Current Events

See also:
The New Cold War
Wars and Rumors of Wars

Chinese Hypersonic Strike Vehicle May Overcome US Missile Defense: Expert

Dec. 8, 2014 - According to Igor Korotchenko, Director of the Center for the Analysis of the World Arms Trade, China's test of their Hypersonic Strike Vehicle (the HGV - dubbed the WU-14 by the Pentagon) will have a serious effect on US national security.

"US anxiety is centered on the fact that China is actively experimenting with weaponry that is based on hypersonic speed, which is nearly impossible to intercept using currently-available US missile defense systems," Korotchenko told Sputnik [News].

The Chinese missile is capable of carrying nuclear warheads at a speed of over Mach 10, or 12,359 kilometers per hour, making it very difficult to intercept.

Source: Space Daily

Significance of China in Prophecy

China Takes Nuclear Weapons Underwater Where Prying Eyes Can’t See

Dec. 8, 2014 -

Fifty years after China carried out its first nuclear test, patrols by the almost impossible-to-detect JIN class submarines armed with nuclear JL–2 ballistic missiles will give President Xi Jinping greater agility to respond to an attack.

Source: Bloomberg

MarketWatch's Arends: China's Rise to No. 1 Economy 'A Geopolitical Earthquake'

Dec. 5, 2014 - The International Monetary Fund (IMF) revealed that China's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) will total $17.6 trillion this year, topping $17.4 trillion for the United States. Harvard economist Jeff Frankel said that, on a per capita income basis, China is still a relatively poor country.

MarketWatch columnist Brett Arends explained that this is bad news for the U.S., and calls it a "geopolitical earthquake."

"Throughout history, political and military power have always depended on economic power. . .This will not change anything tomorrow or next week, but it will change almost everything longer term."

Source: NewsMax

NSA director: China can damage U.S. power grid

Nov. 21, 2014 - Admiral Michael Rogers, the director of the National Security Agency and commander of the U.S .Cyber Command, told members of Congress that China could paralyze parts of the United States.

Rogers said he believed China along with “one or two” other countries had the capability to successfully launch a cyber-attack that could shut down the electric grid in parts of the United States.

Source: Fox

China flight tests new stealth jet during Obama visit

Nov. 12, 2014 - Upstaging the Asian economic summit in Beijing, China's military tested its new J-31 stealth fighter jet.

China obtained secrets from the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter through cyber attacks against a subcontractor for Lockheed Martin. The technology has shown up in China's first stealth jet, the J-20, and in the J-31.

According to White House Deputy National Security Adviser Ben Rhodes President Obama was planning to ask China President Xi Jinping to stop Chinese cyber espionage.

Source: Fox

US and China leaders in 'historic' greenhouse gas emissions pledge

Nov. 12, 2014 - President Obama's visit to China has resulted in an agreement by both countries to reverse the trend in greenhouse emissions. The two countries together produce about 45% of the world's carbon dioxide. However, the United States will do much more than China to address the problem.

Obama set a new goal of reducing US levels between 26%-28% by 2025, but China did not set a specific target. They said emissions would peak by 2030.

Republican leaders in the US were not happy with the agreement.

"This unrealistic plan, that the president would dump on his successor, would ensure higher utility rates and far fewer jobs," Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell said.

Source: BBC

Chinese President Xi Declines To Directly Answer Tough US Questions - ABC

Obama Makes Surprise Climate Deal with China After Secret Negotiations - NewsMax

Obama pushes global-integration agenda in China

Nov. 11, 2014 -

As President Obama begins his weeklong trip to Asia, he once again is pushing the Trans-Pacific Partnership, the free-trade treaty his administration has been negotiating behind closed doors without congressional input or approval.

Source: WND

China-Backed Hacking Group Axiom Said To Have Attacked 43,000 Computers

Oct. 29, 2014 - "Axiom." a highly sophisticated cyber espionage and warfare group, which the FBI says is affiliated with the Chinese government,

In targeting over 43,000 computers, the group has infiltrated Fortune 500 companies, pro-democracy groups, academic institutions, journalists, environmental groups and a range of other areas, according to researchers.

Source: International Business Times

Hong Kong’s Pro-Democracy Protesters Up Ante on Eve of China’s National Day

Sept. 30, 2014 -

Tens of thousands of pro-democracy demonstrators continued to clog central Hong Kong on Tuesday, as the movement’s leaders vowed to maintain their campaign of civil disobedience until the city’s Chief Executive (CE) resigns.

Source: Time

Hong Kong Protests Spread as 'Umbrella Revolution' Takes Hold

Sept. 29, 2014 - Pro-democracy protests are being held in Hong Kong, and they are being called the "Umbrella Revolution" because the protesters are carrying umbrellas and wearing goggles to protect themselves from police batons and tear gas. The issue is China's plan to "approve" candidates for Hong Kong's first free elections, which will be held in 2017. This is the worst unrest in decades in the area and it is reminiscent of the brutal Tiananmen Square crackdown in 1989,

Led mostly by students, these protests have paralyzed the Asian financial hub. Organizers have said that as many as 80,000 people have thronged the streets after the protests flared on Friday night.

Police dispersed the crowd with tear gas.

Source: NBC

Hong Kong's unprecedented protests and police crackdown, explained - Vox

Hong Kong protests: Thousands defy calls to go home - BBC

U.S. Charges Five Chinese Military Officers With Spying

May 20, 2014 - This article displays a photograph of FBI WANTED posters naming five Chinese military officers.

The charges, unsealed today in District Court in Pennsylvania, allege the Chinese officers conspired to steal trade secrets and other information from U.S. companies, including Westinghouse Electric Co. and Allegheny Technologies Inc.

The indictment has the effect of accusing China and its government of mining U.S. technology through cyber-espionage.

Source: Bloomberg

Report: Jesus More Popular on China's Twitter Than Chairman Mao

Apr. 9, 2014 - Chinese censors are allowing more Christian terminology to be talked about on Weibo, China's version of Twitter. A study last week revealed:

- "Jesus," received more than 18 million mentions while Chinese President Xi Jinping received 4 million mentions.
- "Bible" receuved 17 million mentions while Quotations From Chairman Mao Tse-tung's "The Little Red Book," received fewer than 60,000.
- "Christian congregation" was mentioned more than 41 million times, while "Communist Party" yielded just 5.3 million mentions.

China’s 100,000 censors, evidently coninued to ban the term "underground church."

Source: NewsMax

China Named the World's Most Powerful Nation

Apr. 7, 2014 - The report from the Emerging and Growth-Leading Economies (EAGLEs) research project says that China is the "most powerful nation" on its "world market power" index.

"China holds the largest share among emerging markets in the sample for 9 out of 18 industries, including all manufacturing groups except food (surpassed by Brazil). The largest industry share corresponds to textiles and leather (above 30%)."

Source: Breitbart

China's nuclear missile drill seen as warning to US not to meddle in region

Jan. 23, 2014 - China's army released 17 photos of its Dongfeng-31 intercontinental ballistic missile for the first time. It has a range of nearly 10,000 kilometers. It could deliver a nuclear warhead to the capitals of Europe or the west coast of the United States.

Military observer Antony Wong Dong thinks the publicity is a warning to the U.S. after the Pentagon's decisions to send F-22 fighter jets to Okinawa and replace the USS George Washington with the younger USS Ronald Reagan at Yokosuka Naval Base near Tokyo.

"The disclosure of the Dongfeng-31 at this time obviously aims to respond to the United States' two big military moves in Japan, which make Beijing believe it is going to meddle in the territorial disputes between China and Japan," Wong said.

Source: South China Morning Post

China's 'airpocalypse' kills 350,000 to 500,000 each year

Jan. 7, 2014 - China's former Health minister, Chen Zhu warns that air pollution is now the fourth worst health threat in China.

"Studies by the World Bank, WHO, and the Chinese Academy for Environmental Planning on the effect of air pollution on health concluded that between 350,000 and 500,000 people die prematurely each year as a result of outdoor air pollution in China."

Mr. Chen also said that his country produces the largest number of major pollutants in the world.

Source: Telegraph - UK