The Sacrificial Lamb Approaches

The only logical explanation for Nancy Pelosi’s much-rumored “secret” visit to Taiwan is for her to serve as a sacrificial casus belli to start the war that the neocons want with China at the earliest opportunity.

Taiwan has relocated French-supplied Mirage 2000 fighter jets and other military hardware, according to local media, ahead of a possible visit by US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Eight additional aircraft were moved to the Chihhang Air Base, adding to the two Mirage 2000 fighters already stationed there, the Taiwan-based China Times reported on Tuesday.

The base is located in the southeastern part of the island, from where Pelosi’s plane is expected to approach, the outlet said. The facility was put on high alert, it added.

Meanwhile Taiwan’s Navy deployed two additional anti-submarine helicopters to patrol the waters near the island, the report said.

Meanwhile, the USS Ronald Reagan is said to be approaching Chinese waters as Chinese social media is reporting that both the Shandong and Fujian aircraft carriers have left their bases. China’s position remains very clear, and was repeated by the spokesman for the Foreign Ministry yesterday.

Reuters: US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is scheduled to visit Southeast Asia and East Asia this week and Taiwan is not mentioned in her itinerary. What’s China’s comment?

Zhao Lijian: Recently, the Chinese side has repeatedly made clear to the US side our serious concern over Speaker Pelosi’s potential visit to Taiwan and our firm opposition to the visit. We have been stressing that such a visit would lead to serious consequences. As President Xi Jinping stressed to US President Joe Biden in their phone call, the position of the Chinese government and people on the Taiwan question is consistent, and resolutely safeguarding China’s national sovereignty and territorial integrity is the firm will of the more than 1.4 billion Chinese people. The public opinion cannot be defied. Those who play with fire will perish by it. We believe that the US side is fully aware of China’s strong and clear message. 

We are closely following the itinerary of Speaker Pelosi. A visit to Taiwan by her would constitute a gross interference in China’s internal affairs, seriously undermine China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, wantonly trample on the one-China principle, greatly threaten peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, severely undermine China-US relations and lead to a very serious situation and grave consequences. 

We want to once again make it clear to the US side that the Chinese side is fully prepared for any eventuality and that the People’s Liberation Army of China will never sit idly by, and we will make resolute response and take strong countermeasures to uphold China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, What the US should do is to abide by the one-China principle and the stipulations of the three Sino-US joint communiqués, fulfill President Biden’s commitment of not supporting “Taiwan independence” and not arrange for a visit by Speaker Pelosi to Taiwan. 

It will be interesting to see if China decides to take the bait and initiate or if it finds another way of saving face. Either way, we may witness the long-expected opening of the second front soon.

DISCUSS ON SG


A Warning Within the Warning

It’s never a good sign when the Defense Ministry assumes responsibility for communications concerning certain matters in the place of the Foreign Ministry.

Action is the most powerful language, said the Chinese Defense Ministry on Thursday as its spokesperson stressed the sensitivity of the Taiwan question again after China issued six warnings against US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s potential visit to Taiwan island over the past few days.

The frequency of Chinese warnings and the remarks different departments use fully demonstrate China’s determination to take any necessary military measures to counter US provocations and safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity, analysts said.

The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) will not tolerate any “Taiwan independence” moves or interference from external forces, and will resolutely stop such attempts, Wu Qian, spokesperson for the Defense Ministry, said at Thursday’s press briefing.

The root cause of a turbulent Taiwan Straits is the collusion between “Taiwan independence” forces and external interfering forces, Wu said, urging relevant parties to learn to adapt to the new reality (PLA operations near the Straits), to reflect on their own deeds and “most importantly, to pull back from the brink.”

Though Wu was responding to a question about PLA operations on the Taiwan Straits, analysts interpreted Wu’s words as another stern warning against the US government and some US politicians who are pushing Pelosi’s possible visit to Taiwan island.

The US should not underestimate the crisis and possible disastrous results it will bring to the Taiwan Straits if Pelosi ultimately makes the trip, experts said. On edge of the cliff for bilateral relations, if the US does not pull back but keeps challenging the guardrail, the price will be beyond US capabilities to pay.

It’s an interesting historical lesson in the use of the phrase yanzhen yidai, which literally means “streamlining army formation to wait for the enemy” and has very seldom been used in the diplomatic context. It more accurately translates into modern American English as “fuck around and find out”, such as when Zhou Enlai warned the USA not to cross the 38th Parallel prior to the Chinese intervention in the Korean War.

In other words, the Chinese are no more bluffing over Taiwan than the Russians were bluffing over Ukraine.

DISCUSS ON SG


General Bozo

It is suggested that the great buffoon of Great Britain, Boris Johnson, will become the next NATO Secretary-General.

Boris Johnson tipped to become next secretary general of Nato.

Ukrainian and Tory MPs support idea of PM being a possible candidate, though sceptics suggest he would likely be greeted with a French veto.

However, there was concern among the top brass, with Lord Dannatt, former head of the British Army, saying that he could not support Mr Johnson because of his character.

The peer told The Telegraph: “Undoubtedly he has done a lot of good things and our full square support for Ukraine is fantastic. But I am afraid it is the personal stuff, the lack of integrity, the lack of trust. Frankly, we don’t want to expose Boris Johnson on the international stage for more ridicule. He is a national embarrassment.”

A senior Ministry of Defence figure also expressed doubts, given there was a likelihood that Emmanuel Macron, the French President, would veto him.

One source told The Telegraph: “The reality is that Nato sec gens are appointed by unanimous decision. Any country can veto. Do you think President Macron would nominate Boris Johnson to be the sec gen of Nato? It is a challenge for a Brit full stop. You need the United States to support you and the French to say ‘yes’.”

The next head of Nato was due to be appointed this September but was delayed by a year due to the crisis in Ukraine.

If nothing else, the news must have given Vladimir Putin a good chuckle today. If Boris Johnson becomes the head of NATO, there is a very good chance that Britain will find itself accidentally surrendering to Moldova within weeks.

DISCUSS ON SG


Europe’s First White Flag

The Hungarians are the first crack in the neo-liberal dam:

The Russia-Ukraine conflict could end the West’s dominance and shift the balance of power in the world, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has said. Russia launched a military campaign against the neighboring country in late February.

Orban argued that the decision to impose sanctions on Moscow and supply Kiev with heavy weapons de facto turned the EU and NATO member states into participants in the conflict, but ultimately yielded no results.

“Instead, today we are sitting inside a car with flat tires on all four wheels,” Orban said in a speech in the Romanian city of Baile Tusnad on Saturday.

“The world is not only not with us, but it is demonstratively not with us,” the PM added, arguing that, instead of thinking about gaining the upper hand on the battlefield in Ukraine, the West should now focus on achieving peace through negotiations.

Orban also warned that the conflict could easily put an end to Western supremacy and “create a multipolar world order.”

“We must try to persuade the West to develop a new strategy,” the PM said. He later added that the conflict “will end when the Americans and the Russians come to an agreement.”

Well, better late than never. But Viktor Orban is very unlikely to pull his fellow European leaders out of their vast morass of self-justifying moronics, as they clearly have absolutely no grasp of which side the current balance of power favors or that the US military is entirely incapable of bailing them out of the geopolitical trap in which they have needlessly caught themselves.

The most successful European countries of the future will be the first ones to break with the neo-liberal order and make a separate, independent, and sovereign peace with the BRICSIA nations. There is absolutely no point in trying to convince retards to be reasonable; if they were capable of being reasonable then they wouldn’t have engaged in their previous retardery in the first place.

If they can convince themselves that being a “humanitarian superpower” counterbalances a military superpower, and that redefining “neutrality” permits not only taking sides in a military conflict, but imposing economic sanctions on one side, and that fighting a war against both China and Russia at the same time is winnable, then they are ineducable and irrelevant.

While Britain left the EU, it did not break with the neo-liberal order. Orban would do well by his people to do both. The world is changing. And the world order will change.

DISCUSS ON SG


When Losing One War Isn’t Enough

Already on their knees due to NATO’s war on Russia, the leaders of the EU nevertheless appear to be determined to open a second front with China as well.

AFP: The European Parliament Vice President Nicola Beer is visiting Taiwan this week. She said today that Europe must stand firm with Taiwan and avoid turning a blind eye to the mainland’s threats to Taiwan. Do you have any response to these comments?

Zhao Lijian: Taiwan is an inalienable part of China’s territory. The one-China principle is a widely recognized basic norm in international relations and the political foundation of China-Europe relations. The European Parliament is an official institution of the European Union. Hence its members and senior officials are expected to abide by the one-China principle. 

Over the past two years, the European Parliament has promulgated multiple Taiwan-related resolutions to support and embolden “Taiwan independence” forces. Such moves have gravely violated the one-China principle and poisoned the atmosphere of China-Europe relations. China firmly opposes all forms of official interactions between the EU side and the Taiwan region. We urge the EU side to earnestly abide by the one-China principle, speak and act with prudence on issues related to Taiwan, and prevent any serious disruption in China-Europe relations. 

It’s not exactly a mystery why China is siding so strongly with Russia and ignoring all the desperate pleas to join the failed economic sanctions. And just in case the European leaders didn’t get the message being sent by multiple members of the Chinese Foreign Ministry, the Global Times spelled it out for them.

Chinese Foreign Ministry denounced the European Parliament (EP) on Wednesday for having seriously violating the one-China principle and urged the EU body to stop any forms of official exchanges with China’s Taiwan region.

The responding remarks came after EP’s vice-president Nicola Beer arrived on Taiwan island leading a delegation and kicked off a three-day visit to show support to the secessionists in the island. Taiwan’s secessionist Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authorities hyped the fact that Beer is the first EP official at this level to visit the island in an official capacity.

Upon her arriving, Beer said the EU would not turn a blind eye to “China’s threats” toward the island, as she maintains that “Taiwan’s bloom is Europe’s bloom,” Taiwan-based media reported. Beer is scheduled to meet Taiwan’s regional leader Tsai Ing-wen during the visit.

“Taiwan is an inalienable part of China’s territory. The one-China principle is a widely recognized basic norm in international relations and the political foundation of China-Europe relations. The EP is an official institution of the EU. Hence its members and senior officials are expected to abide by the one-China principle,” said Wang Wenbin, spokesperson of Chinese Foreign Ministry on Wednesday.

Over the past two years, the European Parliament has promulgated multiple Taiwan-related resolutions to support and embolden “Taiwan independence” forces. Such moves have gravely violated the one-China principle and poisoned the atmosphere of China-Europe relations, Wang stressed.

“China firmly opposes all forms of official interactions between the EU side and the Taiwan region,” Wang said, “We urge the EU to earnestly abide by the one-China principle, to speak and act with prudence on issues related to Taiwan, and to prevent any serious disruption in China-Europe relations.”

Zhao Lijian, Foreign Ministry, 19 July 2022

This diplomatic recklessness and retardery is breathtaking. If it weren’t for what we’ve witnessed over the last two years, it would be almost impossible to believe it was real.

DISCUSS ON SG


The Human Handgrenade

It does not appear things are going to get any more sensible in Great Britain anytime soon. Boris Johnson is going to be replaced as the Conservative Party Prime Minister by either a) a corrupt Indian with shady connections or b) a Remain lunatic who does a convincing neocon impression.

ITEM: It’s Liz vs Rishi for next PM! Truss will face Sunak in ballot of Tory members after surging to leapfrog Penny Mordaunt by just EIGHT votes in frantic day of wooing MPs

  • 137 Rishi Sunak
  • 113 Liz Truss
  • 105 Penny Mordaunt

Dominick Cummings clearly saw this coming, as he shared his thoughts on the leadership race, and the woman he dubbed The Human Handgrenade in particular, four days ago on his substack. Keep in mind that in spite of Sunak getting the most votes in every round, the early polls of the Tory MPs indicated that either Mordaunt or Truss would beat him in the final head-to-head competition. While those polls are not entirely reliable, one would have to say at this point that the highest probability outcome is that Britain will have a pro-EU globalist warmonger at the helm before the autumn.

I gave Truss the nickname ‘human handgrenade’ when she worked in the Department for Education. She said this week it was a ‘compliment’ because she gets things done. No. It was because she caused chaos INSTEAD OF getting things done. Truss is the only minister I shouted at in No10. The reason was her compulsive pathological leaking. As soon as she left any meeting she would call people like Harry Cole (The Sun) and blurt out what had been said. This routinely caused chaos and often damaged the UK. I called her over to No10. I sat in that tiny little room near the Cabinet room next to the loos (G39). I said to her: what are you doing leaking everything, stop, focus on your real job where you’re failing to grip your department, focus on that… The eyes had a thousand yard stare. ‘What do you mean the real job?’ she said. It was pointless to go on. For her, leaking to the media was the ‘real’ job. And in many ways, inside the Simulation, it is the real job!

Boris is supporting Truss. Why? 1) He thinks it’s the best way to stop Sunak. 2) He knows Truss is mad as a box of snakes and is thinking, ‘there’s a chance she blows, there’s another contest and I can return’.

And with the human handgrenade, she may catastrophically escalate the war — remember she has defined the goal as pushing Russia out of Crimea, which if seriously attempted would be seen by the vast majority of Russians (including anti-Putin Russians) as an attempt to destroy Russia and could lead to nuclear weapons.

Dominick Cummings, 16 July 2022

Truss is fully on-board with both the EU and the NATO Nazis, which suggests that the chances of the NATO-Russian war going hot will rise if she is elected.

DISCUSS ON SG


On the Assassination of Shinzo Abe

Global Research reaches some conclusions that are similar to my own, albeit on the basis of considerably more detail.

The critical event that likely triggered the process leading to Abe’s assassination was the NATO summit in Madrid (June 28-30).

The NATO summit was a moment when the hidden players behind the scenes laid down the law for the new global order. NATO is on a fast track to evolve beyond an alliance to defend Europe and to become an unaccountable military power, working with the Global Economic Forum, the billionaires and the bankers around the world, as a “world army,” functioning much as the British East India Company did in another era.

The decision to invite to the NATO summit the leaders of Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand was a critical part of this NATO transformation.

These four nations were invited to join in an unprecedented level of integration in security, including intelligence sharing (outsourcing to big tech multinationals), the use of advanced weapons systems (that must be administrated by the personnel of multinationals like Lockheed Martin), joint exercises (that set a precedent for an oppressive decision-making process), and other “collaborative” approaches that undermine the chain of command within the nation state.

When Kishida returned to Tokyo on July first, there can be no doubt that one of his first meetings was with Abe. Kishida explained to Abe the impossible conditions that the Biden administration had demanded of Japan.

The White House, by the way, is now entirely the tool of globalists like Victoria Nuland (Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs) and others trained by the Bush clan.

The demands made of Japan were suicidal in nature. Japan was to increase economic sanctions on Russia, to prepare for possible war with Russia, and to prepare for a war with China. Japan’s military, intelligence and diplomatic functions were to be transferred to the emerging blob of private contractors gathering for the feast around NATO.

We do not know what Abe did during the week before his death. Most likely he launched into a sophisticated political play, using of all his assets in Washington D.C., Beijing, and Moscow—as well as in Jerusalem, Berlin, and London, to come up with a multi-tiered response that would give the world the impression that Japan was behind Biden all the way, while Japan sought out a détente with China and Russia through the back door.

The problem with this response was that since other nations had been shut down, such a sophisticated play by Japan made it the only major nation with a semi-functional executive branch.

If there is one thing we have learned from the Devil’s Own, it is that once they take his mark, their future options are enhanced, but severely restricted. Disobedience appears to be permitted within limits, but crossing those limits or failing to get on board with the primary plan often results in termination.

Even so, I remain dubious that Japan will fall in line with the Global Nato concept; the Ukrainian conflict has obviously taught them the extent to which the globalists are willing to fight to the last Ukrainian. Japan doesn’t want war with either China or Russia, much less both of them – and probably the Philippines as well – in the name of an economic order that hasn’t done much for them since the end of the Heisei Era.

DISCUSS ON SG


No Gas for Germany

Germany is going to have to wave the white flag if it wants to get through the winter. And winter is coming.

Germany’s natural gas reserves are not enough to see the country through next winter without purchasing additional Russian gas, the top official in charge of electricity and gas networks has told the media.

In an interview with Germany’s Bild am Sonntag, published on Sunday, Klaus Muller warned that while “gas reservoirs are nearly 65% full,” and “it’s better than in the previous weeks” it is still not sufficient to “go through the winter without Russian gas.”

Muller, who is president of Germany’s Federal Network Agency, added that much now depends on whether maintenance work on the Nord Stream 1 pipeline concludes as expected on Thursday.

When asked how long it would take before energy prices for consumers in Germany are further raised, in case of a complete stoppage of Russian gas deliveries, Muller said no decision has yet been made. However, he offered reassurances, noting that “there hasn’t been any significant price surge this week, even though the Nord Stream 1 was shut off.” The official suggested this may be a sign that “markets have already internalized the loss of Russian gas supplies and we’ve reached a gas-price-plateau.”

The energy regulator president insisted that Germans “shouldn’t succumb to panic,” assuring that “private households have the least reason of all to worry,” and will be provided with gas far longer than industry.

Keep in mind that this situation is without Russia taking any aggressive or punitive steps to intentionally reduce Europe’s energy needs or otherwise harm the European economies. I expect that situation will change following the next Russian ultimatum.

DISCUSS ON SG


“All Hell Will Break Loose”

ITEM: “We should understand that amid the world war – because all the talks that it is a regional or a local war must be dropped – the entire Western world is fighting against Russia via Ukrainians. It is a global conflict.” – Aleksandar Vucic, President of Serbia

ITEM: “I know what awaits us. As soon as Vladimir Putin has done his work in Seversk, Bakhmut and Soledar, after reaching the second line Slaviansk-Kramatorsk-Avdeevka, he will come up with a proposal. And if they [the West] don’t accept it, – and they won’t – all hell will break loose.” – Aleksandar Vucic, President of Serbia

ITEM: US President Joe Biden’s administration has green-lighted a new arms sale to Taiwan, including armored vehicle parts and technical assistance, potentially ratcheting up tensions with China over the breakaway republic. The US State Department approved the transaction, which is valued at up to $108 million, at Taiwan’s request, the Pentagon revealed on Friday. The blanket order will include parts for tanks and other combat vehicles, as well as technical and logistical support services provided by the US government and its contractors.

ITEM: Chinese mainland experts on Saturday slammed the latest US deal featuring a package involving spare parts for tanks and combat vehicles plus technical assistance worth $108 million, saying it exposed the US’ two-faced nature and its failure to honor its own words. China no longer has unrealistic illusions over the US, and the PLA is preparing for the worst-case scenario in which a cross-Straits conflict would take place in order to safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity, analysts said.

My interpretation is that the Russians will give the European governments one chance to surrender and break from the US-imposed war with Russia. And their decision will determine the next stage of WWIII, which will almost certainly involve multiple fronts, some of which are outside the range of current discussion.

DISCUSS ON SG


Russia Won the Oil War

This was already obvious, but the latest additions to BRICSIA will make it undeniable.

Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Egypt plan to join BRICS, and their potential membership bids could be discussed and answered at next year’s summit in South Africa, Purnima Anand, the president of the BRICS International Forum, told Russian media on Thursday.

“All these countries have shown their interest in joining and are preparing to apply for membership. I believe this is a good step, because expansion is always looked upon favorably; it will definitely bolster BRICS’ global influence,” she told Russian newspaper Izvestia.

The BRICS nations (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) account for over 40% of the global population and nearly a quarter of the world’s GDP.

Saudia Arabia is the literal headline, but the more intriguing potential addition here is Turkey. How does Turkey remain a member of both BRICSIATES and NATO when the economic blocs are at war with each other? The logical conclusion: it doesn’t, it leaves NATO.

Which is why we should watch for an “unexpected” announcement that the EU has suddenly approved Turkey’s application for membership after 23 years of sitting on it. I doubt that will be enough to convince the Turks to stay on board with the globalists after decades of being treated like third-class non-citizens, but you never know.

Turkey leaving NATO would be a serious hammer blow to NATO’s credibility and stability, as adding Finland and Sweden but losing Turkey would completely change the strategic situation in Europe. Instead of Russia being surrounded on three sides, it would be the US-occupied European nations that are pinned against the Atlantic Ocean.

DISCUSS ON SG