Mil News China Military news

[bdpopeye]

Well, well, well...Disgraced manager at shipbuilding juggernaut allegedly ‘sold Chinese carrier intel to CIA’..

Sun Bo is under a probe for graft and rumored espionage; meanwhile a new rendering of a future carrier without a ski-jump bow is released and then deleted

A disgraced senior executive of the state-owned China Shipbuilding Industry Corp (CSIC) is said to have fed US spies highly classified information, including the design and specifications of the Liaoning aircraft carrier that underwent years of refurbishment at CSIC’s Dalian Shipyard.

CSIC general manager Sun Bo, the second-highest-ranking executive at the shipbuilding juggernaut, has run afoul of graft and crime busters at the National Supervision Commission and the Communist Party’s Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and is under investigation for “gross violation of laws and party discipline,” according to a one-line notice posted last week on the two commissions’ joint website that is devoid of any further details.

Sun’s last public appearance was on June 11 during an inspection trip to a CSIC logistics subsidiary.

Sina Military and Hong Kong-based Apple Daily noted that Sun could have divulged some drawings and other information of the Soviet-built Liaoning, as well as its retrofitting work during the 2000s, to US Central Intelligence Agency operatives.

The allegation has also raised questions on whether the confidentiality undertaking regarding technical details of China’s first domestically built carrier, which is modeled heavily on the Liaoning‘s design including a similar jump-rack deck, could have also been compromised.

Sun, 57, holds a doctorate in vessel and marine structures design from the Dalian University of Technology and spent most of his career heading the Dalian Shipyard when the Liaoning was being rebuilt there.

Some suspect that Sun’s case could be a money-for-intelligence one, if the leakage accusation can be substantiated, though Beijing is unlikely to reveal the results of a probe of such a sensitive case involving a member of the top management at a key defense conglomerate that, other than the two carriers, is also contracted to build advanced destroyers and frigates for the People’s Liberation Army.

But Beijing-based observer Li Jie told Singapore’s Lianhe Zaobao that Sun could be hard put to intervene with the retrofitting and construction of the two carriers given the rigorous supervision and background check in place, and neither did his case have anything to do with the rumored quality issues of the two vessels.

Meanwhile, CSIC on Wednesday reported on its WeChat account that its president Hu Wenming had reiterated the “paramount urgency to stay loyal to the party and fend off infiltration as well as graft” at an internal meeting.

Yet one photo of the meeting, held at CSIC’s China Ship and Vessel Research and Design Institute in the central city of Wuhan, has piqued more interest.

A computer-generated rendering depicting a massive cavalcade of three carriers and other warships was revealed in the photo, and other than the Liaoning and its yet-to-be-christened sister ship currently finalizing its sea trials, a new, bigger carrier is sailing front and center in the picture.

Analysts believe it could be China’s second home-made carrier, and the first to sport a distinctive “flattop” design. Previous rumors about the new seagoing airbase include a conventional power train and possibly three electromagnetic catapults on its flight deck.

Beijing-based military commentator Song Zhongping told Global Times that the future carrier could have a displacement of 80,000 tons.

The photo was deleted later on Wednesday amid heated speculation about future Chinese carriers.

CSIC also disclosed in February its plan to build China’s first nuclear-powered carrier – likely at its Bohai Shipyard in Huludao in the northeastern province of Liaoning, where China’s first nuclear submarine was built – in a roadmap of weaponry upgrades for the PLA Navy by 2025, though it’s unknown if Sun’s fall from grace will have any impact on the ambitious plan.

By FRANK CHEN
JUNE 21, 2018 4:43 PM

 

[bdpopeye]

Is China’s Homemade Carrier Undergoing Major Repairs?

Latest photos from the Dalian Shipyard where China’s first indigenous aircraft carrier is berthed after its maiden sea trial suggest the 65,000-ton vessel could be undergoing a major refit.

The Chinese carrier made its first splash in April 2017, so the news that its entire hull was lifted out of the water for checks and repairs just a few days after its first voyage has fueled speculation that something has gone wrong.

Yet an analysis that appeared in the Shanghai-based opinion website guancha.cn argued that an earlier dry-dock check could mean swifter progress towards the carrier being delivered.

The propulsion system involving paddles, shaftline, valves and other parts below a ship’s waterline can only be checked and repaired when it enters a dry dock.

The writer suspected that the new carrier needed some cleaning – of its bulbous bow, as well as other sections of its hull, to get rid of barnacles and other stuff that are “hitching a ride”. There was also speculation about the need for some touching up to apply newer layers of anti-erosion coating.

Chinese military observers said it was routine to finetune the propulsion system and configuration after a carrier’s first sail.

However, it’s not unusual for new carriers in other navies’ to suffer glitches during sea trials.

The port propeller of France’s nuclear carrier Charles de Gaulle broke during her final sea trial in the Atlantic Ocean in 2000, which caused it to head back to its home port to get a replacement fitted. Inquiries that followed showed similar structural faults in the other propeller and spare propellers.

The Liaoning, China’s only carrier currently in service, also had a two-month-long dry-dock check after its fourth trial in 2012.

It was also revealed that Liaoning’s second dry-dock maintenance in May 2014, a year after it entered service with the Chinese Navy, was beset with chaos and delays as engineers underestimated the wear and tear the Soviet-built cruiser-turned-carrier endured after a year of hectic training and navigation.

 

[peping]

good job spy, hope more spies, expose weakness, from military, economy to political

 

[bdpopeye]

good job spy, hope more spies, expose weakness, from military, economy to political

He was not that good of a spy because he got caught. Apparently someone the CIA recruited as they more than likely baited him with US dollars.

I don't know how much value the US could gain out of those blueprints. Perhaps the Chinese made some improvements to the Kuznetsov class CV design...who knows for sure.

...and one thing to remember about any military news coming out of China. This story may be 50% truth and 50% fantasy.

 

[bdpopeye]

China has placed it's Coast Guard under military command.

BEIJING -- China placed its coast guard under the authority of its military on Sunday, a move that risks heightening tensions with Japan over the frequent forays by those vessels around territory claimed by both countries.

The transfer of coast guard control to the People's Armed Police Force from the State Council, China's cabinet, was proposed in March as part of a broader government reorganization. The Standing Committee of the National People's Congress approved the move in late June.

The Ministry of National Defense said that the coast guard's basic duty of enforcing maritime law will not change. But China has been adding larger vessels to the fleet, including retired warships, and the coast guard conducted joint patrols with the Chinese navy in the South China Sea in May. The reshuffle blurs the organizational boundaries further.


The move raises concerns in Tokyo, given that the Chinese coast guard often plies waters around the Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea, which are administered by Japan and claimed by Beijing as the Diaoyu.

Since China asserts that the change will not alter the guard's role, Japan will continue responding to such incursions with its own coast guard while sending the Self-Defense Forces in reaction to Chinese naval vessels.

But "actions that look outwardly like coast guard activity may be part of military operations under the command of the Central Military Commission," warned a Japanese government source involved in China policy. The commission controls the armed police along with the rest of China's military.

"We will continue to work with the relevant ministries and agencies including the Japan Coast Guard to ensure that we take all possible measures with regard to surveillance and information gathering," Japanese Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera told reporters last week.

 

[bdpopeye]

The PLA appears to have some major issues. Please read;

China’s army infiltrated by ‘peace disease’ after years without a war, says its official newspaper

"Anti-corruption inspections to root out falsifying of military training data take on added importance in drive to boost forces’ combat-readiness

China’s People’s Liberation Army is ridden with “peace disease”, its official newspaper has said as efforts are stepped up to address a lack of battle-readiness and anti-graft measures continue to stamp out corruption of its military drills.

According to the People’s Liberation Army Daily in an editorial on Monday, “peace disease” has infiltrated every corner of the PLA since its last battles, with Vietnam in the late 1970s, threatening to undermine the fighting capability of what is the world’s largest military.

Chinese President Xi Jinping has ordered the military to boost its combat-readiness in response to concerns that officers lack the required competence after having not engaged in battle for decades. Xi has launched reforms including downsizing the army and placing greater emphasis on training.

To prevent some military officials falsifying training data, the Central Military Commission (CMC) has since November been sending military disciplinary officers – representing the PLA’s anti-graft watchdog – to the army’s five theatre commands as inspectors, to monitor drills.

“Peace disease has been a common symptom in our military for decades,” the PLA Daily editorial read. “If we do not make up our mind to eliminate those evils, we must pay a heavy cost in the event of a war.

“We can only stop a war when we are able to fight.”

It stressed that the country was facing greater security threats and unprecedented global variables, and added: “Let the army get back on the right track, concentrating on combat-ready training.”

Xi, who chairs the CMC, has ordered the PLA to be transformed into a world-class fighting force in the next three decades.

That ambitious goal requires the military to learn from its Western counterparts, especially the United States, and to conduct regular and intensive live-fire drills – with the inspectors sent to try to ensure the drills’ integrity.

The shift has come as China increasingly flexes its military muscle in the disputed South China Sea, and establishes missions further away, such as setting up a military hub in the east African nation of Djibouti.

Retired PLA colonel Yue Gang said the military was reminding its officers that the Communist Party’s anti-corruption drive was shifting from “capturing big tigers [senior officials]” to “prohibiting omission”.

“Apart from corruption, job omission is the next key symptom of ‘peace disease’ in the Chinese military that should be cured,” Yue said, referring to some military commanders’ creation of fake data relating to routine military drills.

PLA party representatives from the ground force of the Fuzhou-based Eastern Theatre Command in Fujian province selected a new batch of anti-graft officers on Friday to monitor military drills.

The theatre is the former power base of Xi, who spent more than 17 years there before he was promoted as Zhejiang party chief in 2002.

The Eastern Theatre Command is one of the five war zones of the PLA, covering Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Anhui, Fujian, Jiangxi, Shanghai and East Sea Fleet.

The statement said the ground forces in the Eastern Theatre Command would make efforts to comply with Xi’s order to focus on combat-ready training.

Yue said the Eastern Theatre Command’s pledge would be promoted to China’s other four theatres, in the central, south, west and east.

“The message is clear: inactive military officials involved in falsification will be sent to military courts and punished by law, which is definitely stricter than previous years,” Yue said, adding that officials found guilty of misconduct in the past had received a warning, or been told to make a repentant admission.

“Being an uncorrupted official does not mean you are qualified in the army. The treatment and benefits given to Chinese servicemen and women is in line with international standards, and so we should expect the training for them to also meet international levels. Otherwise, there will be serious consequences for the military.”

The anti-graft movement has brought down two former CMC vice-chairmen, Guo Boxiong and Xu Caihou, who were the most senior military officers investigated for buying and selling military ranks and other forms of corruption.

At least 13,000 military officers involved in corruption have been punished over the past five years, the PLA Daily reported in October.

Military drills during Guo and Xu’s terms in the early 2000s were routine and often conducted for show and profit, with more drills translating to more funding and commanders involved in well-received drills boosting their chances of being promoted – practices that were later identified as harmful by Xi."

======================================================

popeye sez = This could be "Fake News"..however I've read several articles similar to this over the years. Makes me think a lot......once again...... one thing to remember about any military news coming out of China. This story may be 50% truth and 50% fantasy...or thereabouts...

 

[bdpopeye]

China Willing to Assist Syrian Army in Idlib Offensive – Ambassador to Syria
03.08.2018

Although China has provided political support to Damascus and is widely expected to play an important role in Syria’s post-war reconstruction, Beijing has so far shied away from providing direct military support to the Syrian Army.

Chinese Ambassador to Syria Qi Qianjin has suggested Beijing could soon deploy forces to assist the Syrian Army in its upcoming Idlib offensive, in addition to anti-terrorist operations in other parts of the country.

Speaking to Syria’s Al-Watan newspaper on Thursday, the Chinese diplomat said they are monitoring the conflict, adding that the Chinese military “is willing to participate in some way alongside the Syrian Army that is fighting the terrorists in Idlib and in any other part of Syria.”

A source at the Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) told Sputnik reporter Suliman Mulhem he wasn’t aware of plans for China to militarily enter the war, but said the Syrian government “welcomed any support” in its ongoing drive to dislodge terrorists from Syria.

When questioned about the prospect of Chinese forces aiding the Syrian Army in its operation to liberate the Idlib Governorate, Chang said such an initiative “requires a political decision,” without elaborating.

Thousands of hardline Islamist Uyghur militants smuggled themselves and their families into Syria over the course of the multi-year conflict, with the bulk of them ultimately settling in Idlib province, alongside other foreign and domestic jihadists.

The Chinese government is undoubtedly concerned about the fate of these militants, as they pose a threat to China’s national security, but the deployment of a large contingent of forces to Syria would be surprising, especially as the war is nearing its end.

Instead, Beijing is likely to deploy a limited number of special forces soldiers and military advisors to assist Syrian government forces, while also working with Syria’s various intelligence agencies to prevent Uyghur militants from sneaking back into China and carrying out terrorist attacks.

https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201808031066920850-china-syria-military-assistance/

I do not trust the source of this article. Can anyone verify? Thanks!

 

[bdpopeye]

Tragedy strikes the Chinese Navy! my condolence's to all involved.

Three Chinese techs die at naval research station

Three senior Chinese naval technicians drowned earlier this week while securing a research ship during a storm, state media reported.
State broadcaster CCTV said the three were attached to the No. 760 Institute in the northeastern port of Dalian where much of China’s most advanced naval design and development work is done.

Website haijun.360.com said the institute used the ship, the 2,300-ton Beidiao993, to experiment with sonar and underwater acoustics.

The institute under state-owned China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation employs civilian and military personnel.

CCTV said the three and others had rushed to the dock to prepare for the typhoon that hit China last weekend. It said the drowning victims were Huang Qun, the institute's deputy director, project leader Song Yuecai, and electromechanical engineer Jiang Kaibin.

High waves that had loosened the ship's cables threw them into the sea and attempts to revive them failed. A moment of silence was held for them by leaders of the corporation on Tuesday.

China’s navy and coast guard are building ships at a blinding pace, challenging U.S. naval dominance in Asia with the deployment of aircraft carriers and advanced submarines.

 

[peping]

^^ as stated, China is building ships at a blinding pace. So my question are

a. Are the ships built at a military standard ( e.g. US navy or Western Navy standards) or commercial standards
b. What is the advantage of so many warships, if they are built to commercial standards, when it can be disabled easily

 

[bdpopeye]

^^ as stated, China is building ships at a blinding pace. So my question are

a. Are the ships built at a military standard ( e.g. US navy or Western Navy standards) or commercial standards

Yes. Most defantanly ALL of China's navy ships are built to military standards.

and...

b. What is the advantage of so many warships, if they are built to commercial standards, when it can be disabled easily

As stated China's navy ships are built to military standards. peping, did someone you know or did you read state that they are built to civilian/merchant standards? Well if so that is not correct.

The Chinese in my opinion want to be able to have the most powerful navy in Asia. And counterbalance the US Navy presence in the western Pacific.

 

[bdpopeye]

China's second aircraft carrier is underway for her second sea-
trial. ...follow the link for the full Monty.

Sea trials pave way for China's aircraft carrier battle group: analysts

China's first domestically built aircraft carrier. Photo: VCG

China's first domestically built aircraft carrier Type 001A embarked on its second sea trial on Sunday, two days after China's first homegrown 10,000-ton class missile destroyer had its first sea trial.

Chinese experts said on Sunday the vessels will likely form an aircraft carrier battle group once they are handed over to the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy.

Assisted by tug boats, the aircraft carrier set out from the Dalian Shipyard in Northeast China's Liaoning Province on Sunday morning after a display of fireworks, according to videos and photos on Sina Weibo on Sunday.

"The carrier's second sea trial will focus on dealing with issues that arose during the first," Song Zhongping, a military expert and TV commentator, told the Global Times on Sunday.

While testing the ships' power systems is the main focus, the second sea trial will involve heavier payloads and other system diagnostics including command, communication and damage management, Song said.

Zhang Ye, a research fellow at the PLA Naval Research Institute, told the Global Times on Sunday that the second sea trial will also focus on running tests of the aircraft carrier's weaponry and equipment.

"Radars, the navigation system and main weapons will be tested," Zhang said.

 

[bdpopeye]

3rd sea trial expected soon for China’s aircraft carrier

By Liu Xuanzun Source:Global Times Published: 09/16/2018

China's first domestically made aircraft carrier Type 001A is expected to undergo a third sea trial after military exercises were announced in seas near the city of Dalian, Northeast China's Liaoning Province.

The military exercises are to be conducted from last Friday to this Friday in the Bohai Straits and northern Yellow Sea, reads a notice released on Thursday by China's Maritime Safety Administration. Vessels are prohibited from entering the designated area, it said.

According to the coordinates provided by the administration, the drill will cover a "large sea area" close to Dalian where the Type 001A is moored leading Chinese military fans to speculate that the Type 001A will undergo its third sea trial.

"The exact date for a sea trial of an aircraft carrier is confidential. However, such a sea trial would indeed need a large prohibited area because of the size of the carrier," Wei Dongxu, a Beijing-based military analyst, told the Global Times on Sunday.

Recent photos show the Type 001A equipped with four arresting cables following its second sea trial in August. Some speculate the carrier may let fighter jets take off and land during a potential third sea trial.

In addition to arresting cables which are basic to take-off and landing of fighter jets on an aircraft carrier, the Type 001A must also test its radar, communication, navigation and optical landing systems, Wei said, before it conducts high-difficulty tests like take-off and landing.

The carrier is expected to further experiment with its power and transmission systems, testing parameters like maximum speed and minimum turning radius.

It is also likely to conduct live-fire target practices with its close-in rapid-fire cannons and short-range air defense missiles, Wei said.

Chinese military observers said that it may take only about a year for the Type 001A to be delivered to the People's Liberation Army Navy thanks to the knowledge gained from the launch of the country's first carrier Liaoning.

 

[BravoZulu]

China’s People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) may unveil its recently designated Hong-20 (H-20) long-range strategic stealth bomber during a parade as part of the service’s 70th anniversary celebrations in 2019. The possible participation of the H-20 in the PLAAF anniversary parade was first reported by Defence Blog on October 15.

Speculations over a possible participation of a H-20 prototype was further fueled by the display of a new logo featuring the silhouette of a flying wing-style aircraft, thought to be the new H-20 aircraft, at a recent official gala of the strategic bomber division under the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Eastern Theater Command.

The designation of the new bomber was first publicly revealed in August during a documentary broadcast by China Central Television in which the aircraft was referred to as the “Hong-20” a “new long-range strategic bomber” under development for the PLAAF. According to Defense News, the documentary added that “great progress” is being made on the H-20 development.

A maiden flight of the aircraft could occur in early 2020.

Details about the H-20’s design and capabilities remain limited. However, there is a broad belief that the new aircraft, developed by Xi’an Aircraft Industrial Corporation (XAC), will have a stealthy flying wing design with an internal weapons bay similar to the U.S. Air Force’s B-2 Spirit bomber.

The 603rd Aircraft Design Institute, a partner organization of XAC, has reportedly been working on new stealth bomber designs since the 1990s. According to some analysts, one of the major obstacles for a next-generation stealth bomber remains the design and development of an indigenous high-performance turbofan engine for the aircraft.

The Diplomat’s Rick Joe notes that construction of the first prototype of the H-20 may have begun in 2015 and may have rolled out already in 2017. Rick also summarized characteristics of the new bomber discussed in a Chinese language article on a PLA-affiliated website:

• Reaffirmation that H-20 would adopt a flying wing configuration with “good stealth performance”;
• An intercontinental range, with numbers stated of a combat radius over 5,000 kilometers;
• A lower payload than B-2, but a substantially larger payload than H-6K, which would correspond to a modern large aircraft powered by four non-afterburning WS-10s;
• Capable of carrying nuclear and conventional payloads.

Additional characteristics also suggest the PLAAF envisions the H-20 to be a more multirole aircraft than traditional bombers like the B-2, and is more reminiscent of roles the USAF has called for their B-21 Raider:

• “Almost as good as a special electronic combat aircraft in electronic combat capability”;
• The mounting of high powered radar, high powered microwave, and laser and infrared equipment to effect and destroy missiles and other air to ground targets;
• Large capacity data fusion and transmission, which aligns with the PLA’s overall understanding of informationized warfare;

Acting as a C4ISR node and “interacting” with a large number of platforms such as UAVs, AEW&C, and reconnaissance aircraft to share information and target data.

The PLAAF’s basic requirement for an aircraft to be designated a strategic bomber is a minimum range of 8,000 km (5,000 miles) without refueling and the capacity to carry a payload of more than 10 tons of air-to-ground munitions. It is estimated that the new bomber could enter service with the PLAAF as early as 2025. Notably, there has not been official confirmation from Chinese authorities yet over the possible unveiling of the new aircraft during the PLAAF anniversary parade in 2019.
https://thediplomat.com/2018/10/china-to-unveil-new-stealth-bomber-during-military-parade-in-2019/

 

[BravoZulu]

‘Human rights with Chinese characteristics’ aren’t human rights at all
Considering Australia had only 45 seconds to deliver its recommendations on China’s human rights situation at the UN review of the country’s record in Geneva yesterday, our diplomats managed to pack quite a lot in.

Australia’s representatives ran through the whole gamut of human rights issues that have continued to deteriorate under China’s President Xi Jinping—including worsening freedom of expression and religion and the continued use of the death penalty—and called for the release of detained human rights defenders.

But the diplomats reserved their most pointed criticism for China’s treatment of minorities in Xinjiang province, calling for it to ‘cease the arbitrary detention of Uighurs and other Muslim groups’ there. Australia’s full statement, which is to be uploaded on the OHCHR website, said:

Australia shares the UN’s alarm at numerous reports of detention of large numbers of ethnic Uighurs and other Muslim groups held incommunicado and often for long periods without being charged or tried, which exacerbates rather than prevents religious extremism.

Australia recommends that China cease the practice of arbitrarily detaining Uighurs and other Muslim groups in Xinjiang, which is more likely to exacerbate than prevent religious extremism and, as recommended by the UN [Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination], immediately release individuals currently detained.

That the public criticism came on the eve of Marise Payne’s official visit to Beijing—the first by an Australian foreign minister in almost three years—is a reassuring sign that the Australian government is prepared to prioritise values alongside realpolitik in its dealings with China. The foreign minister has committed to raising the issue in her discussions in Beijing ‘in an appropriate way’.

Australia’s decision to join other countries like the Canada, France, Germany, Switzerland, the UK and the US signals a break from the approach introduced by then foreign minister Alexander Downer in 2007, which saw Australia opt for bilateral dialogues with China on human rights issues.

Writing in the Financial Review earlier this year, Downer said that then US secretary of state Madeleine Albright had been ‘pretty robust in her criticism’ of Australia’s diplomatic stance at the time, but that he was satisfied the decision represented the ‘smarter path’ when dealing with China on human rights issues.

But now that decision isn’t looking quite so smart. With discussions held behind closed doors, Beijing continued to downgrade the bilateral human rights dialogues until they fell away completely. Then, seemingly emboldened by the lack of public criticism, Beijing started steadily running down the small gains it had made in recent years in civil and political rights.

No area in China, save for Tibet, has seen human rights deteriorate as quickly and as systematically as Xinjiang. As our ASPI International Cyber Policy Centre report Mapping Xinjiang’s ‘re-education’ camps, last week demonstrated, Chinese authorities are rapidly expanding a network of internment camps there, with no end in sight.

As we write in the report, the rapid growth of these indoctrination centres is reminiscent of Beijing’s efforts in the South China Sea. Similar to the speed with which it has created new ‘islands’ where none existed before, the Chinese state has changed the facts on the ground in Xinjiang so dramatically and so quickly that it has allowed little time for other countries to meaningfully react.

The satellite imagery we analysed for the report reveals an archipelago of buildings that look like they’re meant to be permanent. Given the huge amount of resources devoted to the project, it seems likely it’s been designed to run for years to come.

And as the Australian delegation’s detailed questions in Geneva highlight, China has started to tweak the diplomatic language it’s using to describe its orientation towards human rights, in an attempt to provide an ideological justification for the changes it’s making on the ground.

In a national report submitted to the UN ahead of the review, China said there’s ‘no universal road for the development of human rights in the world’. Instead, it said, the country was committed to the pursuit of ‘human rights with Chinese characteristics’.

The formulation is reminiscent of how Beijing describes its own system of government: ‘socialism with Chinese characteristics’—which means it’s not socialism at all. As Bao Tong, former political aide to the late ousted premier Zhao Ziyang, has written, the phrasing is really just a way of validating the primacy of the Chinese Communist Party.

Through its words and its deeds, the Chinese government is showing what it really is and how it intends to shape the world in the coming decades.

Payne, who’s now in Beijing, has the perfect opportunity to reiterate Australia’s strong views when she meets with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and make it clear that human rights are only human rights when they’re based on universal principles.
https://www.aspistrategist.org.au/h...ese characteristics arent human rights at all

 

[bdpopeye]

Deputy head of Chinese shipbuilder sacked and expelled from Communist Party

• Graft-buster finds Sun Bo guilty of trading power for financial gain and taking bribes
• Sources say he was investigated for passing information about China’s first aircraft carrier to foreign intelligence agents

The deputy head of the state-owned firm developing China’s first home-grown aircraft carrier has been expelled from the Communist Party and sacked for alleged “serious violations of party discipline and causing great damage to the national interest”.

Sun Bo, who was general manager of China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation (CSIC), was found guilty of trading power for financial gain and accepting bribes, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, China’s top graft-buster, said in a statement on Monday.

But two sources close to the Chinese military told the South China Morning Post that Sun was investigated for allegedly passing confidential information about the Liaoning, China’s first aircraft carrier, to foreign intelligence agents.

The commission’s statement made no mention of the Liaoning project, giving only brief details of the case and saying that the investigation had concluded and that the party leadership had approved Sun’s expulsion. The case is now being handled by the country’s judicial bodies.

“As a senior cadre and responsible leader of a state-owned enterprise, Sun Bo has abused his authority and was disloyal to the Communist Party,” the statement said.

“He committed serious violations of party discipline and did nothing to correct his mistakes even after the 18th party congress,” the graft-buster said, referring to the 2012 meeting at which a nationwide anti-corruption drive was announced.

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/mil...ese-shipbuilder-sacked-and-expelled-communist

 

[bdpopeye]

The ship is at sea right now

Ministry of National Defense

China’s second aircraft carrier may be undergoing fourth sea trial including J-15 jet fighter test

By Liu Xuanzun Source:Global Times Published: 2018/12/27 17:02:35

China's domestically built Type 001A aircraft carrier seems to be embarking on a fourth sea trial, judging by online videos, pictures and an announcement of a military exercise in relevant waters. The ship is expected to test its aviation system, helicopters and J-15 jet fighters.

Experts expect the carrier will be delivered to the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy by April and take part in a possible naval parade to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the Navy's founding.

Following a fireworks display, the aircraft carrier set out from the Dalian Shipyard in Northeast China's Liaoning Province with the assistance of multiple tug boats on Thursday morning, according to videos and photos posted on Sina Weibo on Thursday.

A military exercise is scheduled from Friday to January 4 in Bohai Strait and North Huanghai Sea, according to a statement the Maritime Safety Administration of China released on Thursday. Other ships are prohibited from entering the designated area, according to the statement, which did not mention which ships might be involved in the exercise.

"During this sea trial, the carrier's aviation division will be coordinated for the first time," predicted Wang Yunfei, a naval expert and retired PLA Navy officer.

The ship crew will run tests on the radar, communication, air traffic control systems as well as takeoff and landing equipment, Wang told the Global Times on Thursday.

Wei Dongxu, a Beijing-based military analyst, told the Global Times that there will also be a comprehensive test of all of the carrier's systems including power, damage control, weapons, and navigation systems.

Military observers have been expecting carrier-based aircraft to conduct takeoff and landing tests since the vessel's second sea trial in August.

Wang predicts J-15 fighter jets and helicopters to fly over the carrier deck to test and coordinate systems related to takeoff and landing. "If everything works well, a takeoff and landing test is possible," Wang noted.

Wei said that the J-15 pilots are already very familiar with takeoff and landing on the Liaoning, China's first aircraft carrier, so it will not be a difficult task to conduct tests on the new carrier.

Full-sized models of aircraft will also be used to test loading and maintenance equipment, such as the elevator to transfer aircrafts between hangar and deck, Wei said.

Chinese Ministry of National Defense spokesperson Wu Qian said at a monthly routine press conference on Thursday that the PLA Navy is planning celebration activities for the 70th anniversary of its founding.

The PLA Navy may hold a maritime parade in April as a part of the celebration, according to media reports. Although it is still not certain, but the Type 001A might be delivered to the PLA Navy by then and could take part in the parade depending on the success of the sea trial, Wang said.

Chinese military enthusiasts online hope to see the Type 001A join the Liaoning, which is currently undergoing maintenance, and the Type 055, China's 10,000-ton class guided missile destroyer that is also undergoing sea trials, at the parade.

The Type 001A has conducted three sea trials in May, August and October respectively.

 

[AAR Galileo]

China’s new antenna is five times the size of New York City, but some fear it could be a cancer risk

• Work to build facility was 13 years in the making, but some researchers have expressed concern about exposure to extremely low frequency waves
• Project WEM will be able to communicate with submarines under the water, reducing need for them to surface

China has built a giant experimental radio antenna on a piece of land almost five times the size of New York City, according to researchers involved in the highly controversial project.
The Wireless Electromagnetic Method (WEM) project took 13 years to build but researchers said that it was finally ready to emit extremely low frequency radio waves, also known as ELF waves. Those waves have been linked to cancer by the World Health Organisation-affiliated International Agency for Research on Cancer.
Although the project has civilian applications – officially it will be used for earthquake and mineral detection and forms part of China’s 11th five-year plan – it could also play a crucial role in military communications.
Scientists said that its transmissions could be picked up by a submarine lurking hundreds of metres under the sea, thus reducing the vessel’s risk of having to resurface to receive transmissions.

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/sci...-five-times-size-new-york-city-it-also-cancer

 

[BravoZulu]

ELF has secondary implications in the field of seismic detection, it's MAIN and primary function is for transmissions to submarines at depth, using the planet itself as a "bell" to make contact. It's primary function is use prior to nuclear war.

As far as I know there are only 3 other ELF arrays in the world, 2 in the US and 1 in Russia

 

[AAR Galileo]

As far as I know there are only 3 other ELF arrays in the world, 2 in the US and 1 in Russia

The US ELF project was shutdown in 2004. http://www.nukeresister.org/static/nr135/135elfcloses.html

The Russian ZEVS station is still operating.

Indian started using ELF in 2014. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com...-prowling-underwater/articleshow/39371121.cms

To operate efficiently an ELF station you need to have a direct contact to some specific rock formation (with low conductivity like the Laurentian shield) and there is not a lot of place in the world where they can be found.

France and UK use VLF.

 

[BravoZulu]

China’s ministry of foreign affairs has voiced its opposition to foreign countries supporting the development of Taiwan’s indigenous submarine program.
Speaking at a press conference on January 14, foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said China “firmly opposes arms sales to Taiwan by any country and military links in any form between any country and Taiwan.”
“We urge the US and other relevant countries to keep in mind the sensitivity and graveness of this issue, earnestly abide by the one-China principle, not to permit relevant enterprises from participating in Taiwan’s Indigenous Defense Submarine (IDS) program in any form, stop having any military links with Taiwan, and prudently and properly handle Taiwan-related issues so as to avoid severely undermining their bilateral relations with China and peace and stability across the Straits,” Hua Chunying said.
China’s foreign ministry addressed the issue after Taiwanese news outlets reported that several international companies expressed their willingness to take part in the program.
The reports said a number of companies from the US, Europe, India and Japan submitted their proposals for the program. Earlier reports from the country indicated that the US state department had approved the transfer of technology which would allow companies to support Taiwan in developing its own submarine.
According to Taiwan News, the country’s defense ministry recently said that construction could start as early as 2019 end while the first boat could be completed by 2025.
Taiwan operates two World War 2 era submarines and two Hai Lung-class (Zwaardvis-class) boats which were delivered to Taiwan from the Netherlands in 1987 and 1988. The US is already supplyingTaiwan with Harpoon missiles and heavyweight torpedoes for the newer submarines.
https://navaltoday.com/2019/01/15/c...rt-for-taiwans-submarine-development-program/