Posted on 02/21/2022 6:44:18 PM PST by SeekAndFind
The big wildcard in today's dramatic escalation in tensions over east Ukraine, is how and when Beijing will react to Putin's announcement recognizing the Donbass region as independent and immediately deploying "peacekeeping" forces to Donetsk and Lugansk.
A hint as to what may be coming, came earlier on Monday when China said it would impose new sanctions on U.S. defense contractors Raytheon Technologies and Lockheed Martin due to their arms sales to Taiwan, stepping up a feud with Washington over security and Beijing’s strategic ambitions.
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin announced the move at a daily press briefing, citing a newly passed Anti-Foreign Sanctions Law that took effect in 2021. It was in response to a $100 million deal approved by the US for maintenance of Taiwan’s missile defense systems by the two companies.
“China once again urges the U.S. government and relevant parties to . . . stop arms sales to Taiwan and sever military ties with Taiwan,” Wang said.
“China will continue to take all necessary measures to firmly safeguard its sovereignty and security interests in accordance with the development of the situation,” he said without giving any details.
Today's decision follows China's announcement in October 2020 it would impose unspecified sanctions on Lockheed Martin and Raytheon after the U.S. approved $1.8 billion in arms sales to Taiwan; Raytheon, maker of Pratt & Whitney jet engines, said at the time it would “remain committed” to the success of its ties to China’s civil aviation industry, while Lockheed said its presence in the country is limited.
And while the West is united against Russian actions in the Donbas, just as it is united against a possible incursion by China in Taiwan, Russia's stance on the matter is clear: hours before the Winter Olympics opened two weeks ago, Putin and Xi Jinping declared that they are backing each other over standoffs on Ukraine and Taiwan with a promise to collaborate more against the West.
At the time, Russia voiced its support for China’s stance that Taiwan is an inalienable part of China, and opposition to any form of independence for the island; the announcement was promptly met by an angry response by Taiwan which condemned as “contemptible” the timing of China and Russia’s “no limits” partnership.
So while Beijing has so far been silent in its response to the latest news out of the Kremlin, it would be surprising if China were to voice an opposition to Putin's plan of action - which was almost certainly crafted with the tacit approval of Beijing - and implicitly side with the west, now that the two countries are clearly formalizing an anti-western axis.
It’s coming!
I miss President Trump.
Why are Raytheon and Lockheed doing business with the biggest mass murdered in human history, Communist China, America’s most sworn enemy?
Selling missiles, Nav systems, F-35s?
This begs the question of what the hell out defense giants are selling to America’s enemy.
It’s been going on since Clinton department of commerce forced those companies to use Long March to launch satellites after shuttle accident. First one failed so directions were to help them do it right. Here we are.
And many thanks to Loral Corp, too.
Also a question of where the rare earths needed for modern military gear have been coming from. Lloyd Austin is supposed to be ensuring non-China supply, perhaps this happens on the same timeframe of securing EU energy “independence” from Russia.
Exactly, and the president that gave them cover to do the
things they did.
You’re excited about it?
Weirdo.
You’re excited about it?
Weirdo.
“ Why are Raytheon and Lockheed doing business with the biggest mass murdered in human history, Communist China, America’s most sworn enemy?”
That’s a fair question.
L
NO, there is some commercial aviation sales, that it.
China is tick tocked because of this:
Sales to Taiwan
11 Lockheed High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS), for an estimated cost of $436.1 million
135 Boeing AGM-84H Standoff Land Attack Missile Expanded Response (SLAM-ER) Missiles for an estimated $1.01 billion.
Six Collins Aerospace MS-110 Recce external sensor pods, for an estimated cost of $367.2 million. Collins is a division of Raytheon.
*****The package may have spurred extra hostility from China because the HIMARS reportedly will include the M57 missile, which can hit targets up to 190 miles away.**** That’s enough to reach the east coast of China that’s directly opposite Taiwan, according to Defense News.
More weapon approvals for Taiwan are expected. Late Monday, the State Department notified Congress that it has approved a $2.37 billion sale for up to 100 Harpoon Coastal Defense Systems, which includes 400 Boeing RGM-84L-4 Harpoon Block II missiles.
Also sold under the Third Way Principles by Clinton to China were US naval operations, silent sub prop tech, miniature klystron switches (enables thermonuclear warhead to be reduce from tons to pounds), among a host of other once US secret tech.
Bottom line. Commercial aviation Is rife with tech. And our biggest defense contractors do all kinds of business with communist red China which is probably 15 times the Russian threat. The companies always employ large numbers of Chinese to win contracts and they are all high risks for technology spying.
“Commercial aviation Is rife with tech.”
Sure we should have strict export controls for NatSec areas, but those have waned since the Cold War.
The weaponry that sells to Taiwan, however, has gone up the tech scale...our best radar, our best long range precision fires that can for the first time hit China from Taiwan.
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