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China Earthquake: Strong Temblor Claims Dozens Of Lives, Injures Nearly 300

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Photo Credit: ReutersA strong earthquake struck a rural part of western China on Monday morning, killing at least 47 people and seriously injuring 296, according to the local government.

The quake hit near the city of Dingxi in Gansu province, a region of mountains, desert and pastureland with a population of 26 million. That makes it one of China’s more lightly populated provinces, although the Dingxi area has a greater concentration of farms and towns, with a total population of about 2.7 million.

The deaths and injuries were reported in Min County and other rural southern parts of the municipality, Dingxi mayor Tang Xiaoming told the state broadcaster CCTV. Tang said damage was worst in the counties of Zhang and Min, where scores of homes were damaged and telephone and electricity services knocked out.

Residents described shaking windows and swinging lights but little major damage and little panic. Shaking was felt in the provincial capital of Lanzhou and as far away as Xi’an, 250 miles (400 kilometres) to the east.

Read more from this story HERE.

Say What You Want About America, But At Least the World Likes The U.S. Better Than China

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Countries around the world have a higher opinion of the United States than they have of the People’s Republic of China, according to a new global poll from the Pew Research group.

The research firm put together the following infographic to illustrate how the U.S.’ “favorability” stacks up next to communist China. Unsurprisingly, the only place where China is more popular than the U.S. is the Middle East.

Still, according to Pew Research, the world’s perception of China as a major player in the global economy has grown exponentially since the 2008 financial crisis.

“However, China’s increasing power has not led to more positive ratings for the People’s Republic. Overall, the U.S. enjoys a stronger global image than China,” the Pew Research report notes. “People are more likely to consider the U.S. a partner to their country than to see China in this way.”

Read more from this story HERE.

China Naval Fleet Seen Off Northern Japan

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Photo Credit: Silly Little ManA Chinese naval fleet was Sunday spotted sailing for the first time through an international strait between northern Japan and Russia’s far east, the Japanese defence ministry said.

The two missile destroyers, two frigates and a supply ship passed through the Soya Strait from the Sea of Japan to the Sea of Okhotsk early Sunday, the ministry said.

The channel, also known as La Perouse, separates the Russian island of Sakhalin and the northernmost Japanese island of Hokkaido.

The five ships took part in joint naval exercises with Russia from July 5-12 off Vladivostok.

Two other Chinese naval ships which also took part in the drills were seen moving into the East China Sea on Saturday.

Read more from this story HERE.

US and China Smile for Cameras While Pentagon, PLA Prep for All Out War

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Photo Credit: Reuters Rarely have relations between China and the United States been so cordial. On Wednesday, the superpowers agreed to an impressive slate of measures to fight climate change by cutting emissions. Last month’s summit between Barack Obama and Xi Jinping saw the leaders finally agree on an approach to North Korea. China is allowing its currency to rise in value, reducing the danger of global imbalances. And while spying and dirty tricks are rife, recent revelations about U.S. Internet surveillance have placed the countries on a level playing field. It’s a period of peaceful cohabitation.

So why are the two countries’ militaries preparing to do battle with each other?

Both the Pentagon and the People’s Liberation Army are arming for an all-out war and pursuing enormously expensive master strategies that assume that such a war will occur.

In the case of the United States, this appears to be taking place without any authorization or approval from the White House or Congress. The Pentagon is now basing its global strategy on a detailed plan known as the AirSea Battle concept, in which the U.S. Army and Air Force defend the presence of 320,000 U.S. troops in the area by readying themselves for a full-scale land and air assault on China in the event of a threat in the South China Sea or its surroundings.

In a detailed analysis paper in this summer’s issue of the Yale Journal of International Affairs, the famed sociologist and military-policy expert Amitai Etzioni asks, “Who authorized preparations for war with China?” His answer is stark: Mr. Obama has spoken of a “pivot to Asia,” but there has been no political intent or desire to have such an active military confrontation with China – in fact, the politics and diplomacy have been moving in the opposite direction.

Read more from this story HERE.

Cracks in China’s Social Fabric Emerge: Accused of Rape, Son of Chinese General, Plays Victim Card

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Photo Credit: APLawyers of a well-known Chinese general’s son accused of taking part in a gang rape are waging a rare, Western-style war of words against his critics in a reflection of the growing perception that public opinion counts.

The airing of accusations surrounding the high-profile criminal case via the Chinese Internet has been all the more unusual because the teenage defendant is a member of one of China’s wealthy and privileged families, who usually prefer to bury salacious scandals – if they can.

Li Tianyi, 17, the photogenic, baby-faced son of Li Shuangjiang, 72, a military singer who holds the rank of general, has become the newest target of popular anger over abuses of power by the country’s elite.

“At the moment, public opinion is not on Li Tianyi and his family’s side,” said Zhan Jiang, a journalism professor at Beijing Foreign Studies University. “China’s public mood is this way when some wealthy or powerful people are involved and the opposing side is a weaker victim,” he said.

“It’s a protest against Chinese society’s lack of fairness,” Zhan added.

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Russia, China Ink Enormous $270 Billion Energy Deal, Strengthen Axis vs. US

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Photo Credit: WNDBy F. Michael Maloof. Russia and China have just signed a $270 billion energy agreement that quickly could lead to other lucrative energy projects, with the byproduct of strengthening not only economic but political ties between them, according to report from Joseph Farah’s G2 Bulletin.

The deal was between Russia’s state-controlled oil company, Rosneft, and the China National Petroleum Corporation.

China will now become Rosneft’s largest customer, obviating Moscow’s major reliance on European markets which continue to experience serious economic difficulties and, in some countries, a lingering recession.

It will help ensure that Russia continues to receive the revenue it needs for its own infrastructure development and military reform.

Having Rosneft’s boss, Igor Sechin, as one of the most trusted advisers to Russian President Vladimir Putin also has been a big asset in pushing the Russian president’s political agenda. Read more from this story HERE.

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Photo Credit: Sergei IlnitskyA New Anti-American Axis?

By Leslie H. Gelb and Dimitri K. Simes. THE flight of the leaker Edward J. Snowden from Hong Kong to Moscow last month would not have been possible without the cooperation of Russia and China. The two countries’ behavior in the Snowden affair demonstrates their growing assertiveness and their willingness to take action at America’s expense.

Beyond their protection of Mr. Snowden, Chinese-Russian policies toward Syria have paralyzed the United Nations Security Council for two years, preventing joint international action. Chinese hacking of American companies and Russia’s cyberattacks against its neighbors have also caused concern in Washington. While Moscow and Beijing have generally supported international efforts to end Iran’s nuclear weapons program, they clearly were not prepared to go as far as Washington was, and any coordinated shift in their approach could instantly gut America’s policy on the issue and endanger its security and energy interests. To punctuate the new potential for cooperation, China is now carrying out its largest ever joint naval exercises — with Russia.

Russia and China appear to have decided that, to better advance their own interests, they need to knock Washington down a peg or two. Neither probably wants to kick off a new cold war, let alone hot conflicts, and their actions in the case of Mr. Snowden show it. China allowed him into Hong Kong, but gently nudged his departure, while Russia, after some provocative rhetoric, seems to have now softened its tone.

Still, both countries are seeking greater diplomatic clout that they apparently reckon they can acquire only by constraining the United States. And in world affairs, there’s no better way to flex one’s muscles than to visibly diminish the strongest power.

This new approach appears based in part on a sense of their growing strength relative to America and their increasing emphasis on differences over issues like Syria. Both Moscow and Beijing oppose the principle of international action to interfere in a country’s sovereign affairs, much less overthrow a government, as happened in Libya in 2011. After all, that principle could always backfire on them. Read more from this story HERE.

Russia and China Partner for Largest Joint Naval Drill in Their History

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Photo Credit: APChinese and Russian navies have partnered for the countries’ largest joint naval drill in history, set to start Friday in the Sea of Japan.

Military analysts see the joint drill as yet another sign of the countries’ growing friendship, post-Cold War days…

The drills are the largest in scope that China’s ever held with a foreign nation. The country has been actively building up its navy, AP reported.

Read more from this story HERE.

Security Officials: Syria Used Chinese Intel to Bomb U.S. Arms Shipment

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Photo Credit: WND

Photo Credit: WND

Intelligence provided by China was utilized by Syria’s air force to bomb a Western weapons shipment on its way to arm the Syrian rebels, according to informed Middle Eastern security officials.

The officials said the air strike was carried out Saturday just as the weapons convoy entered Syrian territory from neighboring Jordan.

The officials said the arms shipment was coordinated with help from the U.S.

Just last week, the Wall Street Journal reported the Central Intelligence Agency began moving weapons to Jordan from a network of secret warehouses as part of a plan to arm the Syrian rebels within a month after first vetting the fighting groups.

The Journal reported the CIA was bringing light arms and possibly anti-tank missiles to Jordan.

Read more from this story HERE.

U.S. Talks Tough on Snowden While His Efforts to Find Haven Appear to Have Stalled

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Photo Credit: AP

Photo Credit: AP

By Evan Perez and Adam Entous. The U.S. hunt for National Security Agency leaker Edward Snowden came to a boil Monday as the White House ripped into Hong Kong and China and issued warnings to Russia and Ecuador, where Mr. Snowden has sought asylum, sharply dialing up global pressure for his return to face espionage charges.

The case of Mr. Snowden, under federal indictment for stealing and leaking classified documents, has become a test of Washington’s ability to influence unsympathetic governments. Having failed after weeks of work through international legal channels, the U.S. turned to an aggressive diplomatic strategy.

President Barack Obama, Secretary of State John Kerry and officials at the White House and Justice Department took turns asking for Mr. Snowden’s return to the U.S. amid warnings that relations would be strained.

China was singled out for particular criticism after Mr. Snowden unexpectedly left Hong Kong on Sunday for Moscow in defiance of a U.S. demand for his extradition.

U.S. officials implied that Beijing scuttled what had been a steadily advancing process of establishing a case that would lead to extradition proceedings. Read more from this story HERE.

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NSA leaker’s global flight appears to have stalled, at least for now, as US steps up pressure

By Associated Press. Edward Snowden’s stop-and-start flight across the globe appeared to stall in Moscow as the United States ratcheted up pressure to hand over the National Security Agency leaker who had seemed on his way to Ecuador to seek asylum.

In Ecuador’s most extensive statement about the case, the foreign minister hailed Snowden on Monday as “a man attempting to bring light and transparency to facts that affect everyone’s fundamental liberties.”

The decision whether to grant Snowden the asylum he has requested is a choice between “betraying the citizens of the world or betraying certain powerful elites in a specific country,” Foreign Minister Ricardo Patino told reporters while visiting Vietnam.

But what had been expected to be a straightforward journey to this South America nation dissolved into uncertainty by day’s end. Snowden didn’t use a reservation for a Havana-bound Russian airline flight that could have served as the first leg of a trip to safety in Ecuador, and his allies would not say where he was or what changed. Patino said Tuesday that he didn’t know Snowden’s exact whereabouts.

In Washington, the White House demanded that Ecuador and other countries deny Snowden asylum. It also sharply criticized China for letting him leave Hong Kong, and urged Russia to “do the right thing” and send him to the U.S. to face espionage charges. Read more from this story HERE.

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U.S. Officials Don’t Know How Much Secret Material Snowden Took

By Thomson/Reuters. U.S. intelligence agencies are worried they do not yet know how much highly sensitive material is in the possession of former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden, whose whereabouts are unclear, several U.S. officials said.
The agencies fear that Snowden may have taken many more documents than officials initially estimated and that his alliance with WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange increases the likelihood that they will be made public without considering the security implications, they said.

Investigators believe Snowden, who was working in Hawaii for an NSA contractor, was partly successful at covering his tracks as he accessed a broad array of information about operations conducted by NSA and its British equivalent, Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ), according to the sources, who declined to be identified.

In a weekend television appearance, the chairwoman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, Senator Dianne Feinstein, said she had been informed by U.S. officials that Snowden possessed around 200 secret documents.

But one non-government source familiar with Snowden’s materials said that Feinstein grossly understated the size of Snowden’s document haul and that he left for Hong Kong with thousands of documents copied from the NSA files. Read more from this story HERE.

Animal Smuggling Ring Busted with 213 Bear Paws

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bear-pawsChinese customs officials have made a grisly discovery of 213 bear paws being smuggled in from Russia…

The horrific discovery came when officials checked the wheels of a van in Inner Mongolia.

Customs officials are said to have become suspicious by two Russian men acting strangely.

And when they scanned the vehicle they found the paws – thought to have come from brown bears – stuffed in the wheels and spare tires…

“The demand is huge because more people can afford them and the country has the tradition to treat bear paw as a rare ingredient for cuisine or as an expensive present,” [an official with Animals Asia Foundation] said.

Read more from this story HERE.