US gave real-time intel of Chinese positions, force strength in advance of a #PLA incursion
This caught the PLA off-guard, enraged Beijing, forced them to reconsider its approach to border grabs usnews.com/news/world-rep…
2) It made a difference.
The subsequent clash on Dec. 9 involving hundreds of troops wielding spiked clubs and Tasers did not result in any deaths as previous encounters have, rather it was limited to a dozen or so injuries and – most conspicuously – a Chinese retreat.
3) “They were waiting. And that’s because the U.S. had given India everything to be fully prepared for this,” the source says. “It demonstrates a test case of the success of how the two militaries are now cooperating and sharing intelligence.”
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#BREAKING: #Chinese media said 2,296 delegates to the 20th Party Congress have been elected under the leadership of #XiJinping
Xi is expected to receive a 5-year-term in October, paving the way for his ascendence to Paramount Leader of the Party for life.
Sorry, No #chinacoup
2) Xinhua News Agency: Election of deputies to the 20th National Congress was completed.
Each electoral unit across China held party congresses or party representative meetings respectively & elected 2,296 deputies to the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of #China
3) The National Party Congress of the Communist Party of China is held every five years.
The 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China will determine the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party for the next five years.
#THREAD: 1) It seems to me that #China has chosen a phased approach of limited military measures to squeeze #Taiwan here & there, on & off, pressure & release tactics, coupled with long term economic retaliation.
Southern Okinawa Japanese islands are also in China's crosshairs.
2) Here, the Global Times talks about #PLA military drill areas becoming a threat to #Taiwan's ports & shipping lanes, forming a blockade as a step to achieve reunification by force in the future.
3) This would be a calibrated approach, designed to hurt enough, but not too much that can trigger a war or US intervention.
But...... If Taiwan fires on Chinese forces to stop the blockade, then China has the excuse to go with full force, or could take small Taiwanese islands.
THREAD: 1) With His Weak Response to #China’s Threats, Biden May Just Have thrown #Taiwan under the Bus
Biden worked behind the scenes to stop Pelosi from visiting Taiwan.
Biden also seemed to sacrifice Taiwan’s defence on a phone call with Xi Jinping. msn.com/en-in/news/opi…
2) In a a long phone call over 2 hours, a White House statement said that Biden “underscored that the United States policy has not changed and that the US strongly opposes unilateral efforts to change the status quo or undermine peace & stability across the Taiwan Strait”
3) According to the statement, Xi emphasised the Chinese claim over the island. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated, “Those who play with fire will perish by it.” The Ministry added, “It is hoped that the US will be clear-eyed about this.”
1/ #Ukrainian Nationalist Volunteers Committing 'ISIS-Style' War Crimes: Amnesty International
Right-wing Ukrainian ultra nationalists are committing war crimes in rebel-held territories of Eastern #Ukraine, evidence of militias beheading their victims. newsweek.com/evidence-war-c…
2/ Armed volunteers who refer to themselves as the Aidar battalion "have been involved in widespread abuses, including abductions, unlawful detention, ill-treatment, theft, extortion, and possible executions", Amnesty said.
3/ Kiev-based Pravilnoe TV reported that it had spoken with one of the mothers who confirmed her son was a rebel, captured during fighting in Donetsk.
She said she had received her son's head in a wooden box in the post, blaming nationalist volunteers for her son's death.
It's likely #Russian forces will renew offensive operations in the next 24-48 hours with emphasis on continuing to encircle #Kyiv, attacking west of #Kharkiv & capturing #Mariupol. Via @JominiW
2/ By alluding to a disproportionate nuclear escalation, Moscow wants to limit (or even reverse) western interference in Ukraine, in order to make the Russian war effort more sustainable. The West’s most powerful weapon at present is sanctions rather than military intervention.
3/ This carries its own risks. If such measures were really to cause the near-term “collapse of the Russian economy” & threaten the survival of the domestic order, the Russian elite might come to perceive that existential threat as making victory vital in Ukraine, at all costs.