As Zelensky reacts badly to withdrawal of unconditional US support against Russia, the Chinese rattle their sabres against Taiwan
Zelensky was handed a lesson in “Real Politik” by Trump and Vance today.
Trump Reportedly Kicks Zelensky Out of White House After Tense Meeting – Potus Toast
“Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky left the White House abruptly on Friday, skipping a scheduled joint press conference with President Trump after a tense meeting that ended with sharp disagreements over the war in Ukraine and U.S. involvement.”
It was as well that Trump’s security detail was on hand, as it looked as if Zelensky’s frustrations would boil over and he would physically attack the POTUS and VPOTUS.
Anyway, aside from this US slap-down of Ukraine, China decided to rattle its sabres over the Taiwan issue.
Taiwan on the Brink – China’s Boldest Move Yet | RightWing
“Taiwan’s defense ministry reported a record 45 Chinese military aircraft around Taiwan in a 24-hour period, the highest single-day count this year.
Chinese aggression appears timed to punish Taiwan for Vice President-elect Hsiao Bi-khim’s diplomatic outreach to Europe.
13 Chinese aircraft brazenly crossed the Taiwan Strait median line, representing a significant escalation in Beijing’s intimidation tactics.
Taiwan has deployed forces to “monitor, alert, and respond appropriately” while condemning China’s actions and urging international attention.
The Biden administration continues its policy of “strategic ambiguity” while communist China displays increasing boldness in challenging U.S. allies.
The demonstration of air power is impressive enough - now consider that China has been learning how to use and deploy the “one-two-three” of thousands (?) of drones, hundreds of missiles and, perhaps, has the technology of the hypersonic “Oreshnik” Mach-10 missile and this one, from Brave AI:
“The 3M22 Zircon, a Russian scramjet-powered hypersonic cruise missile, can travel at speeds exceeding Mach 8, which is approximately 6,100 mph (9,800 km/h).3 This missile has been used during Russia's invasion of Ukraine and has undergone various successful test launches since 2017.”
More here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3M22_Zircon
That is in addition to the Iskander and its range of FABs. From Brave Ai:
“The FAB-1500 and FAB-3000 are Soviet-designed bombs that have been adapted with glide kits to extend their range. The FAB-1500, when equipped with the UMPK glide kit, can fly distances ranging from 80km to 100km.9
Similarly, the FAB-3000, when fitted with the UMPK kit, also has an extended range of up to 70km.2 These glide kits allow the bombs to be launched outside the range of Ukrainian air defense systems, providing Russian aircraft with a stand-off capability to hit targets without risking exposure to Ukrainian air defenses.”
“Russia's Iskander missile system, also known as the SS-26 Stone, is a road-mobile short-range ballistic missile with a range of up to 500 km for the Iskander-M variant.24 It is designed to destroy enemy weapons, command posts, communications nodes, and other critical targets.
The system includes two missile types: the 9M723K1, which lacks armor protection for the TEL (Transporter Erector Launcher) truck, and the 9M728 and 9M729 cruise missiles.
Russia has been developing an upgraded version of the Iskander missile called the Iskander-1000, which is expected to have a range of up to 1,000 km.”
Has Russia exchanged this weapons technology with China?
How about the fibre-optic surveillance drones or the drones that can carry remotely operated flame-throwers and machine guns? Oe robots that can do all sorts of things - in an autonomous or human controlled manner.
How many have the Chinese produced - much like Iran has produced thousands for Russia?
The Chinese Nacy already has mor ships than the US Navy - through the firepower is not in their favour. Per Brave AI:
“China's People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) has surpassed the U.S. Navy in the number of warships. According to recent reports, the PLAN has around 355 front-line ships, while the U.S. Navy has approximately 305 front-line ships.
However, the U.S. Navy's ships are generally larger and more capable, with an average displacement of around 4.5 million tons compared to the PLAN's slightly over 2 million tons.”
The Chinese Navy only has to patrol Chines waters and is not disbursed over the Middle East and other ports.”
Please take a paid subscription to reward me for the thousands of hours of research that go into the thousands of SubStack articles I publish - or make a donation of $3 bucks or more for a ko-fi here:
Onwards!!!
Hello Peter Halligan. Thank you for your report. Yes, that's the USA too! First, Ukraine is encouraged to go to war against its big neighbor and is heavily armed. As the sole and chosen world power, following the heartland theory, Ukraine is still needed. Now that the shot against the big, well-armed and clever neighbor has backfired, the battered, bled-dry Ukraine is being dropped like a hot potato. Yes, that's the USA too.
Taiwan is 90% Han Chinese. They should make a deal with China to avoid war and join them. Like the Dombass, Ukraine.