China Significantly Boosts Size of Navy and Air Force, Downsizes Army

An airman of the People’s Liberation Army Air Force operates an aircraft during a drill on the second flight training day of the New Year at Liaodong Peninsula on January 3, in Liaoning province, China. (Getty Images)

 

‘Transformational changes’ in military priorities are enhancing Beijing’s ability to flex its muscles far beyond China’s borders.

The Chinese People’s Liberation Army (pla) is undergoing “transformational changes” to greatly boost the size of its navy and air force and to downsize its land-based army by nearly half, the nation’s official Xinhua news agency said on January 20.

“This new data is unprecedented in the history of the pla,” the agency wrote. As a result of the changes, it said, “the Army now accounts for less than 50 percent of the total number of pla troops; almost half of our noncombatant units have been made redundant.”

MAPPED: Catalonia is NOT alone – the regions desperate for independence threatening the EU

The regions wanting more autonomy or independence [Mauldin Economics]

 

CATALONIA’S quest for independence from Spain could spark a domino effect plunging the European Union into crisis as a map reveals the other regions across the continent desperate for autonomy.

Catalonia threw Spain into a constitutional crisis yesterday after declaring independence following a controversial referendum.

But the region is not alone in its hope for independence and the aftershocks of the Catalonia crisis could further splinter the EU with dozens of regions hoping to return to autonomy and fighting their own battle to regain control.

The Rise of China as a Superpower

Shanghai, China (ISTOCK.COM/LIUFUYU)

 

 

It is one of the most impressive economic and political miracles in modern times. And it isn’t over yet.

China is a sovereign state with a population of over 1.3 billion people. The nation possesses the world’s largest economy by some measurements, the world’s largest population and the fourth-largest territory.

These are the building blocks of a superpower. While the world anticipates China gaining superpower status, analysts debate over when and whether its rise will be peaceful.

The Trumpet forecasts that China will continue to grow as a formidable power, combining its strength with Russia. Further, we forecast that it will play a major role in waging economic war that will devastate America.

Where do these forecasts come from?

Gibraltar Seeks to Cement Ties with UK After Brexit

Photo courtesy of Westmonster

 

Chief Minister Fabian Picardo stressing importance of bond between Britain and Gib.

Gibraltar’s Chief Minister, Fabian Picardo, has called for Gibraltar’s ties to Britain to be “cemented” after we leave the EU in March 2019.

Spain’s secret plans for Gibraltar REVEALED as Madrid draws up Brexit terms for the Rock

Spain looks like it will block a Brexit deal that is not in Spanish interests (Getty)

 

SPAIN has laid out what it sees as non-negotiable terms in the upcoming Brexit talks which include barring Gibraltar using “unfair competitive practices” against Spanish businesses.

Spain plans to end Gibraltar’s ‘privileged’ existence as a ‘tax haven’ and has drawn up a document called ‘Negotiations on the Withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the EU’ which has been sent to congress.

In the document, leaked to Spanish press, the foreign ministry makes clear that “Gibraltar is a matter of state” and that the special regime the Rock currently enjoys “is a condition that Spain had to accept at the time [1986] to be able to join the then European Communities”, given that the United Kingdom had become a member back in 1973.

Royal Navy to Lose Amphibious Capabilities

HMS Ocean sails into the sunset

 

Possible cuts will leave Britain incapable of the offensive.

Under the cover of darkness on May 21, 1982, British forces landed on the beaches of San Carlos in the Falklands. The 2 Para, 40 Commandos, and the 3 Para and the 41 Commandos conducted an unopposed amphibious assault, assisted by special forces, in a campaign to retake the capital city of Stanley. By the time the sun rose, the rest of the 3rd Commando Brigade was onshore to repulse the Argentinian counterattack.

…

The British could not have won the Falklands War without using their amphibious capabilities. The Thatcher government received a great deal of praise for the war, and it was a moment that made Britain believe in itself again as a major power. Ironically, all of that would have been impossible if the Conservative government’s plan of cutting the aircraft carriers and amphibious fleet had come about earlier. The Falklands War saved the Royal Navy.

Remarkably, the current Conservative government is planning similar cuts, by retiring the Royal Navy’s last aircraft carrier, the hms Ocean.

Brexit talks turn ugly over Gibraltar

As previously discussed a few times, bitter over Brexit, the EU will now find ways to punish Great Britain and gun for Gibraltar and even the Falkland Islands. In regards to Gibralter, it will go on the offensive and support a separation, whereas with the Falkland Islands it will turn a blind eye.

 

Royal Gibraltar Regiment on parade outside Buckingham Palace in London (Photo: Defence Images)

 

Britain has said Spain can have no new powers over Gibraltar, as Brexit prompts hard talk on sovereignty, security, and borders.

“We will never enter into arrangements under which the people of Gibraltar would pass under the sovereignty of another state against their freely and democratically expressed wishes”, the British prime minister’s office said in a statement on Sunday (2 April).

The British defence minister, foreign minister, and the chief minister of Gibraltar issued similar comments in a debate prompted by the start of Brexit talks last week.

Spain NEEDS Gibraltar to be BRITISH – Rock leader REJECTS Brexit grab for sovereignty

GIBRALTAR has dismissed threats from Spanish politicians trying to scupper a Brexit deal and vowed to stand alongside Britain as it leaves the European Union (EU).

Standing in for Andrew Marr, Nick Robinson quizzed Fabian Picardo, Gibraltar’s chief minister, on whether Spain might try to scupper a Brexit deal “at one minute to midnight” as a last-minute tactic to push for joint sovereignty over the Rock.

The chief minister replied that Spain’s former foreign minister, Jose Manuel Garcia-Margallo had “played that card” ever since Briton’s voted to leave the bloc in June, and thanked him for showing his hand so early.

China—Superpower of the Future?

Caption: (iStock.com/chinaface)

 

China will take more than your manufacturing job.

China is a sovereign state in East Asia with a population of over 1.3 billion people. The nation possesses the world’s largest economy by some measurements, the world’s largest population and the fourth-largest territory.

These are the building blocks of a superpower. While the world anticipates China gaining superpower status, analysts debate on when and whether
its rise will be peaceful.

The Trumpet forecasts that China will continue to grow as a formidable power, combining its strength with Russia. Further, we forecast that it will play a major role in waging economic war that will devastate America.

Royal Navy warships ‘should be sent to Gibraltar’ during Brexit negotiations as Spain pushes for joint sovereignty

As mentioned in previous posts, Spain will be gunning for British territory now that Brexit is in motion. The Brexit leaves the rest of the EU bitter and as a form of punishment will support Spain’s bid to take Gibraltar. Great Britain will receive no support since it exited and is no longer part of the EU.

See the following previous posts for more information:

Post-Brexit headlines for June 24, 2016, and more

Royal Navy Fires Warning Shot At Spanish Boat In Gibraltar

Will Brexit Mean the End of the UK’s Control of the Falklands and Gibraltar?

British nuclear submarine ‘surfaces off Gibraltar’ as row with Spain heats up

 

British warships must be sent to Gibraltar to “protect it from Spain” during Brexit negotiations, a former Ministry of Defence special adviser has said.

Known as The Rock, Gibraltar lies at the end of the Iberian Peninsula in Spain, but its 30,000 residents have voted several times to remain a British Overseas Territory.

After an overwhelming 96 per cent Remain vote in June’s EU referendum, Spanish foreign minister Jose Manuel Garcia-Margallo swiftly called for the UK to share sovereignty, but the move was snubbed by Westminster.

Post-Brexit headlines for June 24, 2016, and more

As stated in the past, the Brexit will have ramifications that won’t bode well for Great Britain and some that will. For starters, the British finally have a voice that has been heard.

It’s also better that they don’t become subjugated to the Berlin-Brussels axis. However, the benefits and disadvantages get tricky as it will also make it easier for this axis to consolidate control and rein over Europe unimpeded, allowing for the United States of Europe to be created.

The largest problem Britain faces is isolation and lack of representation on the European continent. This will prove to be true in the coming months and years as they will lose support for British territories world-wide, especially Gibraltar.

Spain is now pouncing on an opportunity that was warned about months ago, if not years: It’s gunning for Gibraltar.

 

Brexit related headlines:

China Buys Panama’s Largest Port

Caption: Colón, Panama (LUIS ACOSTA/AFP/Getty Images)

 

Consolidating power in the Panama Canal

For more than 100 years, the Panama Canal has controlled the bulk of goods transferred between the Pacific and the Atlantic. For much of that history, this monumental feat of engineering was under the control of the United States. But this is no longer the case.

In May, Panama’s largest port was purchased by a Chinese company called Landbridge Group.

Margarita Island Port, on the canal’s Atlantic side, offers the company intimate access to one of the most important goods distribution centers in the world.

While promising to upgrade the ailing Panama facilities and offer more trade with America’s distant east coast, there is substantial reason to hesitate at the purchase of such a critical trade hub.

Changing of the Guard

Caption: A cargo ship makes its way through the Miraflores locks as it crosses the Panama Canal. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

 

The decline of U.S.-British control over the world’s sea gates

You’re sitting inside a fenced courtyard where all the gates are locked. At each gate stands an armed guard who will not allow you to leave. You are where?

The correct answer is prison.

Now imagine those burly guards laying down their weapons and handing over their keys to the inmates. That’s essentially what the United States and Britain have done. Prior to World War ii, they controlled every major sea gate in the world. These “gates,” as they are called in the Bible, proved indispensable to Allied success during World War ii. Since that time, however, the U.S. and Britain have, without a fight, surrendered their control as gatekeepers.

Will Brexit Mean the End of the UK’s Control of the Falklands and Gibraltar?

 

Leaders in the territories fear the worst.

Britain is scheduled to hold a referendum on June 23 that will allow the people to vote on whether or not to remain in the European Union.

Many policymakers and citizens want to stay, and many want to leave—impassioned arguments pervade both sides of the debate.

The Rise and Fall of a Superpower

An article from 2000 with lessons for today:

 

(©iStock.com/Diane Labombarbe)

 

Building the Panama Canal was one of the greatest chapters in American history. It helps to reveal how America became a superpower, if we understand the complete history. Today we see an almost totally different spirit in our leaders. The meaning behind that change contains the strongest warning ever for America!

How much do Americans understand their own history? We are called the world’s greatest superpower ever! But how did we rise to such heights? Most Americans are ignorant of how it all happened. And that ignorance places us in grave danger!

Our building and now surrendering of the Panama Canal reveals a large part of the story. It gives a powerful insight into the rise and fall of the world’s greatest superpower.

President Theodore Roosevelt led our people to build the Panama Canal. He had a spirit and courage that I don’t see in our leaders today.