Chinese Military Bases in The Caribbean?

China also seems to have a military agenda in the Caribbean region... Chinese Defense Minister Wei Fenghe already is on record expressing China's willingness to deepen military cooperation with Caribbean countries.

Of more concern to US security interests is the ongoing seaport expansion project in the already commercially important port at Kingston, Jamaica, as well as the port at Freeport, Bahamas, China's possible new base of operations 90 miles off the US coast.

China is clearly not a government that honors its agreements.... The US can ill afford any Chinese drive to place under threat any Western Hemisphere country, much less the United States.

US policymakers need seriously to address Communist China's aggressive expansionist policies in the Caribbean. The US should not permit the PLA Air Force or the PLA Navy to establish bases that could interfere with American freedom of navigation, both for commerce and for military convoys re-supplying NATO allies in the event of a military crisis. The US can ill afford any Chinese drive to place under threat any Western Hemisphere country, much less the United States.

“Biden has said China isn’t a threat and has downplayed their ongoing campaigns to undermine the U.S. geopolitically, militarily and economically.

“China is going to eat our lunch? Come on, man,” Biden said during an Iowa campaign stop last summer. “I mean, you know, they’re not bad folks, folks. But guess what? They’re not competition for us.” “The fact of the matter is we can do all we need to do without punishing anybody,” he continued.

Biden’s position on China is dangerous and not based in reality. For years the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has been sending Chinese students to America’s top doctorate programs in order to gain access to university research labs. There, they steal intellectual property from the highest levels of U.S. science.

Now, we know China’s dangerous handling of viruses in its own labs has led to one of the most devastating and fastest economic destructions in global history.”

The Hill, Katie Pavlich, opinion contributor — 04/29/20
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The troubling reason why Biden is so soft on China

—Peter Schweizer, New York Post, May 11, 2020

In 2013, then-Vice President Joe Biden and his son Hunter Biden flew aboard Air Force Two to China. Less than two weeks later, Hunter Biden’s firm inked a $1 billion private equity deal with a subsidiary of the Chinese government’s Bank of China. The deal was later expanded to $1.5 billion.

In short, the Chinese government funded a business that it co-owned along with the son of a sitting vice president.

If it sounds shocking that a vice president would shape US-China policy as his son — who has scant experience in private equity — clinched a coveted billion-dollar deal with an arm of the Chinese government, that’s because it is. ...”

Without the aid of subpoena power, here’s what we know. The businesses of Hunter Biden and his partners created a series of LLCs involved in multibillion-dollar private equity deals with companies owned by the Chinese government.

The centerpiece of these deals is Rosemont Seneca Partners, an investment firm controlled by Hunter Biden and his associates: Chris Heinz, who is John Kerry’s stepson, and Heinz’s longtime associate Devon Archer. The trio founded Rosemont Seneca in 2009 and quickly began making deals through a series of overlapping entities under the Rosemont name. ...”

Less than a year after opening Rosemont Seneca’s doors, Hunter Biden and Archer were in China meeting with top Chinese officials. ...”

Very few people it seems are aware of the increasingly serious military alliance between Russia and communist China. Also in this alliance are Venezuela and Iran.

Recall, Bill Clinton's treasonous ChinaGate scandal began in late 1996...

From the Sino-Russian Joint Statement of April 23, 1997:
"The two sides [China and Russia] shall, in the spirit of partnership, strive to promote the multipolarization of the world and the establishment of a new international order."

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"Joint war games are a logical outcome of the Sino-Russian Friendship and Cooperation Treaty signed in 2001, and reflect the shared worldview and growing economic ties between the two Eastern Hemisphere giants."
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Peace Mission 2005

Peace Mission 2005 was the first ever joint military exercise between China and Russia.

The exercise started on August 19, 2005, and consisted of combined land, sea, and air elements simulating an intervention in a state besieged by terrorists or political turmoil.

It concluded on August 25, 2005. The force practiced air and naval blockades, an amphibious assault, and occupying a region. Approximately 8,000 Chinese troops took part along with 2,000 Russian troops.

China initially wanted to hold the exercise near the Taiwan Strait, Russia wanted to hold the exercise in Northwestern China near central Asia, but instead settlement was made on the Shandong Peninsula.

There are a number of reasons for the exercise, including:

China is the largest consumer of Russian military technology. The exercise will showcase the Russian weapons including the Tupolev Tu-22M and Tupolev Tu-95 long range bombers.

The two countries are by far the most influential in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation and the exercise will help to strengthen military ties.

Both countries have stated that the exercise is not directed at any one country, but many believed to be a show of force against the United States and particularly Taiwan.

The United States was not invited to observe the exercise, but did observe using satellite reconnaissance.[citation needed] The stated reason for the exercise is counter-terrorism; however, many analysts agree that the use of such heavy firepower, including long-range bombers, is not necessary. ...”

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peace_Mission_2005
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Below, from The Ministry of Defense for the Russian Federation website, Feb 3, 2020...

About 10 thousand servicemen will take part in the anti-terrorist exercise “Peace mission-2020”

About 10 thousand military personnel of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) member States will take part in a joint anti - terrorist exercise, which will be held for the first time at the Yurginsky training ground in the Kemerovo region in August this year.

Military representatives of the member States of the Shanghai cooperation organization (SCO) signed a joint Protocol on the results of the second round of consultations and staff negotiations.

The signed agreement includes issues of comprehensive support of troops and the plan of the exercise stages. Also, during the joint work, the participants visited the Yurginsky training ground, where they conducted reconnaissance of the main stage site.

In addition, the foreign military inspected the place of overcoming the water crossing on the equipment. This will be the first experience for some participating countries.

The consultations were attended by representatives of 8 countries - Russia, India, Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. The negotiations were led by the Deputy Chief of Staff of the Central Military District, Major General Rustam Minnekayev.

The anti-terrorist exercise “Peace mission-2020” will be held in August on the territory of the Central Military District at the Yurginsky training ground in the Kemerovo region.

During the exercise, the military personnel will have to work out the tasks of preparing and conducting an anti-terrorist operation by the joint group of troops (forces) of the SCO member States.

Press Service of the Central Military District

https://eng.mil.ru/en/news_page/country/more.htm?id=12280242@egNews
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2015: First Russia-China naval war games underway in Mediterranean

By Carol J. Williams
May 11, 2015

Reporting from Moscow —

Neither Russia nor China has one inch of coastline on the Mediterranean Sea, making it an unlikely and provocative venue for their first joint naval war games.

The 10 days of maneuvers that got underway Monday will include live-fire exercises in the strategic sea connecting Europe, Africa and the Middle East. The point is lost on no one: A powerful new alliance of eastern giants is flexing its muscles in the very backyard of Western Europe — much as China has done on its own in the Pacific.

The war games follow Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to Moscow, where he headlined Victory Day celebrations and spent three days making billion-dollar deals with Russian President Vladimir Putin. ...”

https://www.latimes.com/world/europe/la-fg-china-russia-joint-naval-maneuvers-20150511-story.html
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Russia and China’s Growing Military Interaction; Surprised?

by Peter Zwack | September 9, 2018

The drums are already rolling for the upcoming Russian “Vostok” (east) wargames commencing on September 11. With its focal point in the Trans-Baikal region of eastern Siberia adjoining Chinese Manchuria and Mongolia, this is a nationwide Russian military and societal event.

Touted by Russian minister of defense Sergei Shoigu as “unprecedented in scale, both in terms of area of operations and numbers of military command structure, troops, and forces involved,” Russian state press is declaring that up to three hundred thousand troops and one thousand aircraft will be involved, with the majority from the Eastern and Central Military Districts.

This would be even larger than the near-legendary Zapad-81 maneuvers held in the western USSR during the depths of the Cold War. ...”

Bill Clinton 'lost vital White House nuclear codes'

“We like your president [Bill Clinton]. We want to see him reelected,” former Chinese intelligence chief General Ji Shengde told Chinagate bagman Johnny Chung.

The Idiot’s Guide to Chinagate

by Richard Poe, May 26, 2003

“Most Americans have heard of the so-called “Chinagate “ scandal. Few understand its deadly import, however. Web sites such as “Chinagate for Dummies” and its companion “More Chinagate for Dummies” offer some assistance. ...”

When Bill Clinton took office in 1993, China presented little threat to the United States. Chinese missiles “couldn’t hit the side of a barn,” notes Timothy W. Maier of Insight magazine. Few could reach North America and those that made it would likely miss their targets.

Thanks to Bill Clinton, China can now hit any city in the USA, using state-of-the-art, solid-fueled missiles with dead-accurate, computerized guidance systems and multiple warheads. ....”

“In 1997, Clinton allowed China to take over the Panama Canal. The Chinese company Hutchison Whampoa leased the ports of Cristobal and Balboa, on the east and west openings of the canal respectively, thus controlling access both ways.

A public outcry stopped Clinton in 1998 from leasing California’s Long Beach Naval Yard to the Chinese firm COSCO. Even so, China can now strike U.S. targets easily from their bases in Panama, Vancouver and the Bahamas.

How did China catch up so fast? Easy. We sold them all the technology they needed – or handed it over for free.

Neither neglect nor carelessness are to blame. Bill Clinton did it on purpose.

As a globalist, Clinton promotes “multipolarity”– the doctrine that no country (such as the USA) should be allowed to gain decisive advantage over others.

To this end, Clinton appointed anti-nuclear activist Hazel O’Leary to head the Department of Energy. O’Leary set to work “leveling the playing field,” as she put it, by giving away our nuclear secrets. She declassified 11 million pages of data on U.S. nuclear weapons and loosened up security at weapons labs.

Federal investigators later concluded that China made off with the “crown jewels” of our nuclear weapons research under Clinton’s open-door policy – probably including design specifications for suitcase nukes. ...”

“In his book The China Threat, Washington Times correspondent Bill Gertz describes how the system worked. Defense contractors eager to sell technology to China poured millions of dollars into Clinton’s campaign.

In return, Clinton called off the dogs. Janet Reno and other counterintelligence officials stood down while Lockheed Martin, Hughes Electronics, Loral Space & Communications and other U.S. companies helped China modernize its nuclear strike force.

“We like your president. We want to see him reelected,” former Chinese intelligence chief General Ji Shengde told Chinagate bagman Johnny Chung.

Indeed, Chinese intelligence organized a massive covert operation aimed at tilting the 1996 election Clinton’s way.

Clinton’s top campaign contributors for 1992 were Chinese agents; his top donors in 1996 were U.S. defense contractors selling missile technology to China.

Clinton received funding directly from known or suspected Chinese intelligence agents, among them James and Mochtar Riady who own the Indonesian Lippo Group; John Huang; Charlie Trie; Ted Sioeng; Maria Hsia; Wang Jun and others. ...

More at:
—The Idiot’s Guide to Chinagate - By Richard Poe, May 26, 2003

Russia to boost Venezuela ties amid US pressure

February 8, 2020 - BBC

Russia has pledged to boost military and economic co-operation with Venezuela to help the South American nation deal with growing US pressure.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov’s comments came after his meeting with Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in Caracas.

Mr Lavrov said any attempts to remove Mr Maduro’s government by force were unacceptable.

The US accuses Mr Maduro of leading a corrupt and brutal regime. ...”

“Russia is a key ally of Venezuela, lending it billions of dollars and backing its oil industry and military.”
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U.S. Military Wary of China’s Foothold in Venezuela

The head of U.S. Southern Command says Beijing is using disinformation and debt diplomacy to dig in as Maduro clings to power.

By Lara Seligman

April 8, 2019

In an interview with Foreign Policy, Adm. Craig Faller, the four-star military officer who heads U.S. Southern Command, pointed to a Chinese disinformation campaign designed to blame the United States for the blackouts that devastated Venezuela in recent weeks.

Maduro, whose government is backed by China, Russia, and Cuba, has himself publicly accused the U.S. Defense Department of causing the blackouts. Following the power failures, Beijing offered to help the Venezuelan government restore its grid.

“China came out publicly, a state spokesman, implying the blackouts were attributable to U.S. cyberattacks,” Faller said during a recent trip to Washington, D.C. “That is just such a blatant lie. The blackouts are attributed to Maduro’s inept leadership, corruption, inattention to his people, and lack of concern for any humanity.”

The Pentagon is worried about China in other arenas as well. In the Pacific, China is building up its military capability, intimidating its smaller neighbors, and threatening Taiwan. In Africa, Beijing is using debt diplomacy to gain control of crucial ports and other infrastructure. And in Europe, the Trump administration is pushing NATO to address potential Chinese cyberthreats and commercial threats.

“I think the biggest threat to democracy and the way of life around the world is the trend that we see in China,” Faller said.

He said China was trying to assert economic control in Venezuela by investing in infrastructure and providing hefty loans that Caracas would have difficulty paying back. Much of Beijing’s financial interest in Venezuela is tied to loans-for-oil deals struck between the two countries in 2007. By 2014, the China Development Bank had provided Venezuela with more than $30 billion in loans tied to oil production.

These loans have served to prop up the Venezuelan government over the past two decades, “far beyond the point at which its bad policies would have historically caused a change,” said Evan Ellis, an analyst with the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

“There is no other actor in Latin America, with the possible exception of the Cubans, who as much controls the fate of Nicolás Maduro and his henchman as China does,” Ellis said.

China also has a major information technology footprint in the country. The Chinese telecommunications giant ZTE is creating a new ID card that can be used to monitor citizens’ behavior, Faller said. Using information from these cards, the government can trace a person’s finances, medical history, and voting record, Reuters reported last fall.

https://foreignpolicy.com/2019/04/08/us-military-wary-of-chinas-foothold-in-venezuela-maduro-faller-guaido-trump-pentagon/

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China Arming Venezuelan Navy With Anti-Ship Missiles

by H.I. Sutton
October 16, 2020 | Updated: October 21, 2020

Venezuela’s propaganda videos are showing off warships armed with new Chinese-made anti-ship missiles. The C-802A missile, supplied by Beijing to the Venezuelan Navy, is designed to take out surface ships at extended ranges. The sea-skimming missile is generally analogous to the Harpoon. This arms deal should greatly increase the reach and potency of President Nicolás Maduro’s navy.

The acquisition was revealed on Sept. 25 by the Venezuelan Navy (formally known as the Armada Bolivariana de Venezuela). Footage of one test firing is now being used in propaganda videos posted online, including by Maduro’s official Twitter account (in Spanish).

The video footage is not actually of a Venezuelan Navy ship. It is taken from a Royal Thai Navy test launch of the C-802A missile. That launch, from the Thai Navy’s frigate HTMS Kraburi, can be viewed on YouTube.

But this does not mean that China has not supplied the system. Misleading images are part and parcel of Venezuelan Navy propaganda. For example, the same video shows a Venezuelan Type-209 submarine, when in fact their boats have not been to sea in years. But the lack of images of it aboard a Venezuelan Navy ship does suggest that they have not yet equipped their own ships with the missile.

According to open sources, the missiles are likely to equip Venezuela’s Guaiquerí-class patrol boats. These are Spanish built Avante 2200 combatants and were delivered without anti-ship missiles. This makes sense because in June 2017 the Venezuelan Navy was taking steps to equip two unspecified offshore patrol vessels with the missile at the sum of $2.9 million. The Venezuelan Navy has three Guaiquerí class ships, so it is possible that one will be left without missiles.

Meanwhile, Venezuela’s two remaining Italian built Lupo-class frigates are fitted for Otomat Mk 2 missiles, as are some missile boats. The Lupos are the most capable warships in the Venezuelan lineup, but are increasingly dated. The other modern warship, the Guaicamacuto-class patrol boats, are optimized for littoral operations and do not have a missile armament. It was one of these ships, Naiguatá (GC-23), which was lost on March 23, 2020. She was attempting to stop the ice-hardened cruise liner RCGS Resolute when the two ships collided. The warship lost the encounter and sank. RCGS Resolute suffered some scratches.

Venezuela’s armed forces have been hit hard by the country’s economic woes, and by international sanctions. They have, however, been able to source advanced weapons from Russia and now China. As well as the C-802A anti-ship missiles, China has been supplying small arms and general equipment. This acquisition is a reminder that despite their economic and internal challenges, they are still focusing on weapons to take on external adversaries.

https://news.usni.org/2020/10/16/china-arming-venezuelan-navy-with-anti-ship-missiles

Re: Maduro allies

The Links Between Black Lives Matter and Nicolas Maduro Revealed

PanAm Post ^ | June 23, 2020 | PanAm Post Staff

[excerpt]
"...while Black Lives Matter claim to oppose police abuse and racism around the world, the organization is simultaneously a great supporter of some of the world’s most brutal and repressive dictators. In particular, the founders of BLM have been staunch supporters and allies of the sanguinary Venezuela dictator Nicolas Maduro and of the Castro regime in Cuba.

In December 2015 Black Lives Matter sent a delegation, headed by the organization’s co-founder, Opal Tometi, to act as observers during the Venezuelan Parliamentary elections of that year. The Maduro regime did not allow accreditation for observers from the Organization of American States, the UN, or the EU. The only accredited observers where from regimes and organizations friendly to the “revolutionary cause.”

Later that same month Tometi penned an article where she espouses, word for word, the regime’s standard text for international propaganda.

“In these last 17 years, we have witnessed the Bolivarian Revolution champion participatory democracy and construct a fair, transparent election system recognized as among the best in the world ,” wrote Tometi about one of the world’s most corrupt voting systems in history.

Earlier in 2015 Maduro was given an award at the Afro-descenndants Summit” held in Harlem. Maduro was invited at the behest of the Black Lives Matter leadership. ..."

Ivan Pentchoukov on Twitter:
[Venezuelan President] Nicolas Maduro with Opal Tometi (right), co-founder
of Black Lives Matter, in Harlem, Manhattan, December 2015.

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Also in 2015...

Moscow defense minister inks deals with Cuba, Venezuela, Nicaragua for joint exercises

by Bill Gertz, February 20, 2015

Russia agreed to provide military training for three leftist regimes in Latin America and increase military visits and exercises following a visit last week to the region by Moscow's Defense Minister Sergei Shoygu, Pentagon officials said.

Shoygu met with defense and military leaders in Cuba, Venezuela, and Nicaragua and signed several agreements on warship visits and military training during the visit, which ran from Feb 11 to 14.

It is not clear whether any new arms deals were completed during the visit.

Defense officials said the Russian leader is seeking bases in the region for strategic bomber flights that Shoygu recently promised would include flights over the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean. ..."
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2015.....

Russia and North Korea declare 2015 a ‘year of friendship’

“The biggest cause for concern is the growing military alliance between Russia and North Korea, with the two regimes recently announcing plans to conduct a series of joint army, navy and air force exercises this year.”

—Julian Ryall, Tokyo - Mar 11, 2015 - The Telegraph
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2015...

Nicolas Maduro with Opal Tometi (black dress, center), co-founder of Black Lives Matter, in Harlem, Manhattan, December 2015.

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