They need a war to distract from the failing economy and stock market crash:
"US Navy commander implies China has eroded safety of South China Sea; Says building of ‘military zones’ causes disruption" by Jane Perlez New York Times December 16, 2015
"A Pacific Fleet spokesman, asked for specific examples of commercial ships that had been forced to change their route because of orders from the Chinese navy, said he would need time to research the answer."
Oh, yeah?
Just made the charge without the evidence, huh?
Is there anyone in this world that believes the goddamn liars of the U.S. military?
BEIJING — A senior American naval commander has implicitly accused China of creating “so-called military zones” close to artificial islands it has built in the South China Sea, declaring that such actions are eroding the security of one of the world’s busiest waterways.
We know who is eroding security.
In a speech in Honolulu on Monday, the commander, Admiral Scott H. Swift of the US Pacific Fleet, said commercial ships that had previously sailed freely through international shipping lanes were being diverted from areas deemed to be too close to the artificial islands built by the Chinese in the Spratly archipelago.
Oh, yeah?
The Navy's version of Westmoreland, I guess.
Swift, who visited China last month, said that routine commercial and military operations in the South China Sea had become subject to warnings, interrupting the freedom of navigation, as well as air rights, to such an extent that the “unilateral assertiveness” was becoming a trend that was “unacceptable.”
The U.S. military is much like Israel's government: any charge they make is one in which they themselves are guilty.
Countries in the region are being forced to finance their navies beyond what is needed for self-defense, he said, implying that this was heightening the risk of an arms race.
Some are doing Zummerwalts over it!
Although Swift did not say as much, it was clear he was referring to China.
By mentioning “so-called military zones,” he was offering a counterpoint to an assertion by President Xi Jinping of China during a visit to Washington in September that China did “not intend to pursue militarization” of islands in the South China Sea.
You can take your war-mongering and shove it, admiral.
The admiral’s speech, delivered to a regional security forum, was his second concerning the South China Sea since October, and was tougher in tone than his previous warnings about the situation. Officials from China were invited to the forum but did not attend, a Pacific Fleet official said.
The South China Sea has become one of the most serious strategic problems between China and the United States, largely because Washington challenges Beijing’s right to enlarge tiny specks in the waterway into islands big enough for military runways and radar equipment.
It's the South CHINA Sea, did I see that right?
The waterway is important to China militarily and commercially: About 75 percent of its oil imports arrive by sea, according to China Energy News, a state-run publication.
So it IS MORE ECONOMIC than MILITARY -- unless some global power threatens that supply line.
In reaction to Swift’s speech, a spokesman at the Chinese Foreign Ministry, Hong Lei, said Tuesday that “some country” — an obvious reference to the United States — was “deliberately” exaggerating tensions in the region with the purpose of creating “chaos.”
Yeah, that seems to be the plan all across the planet.
A Pacific Fleet spokesman, asked for specific examples of commercial ships that had been forced to change their route because of orders from the Chinese navy, said he would need time to research the answer.
Now I'm wondering WHY it took the NYT SO LONG to ASK THAT QUESTION (or whatever brave reporter shocked the Pentagon pos. I'm sure he wasn't expecting the bended-over media to question what he was saying).
I mean, I noticed that paragraph as soon as I saw it -- just before the afterthought ending:
Tussles between Chinese vessels and fishing trawlers from other nations around the South China Sea have occurred for years. But the Chinese vessels have been emboldened by a new Chinese law this year that requires foreign fishing vessels to obtain permission to enter waters that China claims.
Meanwhile, Obummer is sending nuclear missiles to the Korean peninsula.
That is his "birthday present" to him.
--more--"
Now China is making waves:
"China accuses US of serious provocation by flying bombers" by Christopher Bodeen Associated Press December 19, 2015
BEIJING — China’s Defense Ministry said Saturday that the United States committed “a serious military provocation” by recently flying two Air Force B-52 bombers over a Chinese-controlled man-made island in the South China Sea, a mission that the United States appeared to indicate had strayed off course.
Oh, yeah, it was a mistake. The most technologically-advanced and superior American military just made a mistake!
Ooopsie!!
The Defense Ministry accused the United States of deliberately raising tensions in the disputed region, where China has been aggressively asserting its claims to virtually all islands, reefs, and their surrounding seas. It also reiterated that it would do whatever is necessary to protect China’s sovereignty.
Uh, I'm absolutely sick of this endless war slop.
Who is it, AP this time?
As is China’s usual practice, the Foreign Ministry took a more diplomatic tone, saying the situation was stable.
Yeah, nothing like contradicting the previous paragraph with a little truth.
I'll say one thing for the Chinese leadership: they may not be a bunch of great guys, far from it, but they sure go above and beyond when it comes to the patience factor with a complete asshole of an empire.
The United States takes no official stance on sovereignty claims in the strategically crucial South China Sea, through which $5 trillion in international trade passes each year. However, Washington insists on freedom of navigation and maintains that China’s seven newly created islands do not enjoy traditional rights, including a 12-nautical-mile territorial limit.
Responding to China’s protests, Pentagon spokesman Mark Wright said the Dec. 10 mission was not a “freedom of navigation” operation and that there was “no intention of flying within 12 nautical miles of any feature,” indicating the mission might have strayed off course.
He's going to research it further for them.
The United States uses pre-planned freedom of navigation operations to assert its rights to “innocent passage” in other countries’ territorial waters.
They cite “international law” in an e-mail.
Then all the whiz-bang, overpriced garbage didn't work, huh?
Wright said the United States was “looking into the matter.”
Pfffft!
And believe me, I will be SCOURING MY GLOBE to see that response!
China’s Defense Ministry demanded that Washington immediately take measures to prevent such incidents and damage to relations between the two nations’ militaries.
Yeah, China is always the belligerent. The U.S. just insists, you know.
“The actions by the US side constitute a serious military provocation and are rendering more complex and even militarizing conditions in the South China Sea,” the ministry said in a statement.
That's the plan. Has been for a long time now.
The statement said Chinese military personnel on the island went on high alert during the overflights by the B-52 strategic bombers and that they issued warnings demanding the aircraft leave the area.
Well, they carry nuclear warheads you know?
While the Foreign and Defense ministries said two B-52s were involved in the incident, there was no word from the United States on the number of planes involved.
Shows guilt.
“In the face of provocative acts from the US side, the Chinese military will take all necessary means and measures to resolutely safeguard national sovereignty and security and resolutely safeguard regional peace and stability,” the Defense Ministry’s statement said.
Yes, we all know who wants to keep the peace and who wants wars.
Speaking to reporters in Berlin, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi drew a contrast between the situation in the South China Sea region and the chaos and turmoil in other parts of the world. “The situation in the South China Sea is essentially stable overall,” he said.
He's got a point there, and they don't want it coming to their neighborhood.
Wang said that while China understands the concerns of nations from outside the region — a clear reference to the United States — they should “do more to benefit peace and stability and support efforts to find a resolution through talks, and not manufacture tensions or even fan the flames.”
They meet the screaming and screeching war provocation with a hand out. How noble.
“We don’t think this is a constructive approach and will not receive the support and welcome of relevant nations,” Wang said.
Who wants a war?
In Beijing, the Foreign Ministry said it had “lodged solemn representation with the United States” over the incident.
And the U.S. government, as usual, blew it off.
China’s latest protest comes amid a simmering dispute over Washington’s approval this past week of the first arms package in four years offered to Taiwan, Beijing’s self-governing rival. Beijing, which regards Taiwan as part of its territory, demanded the deal be scrapped to avoid harming relations across the Taiwan Strait and between China and the United States.
Aaaaaaaaaaah, that is what this is about!
Keep the ARMS SALES GOING!!
That is where the print ended.
Beijing filed a formal diplomatic complaint and its Foreign Ministry said it would take “necessary measures, including the imposition of sanctions against companies participating in the arms sale to Taiwan.”
The main contractor behind the weaponry is Raytheon. US defense firms are forbidden to sell arms to China.
--more--"
"China confirms work on second aircraft carrier amid naval expansion" Washington Post December 31, 2015
BEIJING — China confirmed Thursday it is building a second aircraft carrier, a move likely to raise further concerns among the West and allies over Beijing’s assertive moves in the South China Sea.
How many aircraft carriers in the U.S. arsenal?
The carrier will be designed in China and built in the port of Dalian, said Yang Yujun, a spokesman for the Defense Ministry. It will have a displacement of 50,000 tons — significantly less than the largest US carriers — and will carry China’s J-15 fighters. Unlike China’s first carrier, it will have a ski jump-style takeoff.
‘‘China has a long coastline and a vast maritime area under our jurisdiction. To safeguard our maritime sovereignty, interests, and rights is the sacred mission of the Chinese armed forces,’’ Yang told reporters.
China claims almost all of the South China Sea, a vast and strategically important sweep of islands and shipping lanes. These claims are a major source of tension with the United States, as well as with Asian neighbors including Japan, Vietnam, and the Philippines.
I think I know who is driving that tension, as those nations have also taken steps with the Chinese to reduce misunderstandings. Paper did report that a while ago, but you know.
Why ruin a good war narrative?
China already has one aircraft carrier, the Liaoning. It was purchased from Ukraine in 1998 and retrofitted.
Plans to build a second carrier do not come as a surprise. Rumors had been swirling for more than a year, but had been quickly scrubbed by China’s censors.
Which AmeriKan censor wrote this?
Oh, the CIA's newspaper!
How rich!
In February, an overzealous city government leaked news that it had been selected to supply electronic components for a new carrier, only to see the good news deleted.
Over here they just pile more BS on top of it.
It's the opposite of straight censorship, but it is censorship all the same: by overload.
Building a second carrier is part of Beijing’s plan to increase its naval presence as it modernizes its military.
The country’s officially disclosed military budget — still small compared to the United States — has grown by double digits for nearly two decades, up 10 percent this year to $141 billion.
The U.S. is spending 5x that -- officially.
--more--"
Related:
"China’s building of seven islands by piling sand on reefs and atolls has been condemned by its neighbors and the United States, which accused China of raising tensions in an area where six governments maintain overlapping maritime territorial claims. In Manila, visiting British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said freedom of navigation and overflight in the South China Sea was non-negotiable and urged governments to avoid provocative steps. ‘‘They are red lines for us,’’ Hammond said, adding that as a major trading nation, Britain expects to continue exercising those rights."
Oh, another red line from the West!
Britain's time as an empire has cum and gon, so ShutTFup!
"China denies it ordered cyberattack" by Michael Forsythe and David E. Sanger New York Times December 03, 2015
HONG KONG — China has acknowledged for the first time that the breach of the US Office of Personnel Management’s computer systems, which the Obama administration said exposed the personal information of about 21.5 million people, was the work of Chinese hackers. But China insisted that the breach was the result of criminal activity, not a state-sponsored cyberattack.
I certainly believe them.
The assertion came in one paragraph midway through an article published Tuesday by Xinhua, the state-run news agency, about a meeting in Washington between top Chinese and US law enforcement officials, and it raised more questions than it answered.
Says who?
Oh, NYT.
They have never forgiven China for Wen Ho Lee.
Puts their coverage in context though, doesn't it?
The theft, which was extraordinarily sophisticated and continued for more than a year before it was detected, involved the security-clearance forms of millions of federal employees, veterans, contractors and others.
The forms include information about health, finances, and other personal matters for 19.7 million people who underwent government background checks in the past 15 years, as well as 1.8 million other people, including spouses and friends, according to the Obama administration. About 5 million of the stolen records included fingerprints.
This is the same government collecting all data, too.
Don't you feel safe?
“Through investigation, the case turned out to be a criminal case, rather than a state-sponsored cyberattack as the US side has previously suspected,” Xinhua reported.
US officials are likely to be dubious about the Chinese contention....
Like I am regarding anything this lying government claims.
--more--"
If you follow the Grid you will see who is responsible for the hacks, while others are a whole lot of nothing.
Also see:
"The trial drew wide condemnation, including from foreign governments that sent diplomats to the courthouse in central Beijing to try to observe the proceedings. Several of the diplomats, including one from the US Embassy, were shoved by police officers, and journalists and Chinese protesters were also pushed away from the courthouse."
Can you imagine the reaction were foreign diplomats and nations to challenge an American courtroom like that?
This government would be bombing them by nightfall.
How dare they question AmeriKan JU$tU$!?
Landslide buries buildings in southern China; 85 missing
"Overlooked safety risks added to landslide in China, reports say" by Chris Buckley and Austin Ramzy New York Times December 22, 2015
SHENZHEN, China — Rescuers searched for survivors in a sea of red mud Monday, a day after dirt and construction debris engulfed dozens of buildings in this city in southern China, the latest of several man-made disasters in recent years to raise questions about the perils of the nation’s rapid growth.
Hundreds of emergency workers used bulldozers and earth movers to search a 94-acre area. Some residents had for years worried that the dumping of debris so close to their homes was a crisis waiting to happen. The landslide was particularly unsettling, commentators said, because it occurred in Shenzhen, widely viewed as an ambitious, modern city that has sought to rival its neighbor, Hong Kong.
Related: Disappearances stun Hong Kong
It occurred about four months after explosions of toxic chemicals decimated a portside area of Tianjin, another coastal city that has envisioned itself as an engine for China’s economic rejuvenation.
HMMMM!
That was quickly dropped by the propaganda pre$$ while Chinese ports and cities continued to see such explosions, leading one to believe they are not accidents at all.
What we have here is a case of sabotage if not outright military attack; however, the Chinese authorities can't say that. They can't tell their citizens their security has been penetrated in such egregious ways. They have to play along with the charade.
That is not to suggest this incident is such a thing. The suspicion is do to the mind-triggering mention of a prior event in an agenda-pushing paper.
Chinese news media have suggested that officials have allowed risks to fester, through corruption or laxity. The official response to such accidents, while often impressive in scale and speed, has done little to mute that criticism.
That could be said of FEMA.
“What is troubling about this accident is that it occurred in a first-tier city, Shenzhen,” said a commentary in The Beijing News, a widely read tabloid newspaper. “It is at the forefront of Chinese citizens in its level of modernization.”
On Monday, residents who had fled the mud said the semirural area should never have been used to dump dirt and rubble from local construction projects.
“They started piling up the dirt and waste roughly two years ago,” Li Xigui, a 52-year-old who has lived in the area for 15 years, said in an interview. “I knew something would go wrong.’’
A comment on the website of Caixin, a Chinese business and current affairs magazine, said: “We thought that this was another natural disaster, caused by soil erosion and many days of rain. But then everyone discovered that it was not mud from a natural hill that struck this industrial park and forced the collapses.”
Under Deng Xiaoping, Shenzhen grew from paddy fields in the late 1970s into a special economic zone for market-driven experimentation. It has increasingly moved into such industries as biotechnology and telecommunications.
I hope nothing happened to the Microsoft office.
In the Guangming New District, where the landslide struck, vegetable fields have been pushed back by spreading factories and neon-lit shops and restaurants. In late 2012, when newly appointed Communist Party leader Xi Jinping wanted to establish his reputation as an economic innovator, he traveled to Shenzhen.
Hmmm.
China’s rapid growth has long created problems with the dumping of construction materials and displaced dirt, often resulting in illegal, multistory piles of debris on the outskirts of cities, blocking waterways and bringing dust and flooding.
Zongxing Environmental Technology, a company based in Shenzhen that conducts site surveys, had previously warned of dangers at the site, Chinese news outlets said. The company published an environmental impact assessment report in January warning of erosion risks that might cause landslides, according to The 21st Century Business Herald, a business news publication.
The report, which was published on the company’s website, and a related notice on the website of the government of the Guangming New District appeared to have been deleted.
That's what Obama wants to do to people like yours truly.
I'm too radical.
A woman who answered the phone at Zongxing Environmental Technology said that the “relevant people are handling the incident” but declined to answer further questions. A spokeswoman for the Guangming New District Management Committee said information would be given through the district’s microblog account and news conferences.
Many residents recalled puzzlement giving way to fear, even panic, when the landslide struck. Some recalled the sound of a large blast, although it was unclear whether an explosion set off the slide or was caused by it.
Hmmmmmmmmmm!
PetroChina said that its gas pipeline through the area had not exploded, despite earlier reports that it had....
I'm smelling sabotage, if for no other reason than the reporting!
--more--"
Related:
"The alarms got little attention until the accumulation of building waste collapsed here, burying homes and factories, and forcing Chinese officials, investigators, journalists and families waiting for news of the 76 still missing to ask: If so many saw the risks, why was nothing done? Even China’s usually shackled news media appeared to demand more this time than the ritualized arrests and convictions that follow disasters here. Some said there had to be a deeper reckoning with the hazards created by China’s once breathless sprint for prosperity."
At least they get those. We don't here in AmeriKa.
"China detains 12 people over Shenzhen landslide. The detentions followed a pattern in Chinese disasters, in which the government often responds by pinning criminal charges on company managers and officials found culpable."
Same here (think coal, BP blowout, etc).
Also see: China landslide victim found alive 60 hours later
The boss drowned, though.
"Beijing tightens security as embassies warn of threats" Associated Press December 24, 2015
BEIJING — Beijing police tightened security around a bar and shopping area popular with foreigners on Thursday as embassies issued warnings for their citizens to be on guard against possible threats against Westerners.
The American, British, French and other embassies said they had received information of possible threats against Westerners in the Sanlitun area on or around Christmas Day, and urged their citizens to be vigilant.
"The eggshells of fear will often turn to powder" -- Confucius
Embassy spokespeople contacted said they had no more information to share.
Dozens of police, some with rifles, were standing on guard in the area, which has many big-name brand stores and some embassies. Roads leading into the embassy area were closed to traffic.
Beijing police also announced Thursday that they had issued a yellow security alert to ensure safety during the Christmas period.
According to Beijing’s security regulations, the alert is the lowest on a three-tier security warning scale for large stores or shopping and entertainment areas and is issued in case of receiving threats or finding suspected explosives.
Police commonly issue a yellow alert during holiday periods.
Oh, so this is no big deal and a matter of routine?
Thanks for stocking the fear for no reason.
--more--"
"China passes antiterrorism law that critics fear will overreach" by Chris Buckley New York Times December 28, 2015
BEIJING — The government argued that the requirements were needed to prevent terrorist attacks. Opponents countered that the new powers could be abused to monitor peaceful citizens and steal technological secrets.
Isn't Confucius the guy who once said shoe on other foot is a hypocrite?
Whether the complaints persuaded the government to dilute the bill was not clear: State news media did not immediately publish the text of the new law.
I never saw anything regarding the tax loot giveaway, either.
Vanished right down the ma$$ media memory hole, too.
“Not only in China, but also in many places internationally, growing numbers of terrorists are using the Internet to promote and incite terrorism, and are using the Internet to organize, plan, and carry out terrorist acts,” the official, Li Shouwei, told a news conference in Beijing.
My government argues the same.
Li, a criminal law expert, said the antiterrorism law included a requirement that telecommunication and Internet service providers “shall provide technical interfaces, decryption, and other technical support and assistance to public security and state security agencies when they are following the law to avert and investigate terrorist activities.”
We already got that. It came with the tax loot giveaway, and you can thank speaker Ryan for it.
The approval by the legislature, which is controlled by the Communist Party, came as Beijing has become increasingly jittery about antigovernment violence, especially in the ethnically divided region of Xinjiang in western China, where members of the Uighur minority have been at growing odds with the authorities.
And you know what jittery nations do, right? They lash out and start wars!
Also see: Xinjiang seethes under Chinese crackdown
Since when do terrorists get sympathy in the propaganda pre$$?
Who wrote this cra....
Oh, NYT. 'nuff said.
Also, over the weekend, the shopping neighborhood of Sanlitun in Beijing was under reinforced guard by People’s Armed Police troops after several foreign embassies, including that of the United States, warned that there were heightened security risks there around Christmas.
Matter of routine, but....
Human rights groups have warned the new law will give even more intrusive powers to the Chinese government, which already has broad, virtually unchecked authority to monitor and detain citizens and to demand information from companies and Internet services.
AmeriKa, AmeriKa, God shed his Grace on Thee!!!!!!
--more--"
Scene look familiar, American?
The criticism is coming from jhuman rights groups, business lobbies, and President Obama.
I mean, that's rich. Criticism from the mass-murdering dictator of a government that tortures.
As for supporting terrorists, here is one:
China seizes upon Dalai Lama’s comment about Islamic State
The nonviolent(?) fool is lauded by the U.S. power structure.
That out to tell you something.
Need to look under those robes.
What's next?
Blaming China for what is happening to the elephants?
Btw, I'm still waiting for them to get back to us after the results of the research.
UPDATE: China charges dozen officials over deadly Shenzhen landslide
If I find anything else I'll link it here.
