The island of Taiwan has formally signed an agreement with US arms firm Lockheed Martin to buy 66 F-16V fighter jets, reports said on Saturday, further raising tensions in the Taiwan Straits, and coming just two days after the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) announced large-scale drills in response to US provocations and Taiwan secessionist activities.
While the deal was approved by the Trump administration last year and a formal signing was expected to take place sooner or later, its announcement at this particular time is believed to be yet another US provocation and a step on the red line of the Taiwan question, which further risks confrontation, Chinese mainland experts said on Saturday, adding that the PLA is aiming not only to deter, but also to hone its capability of launching military action when necessary.
A Pentagon announcement on Thursday said Lockheed Martin has been awarded a $62 billion, 10-year contract for the production of F-16s for foreign military sale, and the initial delivery order is for 90 aircraft.
The Pentagon did not reveal the buyers of the fighter jets, but media outlets including Bloomberg and AFP reported on Friday that the deal includes Taiwan’s approved purchase of 66 F-16s.
The deal would involve 66 of the F-16V, the latest version of the F-16 fighter jet, costing $8 billion, reports said at that time the deal was initially approved.
Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis on Thursday refused to take sides against China and also would not rule out working with Chinese telecom company Huawei despite a push by visiting U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.
“We are a sovereign country, we treat these countries quite standardly like everyone else,” Babis told Mlada fronta Dnes, one of the country’s largest newspapers, after Pompeo used his visit to take swipes at both Russia and China.
Speaking to the Czech Senate on Wednesday, Pompeo called on European countries to rally against the Communist Party of China, which he accused of leveraging economic might to exert its influence around the world.
The announcement of the Amazon project was made by the president of Huawei in Brazil, Sun Baocheng, at the online event “Amazonia Conectada” (Amazon connected), promoted by the municipal institute of innovation (IMI), a Brazilian think-thank that supports municipalities in PPP projects.
Reportedly, the U.S. President’s special envoy for arms control affairs Marshall Billingsley said in an interview on the 14th, the United States is developing medium-range missiles is the absolute necessity of Japan and other countries in the future defense force, and Japan is also a candidate to deploy this missile. Billingsley also asserted that China is an “imminent threat,” and revealed attempts to expand military cooperation with relevant Asian countries.
Billingsley stated that he would consult with the relevant Asian countries on the threat posed by China’s nuclear capabilities, as well as on matters related to the defense of allied capabilities. And Billingsley was the first to mention the possible deployment of medium-range missiles in Japan.
“Pirates Of The Caribbean” – The United States has seized four Iranian tankers on the high seas, U.S. officials said on Thursday (14). The tankers were allegedly carrying Iranian oil in violation of U.S. sanctions. The four tankers are currently en route to a major oil port in Houston, Texas.
The U.S. seizure of the Iranian tankers was reportedly motivated by the arrival of five Iranian tankers earlier this year carrying 1.5 million barrels of gasoline to Venezuela, which is also under restrictive U.S. economic sanctions.
On Aug. 10, Pakistan seized an Iranian tanker at the port of Karachi at the request of the U.S. government, but since the name of the tanker was never reported, it is unclear whether it is one of the four now en route to Houston.
The Trump administration began imposing strangling economic sanctions on Iran in August 2018, with the goal of reducing the country’s oil exports to zero, while also attempting to cripple other Iranian industries.
Hello, everyone. What I mentioned yesterday in today’s headlines is another clarification. The cross-strait reunification I talked about can have a result within two years. Of course, many people still think it is absolutely impossible. I think I have to elaborate on this in depth. Reunification in two years is not a timetable but a plan. To make it clearer, the reunification of the country and its division is a battle of wills. If we look at the situation in Taiwan today, we can see what Taiwan’s willpower is for independence. That facing Taiwan’s willpower for independence is an atmosphere in which it is slowly becoming more and more impossible to achieve independence. Then the possibility of unification is high. You may wonder why Taiwan’s independence is becoming less and less likely. Didn’t Lee Teng-hui leave recently? When Lee Teng-hui was alive he had two main points. One was that he repeatedly emphasized the collapse of China. Secondly, he repeatedly promoted Taiwan’s independence. Did China collapse during his lifetime? Not only did it not collapse. The country is getting stronger. And now the Trump can’t even take it anymore, can’t stand it. So the first one that Lee Teng-hui lived to emphasize his desire for China to collapse did not happen. The second one. Before his death, he constantly promoted Taiwan’s independence. Now he’s gone. The disciples are remembering him and making this his funeral a big, big one. That’s an inferiority complex after arrogance. Because these people want to push for Taiwan’s independence, they expect China to collapse and find out that they can’t. So each of them is in a very bad way. So it’s a curtain call for all of them. The ones who took the lead are gone again, so let’s do it properly, that’s just self-consolation, self-relief. This is not the truth? I’m in Taiwan, and people say I’m in the minority. I’ll tell you this. I’m definitely not in the minority. Because in my heart. I am full of hope, because my opponent expects collapse, the mainland is getting stronger and stronger. My opponents hope for independence, and as a result independence is becoming less and less likely. It’s a non-mainstream minority for me. With the disciples of Lee Teng Hui they now stand for regret. Because their leading man is gone.
Well, what about the unificationist minority like me. I am full of hope because mainland China is rising. It is constantly rising. And. Increasingly performing outstandingly. Some netizens on the internet disagree with me. Then I know that you netizens fully expect to pursue the western set of democracy and freedom. Perhaps you’re one who were originally taught anti-communist education. But to those of us who are talking based on facts. So you say on the Internet that I am so and so, I will not agrue with you, each person has his own choice of thinking. But I can say very clearly what we are expecting today. All that is expected is that 1.4 billion people, 1.4 billion Chinese can live. And to live well. There are restrictions. Each country has its own system. The way is not the democratic politics of the West, the political system of mainland China doesn’t allow you to distort democracy. It doesn’t allow you to abuse freedom. Let’s look in Taiwan. Is the democracy a democracy? Some democracies are saying, “Well, that’s what everybody elected and then elected for four years of domination. These four years, he’s been running amok. That’s democracy, that’s populism. As many as 80,90% of our compatriots on the mainland now support the Chinese Communist Party. Why? Because after 20 years of reform and opening up the practice and the experience is the truth. Hey. What it has brought is to tell the people that what they did not do well in the past is now improved. In the past, there were many disparities between the rich and the poor, and we are trying our best to alleviate the poverty. So we see the facts of the continent in modern times. Let us see. What Taiwan is showing is full of regret, full of disappointment. The so-called democracy and freedom in Taiwan, led by Lee Teng-hui, has brought about populism. It’s an abuse of freedom. Then we see the mainland today. That is why we are full of hope. We should be under the rule of a leader with such a heart in the mainland, We are all able to focus our consciousness force. What does that mean? It means the willpower to pursue national unity and national rejuvenation. I say two years is a plan. Today, let’s assume, as some netizens do, that what you say is impossible, that there is no hope. If even the netizens in mainland China are so negative, then of course unification is impossible, I ask. If there is a non-mainstream minority like me in Taiwan, we are still full of confidence, we still have strong willpower in the harsh environment, in the environment of Taiwan Secession . Suppose there are 1.4 billion people in mainland China, and you have 1 billion people with willpower, what are the other 400 million people? Put such a willpower that we are within two years, because now the Cold War is going to turn into a hot war. Assuming that the Cold War will turn into a hot war, and the Sino-American war, Taiwan will of course be unified and liberated first. It will be recovered. Isn’t that right? Is America being provocative? China won’t say take advantage of your provocations. I’ll take this pawn down first. You won’t have the leverage to negotiate with me. Wouldn’t he think like this, I would think like this. Some netizens will because they think I’m not making sense. Once Trump wants to provoke, to go to war before I take down this pawn of yours, you will have no leverage to talk with me. The pawn is Taiwan. So I’m going to tell this to the folks in Taiwan. We don’t want war. In a fight with the United States and China, we are the first to suffer. So I’m speaking to the folks in Taiwan, and I’m also speaking to my compatriots in China. Some of you are pessimistic and negative. I am very dissatisfied. You’re promoting Taiwan independence, you know? You have full confidence and willpower. If we don’t unify in 2 years, we can do it in 5 years. But when you have the willpower, you will be able to take the road of unification. You will be able to achieve the unified result. But you’re losing your will. I’m really going to curse you. I’m sure most of my mainland compatriots don’t think like you. You are dissatisfied with the leadership of the mainland, but can you not support the reunification of your country? You yourself are in China today or have any kind of opinion, but we think of the big picture, I can have such a strong will even in Taiwan. I won’t be offended if I see you talking sarcasm on the internet, but I must emphasize it again up front. But I must emphasize once again in the headline on the Internet. According to the current international situation, when the cold war becomes a hot war, the country is unified. So what Trump recently challenged, is that in the middle of a hot war? Is that likely within two years? Hmm. So I’m not talking about this in anger. It’s not here to please anyone. I’m basing it on Taiwan’s Lee Teng-hui’s past lifelong pursuit of goals, and I believe he left at the end full of regret. I’m telling you very clearly that there is no hope for Taiwan’s Secession. When there is no hope for Taiwan Secession , then there is hope for reunification. That is when there is hope for reunification. Within two years, we will be able to achieve this goal, even if our efforts may take three to five years, That’s a result. So let no one be discouraged. Don’t be a disgrace to others. Today, I am full of fighting spirit and earnest words. It is to tell our Taiwanese compatriots and mainlanders that we are all family, and that we, as Chinese sons and daughters, want to be the leaders of world peace in the 21st century. Because of what? Because Chinese culture is about peace. Not to go around causing world wars and then be the world’s policeman like the US. To be a hegemonic state. This is against the essence of Chinese culture. Therefore, if the essence of Chinese culture can continue to be implemented and China can become a world leader, then world peace, the pursuit of Dr. Sun Yat-sen’s great goal of world harmony, world harmony, can be achieved. The pursuit of world peace, the pursuit of Dr. Sun Yat-sen’s great goal of world commonwealth, and the world as a commonwealth can be achieved.
