China Nuclear Horn Expands (Daniel 7:7)

China unveils next-generation nuclear missile Dongfeng-41 that can strike ‘anywhere in the world’

Staff writer

 

CHINA has revealed its awe-inspiring next-generation nuclear weapon, capable of carrying 10 individual warheads and said to be able to strike anywhere.

News Corp Australia NetworkNovember 24, 201711:58am

AMID global concerns about North Korea’s threats of nuclear war, China has unveiled a next-generation nuclear weapon that is said to be able to strike “anywhere in the world”.

The nuclear warhead, called the Dongfeng-41, will be capable of reaching distances of at least 12,000km — putting the US well into the line of target. With a speed of up to Mach 10 (around 12,000kph), it can carry up to 10 nuclear warheads.
The ballistic missile is said to be about 15 metres long, 2 metres in diameter and weighs approximately 30,000 kilograms.
According to the Daily Star, China has tested the weapon eight times in the past five years, with the latest test reportedly taking place earlier this month deep in China’s western desert region.
The weapon, which according to Chinese media will be able to hit targets “anywhere in the world”, is scheduled to enter China’s arsenal in 2018.
“It can carry up to 10 nuclear warheads, each of which can target separately,” Missile expert Xu Guangyu, a senior adviser of the China Arms Control and Disarmament Association told China Central Television, reports Newsweek.com.
“Once the Dongfeng-41 goes into service, China’s ability to protect its own safety and to prevent wars would greatly increase.”
The missile will also be able to use decoy devices to make its way through other defence systems.
Military analyst Song Zhongping, a former member of the People’s Liberation Army Rocket Force, believes it’s possible the Dongfeng-41 is already in service, as tests can be conducted after the weapon has been commissioned.
The Global Times reported that China, which claims to have an arsenal of up to 2500 missiles, “does not have an arms race agenda and will not compete with any country for any such purpose”.

The Strengthening China Nuclear Horn

China unveils next-generation nuclear missile Dongfeng-41 that can strike ‘anywhere in the world’

Staff writer, News Corp Australia Network

AMID global concerns about North Korea’s threats of nuclear war, China has unveiled a next-generation nuclear weapon that is said to be able to strike “anywhere in the world”.

The nuclear warhead, called the Dongfeng-41, will be capable of reaching distances of at least 12,000km — putting the US well into the line of target. With a speed of up to Mach 10 (around 12,000kph), it can carry up to 10 nuclear warheads.
The ballistic missile is said to be about 15 metres long, 2 metres in diameter and weighs approximately 30,000 kilograms.

The Dongfeng-41 during May Day celebrations in Beijing this year. Picture: Supplied

According to the Daily Star, China has tested the weapon eight times in the past five years, with the latest test reportedly taking place earlier this month deep in China’s western desert region.
The weapon, which according to Chinese media will be able to hit targets “anywhere in the world”, is scheduled to enter China’s arsenal in 2018.
“It can carry up to 10 nuclear warheads, each of which can target separately,” Missile expert Xu Guangyu, a senior adviser of the China Arms Control and Disarmament Association told China Central Television, reports Newsweek.com.
“Once the Dongfeng-41 goes into service, China’s ability to protect its own safety and to prevent wars would greatly increase.”
The missile will also be able to use decoy devices to make its way through other defence systems.

Military analyst Song Zhongping, a former member of the People’s Liberation Army Rocket Force, believes it’s possible the Dongfeng-41 is already in service, as tests can be conducted after the weapon has been commissioned.
The Global Times reported that China, which claims to have an arsenal of up to 2500 missiles, “does not have an arms race agenda and will not compete with any country for any such purpose”.

US President Donald Trump, right, chats with Chinese President Xi Jinping during a visit to Beijing. Picture: AP Photo/Andy Wong

During his visit to China earlier this month, US President Donald Trump told Chinese President Xi Jinping that time was “running out” to solve the nuclear crisis with North Korea. The US wants China, which makes up the majority of North Korea’s foreign trade, to put more economic pressure on the regime.

Originally published as China unveils hypersonic nuke

Nuclear Tensions Increase with China (Daniel 7)

Chinese military displays conventional, nuclear missiles at parade

PTI|

Updated: Jul 30, 2017, 02.51 PM IST

BEIJING: Chinese military today showcased five models of its homemade conventional and nuclear missiles in a massive military parade, marking the 2.3-million strong People’s Liberation Army’s 90th founding anniversary.
The models include the Dongfeng-26 ballistic missile, which can be fired at short notice and fitted with a nuclear warhead, the Dongfeng-21D land-based anti-ship ballistic missile described as a “carrier killer” and the Dongfeng-16G conventional missile designed for precision strikes against key enemy targets.
Also on display were two types of solid-fuel inter- continental strategic nuclear missiles, which rumbled on top of long-bed missile launchers, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.
The equipment and soldiers driving the mobile launch vehicles came from the PLA‘s Rocket Force, which was established in December 2015 as part of the PLA’s extensive military structural reform.
The predecessor of Rocket Force, the Second Artillery Force, was founded on July 1, 1966.
China’s latest J-20 stealth fighters made their parade debut in north part.
Three J-20 jets led an echelon formation consisting of 15 fighter aircraft which roared over the Zhurihe military training base in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region during the country’s first-ever Army Day parade.
The J-20 is China’s indigenous fourth-generation medium and long-range fighter jet. It made its maiden flight in 2011 and was first publicly displayed at the 11th Airshow China in Zhuhai, Guangdong Province, in November last year.
“The enlisting of fourth-generation jets will bring fundamental changes to the rules of the game in air battlefield,” said Wang Mingzhi, a professor with the PLA Air Force Command College.
“It will also draw the curtain on transformation in the PLA Air Force,” Wang said.
Besides J-20, J-16 fighters and Y-20 heavy transport aircraft were also among the new aircraft making parade debuts today.
The J-16 is a two-seat, dual-engine multi-role fighter with beyond-visual-range air-to-air and air-to-ship strike capabilities.
The Y-20 plane with a maximum take-off weight of about 200 tonnes, is designed to carry cargo and personnel over long distances in complicated meteorological conditions. It officially entered military service in July, 2016.
The PLA was founded on August 1, 1927 when the ruling Communist Party of China under the leadership of Mao Zedong carried on with his national liberation movement.
The parade was held in the backdrop of over month-long standoff between Indian and Chinese troops at Doklam in Sikkim section.
Besides Doklam, China is also concerned by the situation in North Korea and the deployment of Terminal High Altitude Area Defence (THAAD) missile by the US in South Korea much to the opposition of the Beijing.

China Has Been Arming The Pakistani Nuclear Horn

Former Chinese nuclear engineer: ‘We’ve been transferring nuclear technology to Pakistan’

After two nuclear tests last year and a new ballistic missile launch on Feb. 12, North Korea has invited fresh denunciation and economic sanctions from the international community.

Even China has been concerned as Pyongyang’s development of nuclear weapons threatens Beijing’s ability to rein in its capricious ally.

In past years, the assistance North Korea received from Pakistan in developing its nuclear weapons has been well-publicized. In the 2005 article “New Players on the Scene: A.Q. Khan and the Nuclear Black Market,” U.S. Air Force Col. Charles D. Lutes revealed the role Islamabad played in spreading nuclear technology to North Korea and Iran.

Now, insider sources in China have indicated it was Beijing that indirectly supplied North Korea by aiding Pakistan’s development of nuclear technology and gifting it critical raw materials.

According to Huang Huiping, a former researcher at the China Institute of Atomic Energy, “In the 1980s, one of the CIAE’s tasks was to transfer our nuclear technologies to other countries, including Pakistan. They sent people to China to study nuclear engineering, and China (including our Institute) also sent specialists to Pakistan to assist in their nuclear technology.”

In 2009, the Washington Post cited Abdul Qadeer Khan, the Pakistani nuclear scientist, as saying that in 1982, China “had gifted us 50 kg [kilograms] of weapon-grade enriched uranium, enough for two weapons.”

China joined the Treaty on the Nonproliferation of Nuclear Weapons in 1992. Pakistan conducted its first successful nuclear weapons test in 1998, becoming the seventh country to explode a nuclear bomb. But it still lacked the rocket technology needed to deliver its nuclear weapons. And in 2000, China pledged that it would not assist any country in developing ballistic missiles.

But Chinese aid to Pakistan continued, and Huang Huiping entertained private doubts.

“Because China and India don’t get along, China assists Pakistan [in its nuclear weapons program] to oppose India,” she told NTD Television in a phone interview. “Having witnessed such irresponsible acts, I began to seriously question whether these advanced technologies would bring benefit or catastrophe to humanity.”

From Islamabad to the Kim dynasty

Pakistani nuclear arms and technology, aided by China, has ended up in North Korean hands via the black market and through Chinese corporations associated with the Communist Party.

Last year, the U.S. Department of Justice announced charges against a northeastern Chinese company called Dandong Hongxiang Industrial Development for supplying North Korea with alloys necessary for uranium enrichment. The company’s head, a female government official and Party member, was arrested and placed under investigation in the fallout of this incident.

Another example: in September 2001, the United States imposed sanctions on the state-owned China Metallurgical Equipment Corporation (MECC) for selling missile parts to Pakistan. This caused a political scandal that Beijing moved to correct.

According to economics expert Yang Jianli, a pro-democracy dissident who founded Initiatives for China, the Chinese regime sentenced five people involved in the sale of key metallurgical technologies to Pakistan. In 2002, Yang himself had been detained by the Ministry of State Security while investigating a surge in unemployment in Northeast China.

Yang’s cellmate happened to be one of the five MECC officials convicted in the face of U.S. pressure.

“He told me he felt wronged,” Yang Jianli told NTD Television. “He was following orders by the Chinese government to sell those technologies. They said the State Council and the Central government had official approved the documents.”

But when the MECC official became a scapegoat, he was coerced to plead guilty to the charges under threat that he would be investigated for corruption instead. “In the end, the five of them were convicted on multiple charges and given eight-to-ten-year sentences,” Yang said.

The China Nuclear Horn Grows (Daniel 7)

China Boosting Nuclear Capabilities, Narrowing Gap With US, Russia

Sputnik

There appear to be more and more reasons to expect China to make a spectacular breakthrough in the field of nuclear weapons development, Russian military expert Vasily Kashin told Sputnik, adding that this could lead to radical changes in the ongoing geopolitical game over Asia-Pacific.

On January 31 Bill Gertz, a senior editor of the Washington Free Beacon, reported that Beijing had flight tested "a new variant of a long-range missile with 10 warheads," dubbing it a "dramatic shift in Beijing's strategic nuclear posture."

"The flight test of the DF-5C missile was carried out earlier this month using 10 multiple independently targetable reentry vehicles, or MIRVs," he wrote, citing US defense officials.

According to the journalist, the Dongfeng-5C intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) was fired from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center (TSLC) in Shanxi Province, and flew to a desert in western China.

"The test of a missile with 10 warheads is significant because it indicates the secretive Chinese military is increasing the number of warheads in its arsenal," the article reads, warning that a boost in the Chinese nuclear arsenal could prompt the Pentagon to join the race.

The journalist suggested that the test could have been carried out as response to growing tensions between Beijing and Washington.

However, Catherine Wong of South China Morning Post argues that the assumption that the test would have been aimed at US President Donald Trump, known for his tough rhetoric toward China, is unfounded.

She quoted a Chinese military expert from an institute affiliated with the People's Liberation Army (PLA) who explained that the flight test "is not a random decision to be made just because Trump is now in office."

"The test of a nuclear missile requires permission from the highest level — the Central Military Commission. It takes at least one year for the military to get the approval and to prepare for it," the expert said, as quoted by Wong.

Back in February 2016 in his article for The Washington Times, Gertz reported that China's military had begun upgrading their DF-5 missiles with multiple warheads (MIRVs), referring to data obtained by US intelligence services.

Speaking to Sputnik, Kashin underscored that these reports indicate that the PLA is unlikely to replace the DF-5C with its brand new Dongfeng-41 (DF-41) nuclear solid-fueled road-mobile intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM), as had previously been expected.

"The DF-5's strengths are obvious. This is a powerful liquid-fuel missile which weighs 183 tons. Its energy potential is so great that it [led to China] creating a family of space launch vehicles based [upon this missile]. It is capable of delivering a powerful front section with ten warheads and the means of overcoming ballistic missile defenses to the US," Kashin said.

On the other hand, however, this missile is not mobile and is fired from tunnels and silos, he noted. It also requires from 30-60 minutes to two hours to launch the rocket. Given a limited number of launches, these missiles could be destroyed by a preemptive strike.

"Now the situation has changed," Kashin noted, "First of all, the DF-5 is no longer the only Chinese carrier of nuclear weapons that could reach US territory. The DF-31 and DF-41 also pose a challenge. Second, China is creating its own ballistic missile early warning system (BMEWS) and strategic missile defense (MD) system."

According to Kashin, the deployment of the BMEWS and MD systems could enable Beijing to use these missiles for conducting a counter-preemptive strike against a hypothetical enemy.

The Russian military analyst assumed that Beijing could increase the production of the DF-5 given the fact that they are cheaper to produce and has a longer service than the DF-41.

"Thus, it appears that there are reasons to expect China to make a spectacular breakthrough that in coming years it will bring it closer to the US and Russia in terms of strategic nuclear capabilities. This will prompt radical changes in the rules of the game in the Asia-Pacific region," Kashin stressed.

The China Nuclear Horn Grows (Daniel 7)

China Boosting Nuclear Capabilities, Narrowing Gap With US, Russia

Sputnik

There appear to be more and more reasons to expect China to make a spectacular breakthrough in the field of nuclear weapons development, Russian military expert Vasily Kashin told Sputnik, adding that this could lead to radical changes in the ongoing geopolitical game over Asia-Pacific.

On January 31 Bill Gertz, a senior editor of the Washington Free Beacon, reported that Beijing had flight tested "a new variant of a long-range missile with 10 warheads," dubbing it a "dramatic shift in Beijing's strategic nuclear posture."

"The flight test of the DF-5C missile was carried out earlier this month using 10 multiple independently targetable reentry vehicles, or MIRVs," he wrote, citing US defense officials.

According to the journalist, the Dongfeng-5C intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) was fired from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center (TSLC) in Shanxi Province, and flew to a desert in western China.

"The test of a missile with 10 warheads is significant because it indicates the secretive Chinese military is increasing the number of warheads in its arsenal," the article reads, warning that a boost in the Chinese nuclear arsenal could prompt the Pentagon to join the race.

The journalist suggested that the test could have been carried out as response to growing tensions between Beijing and Washington.

However, Catherine Wong of South China Morning Post argues that the assumption that the test would have been aimed at US President Donald Trump, known for his tough rhetoric toward China, is unfounded.

She quoted a Chinese military expert from an institute affiliated with the People's Liberation Army (PLA) who explained that the flight test "is not a random decision to be made just because Trump is now in office."

"The test of a nuclear missile requires permission from the highest level — the Central Military Commission. It takes at least one year for the military to get the approval and to prepare for it," the expert said, as quoted by Wong.

Back in February 2016 in his article for The Washington Times, Gertz reported that China's military had begun upgrading their DF-5 missiles with multiple warheads (MIRVs), referring to data obtained by US intelligence services.

Speaking to Sputnik, Kashin underscored that these reports indicate that the PLA is unlikely to replace the DF-5C with its brand new Dongfeng-41 (DF-41) nuclear solid-fueled road-mobile intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM), as had previously been expected.

"The DF-5's strengths are obvious. This is a powerful liquid-fuel missile which weighs 183 tons. Its energy potential is so great that it [led to China] creating a family of space launch vehicles based [upon this missile]. It is capable of delivering a powerful front section with ten warheads and the means of overcoming ballistic missile defenses to the US," Kashin said.

On the other hand, however, this missile is not mobile and is fired from tunnels and silos, he noted. It also requires from 30-60 minutes to two hours to launch the rocket. Given a limited number of launches, these missiles could be destroyed by a preemptive strike.

"Now the situation has changed," Kashin noted, "First of all, the DF-5 is no longer the only Chinese carrier of nuclear weapons that could reach US territory. The DF-31 and DF-41 also pose a challenge. Second, China is creating its own ballistic missile early warning system (BMEWS) and strategic missile defense (MD) system."

According to Kashin, the deployment of the BMEWS and MD systems could enable Beijing to use these missiles for conducting a counter-preemptive strike against a hypothetical enemy.

The Russian military analyst assumed that Beijing could increase the production of the DF-5 given the fact that they are cheaper to produce and has a longer service than the DF-41.

"Thus, it appears that there are reasons to expect China to make a spectacular breakthrough that in coming years it will bring it closer to the US and Russia in terms of strategic nuclear capabilities. This will prompt radical changes in the rules of the game in the Asia-Pacific region," Kashin stressed.

The Mighty China Nuclear Horn (Daniel 7)

China test-fires intercontinental missile with 10 nuclear warheads

BEIJING – China has reportedly tested a new version of a missile that can carry up to 10 nuclear warheads, which can bring a major shift in its nuclear capability.

The flight test of the Dongfeng-5C missile was carried out last month using 10 multiple independently targetable reentry vehicles, or MIRVs, the Washington Free Beacon reported.

The test of the inert warheads was monitored closely by US intelligence agencies, said two officials familiar with reports of the missile test.

The DF-5C missile, carrying 10 dummy warheads, was launched from the Taiyuan Space Launch Centre in Shanxi province, and flew to a desert in western China, the report said.

The missile is a new variant of the DF-5, an intercontinental ballistic missile that first went into service in the early 1980’s.

For decades, the US has put the estimated number of warheads in China’s nuclear arsenal at about 250. But the report suggested that the latest test with 10 warheads meant the actual number could be larger.

The timing of the test coincided with the election of Donald Trump as US President who signalled a tougher stance against China over a range of issues, from the trade deficit to Beijing’s military build-up in the disputed South China Sea.

Officials in Beijing have warned Trump against entering a confrontation, while some Chinese government media outlets have published a number of reports calling for strengthening the Chinese military to compensate for an increased perceived threat from the US.

Unlike China, the US has not pledged not to use nuclear weapons in a first strike, although the nuclear option is reserved for only dire circumstances in US military doctrine.

Just over two weeks ago, China launched a stealthy attack drone – Sharp Sword – that has two internal bomb bays and a likely payload of about 4,400 pounds.

The Sharp Sword is the first non-NATO stealthy unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV). Built by Aviation Industry Corporation of China, with much of the work done by the Hongdu Aviation Industry Group, the drone has a non-afterburning WS-13 turbofan engine, with serpentine inlet to hide the engine from enemy radars. It has a length of about 33 feet, and a wingspan of about 46 feet.

The Far Reach of China's Nuclear Horn

 How Far China's Nuclear Capabilities Stretch

Media Center, Image JANUARY 26, 2017 | 18:56 GMT 

China has had a nuclear missile capable of reaching the United States since the early 1980s, the Dongfeng-5, but it has issues that have recently limited its effectiveness as a deterrent. Its liquid fuel propellant means that it must undergo a lengthy fueling process before it can be launched, and its lack of mobility renders its silos vulnerable to strikes by increasingly accurate munitions. Those threats to its survivability reduce its value as a minimum credible deterrence. China needed to upgrade to a more survivable missile inventory given its historically smaller nuclear arsenal and no-first-use doctrine.

Development of the Dongfeng-41 — a solid-fuel nuclear-capable road-mobile system — is thought to have begun in the late 1980s, but the program was subject to multiple delays and pauses along the way. Other updates to China's strategic arsenal were introduced in the meantime. The medium-range Dongfeng-21 ballistic missile was deployed in 1991, followed by the intercontinental Dongfeng-31 missile in 2006. With those deployments, the Chinese replaced many of their older, less capable and immobile missiles with solid-fueled mobile systems. The Dongfeng-31 in particular gave China the capability to strike all of India or Russia, but China continued to rely on the aging Dongfeng-5 to underpin its nuclear deterrence posture against the United States. It was the only missile in the Chinese arsenal with the range to reach the U.S. mainland. This gap was ameliorated somewhat with the introduction of the extended-range Dongfeng-31A, but its payload was considered insufficient, so the capability gap remained.

Chinese media reported Jan. 24 on the possible deployment of long-range Dongfeng-41 intercontinental ballistic missiles in northeastern China close to Russia, triggering speculation in Russian media about China's intent. But since China has had the Dongfeng-31, a missile capable of reaching all of Russia, for more than a decade, Moscow does not consider the Dongfeng-41 to be an added threat. If anything, the recent deployment of the Dongfeng-41 near the Russian border actually increases the system's vulnerability to a Russian strike, including from conventional weapons. Instead, its deployment is influenced by geography. Given the distances involved and the ballistic missile trajectory from China to the United States, Heilongjiang province is the ideal location to maximize the missile's reach so it covers all of the continental United States. The Dongfeng-5 missiles have long been based in the same region for the same reasons.

China is in the middle of a campaign to expand both the scope and capabilities of its nuclear forces. But the nuances, deployments and developments of China's entire nuclear arsenal must be kept in perspective when evaluating the deployment of its new intercontinental ballistic missiles. It is even more crucial to maintain a close watch on the effect Chinese nuclear weapons developments have on the rest of the world. Its evolving capabilities have the potential to increase competition with India, in turn affecting Pakistan's nuclear growth. They could also complicate arms control dynamics between the United States and Russia.

The China Nuclear Horn Expands its Reach (Daniel 7)

China paper urges expanded nuclear arsenal in response to Trump

BEIJING – China must strengthen its nuclear arsenal to “force the U.S. to respect it” in response to the stance of new U.S. President Donald Trump, a leading newspaper said Tuesday.

The comments in the Global Times, a popular paper known for its inflammatory rhetoric and hawkish views, came just days after President Xi Jinping called for the eventual global elimination of atomic weapons.

In recent days, Chinese social media has carried pictures purporting to show an advanced intercontinental ballistic missile system deployed in the northeast.

The Dongfeng-41 is reportedly a nuclear road-mobile missile thought to have a payload of 10-12 warheads and a range of 14,000 km (8,700 miles), according to the Global Times.

The paper, a subsidiary of the Communist Party mouthpiece People’s Daily, plays to nationalist sentiment and is often believed to channel hard-line views within the government.

The Global Times said some media claimed the People’s Liberation Army leaked the photos as a warning to Trump.

“They think this is Beijing’s response to Trump’s provocative remarks on China,” it added.

The U.S. president, who took office Friday, has rattled Beijing with tough talk on trade and national security.

On Monday, White House spokesman Sean Spicer warned China the U.S. would “defend” American and international interests in the disputed South China Sea, where China has built a series of artificial islands capable of military use.

“If those islands are, in fact, in international waters and not part of China proper, yeah, we’ll make sure we defend international interests from being taken over by one country,” he said.

Trump’s nominee for secretary of state, Rex Tillerson, said last week China’s access to the islands might be blocked — raising the prospect of a military confrontation.

China lays claim to a vast stretch of the waterway within a so-called nine-dash line, including waters claimed by several of its neighbors.

The Global Times said Trump had called repeatedly for a U.S. nuclear arms build-up.

“Even Washington feels that its naval forces and nuclear strength are lacking, so how can China be content with its current nuclear strength when it is viewed by the U.S. as its biggest potential opponent?” it asked.

The paper said China’s nuclear forces “must be so strong that no country would dare launch a military showdown” with it.

“China must procure a level of strategic military strength that will force the U.S. to respect it.”

The comments were in marked contrast to Xi’s speech at the U.N. days earlier.

“Nuclear weapons should be completely prohibited and destroyed over time to make the world free of nuclear weapons,” Xi said.

China has been a nuclear power since 1964.

The PLA has been flexing its muscles since Trump’s election, showing off upgraded combat aircraft and new fighters. The country’s only aircraft carrier entered the Taiwan Strait this month in a symbolic show of strength.

On Monday the PLA navy announced it had commissioned its fifth “carrier killer” guided-missile destroyer and delivered it to the North Sea Fleet.

The system is believed to be designed to deter the U.S. Navy, which has the world’s largest number of carriers.

China Nukes Up Against the US

China 'places ballistic missiles that can reach the US on border with Russia' as they say the country must expand its nuclear arsenal in response to Trump's aggression

• Unconfirmed reports say China has moved ballistic missiles to Russian border
• The weapons have been placed in Heilongjiang province in north eastern China
• The province is closest point in China to the US and on the frontier with Russia
• Comes after China is reportedly boosting nuclear arsenal in response to Trump aggression

By Jennifer Newton and Kelly Mclaughlin For Mailonline

Published: 11:18 EST, 24 January 2017 | Updated: 18:03 EST, 24 January 2017 

China has reportedly placed ballistic missiles that can carry nuclear warheads and are capable of reaching the United States on its border with Russia.

The missiles, which can carry up to ten nuclear warheads up to 8,700 miles, are reportedly being moved to Heilongjiang province in north eastern China close to the frontier with Russia.

The move comes after a leading English-language Chinese newspaper said that the country must strengthen its nuclear arsenal to 'force the US to respect it' in response to the stance of new US President Donald Trump.

A ballistic missile being transported through Beijing in 2009. China has reportedly placed a similar missiles that can carry nuclear warheads and are capable of reaching the United States on its border with Russia

It also comes amid Russia thought to be seeking closer ties with Trump after a period of heightened tensions with the US.

In recent days, Chinese social media has carried pictures purporting to show an advanced intercontinental ballistic missile system, Dongfeng-41 in the northeast.

And unconfirmed reports in Chinese media say the weapons have been put in place in the central Henan region and north-eastern Heilongjiang province.

Chinese Hegemony On The High Seas

Chinese Nuclear Submarine At Karachi Could Have Spied On India's Warships

All India | Written by Vishnu Som | Updated: January 06, 2017 17:51 IST

by Taboola 

 A Chinese nuclear submarine docked in a Karachi harbour in May 2016 photographed on Google Earth.

New Delhi: 

Highlights

1. Satellite image shows nuclear submarine docked at Karachi in 2016
2. China has been challenging India's dominance in Indian Ocean
3. Submarine at Karachi is China's most advanced

Hours after NDTV reported that a Chinese nuclear submarine had been placed, through a satellite image, at Karachi last year, top sources in the Indian navy said that the submarine is from the most advanced and latest class built by China.

The Type 093 Shang submarine, docked at the Karachi harbor, is likely being used to scrutinize the movements of Indian warships far more closely than ever before at a time when China is competing with India for domination of the Indian Ocean.

Unlike conventional submarines, nuclear-powered submarines have an unlimited range of operations since their nuclear reactors rarely require to be refuelled. This means the submarines, which are armed with torpedoes and cruise missiles, can be deployed underwater for extended durations where they are difficult to track.

The Karachi image was spotted first by a satellite imagery expert (Twitter handle @rajfortyseven) and can be accessed by clicking on the historical imagery icon on Google Earth and scrolling back to May 2016.

The Chinese submarine at Karachi is estimated to displace 7,000 tonnes when it operates underwater and is armed with six torpedo tubes from which sophisticated anti-ship missiles can be fired. It's unclear if the submarine can also launch cruise missiles to hit targets on land. It is equipped with sophisticated sonars to detect and lock on to enemy ships and submarines. Chinese sources have indicated that the submarine is as quiet under water as variants of the US Navy Los Angeles Class, widely considered among the most silent and difficult to detect nuclear submarines.

An image posted on twitter by Duam Dang, a journalist who works with the Vietnamese daily Thanh Nien, reportedly shows the same submarine returning to Chinese waters a month later (June 2016) while crossing through the Malacca Straits off the coast of Singapore.A Chinese Type 093 'Shang' class submarine, possibly the same boat to have docked in Karachi, spotted in the Malacca straits a month later in June 2016. (Source: @duandang)

China's aggression in the Indian Ocean, strategically crucial for India's security, has been a growing concern.  Last month, Navy Chief Admiral Sunil Lanba said, "As far as People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy ships and submarines are concerned, the Indian Navy keeps a close eye and monitor their movements. We launch surveillance missions in the form of aircraft and ships to keep a track of them."

For the last few years, the Indian Navy has been convinced that the presence of Chinese nuclear submarines in the Indian Ocean is part of a carefully-choreographed exercise to expand Beijing's military presence in the region. Senior Navy officers NDTV has spoken to reject China's earlier assertions that its submarine deployment has been in aid of the anti-piracy mission off the coast of Somalia.

What is clear, however, is that a great game of underwater subterfuge, a feature of the Cold War, is presently underway in the Indian Ocean. To operate in the Indian Ocean, Chinese submarines need to sail through either the Malacca, Lombok or Sunda Straits where the shallow depth of the waters international regulations mean that they have to remain surfaced or visible.

This gives regional navies, including the Indian Navy, the ability to monitor the movement of Chinese submarines before they can dive to depths where tracking them is far more difficult. Indian Navy officers have told NDTV that the addition of the new version of the US-built P-8 aircraft have been a game-changer and a key asset in tracking Chinese submarines in the Indian Ocean. The P-8 is Washington's most advanced submarine-hunting weapon, equipped with sensors that can track and identify submarines by sonar and other means.

Over the last decade, Pakistan has strengthened its naval links with China, its biggest international partner. In August last year, Pakistan State Radio announced a deal to acquire eight Chinese conventional diesel-electric powered submarines. The first four submarines are expected to be delivered by the end of 2023, while the others will be assembled in Karachi by 2028. Perhaps most significantly, China has access to Pakistan's strategic Gwadar port, central to the $46 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) that is under development, in addition to its own recently constructed naval base in Djibouti situation in the Horn of Africa.

China Sells Submarines To Pakistan

In Its Biggest Arms Deal, China to Sell Pakistan Eight Submarines


The Quint
Yesterday, 9:40 am

Pakistan will acquire at least eight modified diesel-electric attack submarines from China by 2028 in a nearly $5 billion agreement, said to be its biggest arms export deal.

The head of Pakistan’s next-generation submarine programme and senior naval officials briefed the members of the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Defence on 26 August regarding the deal worth approximately $4 to 5 billion, according to state-run media.

China Completes Pakistan’s Nuclear Triad

 

China to Supply Pakistan With 8 New Stealth Attack Submarines by 2028

Four of the subs will be constructed in China and the remaining four in Pakistan.

By Franz-Stefan Gady

August 30, 2016

 

China will provide the Pakistan Navy with eight modified diesel-electric attack submarines by 2028, the head of the country’s next-generation submarine program told the Pakistan National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Defense during the committee’s visit to the Naval Headquarters in Islamabad on August 26, according to local media reports.

The Pakistani senior naval official’s statement in front of the committee members provides official confirmation that the program is moving ahead, although it is still unclear whether a contract has been signed. In April, a senior Pakistan Navy official announced that Karachi Shipyard & Engineering Works (KSEW) had secured a contract to produce four of the eight submarines, which will be fitted with air-independent propulsion (AIP) systems.

The defense deal is valued at $4 to $5 billion and China is expected to extend a long term loan at a low interest rate. It has not officially been confirmed what type of submarine will be supplied to the Pakistan Navy by the China Shipbuilding Trading Company (CSTC) and there has been considerable speculation on the subject in the past (See: “Confirmed: Pakistan Will Buy Eight Chinese Subs”):

[T]he Wuhan-based China State Shipbuilding Industrial Corp (CSIC) supposedly had already signed a contract in April 2011 to deliver six Type 032 Qing-class conventional attack submarines by 2016/2017. (…) [O]ther media sources report that Islamabad will build submarines under license based on the Qing-class vessels displacing 3,000 tons: “Pakistan will also build two types of submarines with Chinese assistance: the Project S-26 and Project S-30. The vessels are to be built at the Submarine Rebuild Complex (SRC) facility being developed at Ormara, west of Karachi.”

The majority of analysts speculate that the new submarine will be a lighter export version of the People Liberation Army Navy (PLAN)’s Type 039 and Type 041 Yuan-class conventional attack submarine, excluding the sub’s AIP system, which might be procured independently.

According to IHS Jane’s Fighting Ships, the Type 041 Yuan-class is “a diesel electric attack submarine (SSK), potentially with Stirling air-independent propulsion, that is armed with YJ-2 (YJ-82) anti-ship missiles and a combination of Yu-4 (SAET-50) passive homing and Yu-3 (SET-65E) active/passive homing torpedoes.”

It purportedly is one of the quietest subs in the PLAN’s inventory. The scaled-down 2,300-ton export version is designated S20. The first four submarines are expected to be delivered by the end of 2023; the remaining four will be assembled in Karachi by 2028. The new subs are expected to form the the sea-based arm of Pakistan’s burgeoning nuclear second-strike triad.

The Pakistan Navy is in middle of upgrading its undersea warfare capabilities. In June, Turkish state-owned defense contractor STM won a contract for the mid-life upgrade of three Agosta 90B-class (aka Khalid-class) diesel-electric attack submarines equipped with air-independent propulsion systems.

The Pakistani Nuclear Terror

Pakistan’s links with terror groups remind us of the nuclear threatTerrorist attacks could inadvertently provoke a crisis and rekindle the threat of a nuclear confrontation between India and Pakistan.

Zvi Bar’el
14.08.2016 | 09:34

A writer made it clear in the Pakistani opposition paper The Nation. As a Pakistani citizen, he wrote, he has the right to know why, despite assurances that the government and army have “broken the backbone of terrorism,” these attacks continue. The story appeared the day after a shooting and bombing attack in Quetta, Balochistan, killed 93 people, most of them lawyers, with dozens more wounded.

This was a two-pronged attack. First, the head of the Balochistan Bar Association, Bilal Anwar Kasi, was assassinated. When his friends and colleagues came to the hospital to collect his body for the funeral procession, a suicide bomber blew himself up in the crowd. Two groups took responsibility, the Pakistani branch of the Islamic State and the Taliban.

Despite this, the authorities are blaming the usual suspects, with the interior minister rushing to blame the Indian intelligence services. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, as usual, promised to bring the attackers to justice. He convened an urgent meeting, pledging another anti-terror plan. These declarations didn’t impress the terrorists; another device has exploded in Quetta, wounding 15 people.
Pakistani journalists and civil society activists place candles during a vigil to pay tribute to victims of August 8 suicide bombing at the Civil Hospital in Quetta on August 10, 2016. Banaras Khan, AFP
Quetta, the capital of Balochistan province, can be misleading. It was once called Little Paris because of its beauty and famous fruit orchards. A million and a quarter people live there, stemming from half a dozen ethnic backgrounds and speaking many dialects. There’s even a McDonald’s there.

But Quetta is also home to radical Islamist groups. It has become the home of many Afghani exiles who came there after the September 11 attacks, when the United States invaded Afghanistan. The city now crawls with Islamic State militants who contend for power with the Taliban.

Balochistan is the largest of Pakistan’s four provinces but the most sparsely populated and poorest one. The state budget is drawn up based on population size, so Balochistan receives the smallest sum, leaving little for development, even though the province holds the country’s natural gas fields that see to most of Pakistan’s energy needs.

In recent years China has been investing billions of dollars in developing the port of Gwadar, an international hub and a major transit point for oil and other goods between the Middle East and China. These investments, which create many jobs, enrich mainly tycoons and landowners. Many of these are Punjabis who came over to invest and make hefty profits. Balochis do the manual labor, having been displaced from their land that was sold for a pittance.

Like every Pakistani province, Balochistan is run by a provincial government that in theory is subject to parliamentary oversight. The province has its own police and security forces. The main power rests with large, well-rooted families that belong to tribal groups.

Despite the presence of courts, tribal justice is preferred; it’s considered much more efficient and less corrupt than the official system, where bribery tips the scales. A good example of the ways things are run was provided by journalist Anatol Lieven in his book “Pakistan: A Hard Country.” The British author describes a meeting with the sports and culture minister.

Outside the minister’s office were four members of his team drinking tea, talking and reading newspapers. They weren’t doing very much. It’s not that they could. Neither they nor the minister had a computer or even a typewriter.

The minister complained to Lieven about the low number of employees the federal government allows him. He believed he was entitled to a staff commensurate with the size of the province, namely half of Pakistan’s civil service.

This isn’t the main concern of Balochistani leaders. They enjoy immense incomes, live in spacious villas and drive luxury cars. The previous provincial prime minister’s wealth came from the security company he owned.

The Iranian angle

In this system, it’s best to build local power centers and “persuade” the local government head who should receive benefits, contracts and employment. This system applies to the whole of Pakistan.
The power centers are united by their wish to obtain independence. This wish often erupts into violence, with people protesting the presence of federal troops who come from other provinces, mainly Punjab. This desert province isn’t only a thorn in the side of the Pakistani government but threatens Iran as well, since Balochi tribes live on both sides of the border.

Iran blames Pakistan for not preventing cross-border movement, thus supporting Sunni terror by Balochis against Iran. Iran is worried that the Islamic State will start moving in through these areas, using Balochis to attack it.

Iran also worries that Saudi Arabia, which employs millions of Pakistanis, will turn Pakistan into its puppet, thus supporting terrorists. Iran reportedly decided to collaborate with Taliban groups in order to block the Islamic State. As in Syria and Iraq, U.S. interests converge with Iranian ones more than with local governments in fighting ISIS.

In recent days, the U.S. Congress decided not to release $300 million in military aid to Pakistan, based on claims by Defense Secretary Ashton Carter that Pakistan had not done enough to fight the Pakistan-based Haqqani network, which operates against U.S. targets in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Carter’s approval is required to release the last portion of the $1 billion that Washington promised Pakistan this year.

This is the first time the administration has unhesitatingly accused Pakistan of directly assisting an Islamist terror group. Interestingly, the Haqqani network helped the United States in the fight against the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan.

Pakistan’s links with terror groups aren’t new and have often served American interests. The latent threat, however, lies in the nuclear weapons held by India and Pakistan. Terror attacks could inadvertently provoke a crisis and rekindle the threat of a nuclear confrontation between the two Asian powers.

Herein lies the U.S. dilemma regarding aiding Pakistan. Freezing aid will strengthen the hands of those opposing cooperation, whereas granting it provides money for the regime instead of for combating terror. So far Washington is ignoring the terrorist attacks, as long as they target Pakistanis.