ALERT The Winds of War Blow in Korea and The Far East

[Zagdid]

Giant China crane ship turns up near Vietnamese coast

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/dip...-china-crane-ship-turns-near-vietnamese-coast (fair use)
Laura Zhou Published: 9:30am, 5 Sep, 2019

A Chinese giant crane vessel has been tracked to 90km (56 miles) from the Vietnamese coastline – in an area claimed by Hanoi as its exclusive economic zone – fuelling the risk of further maritime confrontation between the two countries.

The Lan Jing, believed to be one of the largest crane ships in the world, left the coastal city of Zhanjiang in southern China’s Guangdong province earlier last month. It arrived offshore of Quang Ngai, a province in Vietnam’s south central coast late on Tuesday night, according to Marine Traffic, a website which tracks vessel movements.

Regional observers said the presence of the ship so close to the Vietnamese coastline indicated Beijing may be upping the ante in its weeks-long stand-off with Vietnam in the disputed South China Sea, by stretching Hanoi’s maritime capacity to its limit.

Vessels from both countries have been facing off since a Chinese survey ship, the Haiyang Dizhi 8, arrived near the Vietnamese-controlled Vanguard Reef in the Spratly Islands in July. At the climax of the stand-off, up to 20 armed vessels from both sides were at the scene.

The presence of the Haiyang Dizhi 8 has been seen as an attempt by Beijing to hamper Vietnam’s oil and gas exploration which is being carried out in partnership with Russian petroleum company Rosneft.

Collin Koh, a research fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, based at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, said the arrival of the Lan Jing not only had a “political signalling utility”, but also an operational one.

“Imagine Vietnam has to stretch its limited maritime forces capacity, not only in Vanguard Bank but also over Lan Jing – this could complicate the situation for Vietnam which already faces a yawning asymmetry with China in terms of maritime forces capacity,” Koh said.

“What China is doing could provoke a stronger domestic backlash within Vietnam, compelling the Vietnamese political elites to act, which may include allowing nationalistic sentiments to come into the picture as a counteraction to this new Chinese act.”

The Lan Jing belongs to state-owned China National Offshore Oil Corporation (Cnooc) and sails under the Hong Kong flag. The ship is equipped with a 7,500-tonne capacity crane, an additional 4,000-tonne crane and an auxiliary 1,600-tonne hook. It has been deployed in several projects installing large oil rigs and other offshore structures in the South China Sea.

Cnooc did not immediately respond to inquiries about its purpose off the Vietnamese coast.

The resource-rich South China Sea is one of the region’s most dangerous flashpoints. China claims most of its waters but this is contested by neighbouring countries, with Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia and Brunei all having their own overlapping claims.

On Monday, the US and 10 Southeast Asian nations kicked off their first-ever joint maritime naval exercises – which will take in the disputed South China Sea – five days after the guided missile destroyer USS Wayne E Meyer sailed within 12 nautical miles of Fiery Cross and Mischief reefs, China’s two biggest artificial islands in the disputed Spratlys.

 

[jward]

Links to supporting articles and graphics at source...


Profile picture
TheLastRefuge
@TheLastRefuge2
an hour ago, 28 tweets, 7 min read Read on Twitter

This is an important example of MAGAnomics. It is worth understanding in depth because, for obvious reasons, POTUS doesn't talk about it publicly.

German Industrial Orders Plunge – The Surface Reason is China – The Underneath Reason is Trump…
Boy howdy if ever there was an article that showed the layers and ramifications of President Trump’s global trade reset, this is a good one. The multinational media do not want American vot…
https://theconservativetreehouse.co...ason-is-china-the-underneath-reason-is-trump/


The "export dependent" German economy is contracting. Industrial orders for German products are coming in much lower than forecast. The drop was 2.7% in July alone.

3. The most significant reason for the drop in orders was decreased purchases from China.

" the decrease in foreign sales mainly driven by Britain and below average demand from China."

Recession risks rise for Germany as industrial orders plunge
Weaker demand from abroad drove a bigger-than-expected drop in German industrial orders in July, suggesting that struggling manufacturers could tip Europe's biggest economy into a recession in the th…
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...any-as-industrial-orders-plunge-idUSKCN1VQ0M1


4. Specifically because China has chosen to engage in the trade war with the U.S. Beijing has chosen an approach that limits their global purchases.

The dropped industrial orders from Germany is a direct consequence.
5. China has devalued their currency in an effort to offset the U.S. tariffs.

This makes their exports cheaper, and buys them time...
6. However, devalued currency also makes their imports much more expensive.

Devaluing helps them sell.... But buying stuff costs them much more.
7. Simultaneously, they are getting less dollar-based income from the U.S. as Trump pressures companies to find alternate supply outside China.

8. So Beijing is feeling a 2x effect.

(1) Less dollars in their vault.
(2) Lower value for their own currency.
9. The only way Beijing can offset this "burn rate", and simultaneously keep subsidizing State companies and industries, is to start limiting external industrial purchases.

Hence, China drops orders for German products.

Recession risks rise for Germany as industrial orders plunge
Weaker demand from abroad drove a bigger-than-expected drop in German industrial orders in July, suggesting that struggling manufacturers could tip Europe's biggest economy into a recession in the th…
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...any-as-industrial-orders-plunge-idUSKCN1VQ0M1


10. Additionally, with less manufacturing taking place the *actual* need for industrial products drops.

China doesn't need to purchase industrial machinery because their economic production is lower.
11. Countries who crawled into bed with China, under the auspices that Beijing will always purchase their goods, are now discovering that China ain't buying as much.

12. In November 2017 President Trump traveled to the ASEAN nations to talk trade. He left them with a question:

Think about what will happen when the U.S. stops purchasing goods from China, and U.S. companies are forced to look elsewhere to fulfill their supply chain?
13. It was a BIG question. It was a question that meant the international manufacturing and trade community needed to change the way they had been thinking for 20+ years.

14. The farewell message from President Trump delivered during the 2017 ASEAN conference was essentially:

"prepare and forecast your business affairs accordingly"...

15. After two years of strategic positioning, messaging, and execution of a global trade reset.... President Trump returned to the G20 in Osaka, Japan.

16. In 2019 the international community is discovering the answer to that question President Trump warned them about in November of 2017.

17. All those nations who were counting on Chinese purchases are now going bananas.

This is why the multinationals blame Donald Trump… and to make matters even worse – the U.S. economy is thriving, while they watch from the sidelines.

18. For more than 3 decades global economies have grown by removing wealth from the United States. The U.S. multinationals countered the economic arguments by claiming those global economies purchased U.S. treasuries; but that meant we trade our current wealth for future debt.
19. President Trump has reversed this dynamic. We are repatriating our national wealth through new trade policies, and will pay for any incurred foreign debt by expanding our own economy and controlling our own destiny.

20. Trump has a plan to do to the EU exactly the same thing he has done to China.

What President Trump needs is for Boris Johnson to be successful with Brexit first.

21. Keep in mind, what I am about to present is my interpretation of what POTUS has planned.

Also, PM Johnson is well aware of the distinct and unique benefits to Great Britain, if he can pull this off...

22. As soon as the U.K. exits the EU, there will be an announcement of a tradee "agreement in principle" between the U.S. and Great Britain.

23. Shortly after Brexit, President Trump will hike tariffs on the EU.

It will be an easily defensible position, because what POTUS Trump will do is match current trade tariffs on U.S. goods from the EU.
24. POTUS Trump's terms for an EU trade reset will demand complete 100% reciprocity from the EU toward U.S. goods and services.

No tariffs, no non-tariff barriers, no subsidies, no protectionism.

Open, free, fair and reciprocal trade.

25. Of course Germany and France will go bananas over such a preposterous position.

However, after Brexit, the EU will not be in a financial position to start an Atlantic trade war.... AND....
26. The Trade agreement between Johnson and Trump means the U.K to North America super trade highway is now open.

EU companies can shift *assembly* operations to the U.K and avoid the Atlantic trade issues.

This will make the U.K. economy, now a gateway, BOOM !!
27. In response, France and Germany will lean toward Iran, and likely hope to replace missing revenue by embracing Turkey as a new EU member.

Remember, those fancy EU social benefits means the EU always needs revenue. Big tax cash.
28. Poland, Hungary and Italy will not like the idea of the EU spooning with Iran and Turkey.

And the U.S. has heavy sanctions in place that will pummel anyone who chooses Iran.

 

[jward]

BNO News
@BNONews
·
7m
BREAKING: North Korea launches 2 unidentified projectiles, South Korea's military says - Yonhap

 

[northern watch]

China Has Added Nearly 100 Tons of Gold to Its Reserves

By Ranjeetha Pakiam
Bloomberg
September 8, 2019, 10:49 PM EDT

· Mainland central bank raises holdings for ninth straight month
· Official sector demand spurred by drive to diversify reserves

China has added almost 100 tons of gold to its reserves since it resumed buying in December, with the consistent run of accumulation coming amid a rally in prices and the drag of the trade war with Washington.

The People’s Bank of China raised bullion holdings to 62.45 million ounces in August from 62.26 million a month earlier, according to data on its website at the weekend. In tonnage terms, August’s inflow was 5.91 tons, following the addition of about 94 tons in the previous eight months.

Bullion is near a six-year high as central banks including the Federal Reserve cut interest rates as signs of a slowdown mount amid the U.S.-China trade war.

Central-bank purchases have been another key support for prices as authorities from China to Russia accumulate significant quantities of bullion to help diversify their reserves. That buying spree likely to persist in the coming years, according to Australia & New Zealand Banking Group Ltd.

Trade war restrictions, in the case of China, or sanctions, as with Russia, give “an incentive for these central banks to diversify,” John Sharma, an economist at National Australia Bank Ltd., said in an email. “Also, with increasing political and economic uncertainty prevailing, gold provides an ideal hedge, and will therefore be sought after by central banks globally.”

China has previously gone long periods without revealing increases in gold holdings. When the central bank announced a 57% jump in reserves to 53.3 million ounces in mid-2015, it was the first update in six years.

Spot gold rose 0.2% to $1,510.27 an ounce on Monday. Prices, which capped a fourth straight monthly gains in August, have risen 18% this year. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. and BNP Paribas SA are among banks that expect the metal to challenge $1,600 an ounce within the coming months.

— With assistance by Emma Dong

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/arti...r&utm_term=190909&utm_campaign=bloombergdaily

 

[northern watch]

Why China’s Oil Majors Aren’t Leaving Canada’s Oil Patch

By Tsvetana Paraskova
Oil price
September 03, 2019, 2:00 PM CDT

China’s state-held oil majors are staying in Canada’s oil sands despite challenges in production growth, unlike major European and U.S. firms that have bailed out of the higher-cost Canadian oil patch.

The three giant Chinese oil companies—PetroChina, CNOOC, and Sinopec—tell Dan Healing of The Canadian Press that they are committed to their Canadian operations, while analysts say that the Chinese energy behemoths can afford to not make too much profit from their Canadian operations. The Chinese majors can afford to operate in the capital intensive and not spectacularly profitable Canadian oil patch, Jia Wang, deputy director of the China Institute at the University of Alberta, told The Canadian Press.

The Chinese oil majors want to stay and develop their operations in Canada despite some operational difficulties. This approach is in contrast to the exodus of oil supermajors from Canada’s oil sands in 2017, when large oil companies sold their oil sands operations or parts of them to Canadian operators.

In 2017, Shell sold oil sands interests to Canadian Natural Resources for around US$8.5 billion, as part of its strategy to focus on free cash flow and higher returns on capital, and prioritize businesses such as integrated gas and deep water. The same year, ConocoPhillips announced the sale of oil sands assets in Canada to Cenovus in a US$13.3 billion deal, while Norway’s Statoil—now Equinor—sold its entire oil sands operations in Alberta to Athabasca Oil Corporation.

This year, the exodus continued, with U.S. Devon Energy selling its Canadian business to Canadian Natural Resources as part of its plan to focus on growing its oil production in the United States. Koch Industries is also understood to have sold its oil sands assets to Canadian Cavalier Energy.

But PetroChina, CNOOC, and Sinopec are staying in Canada, and Wang thinks they won’t back out any time soon.

“PetroChina Canada is committed to Canada for the long-term, having maintained its investments through economically challenging times,” spokesman Davis Sheremata told The Canadian Press in an emailed statement.

CNOOC spokesman Kyle Glennie also told The Canadian Press the company remains committed to its oil sands operations.

By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

https://oilprice.com/Energy/Energy-...l-Majors-Arent-Leaving-Canadas-Oil-Patch.html

 

[northern watch]

The question from the Why China’s Oil Majors Aren’t Leaving Canada’s Oil Patch article is, Is oil from PetroChina, CNOOC, and Sinopec being put on the free market for all to buy or is the oil being shipped to China and not being put of the market?

NW

 

[danielboon]

busy news day today

ELINT News Retweeted
Yonhap News Agency
@YonhapNews
(URGENT) N. Korea says it tested super-large multiple rocker launcher under Kim's guidance
(URGENT) N. Korea says it tested super-large multiple rocker launcher under Kim's guidance | Yonhap...
en.yna.co.kr
5:02 PM · Sep 10, 2019·YonhapNewsEnglish

 

[danielboon]

ELINT News Retweeted
Ryan Browne
@rabrowne75
The Chinese Defense Ministry posted a statement in response to Friday's operation saying the US warship "trespassed into waters off China’s Xisha Islands without permission of the Chinese government...Such actions have seriously undermined China's sovereign interests"
Quote Tweet

Ryan Browne
@rabrowne75
· 4h
The US Navy sailed the guided-missile destroyer USS Wayne E. Meyer near the Paracel Islands Friday as part of a freedom of navigation operation to challenge restrictions on innocent passage imposed by China, Taiwan & Vietnam & contesting China's claim to straight baselines
11:17 AM · Sep 13, 2019·

 

[jward]

Links at source....
Posted for fair use....
https://m-en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20190918004000325

N.K. nuclear reactor shut down for enough time for re-fuelling: IAEA
11:01 September 18, 2019

By Choi Soo-hyang

SEOUL, Sept. 18 (Yonhap) -- North Korea's main plutonium-producing reactor has been shut down for enough time for it to be re-fuelled, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said in a recent report, stressing Pyongyang's nuclear activities remain a cause for "serious concern."



The 5-megawatt reactor at the North's Yongbyon nuclear complex showed signs of intermittent operation between mid-August and late November last year, but there have been no indications of operations there since early December, the agency said in the report submitted for its general conference this week.

Such a period of shutdown is enough "for it to have been de-fuelled and subsequently re-fuelled," the IAEA said in the report, which covers developments since its director general's previous report issued in August 2018.

The reactor has been the main source of weapons-grade plutonium for the North. The communist nation can harvest one nuclear bomb's worth of plutonium if it reprocesses thousands of spent fuel rods extracted from the reactor after about a year of operation.

The latest IAEA report also said there have been signs of use at the centrifuge enrichment facility located in Yongbyon, though no indications of reprocessing activities were detected at the radiochemical lab in the plant.

Mining, milling and concentration activities also appeared to have continued at "locations previously declared as the Pyongsan uranium mine and the Pyongsan uranium concentration plant," it said.

The agency noted that it did not have access to Yongbyon and other facilities and that it cannot confirm the operational status or the purpose of the cited activities without such access. The IAEA used other information, such as satellite imagery, to monitor the North's nuclear program.

"The continuation of the DPRK's nuclear programme is a clear violation of relevant U.N. Security Council resolutions and is deeply regrettable," the report said, urging Pyongyang to comply with its obligations under the resolutions. DPRK stands for the North's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

Cornel Feruta, the acting director general of the IAEA, said in a statement that the agency is ready to "play an essential role" in verifying the North's nuclear program "if a political agreement is reached among countries concerned."

 

[jward]

Dup

 

[jward]

Links & graphics at sight....
Posted for fair use....
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190920_10/

Images suggest N.Korea building ballistic subs
#World#US#North Korea#Denuclearization#Asia
5 hours ago



Researchers at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies and satellite operator Planet Labs have told NHK that they have analyzed images of a shipyard in the eastern port city of Sinpo.

On September 3 at least 13 pillar-like objects could be seen along a quay, with some vehicles moving around.

Images taken on September 12 show the construction of a large structure straddling the quay and the water.

The most recent images from Thursday, show the structure covering almost the entire quay.

The researchers say the structure is now about 100 meters long, which is much longer than what is used to build North Korea's conventional submarines.

They say Pyongyang may be preparing to launch a new submarine capable of carrying ballistic missiles.

Senior Research Associate David Schmerler says the structure could be used for the maintenance and development of submarines, and drive the country's submarine-launched ballistic missile program.

 

[jward]

TheLastRefuge Retweeted
Golden Advice
@RichardStiller4
·
3h
Update on US - North Korea diplomatic teams:

N Korea is pleased with Bolton's exit.

Kim Jong-un has since replaced his chief negotiator with their former ambassador to Vietnam who is vocal about his optimism for the upcoming talks.

 

[Zagdid]

China Launches 1st Type 075 LHD For PLAN

https://www.navalnews.com/naval-news/2019/09/china-launches-1st-type-075-lhd-for-plan/ (fair use)
Xavier Vavasseur 25 Sep 2019

The People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN or Chinese Navy), the customer of the vessel, said in a statement that after a brief ceremony starting at 9:20 am at a CSSC’s Hudong-Zhonghua shipyard, waters began to be pumped into a dry dock in which the ship’s hull was built.

Participants at the ceremony – officials from the central and Shanghai governments, officers from the Central Military Commission’s Equipment Development Department and the PLA Navy, executives of the State-owned conglomerate China State Shipbuilding Corp as well as the vessel’s designers and construction workers – applauded as they watched the launch process, the statement said, without providing more details about the event.

According to the PLAN, the new class of ship was domestically developed and constructed. It will have a strong capability to carry out amphibious combat and other tasks.

The Chinese navy added that in the next phase, engineers will start outfitting and fine-tuning the vessel’s equipment and then conduct mooring tests and sea trials.

The Chinese Navy officially started in 2011 development work on the Type 075, a helicopter carrier project displacing more than 30,000 tonnes. Its aim is likely to increase the “vertical” amphibious assault capability with the very mountainous East Coast of Taiwan in mind.

As for its specifications, rumors speak of “36,000 tons of displacement”, “capacity of 28 helicopters”, “diesel engine with the 9,000 kW 16PC2-6B” and “four CIWS including two HQ-10 and two H/PJ-11”.

While the Type 075 appears to slightly smaller than the U.S. Navy’s LHA, it is larger compared to French or Spanish/Australian LHD equivalents. It is actually pretty close in size to Italy’s future Trieste LHD.

The first Type 075 was constructed in record time (this has become the norm nowadays, for Chinese shipbuilding: extremely fast construction pace that no one can match). A second vessel of the class is already under construction while a larger version is rumored to be planned.

When fully operational, the new Type 075 LHD will bolster the PLAN’s amphibious capabilities, which today rely on the Type 071 LPD design.

 

[northern watch]

Navy Destroyer Tests China’s Claim to Disputed South China Sea Islands
Warship passage near Paracels latest freedom of navigation operation

Bill Gertz - September 13, 2019 4:35 PM
Free Beacon

A Navy destroyer sailed close to disputed South China Sea islands in a direct challenge to Chinese maritime claims over the strategic waterway.

U.S. and allied warships and aircraft have stepped up naval and air patrols to challenge China's claims to control about 90 percent of the South China Sea. The USS Wayne E. Meyer, a guided-missile destroyer, conducted a freedom of navigation operation in the South China Sea on Friday.

"This freedom of navigation operation (FONOP) upheld the rights, freedoms, and lawful uses of the sea," Cmdr. Reann Mommsen, a spokeswoman for the Pacific Fleet, said in a statement.

Mommsen did not disclose details of the location, or whether Chinese warships shadowed the Meyer and tried to order it out of the area, a practice followed during past encounters.

The Meyer conducted a similar passage in late August near Fiery Cross Reef and Mischief Reef in the Spratly Islands, located in the southern part of the sea.
China's military denounced the warship operation as "navigational hegemony."

In a statement, the Chinese military said the U.S. warship "trespassed" into Chinese waters without permission near the Xisha Islands, Beijing's name for the Paracel Islands. The Paracels are a group of islands in the northern part of the Southeast Asian sea that are claimed by China, Vietnam, and Taiwan.

"The U.S. side has been practicing ‘navigational hegemony' in the South China Sea for a long time," Li Huamin, a spokesman for the PLA Southern Theater Command said in the statement. "Such actions have seriously undermined China's sovereign interests, and proven the U.S. side's complete lack of sincerity in maintaining global peace as well as regional security and stability."

China has built up military facilities on Woody Island in the Paracels over the past seven years. The Pentagon estimates China's island reclamation and subsequent militarization efforts involve some 3,200 acres of new islands.

On June 20, commercial satellite firm ImageSat International disclosed satellite images on Twitter revealing China's military had deployed at least four J-10 fighters to Woody Island in the Paracels. It is the first warplane deployment there since China deployed J-11 fighters in 2017.

Earlier warplane deployments on Woody Island have included sending H-6 nuclear-capable bombers for temporary deployment.

The Pentagon's latest annual report on the Chinese military said the deployment of advanced anti-aircraft and anti-ship missiles on disputed South China Sea islands violates a promise by Chinese president Xi Jinping. Xi told the United States in 2015 that China would not militarize disputed islands in the sea.

"The South China Sea plays an important role in security considerations across East Asia because Northeast Asia relies heavily on the flow of oil and commerce through South China Sea shipping lanes, including more than 80 percent of the crude oil to Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan," the report said.

"China claims sovereignty over the Spratly and Paracel Island groups and other land features within its self-proclaimed ‘nine-dash line' – claims disputed in whole or part by Brunei, the Philippines, Malaysia, and Vietnam. Taiwan, which occupies Itu Aba Island in the Spratly Islands, makes the same territorial assertions as China."

The U.N. Permanent Court of Arbitration ruled against China in 2016, stating that Beijing's claims of historic rights over the South China Sea were invalid and are limited by the Law of the Sea Convention.

China did not take part in the arbitration and rejected the court's findings.

However, the Pentagon report said "by the terms of the Convention, the ruling is binding on China."

Mommsen said all claimants to the Paracels require permission or advance notification before foreign military vessels conduct innocent passage near the islands.

"The unilateral imposition of any authorization or notification requirement for innocent passage is not permitted by international law, so the United States challenged these requirements," she said.

By conducting the passage without notifying any state or seeking permission, the United States "protested the unlawful restrictions imposed by China, Taiwan and Vietnam," Mommsen explained. "The United States demonstrated that innocent passage may not be subject to such restrictions."

In addition, the destroyer "contested China's claim to straight baselines enclosing the Paracel Islands," Mommsen said.

In a lengthy legal explanation for the operation Mommsen discussed China's drawing of baselines entirely around the Paracels.

"With these baselines, China has attempted to claim more internal waters, territorial sea, exclusive economic zone, and continental shelf than it is entitled under international law," she said.

The U.S. warship showed China that "these waters are beyond what China can lawfully claim as its internal waters or territorial seas and that China's claimed straight baselines around the Paracel Islands are inconsistent with international law," Mommsen said.

The spokeswoman insisted that all Navy freedom of navigation operations are carried out legally under international law and demonstrate that the United States will fly aircraft, sail ships, and otherwise conduct military operations wherever international law permits, regardless of excessive claims by states like China.

"The Freedom of Navigation Program's missions are conducted peacefully and without bias for or against any particular country," she said. "These missions are based in the rule of law and demonstrate our commitment to upholding the rights, freedoms, and lawful uses of the sea and airspace guaranteed to all nations."

While the Paracels are claimed by three nations, the dispute over them has mainly involved China and Vietnam.

In 1974, both states engaged in what is called the battle of the Paracel Islands. In the battle, Vietnamese forces attempted to force Chinese naval vessels out of the Paracels. As a result of the battle, China established de facto control over the islands.

In July, Vietnam called on China to remove a sea survey vessel and coast guard ships from Vanguard Bank in the Spratly Islands, the other major grouping of disputed islands.

That dispute followed the May 2014 confrontation between Hanoi and Beijing over the deployment of a Chinese oil platform near the Paracels.

Vietnam sent ships to stop the rig from drilling into the seabed and were met by Chinese escort ships. Both nations' ships were involved in ramming incidents.

https://freebeacon.com/national-sec...ail&utm_term=0_b5e6e0e9ea-a3f1bdffbf-45641005

 

[northern watch]

Wall Street drops; White House considers delisting Chinese companies

Caroline Valetkevitch
September 27, 2019 / 8:09 AM / Updated 2 hours ago

NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. stocks fell on Friday after reports that the Trump administration was considering delisting Chinese companies from U.S. stock exchanges, raising worries about a further escalation in the U.S.-China trade war.

The move would be part of a broader effort to limit U.S. investment in Chinese companies, sources told Reuters.

High-level trade talks between Washington and Beijing are scheduled for October 10-11, before the start of the U.S. third-quarter earnings season.

“If our policies spark a major sell-off in Shanghai where that creates problems for China, that could negatively impact the trade negotiations, which are supposed to start on October 10. That is where the U.S.-based fear would come from,” said Michael O’Rourke, chief market strategist at JonesTrading in Greenwich, Connecticut.

The tariff-sensitive Philadelphia semiconductor index .SOX extended its decline after the reports and ended down 2.4% on the day. The index was already under pressure from Micron Technology Inc’s (MU.O), which tumbled after it forecast a disappointing first-quarter profit.

The S&P technology index .SPLRCT dropped 1.3%. U.S.-listed shares of Alibaba Group Holding Ltd (BABA.N), Baidu Inc (BIDU.O) and JD.com Inc (JD.O) all slid.
Adding to the negative momentum in afternoon trade, the S&P 500 index briefly fell below its 50-day moving average.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average .DJI fell 70.87 points, or 0.26%, to 26,820.25, the S&P 500 .SPX lost 15.83 points, or 0.53%, to 2,961.79 and the Nasdaq Composite .IXIC dropped 91.03 points, or 1.13%, to 7,939.63.

All three indexes ended lower for the week as well, with the S&P 500 and Nasdaq registering their biggest weekly percentage drops since August. The Cboe volatility index .VIX ended at a three-week high.

Shares of Wells Fargo & Co (WFC.N) rose 3.8% and the stock was the top gainer in the S&P 500 after the lender named banking veteran Charles Scharf as chief executive officer.

Data early in the day showed U.S. consumer spending barely rose in August, suggesting that the economy’s main growth engine was slowing after accelerating sharply in the second quarter.

Declining issues outnumbered advancing ones on the NYSE by a 1.38-to-1 ratio; on Nasdaq, a 1.94-to-1 ratio favored decliners.

The S&P 500 posted 11 new 52-week highs and 6 new lows; the Nasdaq Composite recorded 29 new highs and 118 new lows.

Volume on U.S. exchanges was 6.68 billion shares, compared to the 7.2 billion average for the full session over the last 20 trading days.

Additional reporting by Sinead Carew in New York and Ambar Warrick and Medha Singh in Bengaluru; Editing by Shounak Dasgupta, Chizu Nomiyama and Sonya Hepinstall

https://uk.reuters.com/article/us-u...ghs-delisting-chinese-companies-idUKKBN1WC1CB

 

[northern watch]

Holger Zschaepitz
þ @Schuldensuehner
2h2 hours ago

Trump admin officials are discussing ways to limit US investors’ portfolio flows into #China in a move that would have repercussions for billions of dollars in investment pegged to major indexes, acc to people familiar with the internal deliberations

 

[northern watch]

Oil shipping rates soar as U.S. supertanker sanctions rattle crude trade

Florence Tan, Chen Aizhu, Jonathan Saul
September 26, 2019 / 10:28 PM / Updated 6 hours ago

SINGAPORE / LONDON (Reuters) - Key oil freight rates from the Middle East to Asia rocketed as much as 28% on Friday in a global oil shipping market spooked by United States sanctions on units of Chinese giant COSCO for alleged involvement in ferrying crude out of Iran.

In what the State Department called “one of the largest sanctions actions the U.S. has taken” since curbs were re-imposed on Iran in November last year, two units of COSCO were named alongside other companies in claims of involvement in sanctions-busting shipments of Iranian oil.

The surprise move, affecting one of the world’s largest energy shippers operating more than 50 supertankers, comes as U.S. President Donald Trump seeks to exert maximum pressure on Iran to drop nuclear programs.

As some Asian oil buyers rushed to secure vessels, rates for chartering supertankers, or very large crude carriers (VLCCs), to load crude oil from the Middle East to North Asia in October surged nearly 19% overnight to about 75-76 points on Worldscale, an industry tool used to calculate freight charges, shipping and industry sources said.

That means an increase of about $600,000 per ship, a Singapore-based crude oil trader said.

(GRAPHIC: Global oil freight rates rocket as U.S. sanctions tanker units of Chinese giant COSCO, here)

“The current strength in rates has been triggered by geopolitics,” shipbroker E.A. Gibson said on Friday. “This week’s U.S. sanctions on two COSCO subsidiaries added more fuel to the fire.”

Supertanker rates on the benchmark Middle East Gulf to China route soared to $51,480 a day and were at their highest in nearly 11 months, Baltic Exchange data showed later on Friday.

Shipping sources added that tanker derivatives rates for the fourth quarter of 2019 - which give an indication of forward rate expectations - also rose on Friday to 88 Worldscale points, from 85 on Thursday.

The rates for loading Middle East crude to west coast India in the second week of October jumped 28% to 80-92.5 points after Reliance Industries Ltd (RELI.NS) booked two supertankers overnight, industry sources said.

But there was also uncertainty over how widely the sanctions on the COSCO units - COSCO Shipping Tanker (Dalian) Co, Ltd and its subsidiary COSCO Shipping Tanker (Dalian) Seaman & Ship Management Co, Ltd - would be implemented.

COSCO Shipping Tanker (Dalian) owns and manages at least 36 tankers for crude and refined products, including 18 VLCCs, according to shipping sources and Refinitiv data.

At least three ships linked to COSCO Shipping Tanker (Dalian) scheduled to load oil from the United States and Brazil were canceled, oil and shipping sources said.

“There’s confusion in the market for those who has fixed the COSCO’s vessels. Everyone wants to avoid exposure to U.S. sanctions,” a Singapore-based trader said.

Provisional bookings for VLCCs Cosmerry Lake and Yuan Qiu Hu to load U.S. oil in the second half of October were scrapped.

Cosmerry Lake, owned by Cosmerry Lake Maritime Inc and managed by COSCO Shipping Tanker (Dalian), is floating off the U.S. Gulf. Yuan Qiu Hu, owned and managed by COSCO Shipping Tanker (Dalian), is on its way to the U.S. Gulf.

A third COSCO-linked supertanker was chartered to load in Brazil, but it has been replaced by another vessel, a source with knowledge of the matter said.
Contacted by Reuters, an official at COSCO said the impact of the sanctions was being examined.

“(The) company is assessing the situation and impact internally as soon as possible, but so far we don’t have anything to update you,” said Zhang Zheng, an investor relations official with COSCO Shipping Energy Transportation (1138.HK), parent of COSCO Shipping Tanker (Dalian) Co, Ltd.
Trading in shares of COSCO Shipping Energy Transportation was halted on Thursday after the news on the sanctions.

REFINERS

Industry sources said some buyers were holding off while they check with legal teams to better understand the impact of the sanctions.

“The market is fearful of sanctions so refiners are taking some preventive measures. We’ll have to see how widely implemented the sanctions will be,” said KY Lin, spokesman for Taiwanese refiner Formosa Petrochemical (6505.TW), a major crude oil buyer in Asia.

Friday’s jolt comes after turmoil in mid-September with drone and missile strikes on key Saudi Arabian oil production facilities, which roiled global markets and pushed tanker rates higher. The COSCO vessels are equal to about 7.5% of the world’s fleet of supertankers, according to Refinitiv data.

“Charterers are in trouble,” a North Asian shipbroker said, declining to be named citing company policy. “It was terrible news for every one of us with the Saudi drone attack, and now the market has to deal with U.S. sanctions on COSCO.”

“Good news for owners, good time for them to earn money,” the broker said.

(Graphic: MAP - Global oil shippers reel after U.S. sanctions world’s largest oil tanker fleet, here)

On Thursday, Unipec, the trading arm of Asia’s largest refiner Sinopec (600028.SS) and India’s largest refiner Indian Oil Corp (IOC.NS), canceled bookings of some COSCO ships and scrambled to find alternative ships to move their crude on.

“Rates have definitely been pushed higher by these sanctions,” said an executive at a top shipbroker in Singapore, adding that ships carrying Middle East and U.S. crude to Asia were subject to the biggest impact. The broker declined to be identified, citing company policy.

Freight rates for shipping naphtha and other clean oil products were also affected with those from the Middle East to Japan jumping 13% to their highest levels in nearly two weeks, according to industry sources and Refinitiv data.

UK-FLAGGED TANKER FREED

While diplomatic tensions between the United States and Iran remain high, a British-flagged tanker that had been detained by Iran in the Strait of Hormuz on Friday left Bandar Abbas port heading for international waters after being held since July.

“Global trade relies on the safe passage of goods. Without this, consumers and businesses could suffer with increased costs, particularly at the petrol pump,” said Bob Sanguinetti, chief executive of the UK Chamber of Shipping trade association.

Reporting by Florence Tan, Chen Aizhu and Roslan Khasawneh and Jonathan Saul; writing by Gavin Maguire; Editing by Kenneth Maxwell, Jason Neely and Alex Richardson

https://uk.reuters.com/article/us-i...r-cosco-units-sanctions-sources-idUKKBN1WC07F

 

[northern watch]

From: Oil shipping rates soar as U.S. supertanker sanctions rattle crude trade

 

[northern watch]

Holger Zschaepitz
þ @Schuldensuehner
7h7 hours ago

Offshore Yuan CNH drops as White House weighs limits on US portfolio flows into

 

[danielboon]

EndGameWW3
@EndGameWW3
Explosion on Chemical tanker in South Korea today.
Quote Tweet

팔공산 고라니
@803_Gorani
· 13h
오늘의 울산.jpg
Show this thread
12:26 PM · Sep 28, 2019·

 

[danielboon]

http://mobile.twitter.com/803_Gorani/status/1177774562349436928/photo/1

 

[danielboon]

EndGameWW3 Retweeted
CBC News Alerts
@CBCAlerts
10 hurt as fire from an explosion on oil tanker spreads to nearby ship at a South Korean port (Image: Yonhap via Reuters)
9:42 AM · Sep 28, 2019·
30
Retweets
34
Likes
CBC News Alerts
@CBCAlerts
·
2h
Replying to
@CBCAlerts
Explosion initially occurred on Stolt Groenland, a 25,000-tonne, Cayman Island-flagged oil tanker, at port of Ulsan. (Image: Yonhap/Reuters)
CBC News Alerts
@CBCAlerts
·
35m
Video and photos posted online show a giant fireball billowing up at the time of explosion over Ulsan port in South Korea: More
@CBCNews
Explosion sends up huge fireball from ship in South Korea | CBC News
cbc.ca

 

[northern watch]

Lukas Trakimavicius
‏ @LukasTraki
47m47 minutes ago

"Chinese military personnel in Hong Kong had more than doubled in size since the protests began. They estimated the number of military personnel is now between 10,000 and 12,000, up from 3,000 to 5,000 in the months before the reinforcement," via @Reuters.

 

[northern watch]

Military parade will be rare look at China's arms, ambitions

By Joe Mcdonald, Associated Press
BEIJING — September 29, 2019, 8:35 PM ET

A parade Tuesday by China's secretive military will be a rare look at its rapidly developing arsenal, including possibly a nuclear-capable missile that could reach the United States in 30 minutes, as Beijing gets closer to matching Washington and other powers in weapons technology.

The Dongfeng 41 is one of a series of new weapons Chinese media say might be unveiled during the parade marking the ruling Communist Party's 70th anniversary in power. Others include a supersonic drone and a robot submarine.

The parade will highlight Beijing's ambition to enforce claims to Taiwan, the South China Sea and other disputed territories — and to challenge Washington as the region's dominant force.

The People's Liberation Army, the world's biggest military with 2 million men and women in uniform and the second-highest annual spending after the United States, also is working on fighter planes, the first Chinese-built aircraft carrier and nuclear-powered submarines.

"There are quite a lot of observers, including the U.S. military, who say, 'This is getting close to what we do,' and they are starting to worry," said Siemon Wezeman of the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.

Tuesday's parade will include 15,000 troops, more than 160 aircraft and 580 pieces of military equipment, according to Ministry of Defense spokesman Maj. Gen. Cai Zhijun.

Many new weapons "will be shown for the first time," Cai told reporters last week. Asked whether that would include the Dongfeng 41, Cai said, "Please wait and see."

The ability to project power is increasingly urgent for Chinese leaders who want to control shipping lanes and waters also claimed by Japan, South Korea, Vietnam, the Philippines and other governments.

"China has developed nuclear, space, cyberspace and other capabilities that can reach potential adversaries across the globe," the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency said in a report in January.

Last year's spending on the PLA rose 5% to $250 billion, or about 10 times its 1994 level, according to SIPRI. The United States, with a force of 1.3 million, was far ahead at $650 billion, or more than 2½ times China's level.

Beijing is regarded, along with the United States, as a leader in drone aircraft, which it sells in the Middle East.

"In unpiloted aerial vehicles, China has made a lot of progress in recent years and has a vast array of systems under development," said Harry Boyd of the International Institute for Strategic Studies in London.

No details of the Dongfeng 41 have been released, but the Center for Strategic & International Studies in Washington says it may have the world's longest range at 15,000 kilometers (9,400 miles).

Analysts say the DF-41, flying at 25 times the speed of sound, might be able to reach the United States in 30 minutes with up to 10 warheads for separate targets — a technology known as MIRV, or multiple independently targetable re-entry vehicles.

China's current mainstay missile, the Dongfeng 31, has a range of more than 11,200 kilometers (6,990 miles) that puts most of the continental United States within reach.

Photos circulated on Chinese social media of parade preparations show blurry images of a possible attack drone dubbed "Sharp Sword" and another drone, the DR-8 or Wuzhen 8.

The parade also might give more subtle signs of China's plans, said Wezeman.

Airborne tankers or marines in amphibious vehicles could "indicate the importance of long-range intervention," he said. Air defense missiles might show Beijing is preparing for war with the United States or another advanced opponent.

Analysts want to know about Chinese software, electronics and wireless control networks, said Wezeman.

"Ten vehicles full of antennas may give an indication that is something that is becoming more important for China," he said.

If mobile launchers for nuclear missiles are displayed, that might help to shed light on how Beijing sees "the challenge of maintaining credibility with their nuclear deterrent," Boyd said.

China has about 280 nuclear warheads, compared with 6,450 for the United States and 6,850 for Russia, according to SIPRI. Beijing says it wants a "minimum credible nuclear deterrent" but won't be the first to use atomic weapons in a conflict.

Mobile launchers "would make it more difficult for any potential enemy to do a first strike," said Boyd.

Satellite photos show China is increasing the number of launchers for DF-41 and DF-31 missiles from 18 to as many as 36, Boyd said.

That suggests planners believe that minimum nuclear force "needs to be larger," he said. "It needs to have more advanced systems with MIRV capability to remain credible, in their eyes."

https://abcnews.go.com/Internationa...30864?cid=clicksource_76_null_articleroll_hed

 

[Housecarl]

Military parade will be rare look at China's arms, ambitions

By Joe Mcdonald, Associated Press
BEIJING — September 29, 2019, 8:35 PM ET

A parade Tuesday by China's secretive military will be a rare look at its rapidly developing arsenal, including possibly a nuclear-capable missile that could reach the United States in 30 minutes, as Beijing gets closer to matching Washington and other powers in weapons technology.

The Dongfeng 41 is one of a series of new weapons Chinese media say might be unveiled during the parade marking the ruling Communist Party's 70th anniversary in power. Others include a supersonic drone and a robot submarine.

The parade will highlight Beijing's ambition to enforce claims to Taiwan, the South China Sea and other disputed territories — and to challenge Washington as the region's dominant force.

The People's Liberation Army, the world's biggest military with 2 million men and women in uniform and the second-highest annual spending after the United States, also is working on fighter planes, the first Chinese-built aircraft carrier and nuclear-powered submarines.

"There are quite a lot of observers, including the U.S. military, who say, 'This is getting close to what we do,' and they are starting to worry," said Siemon Wezeman of the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.

Tuesday's parade will include 15,000 troops, more than 160 aircraft and 580 pieces of military equipment, according to Ministry of Defense spokesman Maj. Gen. Cai Zhijun.

Many new weapons "will be shown for the first time," Cai told reporters last week. Asked whether that would include the Dongfeng 41, Cai said, "Please wait and see."

The ability to project power is increasingly urgent for Chinese leaders who want to control shipping lanes and waters also claimed by Japan, South Korea, Vietnam, the Philippines and other governments.

"China has developed nuclear, space, cyberspace and other capabilities that can reach potential adversaries across the globe," the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency said in a report in January.

Last year's spending on the PLA rose 5% to $250 billion, or about 10 times its 1994 level, according to SIPRI. The United States, with a force of 1.3 million, was far ahead at $650 billion, or more than 2½ times China's level.

Beijing is regarded, along with the United States, as a leader in drone aircraft, which it sells in the Middle East.

"In unpiloted aerial vehicles, China has made a lot of progress in recent years and has a vast array of systems under development," said Harry Boyd of the International Institute for Strategic Studies in London.

No details of the Dongfeng 41 have been released, but the Center for Strategic & International Studies in Washington says it may have the world's longest range at 15,000 kilometers (9,400 miles).

Analysts say the DF-41, flying at 25 times the speed of sound, might be able to reach the United States in 30 minutes with up to 10 warheads for separate targets — a technology known as MIRV, or multiple independently targetable re-entry vehicles.

China's current mainstay missile, the Dongfeng 31, has a range of more than 11,200 kilometers (6,990 miles) that puts most of the continental United States within reach.

Photos circulated on Chinese social media of parade preparations show blurry images of a possible attack drone dubbed "Sharp Sword" and another drone, the DR-8 or Wuzhen 8.

The parade also might give more subtle signs of China's plans, said Wezeman.

Airborne tankers or marines in amphibious vehicles could "indicate the importance of long-range intervention," he said. Air defense missiles might show Beijing is preparing for war with the United States or another advanced opponent.

Analysts want to know about Chinese software, electronics and wireless control networks, said Wezeman.

"Ten vehicles full of antennas may give an indication that is something that is becoming more important for China," he said.

If mobile launchers for nuclear missiles are displayed, that might help to shed light on how Beijing sees "the challenge of maintaining credibility with their nuclear deterrent," Boyd said.

China has about 280 nuclear warheads, compared with 6,450 for the United States and 6,850 for Russia, according to SIPRI. Beijing says it wants a "minimum credible nuclear deterrent" but won't be the first to use atomic weapons in a conflict.

Mobile launchers "would make it more difficult for any potential enemy to do a first strike," said Boyd.

Satellite photos show China is increasing the number of launchers for DF-41 and DF-31 missiles from 18 to as many as 36, Boyd said.

That suggests planners believe that minimum nuclear force "needs to be larger," he said. "It needs to have more advanced systems with MIRV capability to remain credible, in their eyes."

https://abcnews.go.com/Internationa...30864?cid=clicksource_76_null_articleroll_hed

The odds that the guestimate of 280 or so nuclear warheads being on the low side are so high as to be laughable if it weren't such a serious topic. The high end guestimates I've seen run from between 1,500 to 2,500 weapons based on the number of reactors, reprocessing capability and time that the PRC has been a member of "the Club".

 

[northern watch]

China parades its latest missiles in challenge to US, others

By Christopher Bodeen, Associated Press
BEIJING — October 1, 2019, 6:08 AM ET

Military planners in Washington and elsewhere will be taking note of new missile technology displayed by China, particularly a hypersonic ballistic nuclear missile believed capable of breaching all existing anti-missile shields deployed by the U.S. and its allies.

The vehicle-mounted Dong Feng 17, or DF-17, was the standout among weapons showed off at a military parade on Tuesday marking the 70th anniversary of the founding of the Chinese state. Those also include the Dong Feng 41, or DF-41, an intercontinental ballistic missile with a range of 15,000 kilometers (9,300 miles) — China's longest-range weapon — that that could reach the United States in 30 minutes.

Also featured at the event were the JL-2 submarine-launched strategic missile believed to be standard weaponry for China's nuclear-powered subs, as well as the CJ-100 cruise missile.

Beijing insists all are homegrown, and though China is believed to have benefited from industrial spying and imported technologies, its massive military research and development program and the size of its economy have put its weapons technology at the forefront along with Russia and the U.S.

"The overall combat ability of China's missile force has been enhanced significantly," said Song Zhongping, a military commentator for Hong Kong's pro-China Phoenix TV.

The DF-17 hyper-glide vehicle can be launched from a missile and once separated can reach more than five times the speed of sound, according to analysts. That speed, and its use of multiple independently targetable reentry vehicles, a technology known as MIRV, to deliver its warheads makes it far more difficult to detect and intercept.

It also flies at a much lower altitude just prior to delivering its warhead, further frustrating attempts to detect and intercept.

Some analysts have called the missile a threat to regional stability because its speed allows far less time to determine whether to fire nuclear weapons in response.

As with the DF-17, little has been officially released about the DF-41, which was shown publicly for the first time. It was loaded aboard a formation of launch vehicles but is also transportable by train.

Analysts say they believe it may be housed in silos in the country's northeast.

The Center for Strategic & International Studies in Washington says the missile may have the world's longest range at 15,000 kilometers (9,400 miles). Flying at 25 times the speed of sound, it might be able to reach the United States in 30 minutes and send up to 10 warheads to separate targets using MIRV technology.

China also displayed an upgrade of its mainstay missile, the Dongfeng 31, which has a range of more than 11,200 kilometers (6,990 miles) that puts most of the continental United States within reach.

The second-generation Dongfeng-31AG, which like the DF-41 uses solid fuel for ease of deployment and speed of launch, comes with "high mobility and precision," according to the official Xinhua News Agency.

Displayed for the first time, the JL-2 is the standard weapon for China's Jin class nuclear-powered subs, each of which can deploy 12 missiles with one warhead each. Their range of 7,200 kilometers (4,473 miles) makes more of a threat regionally than to the continental United States.

China's latest CJ-100 supersonic cruise missile also made its public debut Tuesday, carried aboard 16 trucks in formation. Little is known about the weapon that is speculated to be a replacement for the PLA's current CJ-10 cruise missile which has an estimated range of about 1,500 kilometers (930 miles).

The CJ-100s are "characterized by a long range, high precision and quick responsiveness and are the latest addition to the CJ missile series," Xinhua reported.

All those weapons seemed intended to imbue China with the ability to back up its territorial claims with credible threats, especially against the possibility of U.S. intervention. Many, including the already deployed DF-21D anti-ship ballistic missile, are seen as standoff weapons to keep U.S. aircraft carriers at bay while subjecting bases such as Guam to the possibility of attack.

China has also responded to what it sees as U.S. moves in the region that threaten its own security. That includes the deployment of the advanced THAAD air defense system in South Korea and Washington's stated determination to deploy a land-based intermediate-range missile in the Asia-Pacific "sooner rather than later," following its withdrawal last week from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty.

China said in August it "will not stand idly by" and would take countermeasures if the U.S. goes ahead with those plans.

"China should develop missiles that can hit any corners of the world especially the U.S. as a means of counter-attack," Yue Gang, retired colonel and military commentator said. "China must have the deterrent to curb the use of nuclear weapons ... China has been forced to do so by the situation."

The renewed attention focused on China's missile programs comes largely following the formation in 2015 of the latest branch of the People's Liberation Army, the Rocket Force. Tuesday's military parade featured 350 members of the force in their dark green uniforms and was their first group participation in such an event.

Apart from missiles, China also showed off new technologies, such as its "Sharp Sword" unmanned aerial vehicle believed capable of attacking targets such as radar stations and military bases, as well as drone submarines that could reach depths far deeper than those of crewed subs.

Drones are becoming increasingly important for the Chinese military in a range of fields, including for use by artillery units in reconnaissance and damage evaluation, TVBS's Song said.

Technology gaps still remain with the U.S. and Russia, who have had longer to develop their strategies, especially in the nuclear field, Song said.

However, the advances align with commander of the armed forces and President Xi Jinping's calls for a military that is capable of fighting and winning wars under modern conditions.

Observing the new hardware first from his staff car then from the viewing platform atop Tiananmen Gate, he gave off an aura of satisfaction, although he said little on the matter in his address other than that "no force" could block China's progress.

———

Associated Press researcher Yu Bing contributed to this report.

https://abcnews.go.com/Internationa...5972018?cid=clicksource_76_null_headlines_hed

 

[jward]

3 sources, so it must be true ; )

Redbox Global
@RedboxWire

· 12m
JAPAN COAST GUARD REPORTS N.KOREA APPEARS TO HAVE LAUNCHED MISSILE

 

[jward]

William Gallo
@GalloVOA
· 13h
North Korea says it will hold working-level negotiations with the US this Saturday. Will have "preliminary contact" the day before. Not clear where the meetings will be. Full statement via KCNA:

-------------------

William Gallo
@GalloVOA
·
17m
BREAKING: North Korea has launched an unknown projectile from Wonsan, Gangwon province, South Korea's military says.

 

[jward]

ELINT News
@ELINTNews
·
4m
#BREAKING: North Korea fires two projectiles, with one landing in Japan’s Exclusive Economic Zone

 

[jward]

Aircraft Spots
@AircraftSpots
· 1h
Fukuoka FIR just notified a KC-135R callsign RAMEN87 that “The missile launched from North Korea fell into sea surrounding Japan”. Did North Korea just launch another missile?

 

[jward]

IntelGhost

@IntelDoge


·
2m#BREAKING - North Korean launch "might have been a submarine based ballistic missile"
Quote Tweet



Yonhap News Agency












@YonhapNews






· 3m

(URGENT) N. Korea might have fired a submarine-based ballistic missile: Cheong Wa Dae http://yna.kr/AEN20191002003000315












IntelGhost



@IntelDoge



·
55s






If this was a submarine launched ballistic missile this would be huge.

 

[jward]

Ankit Panda
@nktpnd
·
28s
Oh no. It's lofted. That's a big one. Maximum Flight Altitude of 910 km and Distance of 450 km.

 

[jward]

BNO News
@BNONews
·
7m
BREAKING: North Korean missile flew 450 km (280 miles) with a maximum altitude of 910 km (565 miles); longest range in nearly 2 years - Yonhap

 

[jward]

Ankit Panda
@nktpnd
·
1m
If this is an SLBM, it doesn’t match the known performance parameters of North Korea’s only known SLBM: the Pukguksong-1/KN11.

If so, it might be this, which they briefly teased in a single photo released in August 2017: Pukguksong-3.

***********'

luis martinez
@LMartinezABC
· 12m
@USForcesKorea says its aware of S. Korean president's office saying it may have been a submarine-based missile launch by North Korea tonight. Refers additional questions to them.

 

[jward]

ELINT News
@ELINTNews
·
27m
The agreement was for ICBM’s and nukes only. SLBM’s are fair game according to the gentlemen’s agreement. Wether Trump sticks to that is another story
Quote Tweet
Rebeccah Heinrichs
@RLHeinrichs
· 31m
Looks like NK’s test violates UNSCRs and the “gentlemen’s”* agreement he made w/ Trump re long-range missiles.

*im using the term v loosely.

 

[northern watch]

British Typhoon fighter jets arrive in Malaysia

By Tom Dunlop
UK Defence Journal
October 1, 2019

The RAF have announced that Typhoon fighters have arrived in Malaysia to begin preparations for Exercise Bersama Lima, the annual Five Powers Defence Arrangement exercise.

The RAF say that pilots and ground crew from the Lossiemouth based II (Army Cooperation) Squadron, plus supporting personnel from across the Royal Air Force have deployed to the Malaysian Air Force base at Butterworth, Penang, Malaysia to take part in the exercise.

“The jets have flown in after a stopover in Sri Lanka. Previously the jets had been flown as part of the recently completed Exercise Magic Carpet in the Middle East.”

The Officer Commanding II (AC) Squadron said:

“This is a fantastic opportunity to train together with our Commonwealth Allies in Asia. The RAF have conducted this exercise for many years now, and we look forward to celebrating 50 years of the Five Powers Defence Arrangement in the near future.

During the exercise we will all be sharing knowledge and expertise in the tactical environment, continuing to develop our combined skills and procedures. We have been warmly welcomed by the Royal Malaysian Air Force at Butterworth Air Base and we very much look forward to continuing to share friendship, flying and experience.”

The Five Powers Defence Arrangement is the cornerstone of British defence policy in the region and brings the militaries of Australia, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore and the United Kingdom together in a defensive arrangement in the region.

https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/british-typhoon-fighter-jets-arrive-in-malaysia/

 

[intothatgoodnight]

IntelGhost
@IntelDoge
2m
#BREAKING

https://twitter.com/IntelDoge/status/1179198577828093954

North Korean launch "might have been a submarine based ballistic missile"


Yonhap News Agency
@YonhapNews
3m

http://yna.kr/AEN20191002003000315

(URGENT) N. Korea might have fired a submarine-based ballistic missile: Cheong Wa Dae


IntelGhost
@IntelDoge
55s

https://twitter.com/IntelDoge/status/1179198878970716161

If this was a submarine launched ballistic missile this would be huge.

If the sub missile launch story is correct, WHO is actually in command of the sub? Is it a deep state NORK asset trying to stir the international pot, at this time?


intothegoodnight

 

[jward]

I read it as the typical NORK acting out behaviors prior to the meetings with the US.

I would not be qualified to assess who was pulling the strings, and to what end, but... ???
I spose they could be working in tandem with the destabilizing forces. I can't support my sense
that it's simple self interest, that is a WAG.

 

[northern watch]

Gregor Peter‏ @L0gg0l · 19h19 hours ago

Speculation in Hong Kong that China has begun confiscating FX reserves. Large trailers were seen leaving HSBC vaults on two days in September. No explanation given by authorities (via @iamchuichui )

 

[northern watch]

The Wall Street Journal
‏Verified account @WSJ
2h2 hours ago

Political turmoil is threatening Hong Kong’s status as Asia’s leading financial hub. If international companies want to relocate, how do alternatives Singapore, Tokyo and Shanghai measure up?