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Sorry I was in a hurry, thought it was some sort of article.
Interesting game though, not sure how realistic it is. I have to dig into it more later.
Breaking News China-US War?
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Interesting game though, not sure how realistic it is. I have to dig into it more later.
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Understanding the Chinese Navy
Captain Jim Fanell, U.S. Navy (Ret.)—noted expert on the Chinese Navy, former Director of Intelligence for the U.S. Pacific Fleet, and frequent Proceedings c...
www.youtube.com
I was skeptical about loaded headlines like 'US predict war with China in 2025'
But now, in the past few month after listening to similar observations concluded in multiple conversations by credible experts from military background I feel somewhat unsure.
We all saw the General Michael Minihan' s memo, which was kind of shocking.
@Gary @Nilgiri what do you guys make of these?
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Gary
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Very interesting and well articulated presentation. ( Worth your time )Understanding the Chinese Navy
Captain Jim Fanell, U.S. Navy (Ret.)—noted expert on the Chinese Navy, former Director of Intelligence for the U.S. Pacific Fleet, and frequent Proceedings c...
I was skeptical about loaded headlines like 'US predict war with China in 2025'
But now, in the past few month after listening to similar observations concluded in multiple conversations by credible experts from military background I feel somewhat unsure.
We all saw the General Michael Minihan' s memo, which was kind of shocking.
@Gary @Nilgiri what do you guys make of these?
Afif, as you would've probably known, without radical change, U.S are not in such position to challenge China industrially rn. the Jingnan Dao shipyard alone a stated is equal in output to all 7 US navy shipyard and China has 19 of those in similar size. By 2035 at the earliest the Chinese could have the same VLS count on the USN. Even though I think ship per ship the USN is still a level above.
Which makes me all believe that if a war is to commence it will be in the interest of the U.S. The first shot might be China's but the catalyst likely comes from the U.S
There's a political science term called Thucydides trap which stated that war is more likely than not. when an emerging power threatens to displace an existing great power as a regional or international hegemon. People like to draw a comparison between Imperial Germany pre 1914 /Japan in the 30s to China of today and they're not wrong. But it is very naive to think that the U.S will not try to at least attempt a war when they at least know they have the advantage in quantity and quality of firepower. The same energy of which Japan and Germany enters the great war and the Pacific war in retrospect.
Currently the U.S operates,
- 11 Supercarriers with 2 under construction compared to China's 2
- 9 Medium carriers to China's 2 training carriers
- 12 LPD to China's 8
- 70 DDG to China's 40
If the decade from 2020s-2030s are already universally accepted as the decade of concern by US Military and Civilian circle, politicians from the U.S will not wait until the gap grew too close between the two.
The PLA navy while advancing by leaps and bound still has many limitations and it is not even in technology but know how, manning and institutional memory of how modern war is like. This however, as the video suggest is not something that could not be pursued, in fact the author clearly gave an example of what China progress in resupplying ships in contrast from early 2000s to today. What China need is time.
Which makes me believe that the U.S will "engineer" some sort of Taiwan declaration of formal independence sometimes in this decade, which in turn will start a war and finally give the U.S the chance to stomp decades of China's navy progress (and its overall progress in socio-economic-politics) near Taiwan when they know (or believe) with an outmost certainty that they will win or have a more likely outcome of winning.
In a War Over Taiwan, First Step Needs to Be Sinking Chinese Ships, Air Force General Says
The U.S. military would have to focus on sinking Chinese ships if a war broke out over Taiwan, according to the commander of the United States' Pacific Air Forces.
That's one of the lessons Gen. Kenneth Wilsbach took from the scramble of military activity that accompanied a visit by former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) to the island in August 2022.
"You saw when Speaker Pelosi went to Taiwan, what [China] did with their ships," Wilsbach told reporters at the Air & Space Forces Association Warfare Symposium in Aurora, Colorado, on Wednesday. "They put them on the east side of Taiwan" -- the side opposite China -- "as a sort of blockade."
Surface-to-air missiles onboard the ships would give the Chinese military the ability to create what Wilsbach called an "anti-access/area denial engagement zone" -- a zone where its enemies might not want to fly because of the risk of getting shot down.
While U.S. officials continue to prioritize deterring China from trying to invade Taiwan -- "we would encourage the Chinese not to attempt to take that island by force" -- the question remains what to do if deterrence doesn't work, Wilsbach said.
The first order of business?
"We've got to sink the ships," Wilsbach said. "Sinking ships is a main objective of not only PACAF [Pacific Air Forces] but really anyone that's going to be involved in a conflict like this."
To prepare for a potential conflict in the region, Wilsbach said the U.S. and its international partner militaries are planning and practicing together a lot more; and that wings within his command frequently practice the Air Force's strategy of dispersing crews and aircraft across "many, many islands."
The last year has seen an escalation of hostilities between the U.S. and China, culminating in the spy balloon that crossed North America before being shot down off the Atlantic coast of South Carolina.
In intercepting a U.S. RC-135 reconnaissance aircraft in December 2022, a Chinese fighter "got very dangerously close ... where that pilot did not ensure that there was his-tail-to-our-wing clearance, and our aircraft actually had to maneuver to keep a collision from happening," Wilsbach said.
Before that, an Australian P-8 maritime patrol aircraft had a run-in with a Chinese fighter in May 2022, and the Chinese fighter "dispensed chaff that went down the engine and then also bounced off of the leading edge of the wing," damaging the P-8.
Just last month, Wilsbach said, the Chinese Coast Guard performed a "lasing" of a Philippine Coast Guard aircraft "with a military-grade laser which could very well have caused physical harm to the crew."
The U.S. could "amass firepower" in the region by arming drones, Wilsbach said, and the upcoming new B-21 Raider bomber, which just rolled out of its hangar to be viewed for the first time in December, could "be helpful in our mission here."
In a War Over Taiwan, First Step Needs to Be Sinking Chinese Ships, Air Force General Says
One of the first things the U.S. military would have to do if it fought China in the defense of Taiwan would be to sink Chinese ships, said the commander of the U.S.'s Pacific Air Forces.
dude, im Azerbaijani and i can tell you that Azerbaijan has nothing to do with Iran. it made good connections to be able to purchase Israeli army technologies and political support against Armenians which whole Europe support even though it was Armenia occupied land.
Azerbaijan would never attack Iran, as its oil production is easy targets for iranian missiles, and same thing could be said about iran. If Azerbaijan or any other country hit their gas and oil facilities, which happened to Saudi Arabia and within a day they lost 25% income.
on the other hand there are Turkey who would protect Azerbaijan in case of war against Iran. simply, Azerbaijan would never be the attacking side.
contricusc
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I agree with your assessment. This is why my belief is that China must be really stupid to start a war, even in case of a Taiwanese declaration of independence.
Why would you start a war when you are at a disadvantage when time is working for you?
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What are you even talking about?
You do realise Pakistan is in a bind right now with the IMF for a reason?...specifically because China wont front them even a few billion (from their literal 3 trillion USD war chest too)?
Even CPEC (40 - 50 billion dollar investment plan based on loans and all forex-sink infra + real estate based....none of it forex earning factory based) is MOU based in "lets see as we go" kind of way.
Pakistan will likewise make its own decision on what to send to Ukraine in return for western financial assistance. The west calls the bargaining power shots there though given Pakistan's desperate economic state now and going forward for a long time.
The latter actually comes through on what you see is what you get terms which is why Pakistan is knocking on IMF door for a while now in lieu of Beijing's (given they were told a firm no by them clearly on current circumstance).
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Most people doesn't realize China see Pakistan as its junior partner not its pet.
China, US in war of words over South China Sea navigation
China’s defence ministry has said that it had – for a second time – monitored and driven away the US Navy guided missile destroyer USS Milius after it entered what Beijing claims as its territorial waters in the South China Sea near the Paracel Islands.Friday marked the second straight day of a standoff – and heated words – between the two superpowers amid growing tensions in the South China Sea.
“We sternly demand the US to immediately stop such provocative acts, otherwise it will bear the serious consequences of the unforeseen incidents,” a spokesperson for China’s defence ministry said in a statement on Friday.
“The act of the US military seriously violated China’s sovereignty and security, severely breached international laws, and is more ironclad evidence of the US pursuing navigation hegemony and militarizing the South China Sea,” ministry spokesman Tan Kefei said.
He said that China would take “all necessary measures” to ensure its territorial security but did not elaborate.
The Southern Theatre Command of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) said in a statement on Thursday that the USS Milius had been found intruding in waters around the Paracel Islands and that China’s navy and air force were mobilised to “warn” the ship which had then departed the area.
The US Navy disputed China’s version of events, saying the destroyer left the area on conclusion of a “routine operation”.
As China issued its second protest and warnings on Friday, the US Navy issued a lengthy statement specifying that the USS Milius had engaged in asserting “navigational rights and freedoms in the South China Sea near the Paracel Islands, consistent with international law”.
The USS Milius’ freedom of navigation operation was a lawful use of the sea and challenged “restrictions on innocent passage imposed by the People’s Republic of China (PRC)”, and also Taiwan, and Vietnam – who also have territorial claims in the disputed South China Sea – the US Navy said.
China, Taiwan, and Vietnam all claim sovereignty over the Paracel Islands, the Navy continued, and “in violation of customary international law, all three claimants require either permission or advance notification before a military vessel or warship engages in ‘innocent passage’ through the territorial sea”.
“The United States challenges excessive maritime claims around the world regardless of the identity of the claimant,” the Navy said.
“The operations demonstrate that the United States will fly, sail, and operate wherever international law allows –regardless of the location of excessive maritime claims and regardless of current events,” it added
The war of words is just the latest manifestation of growing tension between US and Chinese forces deployed in the South China Sea.
In early January, China’s defence ministry accused the US of violating international law and of “slander and hype” following a confrontation between a Chinese fighter jet and a US reconnaissance plane over the South China Sea.
The US military claimed that a Chinese J-11 fighter jet had come within six metres (20 feet) of the US RC-135 surveillance aircraft on December 21, forcing the latter to take evasive manoeuvres to avoid a collision. China said the US aircraft was conducting intentional close-in reconnaissance on China’s southern coastline so the People’s Liberation Army sent fighter jets to track and monitor the plane.
Relations between the US and China have become increasingly tense recently, with friction rising between the world’s two largest economies over a range of issues, including the self-ruled island of Taiwan, the shooting down of what the US described as a Chinese spy balloon – which Beijing denied – and the deepening of relations between Beijing and Moscow.
China, US in war of words over South China Sea navigation
China says US destroyer warned off for second day, US Navy said its ship successfully challenged China maritime claims.
China to inspect ships in Taiwan Strait, Taiwan says won't cooperate
China's Fujian maritime safety administration launched a three-day special joint patrol and inspection operation in the central and northern parts of the Taiwan Strait that includes moves to board ships, it said on its WeChat account.
The move comes amid heightened tensions between China and Taiwan, with U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy hosting Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen in California on Wednesday, becoming the most senior U.S. figure to meet a Taiwanese leader on U.S. soil in decades.
The maritime safety authority in the southeastern Chinese province said on Wednesday the operation included "on-site inspections" on direct cargo ships and construction vessels on both sides of the Taiwan Strait "to ensure the safety of vessel navigation and ensure the safe and orderly operation of key projects on water".
Taiwan's Transport Ministry's Maritime and Ports Bureau said in a statement late Wednesday said it has lodged a strong protest with China about the move.
It said it has notified relevant shipping operators that if they encounter such requests from China they should refuse them and immediately notify Taiwan's coast guard to render assistance.
"If the mainland side insists on taking one-sided actions, it will create obstacles to normal exchanges between the two sides. We will be forced to take corresponding measures," it added, without giving details.
Areas covered by the operation include the Pingtan Taiwan direct container route, the "small three links" passenger route, the Taiwan Strait vessel customary route, the densely navigable areas of commercial and fishing vessels, and areas with frequent illegal sand mining activities.
The "small three links" passenger route refers to boat routes between Taiwan's Kinmen and Matsu islands which sit opposite China and Chinese cities.
The fleet, a joint special operation with East China Sea Rescue Bureau and the East China Sea Navigation Support Center, will continue to carry out cruise inspections in the central and northern parts of the Taiwan Strait over the next two days.
China to inspect ships in Taiwan Strait, Taiwan says won't cooperate
Fujian maritime safety administration launched a three-day special joint patrol and inspection operation in central and northern parts of the Taiwan Strait that includes moves to board ships.
Send warships to Taiwan Strait, Borrell urges EU governments
EU member countries should deploy warships to patrol the Taiwan Strait in order to deter Beijing’s military aggression, the bloc’s foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said.
In an article published in Le Journal du Dimanche on Saturday, Borrell took a swipe at French President Emmanuel Macron’s sense of detachment on Taiwan as reflected in an interview with POLITICO earlier this month. Borrell argued in the French publication that “Europe must in fact be very present on this issue [of Taiwan], which concerns us economically, commercially and technologically.”
Borrell continued: “That is why I call on European navies to patrol the Taiwan Strait to signify Europe’s commitment to freedom of navigation in this absolutely crucial area. At the same time, we must be vigilant against provocations and overbidding.”
“The vast majority of the Taiwanese population believe that the peaceful status quo is the most appropriate solution. Let us therefore be firm in ensuring that this principle is respected,” Borrell added.
Borrell is due to chair a meeting of the EU’s 27 foreign ministers on Monday, where EU-China relations will be a topic.
France, the Netherlands and Germany are widely considered the only EU countries capable of patrol missions as far from home as the west Pacific. The U.K. is another European country with such capabilities; it deployed the then-brand new HMS Queen Elizabeth to the South China Sea in 2021.
It is rare for European warships to transit through the Taiwan Strait, in contrast to the regular passages made by American military vessels.
Earlier this month, a French surveillance frigate Prairial transited through the Strait, according to the Taiwanese government.
However, when the German frigate Bayern sailed through the Indo-Pacific in 2021 for the first time in two decades, it skipped the Taiwan Strait.
www.politico.eu
EU member countries should deploy warships to patrol the Taiwan Strait in order to deter Beijing’s military aggression, the bloc’s foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said.
In an article published in Le Journal du Dimanche on Saturday, Borrell took a swipe at French President Emmanuel Macron’s sense of detachment on Taiwan as reflected in an interview with POLITICO earlier this month. Borrell argued in the French publication that “Europe must in fact be very present on this issue [of Taiwan], which concerns us economically, commercially and technologically.”
Borrell continued: “That is why I call on European navies to patrol the Taiwan Strait to signify Europe’s commitment to freedom of navigation in this absolutely crucial area. At the same time, we must be vigilant against provocations and overbidding.”
“The vast majority of the Taiwanese population believe that the peaceful status quo is the most appropriate solution. Let us therefore be firm in ensuring that this principle is respected,” Borrell added.
Borrell is due to chair a meeting of the EU’s 27 foreign ministers on Monday, where EU-China relations will be a topic.
France, the Netherlands and Germany are widely considered the only EU countries capable of patrol missions as far from home as the west Pacific. The U.K. is another European country with such capabilities; it deployed the then-brand new HMS Queen Elizabeth to the South China Sea in 2021.
It is rare for European warships to transit through the Taiwan Strait, in contrast to the regular passages made by American military vessels.
Earlier this month, a French surveillance frigate Prairial transited through the Strait, according to the Taiwanese government.
However, when the German frigate Bayern sailed through the Indo-Pacific in 2021 for the first time in two decades, it skipped the Taiwan Strait.
Send warships to Taiwan Strait, Borrell urges EU governments
Europe should be ‘firm’ in ensuring peace for Taiwan, the EU foreign policy chief argues.
www.politico.eu
Gary
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the race to contain China's navy inside the 1st island chain
According to documents released by the Japanese MoD, the following four contracts were signed with MHI:
・Mass production of upgraded Type 12 SSM (ground-launched version): 173.4 billion yen (1,295 million dollars)
・Development of upgraded Type 12 SSM (ground/air/ship-launched version): 26.9 billion yen (200 million dollars)
・Mass production of Hyper Velocity Gliding Projectile (HVGP): 119.4 billion yen (891.8 million dollars)
・Development of Submarine-launched guided missile: 58.4 billion yen (436 million dollars)
www.navalnews.com
www.reuters.com
In 2022, the total number of missiles produced exceeded 800, the official said, adding that it is expected that missile output for both this year and next year will reach 1000, Liberty Times reported.
www.taiwannews.com.tw
According to documents released by the Japanese MoD, the following four contracts were signed with MHI:
・Mass production of upgraded Type 12 SSM (ground-launched version): 173.4 billion yen (1,295 million dollars)
・Development of upgraded Type 12 SSM (ground/air/ship-launched version): 26.9 billion yen (200 million dollars)
・Mass production of Hyper Velocity Gliding Projectile (HVGP): 119.4 billion yen (891.8 million dollars)
・Development of Submarine-launched guided missile: 58.4 billion yen (436 million dollars)
Japan Doubles Down on Standoff Missiles to Deter China - Naval News
On April 11, 2023, Japan's MoD announced that it had signed a contract with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) for various standoff missiles.
www.navalnews.com
Taiwan to buy 400 US anti-ship missiles to face China threat -Bloomberg News
Taiwan will buy as many as 400 U.S. land-launched Harpoon missiles in the face of rising threat from China, Bloomberg News reported on Monday, citing a trade group's leader and people familiar with the issue.
In 2022, the total number of missiles produced exceeded 800, the official said, adding that it is expected that missile output for both this year and next year will reach 1000, Liberty Times reported.
Taiwan's 2023 missile production expected to exceed 1,000 | Taiwan News | 2023-02-07 12:35:00
NCSIST currently has 16 production lines for various missiles | 2023-02-07 12:35:00
www.taiwannews.com.tw
Software Problems Delay U.S. F-16 Deliveries, Taiwan Says
Taiwan's order of 66 advanced new F-16V fighter jets from the United States will not be completed until 2026 because of software problems, Defense Minister Chiu Kuo-cheng said Thursday, marking the latest delay in U.S. weapons deliveries since manufacturers turned their attention to Ukraine after Russia invaded last year.
Earlier this month, the self-ruling island's defense minister said the delay was a result of supply chain disruptions, but on Thursday he added that the holdup was due to flight control software issues.
"In principle by 2026 the 66 aircraft will all arrive. There is absolutely no problem with this," Chiu told reporters at parliament.
The United States approved the $8 billion sale of Lockheed Martin Corp. F-16 fighter jets to Taiwan in 2019. Once complete, the deal will take the island's F-16 fleet to more than 200 jets, the most in Asia, according to Reuters.
The defense buildup is important to Taiwan because of rising concerns that China will try to take the island -- which Beijing claims as its own -- by force.
Since last year, Taiwan has complained about delays of U.S. weapons deliveries, including Stinger anti-aircraft missiles. Manufacturers have turned supplies to Ukraine after Russia invaded last year.
But to the U.S. House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, delivering weapons to Taiwan is an urgent priority.
On Wednesday, the committee adopted 10 policy recommendations for Congress, including that the United States should deliver the "backlogged" military equipment Taiwan had ordered. Several other recommendations also related to bolstering Taiwan's defense capabilities.
The first two F-16s in the order were supposed to have been delivered between October and December of this year, but that has been pushed back to between July and September of 2024, Taiwanese officials said this month.
Lockheed spokesperson Liz Lutz told Bloomberg that the company is working "closely with the U.S. government to address challenges in support of U.S. security objectives."
While visiting Taiwan last month, Representative Michael McCaul, chairman of the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee, said he was trying to speed up the arms deliveries.
"On the weapons issue, I sign off on those deliveries, and we are doing everything in our power to expedite this," he said.
Rupert Hammond-Chambers, president of the U.S.-Taiwan Chamber of Commerce, told VOA Mandarin that foreign military support for Taiwan is "just one piece of the puzzle."
Software Problems Delay U.S. F-16 Deliveries, Taiwan Says
Taiwan's order of 66 advanced new F-16V fighter jets from the United States will..
english.chosun.com
Gary
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A trip of interest, I think the US is forcing China to accept the normalization of (at least) direct communication between the two (USA-TW). Lets see what China's tantrum will look like this time
Taiwan Rushes to Prevent China From Cutting Internet, Phones
- Audrey Tang says island needs to bolster defenses by 2024
- Matsu Islands lost internet after ships cut subsea cables
Buffeted by earthquakes and the potential of conflict with China, Taiwan’s leaders want to accelerate plans to make the island more resilient to communications breakdowns and direct attacks on its digital infrastructure.
It could be an impossible task.
Audrey Tang, who heads Taiwan’s Ministry of Digital Affairs, says she wants the island’s $740 billion economy to be able to handle the possible collapse of all its communications in the event of an emergency by the end of next year.
The threat isn’t theoretical: Taiwan’s Matsu Islands found themselves digitally adrift after two of their submarine internet cables were severed by boats flying Chinese flags in February. Before that, a 2006 earthquake cut eight subsea cables around Taiwan, took weeks to repair and disrupted the internet, banking and cross-border trading across much of Asia. Both events were harsh reminders of what could happen in a conflict or natural disaster.
“The main lesson we learned is psychological,” Tang said in a May 17 interview. “How to manage the expectation on reduced bandwidth, how to prioritize the bandwidth use, which uses are OK to have a slightly higher latency, and so on.”
Tang says the worst-case scenario for Taiwan would be the destruction of the island’s physical points of communication: its three major telecommunications providers as well as their power supplies.
“The enemy knows” where the island’s key facilities are because the information is public, Tang said. “So we can assume that they’re going to be disrupted, jammed or destroyed in a huge earthquake.”
Tang mentions “earthquakes” a lot. Besides referring to natural disasters — Taiwan sits in the tectonically-active region known as the ‘ring of fire’ — it’s also a euphemism for incidents related to tensions with China, including cyber attacks.
Read More: Taiwan Tensions Raise Alarms Over Risks to World’s Subsea Cables
“It’s a very apt analogy because an earthquake is not going to give you a lot of warnings,” Tang, 42, said.
China views Taiwan as part of its territory and vows to bring it under its control one day, by force if necessary. The government of President Tsai Ing-wen rejects Beijing’s claim, asserting the island is an already de facto independent nation. And with Taiwan holding presidential elections in early 2024, China is expected to ramp up efforts to influence the vote.
But building up the digital resilience Tang wants by late 2024 is a tough target.
The island’s disaster response plan calls for the establishment of 700 satellite receivers placed all over Taiwan. Some of the receivers would be fixed, others mobile, and they would have to be configured to receive communications from multiple constellations of satellites in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) and Medium Earth Orbit (MEO).
To get there, the government opened bids for research institutes to take part in a proof-of-concept round of testing and verification. So far, at least three have signed up, Tang said. The winner will begin work with satellite providers. Among the providers, French-Luxembourg company SES Global now has two receivers in Taiwan.
Tang said OneWeb, a satellite provider with investors including the UK government, Indian conglomerate Bharti Global and Softbank Group Corp., has signaled its interest, as has Project Kuiper, an initiative from Amazon.com Inc. to create a constellation of over 3,000 LEO satellites. But neither of those is currently available.
Only Starlink Inc.’s SpaceX satellite constellation has the capability to provide live coverage right now. Tang describes Starlink as a potential provider, but adds that she’s after more than one participant in order “to ensure that when there’s adversity, multiple constellations will have to be destroyed or disrupted to deny us communication” with the outside world.
Vulnerable Cables
That means for now, Taiwan’s satellite capacity pales in comparison to the coverage it currently gets from its 14 undersea cables, says Kenny Huang, chairman and chief executive officer at the Taiwan Network Information Center, a non-profit partially owned by Taiwan’s government.Current satellite capacity “only adds up to about 0.01% of the transmission capacity of the undersea cables,” Huang said. “It’s almost impossible to use those satellites as back up or to enhance communication resilience.”
The undersea cables are highly vulnerable, however. Huang added that the plan to have 700 receivers won’t be big enough to cover the communication needs of the island’s 23 million people.
Tang called the 700 receivers she’s initially aiming for a minimum to sustain essential communication. The government has earmarked NT$550 million ($18 million) in 2023-2024 to subsidize the testing and verification of the disaster response program.
She added that the self-governing island has taken lessons from the conflict in Ukraine, which has confronted repeated cyberattacks by Russia on its infrastructure and population. But Ukraine has access to the Starlink system, which has helped keep communications up and running since the war began.
It’s not clear if that is a realistic option for Taiwan. There are questions about whether SpaceX owner Elon Musk, whose Tesla Inc. has significant investments in China, would want the geopolitical headache of aiding Taiwan. The billionaire is expected to visit China this week in what would be his first trip to the country in three years, according to people familiar with the matter
Musk suggested last year in comments to the Financial Times that Taiwan should agree to become a special administrative zone of China, angering Taiwanese officials and winning praise from Beijing.
Referring to Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s daily video briefings throughout the war, Tang said it’s critical for the government to be able to communicate to its people as well as the outside world.
That means local video calls should be handled domestically, she said. Yet right now, Zoom sessions are initially routed overseas before a local connection is made. Tang added that Alphabet Inc.’s Google Meet has entirely domestic routing, ensuring it will still be operational should Taiwan’s undersea cables get cut.
Asked about this part of the government’s plan, Zoom Video Communications Inc. and Google didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. Microsoft Corp. declined to comment.
Underscoring her sense of urgency, Tang said the island’s digital infrastructure is already under siege by millions of largely automated attacks by suspected Chinese-affiliated actors. That will only get worse in the case of a future earthquake or other emergency, Tang said.
“We’re going to see a lot of live reports from Taiwan that are completely synthetic,” she says, referring to “deep fake” videos and other disinformation efforts. “That is what we’re preparing ourselves for by the end of next year.”
Chinese warship nearly hits U.S. destroyer in Taiwan Strait during joint Canada-U.S. mission
A Chinese warship came within 150 yards of hitting American destroyer USS Chung-Hoon, during a rare joint Canada-U.S. mission sailing through the Taiwan Strait, the latest aggressive military move from Beijing in the South China Sea.
Global News has been travelling on the HMCS Montreal, the Canadian frigate participating in the mission, since May 25th in the South China Sea and witnessed the near collision from the bridge wing of the ship.
A People’s Liberation Navy ship, picked up considerable speed and cut in front of the bow of the Chung-Hoon, a maneuver HMCS Montreal’s commander, Capt. Paul Mountford, called “not professional.”
When the Chinese vessel altered their course, Mountford says they called the American ship and told them to move or there would be a collision. The Americans responded by asking the Chinese to stay clear of the ship, but the Chung-Hoon ultimately needed to alter course and slow down to avoid a crash.
Mountford believes the incident was ”clearly instigated by the Chinese.”
“The fact this was announced over the radio prior to doing it, clearly indicated this was intentional.”
The Chung-Hoon and Montreal have been sailing together in the South China Sea for nearly a week prior to entering the Taiwan Strait. Global News has seen Chinese warships shadowing the Canadian vessel on multiple occasions, during its transit.
The Chinese did not attempt a similar maneuver on HMCS Montreal but one of the two war ships that was in the area, did sail within 1,000 yards of the Canadian ship, a distance that Mountford believed was safe.
The Chinese told both the Canadian and American ships over radio systems, that they are entering Chinese territory, despite the joint mission taking place in internationally recognized waters, according to Mountford.
“I am hoping that is an isolated incident that won’t happen again for us, because we have international law on our side,” Mountford told Global News. “This is international waters.”
Canada’s defence minister, Anita Anand, had just finished participating in a security summit in Singapore when she learned of the incident in the Strait of Taiwan.
The summit was attended by both U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and China’s Defence Minister Li Shangfu.
Anand said neither Canada nor its allies would be deterred from sailing in international waters.
“Canada will continue to sail where international law allows, including the Strait, the South China Sea,” Anand said in an interview from Singapore.
“And really, our overall goal is to increase the peace and stability of this region. And that’s why we are going to continue to see more of Canada in this region as set out in our Indo-Pacific strategy. We’ve already seen unsafe intercepts and we have addressed those appropriately with China in terms of our RCAF pilots. Actors in this region must engage responsibly, and that’s the bottom line.”
Chinese warship nearly hits U.S. destroyer in Taiwan Strait during joint Canada-U.S. mission - National | Globalnews.ca
Exclusive video by Global News captured the moment a Chinese warship came close to hitting an American destroyer in international waters of the South China Sea.
globalnews.ca
