China's last combat was in Vietnam in 1979, where they were soundly defeated by a Vietnamese army that had been depleted after fighting the U.S. for over a decade. China barely lasted a month, and failed to achieve its objectives of persuading Vietnam to get out of Cambodia before retreating from the country. I think there were photographers available, however, so the battle was probably not captured on oil and canvas. China's last major naval battle victory, however, predated the camera by a few centuries. Another lesson from this for the ignorant: yes, China does invade other countries, and yes, any Chinese invasion, like any Russian invasion, will include mass murder if at all possible. Some people are not intelligent enough to realize this. Sino-Vietnamese War - Wikipedia
Uyghur fighters helped defeat Syrian dictator Assad. Now the militant group, known as the Islamic Turkistan Party, are saying that China is next. So little respect for Chairman Xi. They probably will not defeat the largest army in the world, but they could be a thorn in Xi's ass for a fairly long time. Xi seems to just have a way with people, doesn't he? Uyghur fighters in Syria vow to come for China next
China has new BB-8 (Star Wars reference)-style robotic police officers, programmed to beat people senseless if they cause any trouble. It's basically a giant tire on the outside and a computerized robot on the inside. Chinese Robo-cop is ready for action. Chinese Police Deploy Rolling BB-8-STyle Robot to Patrol Streets, Chase Down Suspects
More on China's South to North Water Project. They are spending $70 billion to move water from the southeast, south, and southwest of China to the Beijing and Tianjin areas. The eastern part of the project is essentially complete, the central part is under construction, and the western part has not been started. The north of China has been historically very dry. They had one of the world's two largest water aquifers, but that has basically been emptied. They do not want to spend money on desalination. Their water pipes are leaking, and they may be carrying schistosomiasis in the water to the north. One problem that article does not get into too deeply is that the central and western parts of this plan will likely start WWIII. The rivers coming off the Himalayas that will be drained to feed Beijing for the central plan currently provide water to Vietnam, Cambodia, and other countries. The rivers that will be tapped for the western branch currently supply water to India and Bangladesh. Long-term, this is a foolish plan beyond offending your neighbors into warfare. As global warming works its magic on the Himalayas, the rivers will run dry for parts of the year as snowfall is reduced. Why China's Spending $70bn to Move Water 2,700 Miles
U.S. testing new underwater drones in preparation for a possible fight with China. Underwater drones being developed by US Navy amid potential threat of war with China
Taiwan just received its first 38 Abrams tanks from the U.S., giving China one more thing to be afraid of. The U.S. plans to provide 70 more in the next two years. Taiwan gets its first US Abrams tanks as it prepares for a possible invasion by China
China is still wondering how the U.S. got the best freight rail system in the world. The U.S. doesn't care about China's HSR. There were a lot of shortcuts taken in the construction of the high-speed system in China, so no one expects it to last very long. It will likely fall apart in another 20-25 years, if not sooner. Most of the U.S. cities are too spread out and don't have enough population to support HSR, so it is not a viable option for the U.S. The U.S. also has an excellent highway system, as well as the network of airports. China's highways are not that great, especially away from the east coast.
The U.S. has decided to approve $571 million in weapons sales to Taiwan, and China is not happy about it. The DoD has already approved $295 million in weapons for Taiwan. Trump, making an ass of himself as usual, has decided that Taiwan needs to pay the U.S. to defend it. U.S. 'playing with fire' funding Taiwan's military, China says
BYD is building a new factory in Brazil. The Chinese company it hired to build it brought in 163 Chinese workers that were being treated as slaves, working more hours than allowed under Brazilian law and forcing them to live in squalid conditions. https://edition.cnn.com/2024/12/24/business/byd-brazil-chinese-workers-conditions-intl/index.html
Chairman Xi is starting to lose control in China. He brought down powerful rivals in the military and high government posts when he took office so he could bring in his own (presumably honest) men. Now those people are corrupt and have to be sacked. https://edition.cnn.com/2024/12/15/china/china-military-purge-analysis-miao-hua-intl-hnk/index.html
China's manufacturing output goes up (slightly), while domestic consumption goes down (a lot). Their economic situation continues to grow more desperate. Their hopes of transitioning from an export-based economy to a successful consumer-driven economy do not look likely to happen. https://edition.cnn.com/2024/12/16/economy/china-economy-consumption-hnk-intl/index.html
China's crackdown on military leadership will almost certainly have a negative effect on preparations for invading Taiwan, according to the Pentagon. In other news, China has increased the number of operational nuclear warheads by 20%, going from 500 to 600. https://edition.cnn.com/2024/12/18/politics/pentagon-china-report-anticorruption-military/index.html
An interesting story on China's Great Green Wall: a 46-year ongoing project to plant millions of trees at the edge of deserts to improve their agriculture. They have planted 116,000 square miles (a little larger than Arizona) of trees since 1978. The benefits are clear: at least one farmer claims that his corn plants have grown taller since the trees were planted. If the trees were planted about 25' apart in a grid pattern, that would be close to half a trillion trees by my calculation. China's marketing tactics are notoriously poor: the desert known as "The Sea of Death" has had a hard time attracting farmers and other settlers. Enormous government project nearly 50 years in the making encircles desert with trees: 'The Great Green Wall'
China is working on developing new, tailless, next-gen stealth fighter jets. They have at least two in the works. And, yes, they do look a little bit like U.S. next-gen stealth aircraft. Today is an "auspicious" day to debut new military hardware because it is Chairman Mao's birthday. Yes, China Just Flew Another Tailless Next-Generation Stealth Combat Aircraft
China launches world's largest amphibious assault warship. It will be used to launch aircraft, helicopters, and drones. China’s Monster Type 076 Amphibious Assault Ship Seen Like Never Before At Launch Ceremony
