Australian Government declares Beijing’s South China Sea claims illegal in letter to United Nations

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-07-25/federal-government-joins-rejects-china-maritime-claims-at-un/12492070

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In a letter to the United Nations, Australia’s permanent mission rejected the Chinese Communist Party’s claim to disputed islands in the crucial trading waters, calling them “inconsistent” with international law.

“The Australian Government rejects any claims by China that are inconsistent with the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), in particular, maritime claims that do not adhere to its rules on baselines, maritime zones and classification of features,” the document states.

“There is no legal basis for China to draw straight baselines connecting the outermost points of maritime features or ‘island groups’ in the South China Sea, including around the ‘Four Sha’ or ‘continental’ or ‘outlying’ archipelagos.

First Arab country acquires new Chinese missile system

https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/first-arab-country-acquires-new-chinese-missile-system/ BEIRUT, LEBANON (9:30 A.M.) – China has started exporting the third generation of their Red Arrow-12 anti-tank systems, also known as the HJ-12.

According to the China Defense website, Algeria has become the first Arab country to obtain the upgraded Chinese anti-tank system.

Not surprisingly, the Algerian military has long-standing relationships with the Chinese military-industrial complex. It has bought from China self-propelled howitzers, mortars, and multiple missile launch systems, as well as reconnaissance and attack drones and marine equipment.

Acting Secretary Wolf Establishes China Working Group to Address Intensifying Threat

https://www.dhs.gov/news/2020/07/24/acting-secretary-wolf-establishes-china-working-group-address-intensifying-threat

“The Chinese threat is intensifying at an alarming rate through CCP’s malign activity in the trade, cybersecurity, immigration, and intellectual property domains,” said Acting Secretary Wolf. “Consistent with President Trump’s leadership and direction, DHS is at the forefront of combating these threats to the Homeland and our way of life. The Department’s role in curbing China’s malign activity has never been more important nor timely. DHS’s newly-established China Working Group will prioritize, coordinate, and articulate decisive near- and long-term actions commensurate with the threat we face.”

Chad Wolf - Wikipedia

Ziyuan-3 03 satellite into orbit via a Long March-4B carrier rocket

China sent a new high-resolution mapping satellite into space on Saturday from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in the northern province of Shanxi.

The Ziyuan III 03 资源三号 satellite was launched by a Long March-4B rocket at 11:13 a.m. Beijing time, according to the center. It was the 341st flight mission by the Long March rocket series.

Also on board the rocket were two satellites used for dark matter detection and commercial data acquisition respectively. They were developed by the Shanghai ASES Spaceflight Technology Co. Ltd.

All three satellites have entered preset orbits