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BBC Chinese: China Continued Expanding Military Construction in South China Sea

BBC Chinese recently reported that, according to documents that the U.S. Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) published, China continued its expansion of the construction of artificial islands and the military facilities on the islands in the South China Sea. CSIS also released clear satellite photos that show new ammunition depots, aircraft hangars, and radar. The latest equipment effectively made these islands China’s most advanced military bases. For the time being, the facilities are mostly unused; CSIS described them as proof of “slow development of crisis.” It also pointed out that the radar systems are a highlight because they are sufficient enough to monitor “everything in the region.” China dismissed the CSIS “criticism” as “making a big fuss over a minor move,” which was solely for the purpose of self-defense. China also announced that, in 2019, it will launch three optical satellites to establish 24-hour monitoring over the South China Sea.

Source: BBC Chinese, December 19, 2017
http://www.bbc.com/zhongwen/simp/chinese-news-42408674

China News: Saudi Arabia and Israel are Getting Closer to Each Other Publicly

China News, a state owned and internationally oriented Chinese news agency, recently published a commentary on the latest Middle East situation. The article started with the Trump Administration’s official acknowledgement of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. The author described the reaction from the Arabic world, saying, “unusually low-key,” and that’s “expected.” The reason is that Saudi Arabia has, publicly, been getting closer and closer to Israel. The two nations have been aligning their actions recently on the world stage, such as aiming against Iran and working together in the UN against Syria. For many years Saudi Arabia has been providing much needed funds to support the Palestinian authority. However, Iran was the one leading a tougher movement against Israel, which is challenging Saudi Arabia’s leadership role in the Arab world. Saudi Arabia’s influence was damaged in dealing with the Yemen rebels and Qatar. The commentator suggested that when Saudi Arabia’s money and resources are combined with Israel’s military power and intelligence, the cooperation between these two nations should be quite effective and decisive. The biggest losers in this new era are the Palestinians.

Source: China News, December 19, 2017
http://www.chinanews.com/gj/2017/12-19/8404041.shtml

China.com: China’s Military Reform Reached Two-Year Anniversary

China.com recently reported that Chinese lawmakers just passed The Regulations of The People’s Liberation Army Civilian Personnel. This new law is considered a major milestone in the now two-year old Military Reform, which started on November 24, 2015, when the Central Military Commission Work Conference for Reform began. The Reform completely restructured the Chinese military with a focus on modernization, efficiency, and scientific optimization of the command structure. The military reorganized the major theaters of operations, established new forces for rockets, strategic missiles, and strategic support, and eliminated over 200 Division level units, over 1000 Group level units, and over 30 percent of the military officers.

Source: China.com, December 18, 2017
http://military.china.com/important/11132797/20171218/31835877.html

Australian Prime Minister: A Total of 10 Political Candidates Closely Associated with Chinese Intelligence

Well-known Chinese news site Sina recently reported that Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull emphasized the “Chinese Threat” again when he visited a local community. Turnbull said he was by no means against China since he had been doing business in China for 25 years. However, as the nation’s leader, he asked the Australian people to “stand up.” Turnbull also told the media that the Australian national security services confirmed that, in the past elections, a total of 10 candidates were “closely associated” with Chinese intelligence agencies. At least one of these candidates has already won an election. This is part of a wider Chinese plan to penetrate the Australian parliament. As soon as Turnbull made these comments, the Labor Party immediately accused the current administration of “intentionally leaking national security information,” in order to make the Labor party look bad. The spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs warned that the China-Australia relationship is being “poisoned.”

Source: Sina, December 11, 2017
http://www.sina.com.cn/midpage/mobile/index.d.html?docID=fypnqvn2723508&url=news.sina.cn/gj/2017-12-11/detail-ifypnqvn2723508.d.html

UDN: Mainland Government Tightened WeChat Conversation Monitoring

United Daily News (UDN), one of the primary Taiwanese news groups, recently reported that Mainland China has been tightening up its control of conversations made on the popular mobile chatting app WeChat. One recent example occurred after construction worker Chen posted a message regarding exiled businessman Guo Wengui’s comments on corrupt government officials. Four days later, the police detained him for five days. Another example was former sales person Wang, who used negative names when discussing current Chinese President Xi Jinping and former Chinese leader Chairman Mao on WeChat. Wang ended up being sentenced to 22 months in jail. The Chinese government has been improving its use of technology rapidly. The police have established advanced monitoring of communication channels such as WeChat, using not only sensitive word detection, but sensitive picture detection as well. A massive nationwide setup of video surveillance and facial recognition is also under way.

Source: United Daily News, December 11, 2017
https://udn.com/news/story/7332/2868268

Global Times: China Is Serious about the Possible U.S. Naval Visits to Taiwan

Global Times recently reported that U.S. President Trump just signed the Fiscal Year 2018 National Defense Authorization Act, which includes an “assessment of the possibility” of authorizing navy vessels to conduct mutual visits between Taiwan and the United States. Lu Kang, the spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said in a press briefing that, while the Taiwan sections of the Act are not legally binding, they seriously violate the “One China” policy and “constitute an interference in China’s internal affairs.” China is resolutely opposed to this, and has already lodged stern representations with the U.S. government. The Defense Act also includes Taiwan-related items like inviting the Taiwanese military to join the U.S. “Red Flag” military exercises. For many years, China has been against any form of official relationship between the United States and Taiwan, especially any military relationship.

Source: Global Times, December 14, 2017
http://world.huanqiu.com/exclusive/2017-12/11449377.html

Huanqiu Opinion Article: PLA’s Option to Unify Taiwan is not a Threat

An opinion article that Huanqiu published reinforced China’s position on Taiwan and threatened military action against Taiwan, if necessary. According to the article, a Chinese official recently warned the assistant of a congressional member that, “The day that U.S. naval ships arrive at Taiwan’s Kaohsiung is the day that the PLA unifies Taiwan with military force.” The article called the warning a “red line” that the mainland established. Other conditions that are considered crossing the red line include Taiwan attempts to organize a referendum on independence, to change its name, or any other actions that are pro Taiwan independence. The article made the following statements: “If the red line is crossed, the PLA will follow what was defined in the Anti-Secession Law, cross the strait, and use force to gain control of the island and end the division. … Taiwan shouldn’t underestimate the will and the determination of the mainland. Otherwise it will allow the Democratic Progressive Party to make a fatal mistake. The determination that the mainland has against ‘Taiwan’s independence’ is far greater than the determination that the Democratic Progressive Party has toward ‘Taiwan’s independence,’ and the determination that the mainland has on Taiwan will also have an overwhelming power over the various attempts that U.S. tries to make when it ‘plays the Taiwan’s card.’ If a showdown were to take place in the Taiwan Strait, mainland military capabilities and strategies would be more than enough to defy any challenge. ‘Taiwan Independence’ would be completely crushed. There is no doubt about it and those who favor ‘Taiwan Independence’ shouldn’t take any chances.’”

Source: Huanqiu, December 10, 2017
http://opinion.huanqiu.com/editorial/2017-12/11437244.html