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People’s Liberation Army’s Website Information Raises Suspicion about Plan for Nuclear-powered Aircraft Carrier

On June 23, the website of the “Military Weapon and Equipment Procurement Information Network” (http://www.weain.mil.cn/), headed by the Equipment Development Department of the Central Military Commission, released “nine new procurement needs and 53 procurement announcements.” One of the procurement announcements was for a “ship with a nuclear power system analysis model development project.” The announcement that was circulated among mainland military fans was that the People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) nuclear-powered aircraft carrier has entered into the evaluation stage.

The PLA already owns two non-nuclear-powered aircraft carriers: the Liaoning and the Shandong. A third larger and more modern aircraft carrier is being built in Shanghai’s Jiangnan Shipyard. According to media reports, this ship, code-named 003, is still using traditional power.

Although the PLA wanted to build a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, it has not been able to make a breakthrough in the nuclear power system technology. The PLA already owns ten nuclear-powered submarines, but it is much more difficult to develop a nuclear reactor for larger ships.

Source: Central News Agency, June 25, 2020
https://www.cna.com.tw/news/firstnews/202006250166.aspx

Briefings | | |   Defense/Military

China to Increase the Proportion of New Graduates among the Military Recruits

China’s Ministry of Education and the National Defense Mobilization Department under the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) Central Military Commission (CMC) jointly issued a notice on enlisting college graduates in 2020. The notice requires that the recruitment offices and education departments (education committees) of the governments of all provinces (autonomous regions and municipalities) give a top priority to college graduates when recruiting for the military. The notice also asked to optimize the structure of the recruits from the college graduates by increasing the proportion of recent graduates, so as to furnish the military with more high-quality soldiers. Local governments have been told to set up medical check-up stations that accommodate the current epidemic prevention and control, and establish an unimpeded green channel for college graduates to enlist in the military.

Source: People’s Daily, June 3, 3020
http://paper.people.com.cn/rmrb/html/2020-06/03/nw.D110000renmrb_20200603_4-06.htm

Briefings | | |   Defense/Military

Former Head of China’s Air Carrier Program Is under Investigation

The Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI), the disciplinary arm of Chinese Communist Party (CCP) made an announcement at midnight on May 12 that Hu Wenming, former chairman and Party branch secretary of China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation (CSIC), is now under investigation for “being suspected of serious violations of discipline and the law.” Mainland Chinese media reported that Hu’s work experience includes the construction of equipment for the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), in particular. He was the head of research for the development of China’s first domestically made aircraft carrier Shandong.

CSIC, a key PLA naval institution, undertakes the tasks of research, design and production of air carriers, nuclear submarines and other naval weaponry. The probe gave rise to widespread concerns whether he was involved in leaking state secrets and how this case is related the sacking of his former deputy.

In July 2019, the Shanghai No. 1 Intermediate Court sentenced Sun Bo, CSIC’s former general manager and Hu’s deputy, to 12 years for bribery and abuse of power as an employee of a state-owned company. As the evidence of his crimes involved “state secrets,” Sun was not tried publicly. Hong Kong based the South China Morning Post, quoting unnamed sources, disclosed that Sun might face a death sentence for his involvement in leaking confidential documents on China’s first domestically produced air carrier to foreign intelligence agencies.

The wechat account of Beijing Youth Daily reported that Hu, who retired in 2019, had also worked at the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC), China North Industries Group Corporation Limited (Norinco), and China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC), covering the weapons and equipment construction for the land, sea and air forces. Hu also participated in the production of the Chengdu J-10 fighter and the Comac C919 aircraft.

Source: Central News Agency, May 13, 2020
https://www.cna.com.tw/news/firstnews/202005130057.aspx

Briefings | | |   Defense/Military

CNA: Hu Xijin Called for Adding Nuclear Warheads

Primary Taiwanese news agency Central News Agency (CNA) recently reported that Hu Xijin, Chief Editor of the Chinese hawkish CCP newspaper Global Times, called for a short term increase to 1,000 in the number of China’s nuclear warheads. This includes the need for at least 100 Dongfeng-41 intercontinental strategic missiles. The purpose of this proposal, according to Hu, is to suppress the U.S. strategic ambitions and impulses toward China. Based on the estimate made by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) in June 2019, China has 290 nuclear warheads, thereby ranking number four globally. Hu said that China needs to reach the new level in a very short period of time. He predicted that, in the near future, China will need a very strong will to face the upcoming challenges. It must be backed by the Dongfeng and Julang (Giant Wave) families of missiles. The Julang family of missiles are China’s intercontinental submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBM). Hu said that people should not dismiss the usefulness of the warheads just because they are merely sitting there. He further explained, “These warheads are shaping the attitude of the American elites towards China, on a daily basis,”

Source: CNA, May 8, 2020
https://www.cna.com.tw/news/acn/202005080206.aspx

Briefings | | |   Defense/Military US-China Relations

Global Times: U.S. Military Repeatedly Visited the South China Sea Region

Global Times recently reported that, not long ago, the U.S. Navy ship, the USS Barry DDG-52 destroyer “freely navigated” through the Paracel (Xisha) Islands without the permission of the Chinese government, which was considered illegal. Then the U.S. Navy USS Bunker Hill CG-52 missile cruiser again “freely navigated” the Spratly (Nansha) Islands. On April 30, once again the U.S. Air Force two B-1B strategic bombers flew from Ellsworth Air Force Base in South Dakota over the South China Sea region for a 32-hour long distance training mission. The U.S. military has, very recently, been entering Chinese territories repeatedly and even performed a joint exercise with the Australian Navy in the South China Sea. These moves are not making a positive contribution to regional stability and are proof that the United States is the one militarizing the South China Sea. The Chinese Military has been monitoring and issuing warnings to the U.S. operators.

Source: Global Times, May 2, 2020
https://mil.huanqiu.com/article/3y3je7LuuHw

Briefings | | |   Defense/Military US-China Relations

PLA Aircraft Flew Near Taiwan on February 28

On Friday afternoon, February 28, a number of China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) aircraft flew over the sea southwest of Taiwan, Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense said.

An unspecified number of Chinese H-6 bombers flew over the region before entering the Bashi Channel between Taiwan and the Philippines. Soon after entering the Bashi Channel, the bombers returned to an unspecified base through the same route, the ministry said.

Since President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) won re-election in January 2020, China has carried out an increasing number of drills near Taiwan .

On Feb 9 and Feb 10, China also dispatched Chinese J-11 fighters, KJ-500 early warning and control aircraft, and H-6 bombers on flight missions near Taiwan, the ministry said.

On Feb 10, several Chinese aircraft briefly crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait and entered Taiwan’s airspace, but retreated to the western side of the line after Taiwan military dispatched F-16s and other military aircraft to meet them and issue radio warnings, the ministry said.

On Feb 12, the U.S. dispatched two B-52 Stratofortress bombers flying off Taiwan’s east coast, while an MJ-130J Commando II multi-mission combat transport plane flew over the Taiwan Strait.

On Feb 16, the U.S. sent the USS Chancellorsville south through the Taiwan Strait.

Source: Taipei Times, March 1, 2020
http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2020/03/01/2003731871

Briefings | | |   Defense/Military Geo-Strategic Trend

Virus Origin: Genome Analysis of the New Wuhan Coronavirus Found Viral Sequences Suspicious of Laboratory Engineering

Dr. Lyons-Weiler, the founder and CEO of the Institute for Pure and Applied Knowledge (IPAK), published an article stating that medical research found evidence that might suggest the novel coronavirus in China could come out from a laboratory-induced event. He listed possibilities of the origin as either a vaccine or a biomedical weapon.

Dr. Lyons-Weiler has written many articles and three books, many of them are on medical related topics.

“There is, however, clear evidence that the novel sequence, which I will refer to henceforth as INS1378, is from a laboratory-induced recombination event. Specifically,

(1) The sequence similarity to other coronavirus sequences is lower to its most similar sequences in any coronavirus than the rest of the genome (IPAK finding)

(2) The high sequence similarity of INS1378 to a SARS spike protein (2; IPAK Confirmed).

(3) We also found significant sequence similarity of INS1378 to a pShuttle-SN vector that was in use in the 1980’s in China to create a more immunogenic coronavirus (IPAK finding, details below, Option 4).”

He gave four options on the origins of virus:

Option 1. Natural coronavirus related to bat coronaviruses, Not a Recombined Virus. He concluded that this option is a “falsified hypothesis.”

Option 2. A recombined virus that naturally picked up a SARS-like spike protein in its N-terminus of the viral genome. He concluded this option as “speculative hypothesis and unlikely.”

Option 3. A recombined virus made in a laboratory for the purpose of creating a bioweapon.

“Both China and the US hinted at the other side’s potential liability in playing a role in bringing about a novel coronavirus in the lab specifically for the purpose of being used as a bioweapon. To add to the intrigue, a Chinese Scientist had her security access revoked from a BSL-4 laboratory in Manitoba, Canada for violating protocols, allegedly sending samples of deadly viruses to mainland China. On January 26, The Washington Times published an article citing an Israeli defense expert who claimed that China has likely proceeded with a bioweapons program.”

He called it a “rumor” but didn’t reject it from the angle of possibility.

Option 4. A recombined virus made in a laboratory for the purpose of creating a vaccine.

“IPAK researchers found a sequence similarity between a pShuttle-SN recombination vector sequence and INS1378. It turns out that the sequence from pShuttle is most closely related to the Spike protein from SARS coronavirus. This particular technology was used in 2008 to attempt to develop a more immunogenic vaccine against coronavirus.”

Studies reported “serious immunopathology in animals – rats, ferrets, and monkeys – in which animals vaccinated against coronaviruses tended to have extremely high rates of respiratory failure upon subsequent exposure in the study when challenged with the wild-type coronavirus.”

He thinks Option 4 is “most likely.” The Chinese government might have conducted human trials with this vaccine, or this vaccine might have escaped from a lab. “The available evidence most strongly supports that the 2019-NCoV virus is a vaccine strain of coronavirus either accidentally released from a laboratory accident, perhaps a laboratory researcher becoming infected with the virus while conducting animal experiments, or the Chinese were performing clinical studies of a Coronavirus vaccine in humans.”

Sources:
1. Principia Scientific International, January 31, 2020

On the Origins of the 2019-nCoV Virus, Wuhan, China


2. Washington Times, January 26, 2020
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2020/jan/26/coronavirus-link-china-biowarfare-program-possible/
3. James Lyons-Weiler website

James Lyons-Weiler, PhD

Hot Topics | | |   Defense/Military Social Stability

Sputnik Chinese: China Launched Satellites for African and Latin American Countries

Sputnik Chinese, the news agency that the Russian government owns, reported that, on December 20, 2019, China launched an Ethiopian satellite and a Brazilian satellite with its Long March 4B rocket.

The Ethiopian satellite was the country’s first satellite. China designed and built it. Out of the total cost of US$ 7 million, China paid US$ 6 million for it.

The Brazilian satellite was the country’s sixth satellite. It is part of a joint Sino-Brazilian project.

A little earlier, China also sent two more Beidou Satellites of its own into space. It thus completed the 24-satellite setup of the Beidou global navigation system. 24 satellites are what is needed to provide full global coverage; both the U.S.’ GPS system and the Russian navigation system also use 24 satellites.

In 2019, China made 30 launches; it has sent over 50 spacecraft into space leading Russia and the U.S.

Source: Sputnik Chinese, December 21, 2019
http://sputniknews.cn/science/201912211030290947/

Briefings | | |   Defense/Military Geo-Strategic Trend