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China holds military drills in four seas amid tensions with Taiwan and U.S.

China has simultaneously been holding military drills in the South and East China seas as well as the Yellow Sea and the Bohai Sea, naval authorities said Monday, amid escalating tensions with Taiwan and the United States.

The authorities have prohibited ships from navigating in the waters where the exercises have been held. The exercises, being conducted by a command based in Fujian Province facing Taiwan, are apparently aimed at landing on the island.

The message is clear, unification by force is near.

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Portugal Rejects U.S. Meddling in its Relations With China

The head of the Portuguese diplomacy rejected U.S. meddling in his country´s relations with China, after the american ambassador to Lisbon warned that partnering with Chinese tech company Huawei on 5G could have “consequences” for Portugal´s  Defense policy.

George Edward Glass

U.S. diplomat George Glass said in his interview that Portugal must choose between the “ally” United States and the “trading partner” China and stressed there may be security and defense consequences for the European country if it chooses to work with Beijing. Glass says the US preferred that Portugal did not have any Huawei 5G equipment, underlining that if the that happens, the relationship in Defense between Portugal and the United States will change. The American Ambassador says that the consequences of Portugal choosing to work with China will not be political, at least not immediately, but may have to do with NATO’s activity or the exchange of classified information. George Glass also threatens to end the distribution of natural gas through the port of Sines, if the construction of the new terminal is given to China.

A response from the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Augusto Santos Silva, on the same day. “The Portuguese Government makes note of the statements […]. But the fundamental point is this: in Portugal, the decision-makers are the Portuguese authorities, who make the decisions that benefit Portugal, within the framework of the Constitution and Portuguese law and the powers that the law gives (…) relevant authorities”, Santos Silva said, quoted by Lusa news agency.

Augusto Santos Silva
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Exercise Agile Reaper

The Air Force approved the new coursework shortly before the start of Exercise Agile Reaper, the first training event focused on those tactics in the Pacific. In keeping with the pivot away from the Middle East, patches on Airmen’s uniforms made for the event feature an MQ-9 superimposed over a red silhouette of China.

The exercise at Naval Air Station Point Mugu, Calif., began Sept. 3 and will end Sept. 29. It partners three MQ-9s with the Navy’s Third Fleet, which deploys carrier strike groups, submarines, and other sea vessels and aircraft to the Eastern Pacific, along with Air Force C-130s, and special warfare and Marine Corps personnel.

  • Attacking China’s Nansha Islands or other Chinese targets using MQ-9 Reaper drones is an act of war. The Chinese People’s Liberation Army will surely fight back, causing the US military to pay a heavy price.
    China will shoot down incoming US warplanes, no matter they are unmanned or manned. If those planes cause actual damage to Chinese islands and reefs, we will strike the platforms and bases from which those planes take off. The Nansha islands have only a small number of defensive weapons. If they are attacked, those islands would henceforth need to be turned into a fully operational military base to counter any serious threat to them.
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Pope ‘refuses to meet Pompeo’

Pope Francis has reportedly refused to meet with Mike Pompeo to discuss a controversial accord between the Vatican and China, as the US Secretary of State visits Rome on Tuesday to drive home his warning that it endangers the “moral authority” of the Church. The details of the deal have never been made public, but it gave the Vatican a say in the appointment of Catholic bishops in China. Pope Francis also recognised eight bishops that had been appointed by Beijing without his approval.