China

[RTH10260]

The Bloomberg article to above video

The Plot to Steal the Other Secret Inside a Can of Coca-Cola
Shannon You was a good chemist, a bad colleague—and a thief. When she tried to use the $120 million technology she stole, she got played.

ByDrake Bennett and Jordan Robertson
11 May 2023 at 06:01 CESTUpdated on11 May 2023 at 17:51 CEST

On the evening of Aug. 8, 2017, Shannon You badged out of the Atlanta headquarters of the Coca-Cola Co. for one of the last times. Coke was struggling to retain its perch atop the world beverage market, as once-loyal consumers migrated to brands that evoked wilderness aquifers or herbal healing or masochistic sports workouts—not fizzy fun and mass culture. The new chief executive officer’s plan involved a restructuring. Twelve hundred employees would be let go, and You, a chemist in her mid-50s, had been informed several weeks earlier that she was among them.



https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features ... f=omvmmwIg

[RTH10260]

[W. Kevin Vicklund]

I wonder This looks an awful lot like the acres of vehicles from 2021 and 2022 during the chip shortage. I also saw a claim that the footage is two years old. Is it possible these are just cars waiting to be chipped?

[RTH10260]

Where is Qin Gang? China’s foreign minister has not been seen in public for three weeks
The absence of China’s foreign minister has been commented on online, where some discussion appears to have been censored

Emma Graham-Harrison in Taipei
Tue 18 Jul 2023 09.12 BST

China’s foreign minister, Qin Gang, has not been seen in public for over three weeks, despite a flurry of high-profile diplomatic efforts to repair ties with the United States.

As a former ambassador to Washington DC, who is considered a protege of Chinese leader Xi Jinping, Qin had been expected to play a key role in a string of high-level visits by US officials.

But his last public appearance was a meeting with his Sri Lankan counterpart in Beijing on 25 June. He did not join Chinese officials at talks with the Treasury secretary, Janet Yellen, in early July, or as part of the ongoing visit by climate envoy John Kerry.

All high-level contacts between the two countries had been suspended for nearly a year, after US House speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan last August, making these trips particularly important.

In early July Chinese officials also cancelled a planned visit by EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, without giving a reason for the change of plans.

Last week Qin was replaced as head of Beijing’s delegation to the Asean summit in Indonesia. Foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said at the time that Qin would not go “due to health reasons” but gave no details.



https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/ ... hree-weeks

[raison de arizona]

Bongino says China is about to go to war with Taiwan and all hell is going to break loose.

China says its 'priority' is to stop Taiwan VP visiting US next month

BEIJING, July 20 (Reuters) - It is China's "priority" to stop Taiwan's vice president and presidential frontrunner William Lai from visiting the United States next month, the country's ambassador in Washington said on Wednesday, as Beijing steps up its warnings against the trip.

China, which views Taiwan as its own territory, has stepped up military and political pressure over the past three years to try and force the island to accept Beijing's sovereignty claims, which the government in Taipei strongly rejects.

Taiwan will hold presidential and parliamentary elections in January, with Lai, the ruling Democratic Progressive Party's (DPP) presidential candidate, the frontrunner in most opinion polls.

Lai is making what are officially stop overs in the United States on his way to and from Paraguay for the Aug. 15 inauguration of its new president, drawing anger from Beijing which slammed Lai as a separatist.

https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-paci ... 023-07-20/

[RTH10260]

China complicit in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, says MI6 chief
Sir Richard Moore says Xi Jinping’s regime has supported Vladimir Putin diplomatically and amplified ‘Russian tropes’ such as Nato being to blame

Helen Davidson in Taipei
Thu 20 Jul 2023 06.39 BST

The head of MI6 has accused China’s government and its leader, Xi Jinping, of being “absolutely complicit” in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, in a rare public address in Prague.

Sir Richard Moore, who has been chief of the British Secret Intelligence Service since 2020, also offered comment on the extraordinary mutiny in June by the mercenary Wagner group led by Yevgeny Prigozhin.

Shortly before Russia invaded Ukraine, Xi and Vladimir Putin signed a “no limits” partnership between their countries. After the war began, China’s government sought to present itself as a neutral peacemaker, and there have been signs of Xi’s dissatisfaction with events, but in practice Beijing refused to publicly censure or discourage Russia, and senior officials often expressed direct support.

“When Putin invaded Ukraine, the Chinese very clearly supported the Russians,” Moore said at the event hosted by Politico on Wednesday. “They have completely supported the Russians diplomatically, they’ve abstained in key votes at the United Nations, they’ve absolutely cynically repeated all the Russian tropes, particularly in places like Africa and Latin America – [by] blaming Nato and all of this stuff.”

Moore said MI6 now devoted more resources to China than any other mission, which “reflects China’s importance in the world and the crucial need to understand both the intent and capability of the Chinese government”.



https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/202 ... -mi6-chief

[raison de arizona]

China Bans Gay Couples From Adopting Children, Prohibits Gay Pride Marches: Reports
China's recent decision to ban gay couples from adopting children and to prohibit gay pride marches raises concerns about LGBTQ+ rights.

In a controversial move, China has implemented a ban on gay couples from adopting children, drawing widespread attention and criticism. Reports also indicate that the country is now prohibiting gay pride marches, further raising concerns about LGBTQ+ rights in China.

https://www.latestly.com/socially/world ... 88066.html

[Dave from down under]

China's property meltdown is gathering pace

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-07-25/ ... /102641990

It is crunch time for Xi Jinping.

While most of the West is quivering over the fate of Taiwan and aggressive military expansion plans from the world's second-biggest economy, China's now permanent leader is facing a more immediate battle on a different front.

China's economy is in serious trouble. The country's property sector, once a powerhouse of national economic growth, is in meltdown with predictions of worse to come.

That's precipitated a slowdown that has begun to infect the broader economy, threatens to derail growth plans and exposed fundamental structural deficiencies that no longer can be rectified by simply pumping in ever-increasing amounts of stimulus.

[Dave from down under]

Me: We have always been at war with Eurasia

Looks like he has been purged...

"He became a man erased from history by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)."


https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-07-27/ ... /102650434

If China's foreign minister job had a probation period, Qin Gang might have been able to make a graceful exit.

But when Chinese President Xi Jinping signed an official decree on Tuesday, the senior diplomat — who had been in office for only 207 days — became the shortest-serving foreign minister in the country's history.

An hour later, China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs deleted everything about him — including his profile, speeches and activities.

Furthermore, his short stint in office wasn't even mentioned on the list of former foreign ministers.

He became a man erased from history by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

Before all this, Qin was seen as one of the most trusted ministers in Xi's leadership team.

The former deputy head of mission to Britain and ambassador to the United States was considered a good option to ease diplomatic tensions between Beijing and the West.

His appointment as the youngest minister in the Chinese government also raised his public profile, and boosted his chances of becoming one Xi's potential successors.

The speed of Qin's ascent was unusual in the CCP's more than 70-year history.

But then he vanished from public in late June.

[RTH10260]

last few weeks extreme flooding all over China

[RTH10260]

China’s Man-Made Military Islands are a Disaster

Map Pack
17 Oct 2023

In the vast expanse of the South China Sea, China embarked on an audacious mission to secure its interests and expand its influence. Beijing's strategy involved the construction of massive artificial islands, equipped with military installations and defense capabilities. However, as the world watched this bold move, little did China anticipate the unfolding disaster that would threaten its ambitious power grab. These once-mighty fortresses, with runways, anti-ship guns, and cruise missiles, are now slowly sinking back into the ocean. The reasons behind these costly miscalculations and the imminent challenges China faces in preserving its military bases in the South China Sea raise crucial questions. How did Beijing's quest to control this vital waterway lead to such detrimental consequences? What forces are causing the islands to submerge, and is there any hope for China to salvage its strategic foothold before it slips beneath the waves? Explore the intricate dynamics of this unfolding crisis, from the economic and military motivations to the ecological and climatic factors, as we delve into the sinking ambitions of China in the South China Sea.

[AndyinPA]

It would be flippant to say, "You can't fool Mother Nature," but this is deeply disturbing.

[raison de arizona]

UPDATE: According to unverified Chinese social media The People’s Republic of China's most advanced ship, the 980 hull number Type 071 landing ship, known as Longhushan is on fire.

This ship was commissioned with the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN or Chinese Navy) on September 12, 2018 in Shanghai.

The reason for the fire is currently unknown.

Last month, one of their subs had an "incident" killing all on board as well. Any thoughts on what’s going on?

[Foggy]

That looks like three fires, not one. Wow.

[Dave from down under]

Fire in the engine room and vehicle deck with the smoke exiting through the fore and aft elevators and ??? Would be my guess.

Also losing a submarine crew…

[Frater I*I]

This ship was commissioned with the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN or Chinese Navy) on September 12, 2018 in Shanghai.

Should tell you all you need to know about how poor their navy is...

[AndyinPA]

Just based on that Chinese ship we were on the Great Lakes cruise last year, I would agree they are not good at shipbuilding.

[Ben-Prime]

This ship was commissioned with the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN or Chinese Navy) on September 12, 2018 in Shanghai.

Should tell you all you need to know about how poor their navy is...

When you fail to PLAN you PLAN to fail. Or something.

[Suranis]

https://www.businessinsider.com/china-c ... ?r=US&IR=T

China's army fielded missiles filled with water instead of fuel and arrays of silos with improper lids — examples of military corruption that led to a dramatic purge of top officials, Bloomberg reported, citing US intelligence.

Bloomberg, which did not name its sources, reported on Saturday that the intelligence indicated Xi Jinping's recent ousting of more than a dozen senior commanders in the People's Liberation Army stemmed from serious issues of graft such as these.

The purge went so far as to ax even the Chinese defense minister, Li Shangfu, who disappeared for two months before being replaced in October.

US intelligence sources told Bloomberg that corruption was so severe in China's Rocket Force and the wider PLA that it would most likely force Xi to recalibrate whether Beijing can take on any major military action soon.

The Rocket Force is China's main military branch overseeing its nuclear weapons and has been a key focus of Xi's recent push to rapidly modernize Beijing's forces.

It's been especially central to China's posturing on Taiwan, with Beijing rolling out long-range missiles on its coast to threaten the self-governed island.

In 2021, researchers said satellite images showed China was constructing hundreds of nuclear-capable missile silos in the Xinjiang desert, allowing its arsenal to potentially rival those of Russia or the US.

But US intelligence said one example of corruption was that entire fields of silos in Western China were fitted with lids that prevented missiles from launching effectively, a source told Bloomberg.

The outlet did not say what sort of missiles had been filled with water.

The American assessment said these problems had likely undermined Xi's modernization policies and internal confidence in the Rocket Force's capabilities, the outlet reported.

Xi's purge was long speculated to be tied to his long-running anti-corruption campaign. For months, China has dodged questions on why so many high-ranking army officials were fired.

Of the recently sacked Chinese commanders, at least three held top positions in the Rocket Force, and four were responsible for equipment, Reuters reported.

The PLA has since emphasized staying vigilant against graft, citing a "battle against corruption" repeatedly in its New Year's Day statement.

The Chinese embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment sent outside regular business hours.