pride in the country’s history, putting President Xi Jinping on the back foot.
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The Chinese censors are seen by the people as being afraid of the "imperialist paper tiger", as Chinese citizens apparently view the United States and European Union.

“Are they afraid of the imperialist paper tiger?” an online commentator asked. “The IOC represents capitalistic institutions, always serving the capitalists,” one post read. “Let’s host a Communist International Games,” another agreed.
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The Chinese do not seem to realize that their behavior with regard to Hong Kong, Taiwan, Tibet, and other places makes them the imperialist paper tiger.

Imperialism - Wikipedia

Imperialism is a policy or ideology of extending the rule over peoples and other countries, for extending political and economic access, power and control, often through employing hard power, especially military force, but also soft power. While related to the concepts of colonialism and empire, imperialism is a distinct concept that can apply to other forms of expansion and many forms of government.
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chemgator · Aug 8, 2021

An interesting article on Xi Jinping's rise to power, and what that means for any succession plan for Xi. I did not realize that he purged large numbers of political enemies in addition to corrupt officials in his rise to power. He cannot give up power without risking the new leadership turning on him. Most of the top officials in his administration are older than he is (at 68, Xi just hit the official retirement age for Chinese politicians) and therefore cannot be considered for the top office. China could easily become destabilized when Xi either dies or is forced out of office. In the meantime, Xi's policies and actions have irritated and offended most of the rest of the world.

Xi Jinping set out to save the Communist Party. But critics say he made himself its biggest threat - CNN

When Xi took office, outwardly China seemed stronger than it had been for decades. It had joined the World Trade Organization, held the 2008 Beijing Olympics and overtaken Japan as the world's second-largest economy.

From the inside, Xi saw a party beset by weak leadership, intense infighting, rampant corruption, lax discipline and faltering faith. "Xi came to power in the face of fragmentation of power within the party," said Cai, a former professor at the Central Party School in Beijing.
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Soon after he came into office, Xi unleashed a sweeping anti-corruption campaign, which not only targeted corrupt officials, but also his political enemies. He oversaw the spectacular downfall of powerful figures such as Zhou Yongkang, a former Politiburo Standing Committee member and security czar who was jailed for life, and Xu Caihou, a top army general who died of cancer after being expelled from the party. In less than nine years, 392 senior officials and millions of party cadres have been investigated. Those left knew total loyalty was required for survival.

To further concentrate power into his own hands, Xi set up more than a dozen "central leading groups" to oversee important policy areas, including military reform, cybersecurity, finance and foreign policy. A relic from the Mao era, these informal bodies are secretive, and almost never publicize full lists of their members. From what's been revealed in state media reports, Xi personally heads at least seven of them, and many of his loyalists hold important positions.
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Juggernautz · Aug 8, 2021

I know it's just a movie but in "Megiddo, The Omega Code
In the final battle sequence, China's forces team up with the good USA, Mexican troops(so to speak) to battle the Machiavellian leader(3rd antiChrist?) and his troops. Entertaining movie I thought, VERY loosely based on Revelations.

chemgator · Aug 9, 2021

Investors in Chinese companies are not actually getting a share of ownership of the Chinese company they invest in. They are buying ownership in a shell company that has a contract with the Chinese company.

Stocks week ahead: The risky loophole Chinese companies have been using for years - CNN

When investors purchase a stock, what they're doing is buying a percentage of the company. Right?

Wrong! At least when it comes to many of the Chinese companies listed on the Nasdaq and the New York Stock Exchange.

That's because Chinese companies use a structure called a variable interest entity, or VIE, in order to raise money from foreign investors.

What's a VIE? The structure uses two entities. The first is a shell company based somewhere outside China, usually the Cayman Islands. The second is a Chinese company that holds the licenses needed to do business in the country. The two entities are connected via a series of contracts.
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I don't know why you would trust a China-based company with your money in the first place, much less a Caribbean shell company that has a contract with a Chinese company.

Chinese companies are telling Beijing that they are 100% owned by Chinese citizens, while they tell foreign investors that they are "the real owners". You would have to fairly stupid to believe the Chinese at this point.

chemgator · Aug 16, 2021

The latest: China operates secret jails where people are held prisoner for political indoctrination purposes, without trial or any legal recourse. This is not necessarily news--they've been doing this for years inside of China. What is news is that China has started to operate jails . . . in OTHER COUNTRIES! This is fairly remarkable. This shows a complete lack of respect for other countries' sovereignty.

Ughyurs and other Chinese who were working in Dubai suddenly found themselves held captive in a compound in Dubai run by Chinese agents.

Detainee says China has secret jail in Dubai, holds Uyghurs

A young Chinese woman says she was held for eight days at a Chinese-run secret detention facility in Dubai along with at least two Uyghurs, in what may be the first evidence that China is operating a so-called “black site” beyond its borders.

The woman, 26-year-old Wu Huan, was on the run to avoid extradition back to China because her fiancé was considered a Chinese dissident. Wu told The Associated Press she was abducted from a hotel in Dubai and detained by Chinese officials at a villa converted into a jail, where she saw or heard two other prisoners, both Uyghurs.

She was questioned and threatened in Chinese and forced to sign legal documents incriminating her fiancé for harassing her, she said. She was finally released on June 8 and is now seeking asylum in the Netherlands.

While “black sites” are common in China, Wu’s account is the only testimony known to experts that Beijing has set one up in another country. Such a site would reflect how China is increasingly using its international clout to detain or bring back citizens it wants from overseas, whether they are dissidents, corruption suspects or ethnic minorities like the Uyghurs.
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This shows utter contempt for international law, and the idea of respecting borders and participating in an international community.

chemgator · Aug 20, 2021

China has a backlog of bulk container ships at its ports that is holding up worldwide shipping. Apparently it's due to Covid restrictions. And it could be having an impact on the U.S. economy. It does not make sense to me that off-loading bulk cargo ships would be a likely pathway for Covid transmission.

China Bulker Pileup Dwarfs California Container-Ship Gridlock

Bulker congestion has now risen to historic highs as China enforces stricter COVID rules for arriving vessels. And what happens in China will be felt in America. Every bulker stuck at anchor in China is one less ship that's available to load U.S. soybeans, corn, wheat, and coal — pushing spot freight rates for U.S. bulk exports higher.
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According to Nick Ristic, lead dry cargo analyst at Braemar ACM Shipbroking, there were 1,692 bulkers worldwide with an aggregate capacity of 142 million deadweight tons (DWT) waiting in queues in mid-August. That was "the highest level we have on record and about 15% higher year on year," he said. Since then, the numbers have come down only slightly, to 1,652 ships totaling 129 million DWT.

In comparison, U.K.-based data provider VesselsValue reported that there are 409 container ships stuck in congestion with an aggregate capacity of 2.7 million twenty-foot equivalent units. Not only are there far more bulkers tied up than box ships, but a typical bulk vessel carries much more cargo (measured by weight) than the average container ship.

China is driving global dry bulk congestion, comprising more than a third of the total, said Ristic. Bulker congestion in China hit 52.7 million DWT in mid-August, representing 6% of global capacity, up 28% from mid-July and 23% year on year. Bulker congestion was also high outside of China, but in line with seasonal norms.
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dingyibvs · Aug 22, 2021

chemgator said: ↑

China cracks down on capitalism in support of motherhood and bamboo pie.

Xi Jinping’s Capitalist Smackdown Sparks a $1 Trillion Reckoning

Xi is starting to make Biden look weak in the progressive agenda department.
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The recent crackdowns on various sectors has been interesting. Big tech and crypto both make sense, the education has been kind of odd. I wonder if it's related to their looming demographics crisis. Chinese parents invest an enormous amount into their children's education, and is a big deterrent to having more kids. Perhaps his reasoning is that if he can make education cheaper, that people will have more kids? Property is another big hurdle, but it's an even bigger issue because a lot of Chinese people's assets are invested in property. My guess is that he's gonna concentrate efforts on channeling people's money toward away from private education and the property sector into future industries that he would like the country to focus on (e.g. AI, semiconductors, etc.)

chemgator said: ↑

China has a backlog of bulk container ships at its ports that is holding up worldwide shipping. Apparently it's due to Covid restrictions. And it could be having an impact on the U.S. economy. It does not make sense to me that off-loading bulk cargo ships would be a likely pathway for Covid transmission.

China Bulker Pileup Dwarfs California Container-Ship Gridlock
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I think it's because they shut down some parts of ports due to COVID outbreak among the staff.

chemgator · Aug 29, 2021

dingyibvs said: ↑

The recent crackdowns on various sectors has been interesting. Big tech and crypto both make sense, the education has been kind of odd. I wonder if it's related to their looming demographics crisis. Chinese parents invest an enormous amount into their children's education, and is a big deterrent to having more kids. Perhaps his reasoning is that if he can make education cheaper, that people will have more kids? Property is another big hurdle, but it's an even bigger issue because a lot of Chinese people's assets are invested in property. My guess is that he's gonna concentrate efforts on channeling people's money toward away from private education and the property sector into future industries that he would like the country to focus on (e.g. AI, semiconductors, etc.)
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China is trying to persuade couples to have second and third children, and women aren't having any of it.

China wants families to have three children. But many women aren't convinced - CNN

Faced with a worrying demographic crisis of its own making, China is encouraging couples to have more children.

There's just one problem: women aren't too keen on the idea.

For more than 35 years, the ruling Communist Party strictly enforced a one-child policy, as the country tried to address overpopulation and alleviate poverty. But as the economy boomed, China found its population aging and its labor force shrinking.

In a bid to mitigate the economic risks posed by falling birthrates, the party announced in 2015 that it would allow married couples to have two children. But after a brief uptick in 2016, the national birth rate has been falling year on year — prompting the party to loosen the policy even further to three children.
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As the Chinese become more wealthy in an economic system with a lot of opportunity, but also a lot of uncertainty, they tend to become more focused on reaching financial goals and less interested in having a family. By the time they realize how disrupted their demographics are, no one will remember what it is like to be a part of a large (or even a medium-sized) family. The choice will be one child or none.

chemgator · Aug 29, 2021

In other news, the island nation of Tonga has sold out to China, building a massive government building in exchange for the islands' soul.

Meth, Vanilla and ‘Gulags’: How China Has Overtaken the South Pacific One Island at a Time

Of course, I’d noticed the workers. Who hadn’t? Every day they hurtled down the waterfront road, piled in the bed of white Ute trucks. They were bound for the capital’s central business district where they were building a colossal edifice to house the Tongan government’s premier and all its ministers. The project had been a dream of the Kingdom’s late monarch George V, but the $11 million price of the St. George Palace, as it would be dubbed, was not coming out of the Kingdom’s coffers. Instead, it was being funded—and constructed—entirely by Beijing. It was a tiny fraction of the estimated $5 billion China spent on international aid that year, but it equaled 2.6 percent of Tonga’s GDP.

Still, I hadn’t really stopped to ponder why Chinese workers—and not the many underemployed Tongans—would be doing this work or why the tiny government needed such a massive building. It just seemed like another sign of “development,” the kind of modernity which eventually reaches even tiny islands in the middle of a vast ocean.

In 2016, on the handful of settled islands in Tongan archipelago, those signs were everywhere: New cars jammed the roads, sand miners were stealing the island’s beaches and New Zealand loggers hauled giant trees by boat from the Kingdom’s last rain-forested island. Methamphetamine wasn’t just passing through Tonga, once a backwater transit hub for drugs en route to Australia and New Zealand, it was burrowed in. Youngsters were using it and crime was rising.

But underneath it all, the growing presence of the Chinese government in Tonga pumped tension into the life of the island nation that anyone could feel. This tension had started long before I arrived in 2014, the year the Chinese Communist Party’s brand-new leader Xi Jinping announced his “Asia-Pacific Dream” of cooperation and launched a tour of the South Pacific countries where he met with Tonga’s soon-to-be-crowned King George VI. Xi came to power in 2013, when Tonga signed the deal with Beijing for construction of the St. George Palace that the men in the blue jumpsuits were now building.
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chemgator · Aug 30, 2021

dingyibvs said: ↑

I think it's because they shut down some parts of ports due to COVID outbreak among the staff.
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According to this article, one worker at the port in Ningbo (the third busiest container port in the world) came down with Covid, and the port was closed from Aug 11 until Aug 27. The closure sounds accurate, but it may have been more than one person for a 16-day closure.

Traveling to China during Covid-19: What you need to know before you go

Concerns about the virus spreading via freight networks have resulted in some closures around the country's borders.

Ningbo, the world's third busiest container port, closed one terminal on August 11 after a freight worker tested positive and reopened on the 27th.
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China is also experiencing an outbreak of Covid right now, apparently from the Delta variant.

According to the National Health Commission, China now has at least four high-risk areas and 154 medium areas, with different forms of epidemic control such as quarantine and travel restrictions implemented.

The current number of high- or medium-risk areas is the highest since April 2020.
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