News that caught our eye / The week ending July 5, 2024
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NOTE: The news reports below are not in chronological order. There is often a time lag in their reaching the US and in gaining our attention. These reports reflect the opinions of a variety of news sources.
Curated by James Getka.
China’s new large amphibious aircraft goes into production and final assembly / July 5, 2024
China’s new amphibious aircraft, the AG600, has gone into production this summer to fill a growing demand for search and rescue operations. It is the world’s largest amphibious aircraft and can transport cargo or passengers. The plane can reach anywhere in the South China Sea from Hainan province in southern China in four hours (SCMP).
China seizes Taiwan fishing boat with crew near Chinese coast / July 3, 2024
China seized and then took a Taiwan fishing boat with five crew members to a Chinese port after the Chinese coast guard found it fishing in Chinese waters off the Kinmen Islands, which are controlled by Taiwan, but are very close to the Chinese mainland. The Coast Guard also said the fishermen were fishing during China’s no-fishing ban and that its nets were designed to catch squid that are smaller than the minimum size (ABC News--Australia).
A tell-tale sign that China could be preparing for war / July 4, 2024
China is stockpiling minerals and resources in a similar fashion to Germany and Japan before World War II, raising concern among some analysts that China is preparing for War and preparing for sanctions that might occur if it did act on that presumption. A former US Naval Intelligence officer also claimed that China is “militarizing its society” in preparation for a showdown (The Economic Times).
Putin and Xi hail ‘stability’ of China-Russia partnership on SCO sidelines / July 3, 2024
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping hailed the growing strength of their strategic partnership at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Kazakhstan on Wednesday, stating that their relationship is the strongest it has ever been. The SCO is a regional strategic bloc designed to counter Western organizations like the G20 and NATO (Al Jazeera).
Lawmakers sound alarm on Cuba-China threat after spy base images surface / July 4, 2024
Florida Congressman Carlos Gimenez warned of China’s increasing activity at spy bases on the island of Cuba, less than 100 miles from his district in the Florida Keys and southern Florida where the US has significant military bases. He and other US representatives lamented the Biden Administration’s efforts to placate the Communist countries rather than standing up to them (Fox News).
Italy seizes Chinese military drones heading to Libya, authorities say / July 2, 2024
Italy has seized component parts of 2 aerial Chinese drones found in shipping containers and concealed by wind turbine parts. The drones were destined for Libya and were seized because of an embargo against that country due to civil conflict since 2011. Libya has also recently been increasing ties with Russia, allowing Russia to stockpile tons of military equipment intended for Russia’s military involvement in Africa (Defense News).
China and the Philippines hold crucial talks after intense clash in disputed waters / July 2, 2024
Representatives from China and the Philippines met on Tuesday to ease tensions between the two countries after a clash occurred between the Chinese Coast Guard and Philippine transport ships in the Second Thomas Shoal in mid-June. A Philippine soldier was wounded, and two boats were damaged. Because shots were not fired, the US did not have to intervene to uphold a defense treaty it has with the Philippines (AP News).
Navy observes ‘drastic reduction’ of Chinese vessels in West Philippine Sea / July 2, 2024
The Philippine Navy noticed a reduction of about 25% in the number of Chinese ships in the West Philippine Sea at the end of June. The decrease may be due to an upcoming meeting between China and the Philippines, the Bilateral Consultation Mechanism (BCM), that Manila hopes to convene this month (ABS CBN News).
China and the Philippines jointly rescue stranded Filipino fishermen in humanitarian effort / July 1, 2024
In a rare expression of humanitarian aid, the Philippine Coast Guard and the Chinese Coast Guard joined efforts to assist a Philippine fishing boat that experienced an engine explosion, injuring two of its eight fishermen on board. At first, the Chinese vessel attempted to block the Philippine vessel, but once the Philippines’ intentions were made known, it offered to help (C
China's BYD posts 21% jump in quarterly EV sales, closes gap with Tesla / July 2, 2024
Chinese automaker BYD saw a 21% increase in sales of electric vehicles in the second quarter of 2024, edging closer to Tesla’s recorded sales, but not surpassing them for the second quarter in a row. Sales of new energy vehicles including EVs and plug-in hybrids in China made up almost half of total car sales in May (Yahoo Finance).