China steps up pace in new nuclear arms race with US and Russia as experts warn of rising risk of conflict

Although the major nuclear powers have agreed to stop live testing, they are using simulated experiments to develop the next generation of nuclear weapons. Photo: Reuters

 

Chinese scientists are running simulated tests at a faster rate than America as world’s leading powers develop arsenal of ‘usable’ next-generation weapons

China is aggressively developing its next generation of nuclear weapons, conducting an average of five tests a month to simulate nuclear blasts, according to a major Chinese weapons research institute.

Its number of simulated tests has in recent years outpaced that of the United States, which conducts them less than once a month on average.

Chinese air force holds drills in ‘new routes and areas’ near Korean peninsula

The exercise involved aircraft including reconnaissance planes in areas they have “never flown before” over the Yellow and East seas near the Korean peninsula. Photo: PLA

 

Date and exact location of exercise isn’t revealed but announcement said to be aimed at sending a message to Washington and Seoul

China’s air force recently staged drills involving various aircraft through “routes and areas it has never flown before” over the Yellow and East seas near the Korean peninsula.

Air force spokesman Shen Jinke made the announcement at an airport in northern China on Monday – the same day the United States and South Korea began their biggest joint air force exercise, and days after Pyongyang launched its most powerful intercontinental ballistic missile to date.

PLA unveils new weapons for air and sea combat following Hague tribunal ruling

Military vehicles carry DF-16 ballistic missiles in Tiananmen Square last September. Photo: Imaginechina

 

 

Rare disclosure of arsenal seen as warning to US not to provoke military confrontation

The Southern Theatre Command of the People’s Liberation Army unveiled a series of new weapons for sea and air combat during a visit by top military officers.

In a rare revelation, the weapons were shown on state television in the wake of a landmark international tribunal rejecting Beijing’s claims to almost all of the South China Sea.

Military experts said the disclosure was intended to show that the newly formed Southern Theatre Command, which covers the South China Sea, was well-prepared for any potential military confrontation with the US.

China starts work on Horn of Africa military base in Djibouti, defence ministry confirms

In the military, logistics is a key component of being able to project power. You cannot forward supplies and manpower without it. Even if it’s ‘logistics’, it’s the first step towards China’s militarization of the African continent, regardless of what the PLA says. It’s insane that knowledgeable people would fall for such simple wordplay disinformation. What’s more is that this is more proof that the United States (along with Britain) is losing the strategic gateways to the world, as Biblically prophesied.

 

A People’s Liberation Army Navy soldier stands guard as Chinese citizens board a Chinese naval ship at a port in Aden last year. Photo: Reuters

 

 

Facilities reflect the PLA’s ambition to expand its international presence and influence, analysts say

China’s first overseas naval base – which is under construction in Djibouti – will be concerned chiefly with logistical tasks rather than projecting power, at least for now, mainland analysts say.

The defence ministry on Thursday confirmed construction of the base’s infrastructure and facilities had begun.

Beijing on alert for U.S. Navy ‘incursion’ near artificial islands in South China Sea

Foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said China had long made clear its position on the South China Sea.

“We hope the United States can look upon the current situation of the South China Sea from an objective and fair perspective and play a constructive role together with China in keeping the peace and stability in the South China Sea,” Hua said.

China aims at modern fighting force with drastic overhaul of People’s Liberation Army

President Xi Jinping meets navy personnel in Sanya. PLA reform will boost the navy’s role relative to the army’s. Photo: Xinhua

 

President may use boost from Beijing parade to unveil revamp which would cut personnel and put army, navy and air force on equal footings

China is close to unveiling a drastic plan to transform the world’s largest army into a nimble, modern force on par with the best of the West.

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“Many people in the PLA expect to see some major announcements after the parade,” Beijing-based naval expert Li Jie said. “Parades like this boost morale and patriotism. It will provide Xi a good opportunity to announce his ambitious plans on how to transform the PLA into a real modern army capable of winning wars.”

China’s PLA Navy sends new surveillance planes on submarine hunt

The military deploys advanced Gaoxin aircraft to its North Sea Fleet to flex its maritime surveillance muscle in disputed waters

The navy has deployed several new advanced surveillance aircraft to its North Sea Fleet to hunt down submarines in the East and South China seas.

The new “Gaoxin-6” maritime anti-submarine warfare planes are modified versions of the Shaanxi Aircraft Corporation’s Y-8 and Y-9 medium transport aircraft and were added to the People’s Liberation Army’s North Sea Fleet late last year, Beijing-based naval expert Li Jie said yesterday.

PLA Officer: China Must Establish South China Sea ADIZ

A Chinese military officer has said that establishing a South China Sea ADIZ is necessary to China’s national interest.

“The establishment of another ADIZ over the South China Sea is necessary for China’s long-term national interest,” Senior Colonel Li Jie, a researcher at the PLA Navy’s Military Academy and frequent media commentator, said on Friday, according to a report in Reuters.

Rescue of blazing boat by frigate seen as PLA statement in East China Sea

A naval frigate came to the rescue of a Zhejiang fishing boat on fire near disputed waters in the East China Sea, shedding light on the People’s Liberation Army’s readiness to deploy in the region amid the simmering territorial spat with Japan.

The missile frigate Zhoushan sailed at high speed for 3½ hours to reach the burning boat late on Friday, 280 kilometres west-northwest of Amami-Oshima in Kagoshima Prefecture.

It arrived ahead of three Japanese coastguard patrol ships that responded to an earlier request by China for help, according to mainland media and Japan’s Kyodo news agency. Xinhua reported six of the 24 people aboard died in the blaze.

PLA staging large night-landing drills in Bohai, Yellow Sea

The People’s Liberation Army has launched a large-scale night-landing military exercise in the Bohai Sea and the northern part of the Yellow Sea, state media reported.

It was the first military exercise conducted by the PLA since the conclusion of the third plenum of the Communist Party’s Central Committee a week ago in Beijing.

Xi orders PLA to become ready for ‘real combat’

Xi made the remarks during an inspection conducted from Saturday to Monday at the Guangzhou military theater of operations, a term usually used to emphasize the coordination and joint operations by forces in the air, land and sea, according to a news release issued by military authorities on Wednesday.

Xi also chairs the CPC Central Military Commission, the top decision-making body for China’s armed forces.

China’s People’s Liberation Army, with 2.3 million enlisted personnel, is the largest in the world.