Latest news with #TwoSessions
Yahoo
09-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Opinion - Despite military purges, China's next war ‘could be imminent' and spread fast
'There's no reason to sugarcoat it,' Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on May 31 at the Shangri-La Dialogue, Asia's premier security conference. 'The threat China poses is real. And it could be imminent.' Hegseth is right: America needs to urgently prepare for war. War is coming to East Asia, and Taiwan — to which Hegseth was referring — is a target of Chinese aggression. Chinese President Xi Jinping, after all, has staked his personal legitimacy on annexing it as China's 34th province. Yet the U.S. and its partners have to be ready for anything at any place and at any time. Why? The Chinese regime, which is mobilizing all of society for war, is now unstable. It is not clear who, if anyone, is in charge. Therefore, the regime could take us by surprise. One thing we know: Xi's most senior loyalist in uniform has disappeared from public view. Gen. He Weidong, a vice chairman of the Communist Party's Central Military Commission and the second highest-ranked uniformed officer, was last seen in public on March 11, at the end of the Communist Party's major political event of the year, the so-called Two Sessions. Many report that Xi sacked He. It's true that Xi, since being named general secretary of the party in November 2012, has purged many military officers, ostensibly for 'corruption,' and restructured the People's Liberation Army. Both moves resulted in his taking firm control of the military. Some have therefore assumed that Xi, for some reason, turned on his most important supporter in the military in March. However, it is not likely that Xi took down He. On the contrary, it is much more probable that Xi's adversaries removed that general. While Xi loyalists were being removed from public view, PLA Daily, the Chinese military's main propaganda organ, ran a series of articles praising 'collective leadership,' a direct rejection of Xi's continual calls for unity, centralization of control and complete obedience to his rule. These articles, which began appearing last July, were written by people aligned with the top-ranked uniformed officer, Central Military Commission Vice Chairman Gen. Zhang Youxia. The propaganda pieces could not have appeared if Xi were in complete control of the military. Moreover, He's disappearance was followed by the disappearance of another Xi loyalist, Gen. He Hongjun. Rumors started that both generals had died by suicide in May at the military's 301 Hospital in Beijing. Whether they are alive or not, they are out of the way, so their disappearance spells trouble for Xi. 'Gen. He Weidong was instrumental in Xi's earlier purges in the military, so his disappearance could indicate a great threat to Xi's authority,' Charles Burton of the Sinopsis think tank noted in comments to me this month. The recent disappearances follow the sackings of, among others, Gen. Li Shangfu, a defense minister, Gen. Wei Fenghe, one of Li's predecessors and perhaps as many as 70 in the Rocket Force, the branch responsible for the country's nuclear weapons. Given all the turmoil in the Chinese military, America and its partners need to focus on more than just Taiwan. In fact, the main island of Taiwan might be the least likely target. To start hostilities by attacking Taiwan's main island, China would need to launch a combined air-land-sea operation. To do that, Xi would have to give a general or admiral almost complete control over the military. The appointed flag officer would thereby become the most powerful figure in China. Even in the calmest of times, Xi would be reluctant to create such a rival for power, but this is by no means a calm moment in Beijing. China's leader seems to have lost substantial influence recently — so much so that there is speculation he could be pushed out of power in the coming months. Whoever is controlling the purges — Xi or his political enemies — the Chinese military does not look ready to launch a complex operation such as a Taiwan invasion. Either Xi does not have the power to order an invasion because the military no longer answers to him, or Xi does not trust the most senior officers, a precondition for such a complex undertaking. Despite all the turmoil in the leadership ranks, Hegseth was right to talk about an imminent war. The disruptive leadership moves in China have not prevented the Chinese military from engaging in low-level but especially provocative actions in the last couple of months against countries to China's south and east. We do not know whether China's regime has made the decision to go to war, but its series of dangerous actions clearly reveals it has made the decision to risk war. And war, if it begins somewhere, will likely spread. For one thing, the Chinese leadership will not be able to deal with incidents responsibly. In senior Communist Party circles these days, only the most hostile answers are considered acceptable. Another factor is the existence of alliance and semi-alliance networks in the region. Four of China's targets, South Korea, Japan, the Philippines, and Australia, are U.S. treaty allies, and one, Taiwan, is protected by the United States. China, for its part, could bring in its friends. Moreover, the U.S. should be prepared for conflict with the world's most destructive weapons. 'China has spent the last five decades investing in building nuclear proxy forces in Pakistan, North Korea and Iran to create nuclear crises to divert Washington's attention away from the Taiwan Strait,' Richard Fisher of the International Assessment and Strategy Center told me this month. 'China's investment in Russia's war in Ukraine is in the same vein.' As Blaine Holt, a retired U.S. Air Force brigadier general, said after Hegseth's comments, 'Millions of lives now hang in the balance.' Gordon G. Chang is the author of 'Plan Red: China's Project to Destroy America' and 'The Coming Collapse of China.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
09-06-2025
- Politics
- The Hill
Despite military purges, China's next war ‘could be imminent' and spread fast
'There's no reason to sugarcoat it,' Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on May 31 at the Shangri-La Dialogue, Asia's premier security conference. 'The threat China poses is real. And it could be imminent.' Hegseth is right: America needs to urgently prepare for war. War is coming to East Asia, and Taiwan — to which Hegseth was referring — is a target of Chinese aggression. Chinese President Xi Jinping, after all, has staked his personal legitimacy on annexing it as China's 34th province. Yet the U.S. and its partners have to be ready for anything at any place and at any time. Why? The Chinese regime, which is mobilizing all of society for war, is now unstable. It is not clear who, if anyone, is in charge. Therefore, the regime could take us by surprise. One thing we know: Xi's most senior loyalist in uniform has disappeared from public view. Gen. He Weidong, a vice chairman of the Communist Party's Central Military Commission and the second highest-ranked uniformed officer, was last seen in public on March 11, at the end of the Communist Party's major political event of the year, the so-called Two Sessions. Many report that Xi sacked He. It's true that Xi, since being named general secretary of the party in November 2012, has purged many military officers, ostensibly for 'corruption,' and restructured the People's Liberation Army. Both moves resulted in his taking firm control of the military. Some have therefore assumed that Xi, for some reason, turned on his most important supporter in the military in March. However, it is not likely that Xi took down He. On the contrary, it is much more probable that Xi's adversaries removed that general. While Xi loyalists were being removed from public view, PLA Daily, the Chinese military's main propaganda organ, ran a series of articles praising 'collective leadership,' a direct rejection of Xi's continual calls for unity, centralization of control and complete obedience to his rule. These articles, which began appearing last July, were written by people aligned with the top-ranked uniformed officer, Central Military Commission Vice Chairman Gen. Zhang Youxia. The propaganda pieces could not have appeared if Xi were in complete control of the military. Moreover, He's disappearance was followed by the disappearance of another Xi loyalist, Gen. He Hongjun. Rumors started that both generals had died by suicide in May at the military's 301 Hospital in Beijing. Whether they are alive or not, they are out of the way, so their disappearance spells trouble for Xi. 'Gen. He Weidong was instrumental in Xi's earlier purges in the military, so his disappearance could indicate a great threat to Xi's authority,' Charles Burton of the Sinopsis think tank noted in comments to me this month. The recent disappearances follow the sackings of, among others, Gen. Li Shangfu, a defense minister, Gen. Wei Fenghe, one of Li's predecessors and perhaps as many as 70 in the Rocket Force, the branch responsible for the country's nuclear weapons. Given all the turmoil in the Chinese military, America and its partners need to focus on more than just Taiwan. In fact, the main island of Taiwan might be the least likely target. To start hostilities by attacking Taiwan's main island, China would need to launch a combined air-land-sea operation. To do that, Xi would have to give a general or admiral almost complete control over the military. The appointed flag officer would thereby become the most powerful figure in China. Even in the calmest of times, Xi would be reluctant to create such a rival for power, but this is by no means a calm moment in Beijing. China's leader seems to have lost substantial influence recently — so much so that there is speculation he could be pushed out of power in the coming months. Whoever is controlling the purges — Xi or his political enemies — the Chinese military does not look ready to launch a complex operation such as a Taiwan invasion. Either Xi does not have the power to order an invasion because the military no longer answers to him, or Xi does not trust the most senior officers, a precondition for such a complex undertaking. Despite all the turmoil in the leadership ranks, Hegseth was right to talk about an imminent war. The disruptive leadership moves in China have not prevented the Chinese military from engaging in low-level but especially provocative actions in the last couple of months against countries to China's south and east. We do not know whether China's regime has made the decision to go to war, but its series of dangerous actions clearly reveals it has made the decision to risk war. And war, if it begins somewhere, will likely spread. For one thing, the Chinese leadership will not be able to deal with incidents responsibly. In senior Communist Party circles these days, only the most hostile answers are considered acceptable. Another factor is the existence of alliance and semi-alliance networks in the region. Four of China's targets, South Korea, Japan, the Philippines, and Australia, are U.S. treaty allies, and one, Taiwan, is protected by the United States. China, for its part, could bring in its friends. Moreover, the U.S. should be prepared for conflict with the world's most destructive weapons. 'China has spent the last five decades investing in building nuclear proxy forces in Pakistan, North Korea and Iran to create nuclear crises to divert Washington's attention away from the Taiwan Strait,' Richard Fisher of the International Assessment and Strategy Center told me this month. 'China's investment in Russia's war in Ukraine is in the same vein.' As Blaine Holt, a retired U.S. Air Force brigadier general, said after Hegseth's comments, 'Millions of lives now hang in the balance.' Gordon G. Chang is the author of 'Plan Red: China's Project to Destroy America' and 'The Coming Collapse of China.'
Fibre2Fashion
09-05-2025
- Business
- Fibre2Fashion
Moody's Ratings reduces China's 2025 growth forecast to 3.8% from 4.5%
China's economy is likely to see a major slowdown over the next two years, with gross domestic product (GDP) growth falling to 3.8 per cent in 2025 and 3.9 per cent in 2026 as trade tensions intensify and global economic conditions weigh on investment and consumer confidence, Moody's Ratings recently said. In February, the rating agency had projected a GDP growth of 4.5 per cent and 4 per cent respectively for 2025 and 2026. The new projection also falls well short of the Chinese government's official 5 per cent growth target. However, the country's GDP rose by 5.4 per cent year-on-year in the first quarter of 2025, indicating a strong start for the financial year. China may see a major slowdown in two years, with growth falling to 3.8 per cent in 2025 and 3.9 per cent in 2026 as trade tensions escalate and global economic conditions weigh on investment and consumer confidence, Moody's Ratings said. In February, it projected a GDP growth of 4.5 per cent for 2025 and 4 per cent for 2026. US tariffs on China will be 'considerably restrictive' in the near term. This early-year boost was largely driven by a surge in exports and a combination of government fiscal and monetary policies aimed towards stabilising growth. Fixed asset investment improved, property sector contraction eased, and credit demand levelled off while industrial production and retail sales also showed signs of recovery, a report by the rating agency said. However, it cautioned that without further stimulus beyond measures announced at the annual Two Sessions in March, the current momentum may not stay the same for long. A heavy drop in Chinese shipments to the United States in April, combined with the growing impact of elevated tariffs, is casting a long shadow over the outlook for the coming months. Moody's Ratings believes US tariffs on Chinese products will remain 'considerably restrictive' in the near term. The rating agency said domestic demand remains vulnerable despite Beijing's continued investment in high-tech and green industries. Even support from government's fiscal and monetary policies is 'unlikely to lift domestic demand enough to offset the negative impact on external demand'. The trade measures imposed by the China and United States on each other are 'so prohibitively high that they would likely choke off most direct bilateral trade if they remain in place, on top of the likely short-term disruptions noted earlier,' the report noted. Fibre2Fashion News Desk (DS)
Time of India
06-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Moody's cuts China 2025 GDP growth forecast to 3.8% weighed by ongoing tariff tensions
China's economy is expected to undergo a major slowdown over the next two years, with GDP growth dipping below 4% as trade tensions intensify and global economic conditions weigh on investment and consumer confidence, a recent report by Moody's Ratings report projects Beijing's real GDP growth for 2025 to stand at 3.8% and 3.9% in 2026, a sharp downgrade from its February projections of 4.5% and 4%, respectively. The outlook also falls well short of the Chinese government's official 5% growth the country's GDP rose by 5.4% year-on-year in the first quarter of 2025, indicating a strong start for the financial year. This early-year boost was largely driven by a surge in exports and a combination of government fiscal and monetary policies aimed towards stabilising asset investment improved, property sector contraction eased, and credit demand levelled off while industrial production and retail sales also showed signs of the ratings agency also warned that without further stimulus beyond measures announced at the annual Two Sessions in March, the current momentum may not stay the same for long, with GDP growth decelerating below 4% dragged down by the ongoing trade tensions and weakening global growth.A steep decline in Chinese shipments to the US in April, combined with the growing impact of elevated tariffs, is casting a long shadow over the outlook for the coming months.'We estimate that export growth drove nearly a third of China's economic growth in Q1 2025,' Moody's said. ' 'Repeating that feat from last year's high base would be difficult given ongoing tariff uncertainty and softer export demand.'At present, China faces a base 10% tariff and an additional 145% levy from the US, a move that could further strain already fragile trade there are indications that both sides are open to negotiations, no formal talks have begun, and Moody's believes tariffs will remain 'considerably restrictive' in the near agency also cut its global growth forecast for 2025 and 2026, citing increased policy uncertainty, especially in the world's two largest economies, the US and China. Despite Beijing's continued investment in high-tech and green industries, Moody's says domestic demand remains report further added that even support from government's fiscal and monetary policies is 'unlikely to lift domestic demand enough to offset the negative impact on external demand'Commenting on the ongoing tariff war between Beijing and Washington, the report said that the trade measures imposed by the two nations on each other are 'so prohibitively high that they would likely choke off most direct bilateral trade if they remain in place, on top of the likely short-term disruptions noted earlier.'
Bloomberg
23-04-2025
- Health
- Bloomberg
China Makes Weight Loss a National Priority
Hey, it's Amber in Hong Kong. Weight-loss clinics are popping up around China as the country dials up the alarm on its obesity problem. But before I dive in to that … China's Two Sessions, the annual parliamentary meetings where politicians set the nation's agenda for the year ahead, is typically a somber occasion. But this March, one exchange stole the show.
