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Saturday, September 25, 2021

That sinking feeling from Down Under: Australia, United Kingdom and United States (Aukus) pact

AUKUS: a blunder follows a mega mess - New Age:  

US president Joe Biden speaks on national security with British prime minister Boris Johnson and Australian prime minister Scott Morrison in East Room of the White House in Washington, DC on September 15. — Agence France-Presse/Brendan Smialowski -

 

US President Joe Biden, in announcing on video the Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States (Aukus) pact

What does the Aukus deal for Asia?

The Aukus military alliance essentially signals to the world that money spent on real war is preferred to money spent on social justice at home and concerns for people and planet.

LAST week, US President Joe Biden, in announcing on video the Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States (Aukus) pact, called Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison “that fellow from Down Under” in what appears to be a senior moment.

Considering that the military alliance has upset a lot of people from China, France and even their own commentators should not have been surprising.

Has Australia, one of the four advanced Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development or OECD countries from the Asian region (Japan, South Korea and New Zealand) seriously thought through Aukus implications on her Asian neighbours?

First, do eight nuclear submarines by 2040 make serious military sense for Australian security?

We can understand that a maritime power in the South Pacific with lots of coastal waters to patrol needs a strong navy.

But as former Prime Minister Paul Keating rightly pointed out, China is a land-based power and being over 3,200km away from Australia, does not present a military threat to Australia.

Assuming that the nuclear submarines will be similar to those planned by the United States, which will acquire 12 of the Columbia class nuclear submarines for US$128bil (RM535bil) by 2030 (the US Government Accountability Office), Australia may be paying at least US$85bil (RM355bil) for equipment that may be obsolete by the time they come onstream.

By 2040, even the US director of National Intelligence has admitted that China’s gross domestic product or GDP (22.8% of world GDP) would outclass the United States (20.8%). Twenty years is a long time to improve defences against submarine attacks.

Submarines have at best deterrent effects under conventional warfare, but their real threat comes from carrying nuclear missiles. But even the potential of carrying such missiles would invite enemy nuclear retaliation.

This is exactly why Asean countries like Malaysia and Indonesia showed serious concern that the Aukus deal may become a catalyst to the nuclear arms race.

If that is the case, Australia would lose her status as a haven for nuclear-free living, something that New Zealand cares seriously about, which is why she distanced herself from the deal.

Second, which businessman would spend nearly the same amount of money that he earns to point a gun at his best customer?

China imported US$100bil (RM418bil) in 2020 from Australia, with the latter earning a trade and service surplus of USS$55.5bil (RM235bil).

Then to spend US$85bil (RM355bil with likely huge over-runs based on past experience) on defence against your top trading customer defies business logic.

Third, the Anglosphere military alliance created a split with Europe, already sore after Brexit and Kabul. France is not only the first foreign ally (helping in the US Independence War against Britain) of the United States, but also has serious Indo-Pacific interests with 93% of her maritime economic exclusivity zone (10.2 million sq.km) – the second largest in the world – located there.

Fourth, you have to ask whether Australian military intelligence is an oxymoron when it recently ordered 70-tonne US Abram tanks that are too heavy to carry by train across Northern Territory bridges nor by road to defend the northern Australia coast.

Climate change

Her Asian neighbours would be much happier if Australia took the lead in the Asia-Pacific region on climate change, rather than spending on arms.

Amongst the rich countries, Australia has the highest per capita emission rate, similar to the United States.

But out of 200 countries, Australia ranks fifth or sixth as the biggest global emitter, so her voice on fulfilling the requirements of the Paris Accord matters.

Unfortunately, given the huge influence of the mining lobby, Australia may not even achieve her Paris agreement to cut emissions by 26% to 28% below 2005 levels by 2030, let alone improve on that commitment by the 26th session of the Conference of the Parties or COP26.

Australia may be rich enough to mitigate against her own risks of climate warming, but the effect of climate change on her neighbours, particularly the Pacific Islands is going to be devastating.

In 2019, Pacific island nations such as Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, Micronesia, Marshall Islands, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Timor Leste and Tonga declared that by 2030, their land could become uninhabitable by rising seas, water salination, reef destruction and more natural disasters.

Biodiversity decline

The latest World Bank model suggests that the global decline in biodiversity and collapse in ecosystem services such as wild pollination, food from marine fisheries and timber from native forests could result in US$2.7 trillion (RM11 trillion) decline in global GDP by 2030.

The injustice is that the poorest countries, including those in Asia-Pacific will bear most of such eco-system and GDP losses.

In particular, many indigenous people who depend on nature will bear the costs of loss of habitat and livelihood.

Why are we not surprised that on Sept 13, 2007, when the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples was adopted by 144 member countries, the four votes against were the Anglosphere countries of Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United States? In all four rich countries, the record of treatment of the indigenous people have been shameful, such as the unmarked graves of indigenous school children in forced assimilation schools in Canada.

Human rights

According to Human Rights Watch, aboriginal and Torres Islander people comprise 29% of the Australian adult prison population, but just 3% of the population.

In the United States, states with large native populations have incarceration rates for American Indians of up to seven times that of whites.

The Aukus military alliance essentially signals to the world that money spent on real war is preferred to money spent on social justice at home and concerns for people and planet.

Who really profits from the nuclear submarine contract?

Look no further than the exclusive submarine suppliers such as General Dynamics (from the United States) and British Aerospace.

The Aukus deal confirms essentially that Australia opts to sink or swim with their rich Anglosphere few, rather than the global many.

Who said the world was fair?

Andrew Sheng writes on global issues from an Asian perspective. The views expressed here are the writer’s own

.Andrew Sheng | South China Morning Post

Tan Sri Andrew Sheng (born 1946) is Hong Kong-based Malaysian Chinese banker, academic and commentator. He started his career as an accountant and is now a distinguished fellow of Fung Global Institute, a global think tank based in Hong Kong.[1] He served as chairman of the Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) before his replacement by Martin Wheatley in

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Friday, September 24, 2021

Xi emphasizes inclusiveness, rejects zero-sum game match his thoughts, while Biden’s speech plays with words and ideas at UN

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Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday addresses the general debate of the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly via video, calling for jointly addressing global threats and challenges to build a better world for all. Photo: Xinhua 

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday addresses the general debate of the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly via video, calling for jointly addressing global threats and challenges to build a better world for all. Photo: Xinhua

Speech injects confidence, showing China eyes greater good: expert

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday addresses the general debate of the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly via video, calling for jointly addressing global threats and challenges to build a better world for all. Photo: Xinhua

Chinese President Xi Jinping proposed a Global Development Initiative in his speech at the 76th general debate of the UN General Assembly (UNGA), injecting confidence and calling to jointly address global threats and challenges to build a better world for all.

In contrast, US President Joe Biden, who spoke before Xi at the same event on Tuesday, focused his remarks justifying US acts that have intensified the tensions worldwide and triggered concerns of a new cold war.

Xi made the remarks via video from Beijing on Tuesday New York time, as the world is facing the combined impacts of changes unseen in a century compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic. In his speech, Xi talked about the fight against the pandemic, economic recovery, international relations and global governance, and proposed a series of new initiatives and measures.

Zhang Jun, Permanent Representative of China to the UN, told media that after Xi's speech, many countries' representatives to the UN spoke highly of the speech, "as they consider the remarks… brought confidence and strength, and also showed China's courage and sense of responsibility as a responsible major power."

Observers said when the world is facing serious challenges and needs major powers to play a more responsible role, China is eyeing the greater good for humanity, multilateralism and responsibility, but the US is trying to whitewash problems and mistakes it made that harmed many countries worldwide, including its allies. It is attempting to force the world to accept its problematic and arrogant "leadership."

"The keynote of Xi's speech is moderate and calm in general. China has no intention to spark conflict with any country or alliance formed by multiple states, and China is not interested in having furious debates with any country on international order," said Li Haidong, a professor at the Institute of International Relations of China Foreign Affairs University.

China will never exploit the UN platform to accuse others or lecture them, and the message China sent is about positive, inclusive and farsighted initiatives that are able to respond to common challenges and concerns shared by the majority of the international community, Li said.

Comparing the speeches delivered by the two leaders from China and the US, we can find many differences between the two countries' political systems and cultures, said Wang Yiwei, director of the institute of international affairs at the Renmin University of China.

"China can make long-term, certain and verifiable promises to the world as its political system is stable and reliable, but when the US promises something, other countries will definitely question Washington's credibility, because the political system in the US will bring huge uncertainties," Wang noted.

"Some voices from the US might want to hype that China and the US had a war of words at the UN, but it was not the case. Comparing the words and deeds of China and the US, it's obvious who's safeguarding and who's undermining world peace and development," Li told the Global Times

Responsibility

The COVID-19 pandemic that is still raging globally must be addressed with global efforts. "We must beat COVID-19 and win this decisive fight crucial to the future of humanity," Xi said, voicing confidence that "we humanity will surely overcome it and prevail" despite the fact that the COVID-19 pandemic may appear overwhelming.

Biden also mentioned the pandemic in his speech, but somewhat awkwardly. He said "Indeed, today, many of our greatest concerns cannot be solved or even addressed through the force of arms. Bombs and bullets cannot defend against COVID-19 or its future variants."

"Who uses bombs and bullets to fight COVID-19? This strange thinking could only emerge in the mind of American elites like Biden," Lü Xiang, a research fellow and an expert on US studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times.

This shows that the Biden administration has no proper plan to handle the pandemic. Everyone knows the US has done the worst job of containing the pandemic, with the most deaths and infections in the world, "but still, Biden repeatedly says the US will lead the world to fight COVID-19. It's truly a joke," Lü noted.

United States COVID - Worldometer  Coronavirus: 43,404,877 Cases and 699,748 Deaths

China COVID: 95,894 Cases and 4,636 Deaths - Worldometer

Xi, in his speech, called to put people and lives first, take a science-based approach in origins tracing, enhance the coordinated global COVID-19 response and minimize the risk of cross-border virus transmission. Noting that vaccination is a powerful weapon against COVID-19, Xi said the pressing priority is to ensure fair and equitable distribution of vaccines globally.

Xi reiterated the pledge that China will strive to provide 2 billion doses of vaccines to the world by the end of this year. "In addition to donating $100 million to COVAX, China will donate 100 million doses of vaccines to other developing countries in the course of this year."

"We should care about the special needs of developing countries. We may employ such means as debt suspension and development aid to help developing countries, particularly vulnerable ones facing exceptional difficulties, with emphasis on addressing unbalanced and inadequate development among and within countries," Xi said.

Vulnerable nations must include countries like Afghanistan, Lü said, stressing the country has been occupied by the US for 20 years when it experienced serious internal chaos. The coming winter will be a challenge for Afghan people. The expert said China offers hope for this kind of vulnerable countries to find a new way when the West, especially the US, failed to help, instead leaving them in turmoil.

Xi's pledge on Tuesday that China will not build new coal-fired power projects abroad is seen by observers as a sign that Beijing is devoted to curbing global warming with the "firmest determination and greatest efforts," in order to achieve its green commitment on schedule and build a better future.

In contrast to Biden's hollow promises on climate change, COVID-19 and global unity, on which the US hasn't contributed much or, in some cases, even sabotaged progress, experts hailed Xi's remarks and said they show a devotion to solving humanity's most crucial issues.

Multilateralism

Biden, the president chanting the slogan "America is back," did not mention the word "multilateralism" in his speech while Xi mentioned it four times and stressed China's stance to uphold this core value of the UN. Biden apparently prefers the word "allies," mentioning it eight times, even as it just betrayed one of its core allies France with the AUKUS deal.

President Xi said "the year 2021 is a truly remarkable one for the Chinese people", as it marks the centenary of the Communist Party of China as well as the 50th anniversary of the restoration of the lawful seat of the People's Republic of China in the United Nations, a historic event that China will solemnly commemorate.

Xi said "we must improve global governance and practice true multilateralism. In the world, there is only one international system, i.e. the international system with the United Nations at its core. There is only one international order, i.e. the international order underpinned by international law. And there is only one set of rules, i.e. the basic norms governing international relations underpinned by the purposes and principles of the UN Charter."

Biden said in his speech the US will cooperate with multilateral institutions like the UN, but the word "multilateralism" in the White House vocabulary has a different definition compared to the Chinese one, said experts, as the international system that the US prefers is one with "the US at the core," but the one that China advocates is "with the UN at its core."

As long as the US keeps its exclusive alliances that target other countries, there will be no real multilateralism in US diplomacy and strategy, and even within the US-led alliances, the US will still harm and cheat its allies, Lü said.

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 Speeches of Xi, Biden show different patterns of China, US: Global Times editorial


Chinese President Xi Jinping addresses the general debate of the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly via video, in Beijing on Tuesday. Photo: Xinhua
Chinese President Xi Jinping addresses the general debate of the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly via video, in Beijing on Tuesday. Photo: Xinhua

Chinese President Xi Jinping delivered a vital address by video on Tuesday at the general debate of the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA). As US President Joe Biden had made a speech to the UNGA just hours earlier, in comparison, Xi's speech reflects the broad-mindedness of the Chinese top leader, and his fairness and reason when he discussed issues and challenges. The two speeches demonstrated the different political thinking and working logic between China and the US, as well as the different values of the two countries' foreign policies.

Xi's speech was based on the idea of a community with a shared future for mankind. From its theme to the specific initiatives, it focused on the common interests of mankind and the world. The Global Development Initiative, which Xi proposed, is for all countries. To promote the initiative, Xi called for staying committed to development as a priority, a people-centered approach, benefits for all, and result-oriented actions. Xi also highlighted the importance of innovation-driven development and the harmony between humanity and nature. They are universal and do not contain any political exclusion. They are a true practice of strengthening international solidarity and meeting challenges together.

Biden also mentioned the phrase "all people" a lot in his speech. But this was more like the sentimental "rhetoric" part of the whole speech. The actual subject of Biden's speech is the US, together with its allies and partners. From making rules to seeking benefits, it all revolves around this chain of subjects. Other countries are either foils or the challengers of the US that Biden did not name.

President Xi stressed in his speech that the world should embrace civilizations of various forms, and must accommodate diverse paths to modernization. He then emphasized that democracy is not a special right reserved to an individual country, but a right for the people of all countries to enjoy. And military intervention from the outside and the so-called democratic transformation will entail nothing but harm. In the speech, Xi promotes the common values of humanity and rejects the practice of forming small circles and zero-sum games. Such claims either vividly reflect various practices of countries or summarize some important lessons from today's world. For instance, while defending the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan, the Biden administration has admitted that it is impossible to remake other countries through large-scale military operations.

Biden's speech not only distinguished its allies and partners from other countries. Disregarding the fact that the US just encountered the fiasco of democratic reconstruction in Afghanistan, Biden continued to blaze the dichotomy which divides the world into "democracy" and "authoritarianism." He gave some of the worst turmoil and wars a fancy label of "democratic vitality." Joint development is the main thread for China to drive global change, while that of the US is to engage in a "democracy movement." China advocates construction, but the US incites contradiction and destruction. The victims of destruction are the vast majority of the developing countries, while the US and the Western world have benefited from it.

Xi's speech is backed and followed up by China's solid actions. For example, China is responding to the UN climate action. It is accelerating the transition to a green and low-carbon economy, and all Chinese people can feel this change. In his remarks, Xi also promised that China would not build new coal-fired power projects abroad. This is widely seen as the latest major commitment China has made.

The incumbent US government is keen on "leading" the global climate action. It has announced its "grand" targets of emissions for 2030 and 2050, and used them to force other countries to take actions. But it's highly uncertain whether the US will accomplish its own goals. The previous Trump administration even pulled the US out of the Paris Agreement. If the next US administration is again a Republican one, the promises Biden made will be very likely rescinded. Even if another Democratic administration is elected, what kind of confidence and resources will it have and use to honor its emissions reduction commitments?

China's deeds match its words, while the US says one thing but does another. A promise made by China is worth a thousand ounces of gold, but the succeeding US government often doesn't admit what its predecessor said and it dares to say anything in order to win an election. This has become an increasingly stereotyped and prominent distinction between China's international images and those of the US.

Neither the Chinese leader nor the US leader named the other's country and capital in their speeches at UNGA. But Biden mentioned "Xinjiang," an autonomous region in Northwest China. By comparison, the contents of both addresses can be widely interpreted as "targeting China" in the speech of the US was greater than"targeting the US" in the speech of China. Biden said the US isn't "seeking a new Cold War," but it's obvious that Washington is on the offensive that launches an all-round crackdown on China. The US has kept advocating suppressing China. Although the latest remarks by Biden have shown some restraint, the content still conveyed the often-seen US aggressiveness.

Justice naturally inhabits man's mind. The heads of state of China and the US both addressed the UN at this special occasion. It's believed the world has the ability to judge who the true defender and promoter of peace and development is, and who the instigator and initiator of division and confrontation is.

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Wednesday, September 22, 2021

The Mid-Autumn Festival-GBA gala cheers nation as it emphasizes positive energy, enhances regional cohesion

https://youtu.be/7S1N8_RT8Ew

https://youtu.be/0cZ_I4oxnvk
https://youtu.be/bSA7m_2xTgg 


Photo: A screenshot from Sina Weibo

Photo: A screenshot from Sina Weibo

The Mid-Autumn Festival holidays, which ended on Tuesday this year, have witnessed a tendency that this traditional Chinese festival was celebrated by galas that focused on sending out positive energy and inviting competent singers, rather than wasting money on idols in a bid for ratings.

One of the most-anticipated galas was the Mid-Autumn Festival Concert in the Greater Bay Area (GBA) 2021, jointly held by the Bauhinia Culture Holdings Limited and China Central Television in Shenzhen,South China's Guangdong Province,on Tuesday night.

Featuring some 200 top singers from the Chinese mainland, the island of Taiwan and the Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions, such as Jackie Chan, Wang Fei and TFBOYS, the gala was anticipated by many Chinese audience as a rare gathering of top musicians from across the country, given the tough period of the COVID-19 epidemic.

"In my eyes, apart from showing the development of the GBA, the highlight of the gala was the gathering of stars from the mainland, Taiwan island, Hong Kong and Macao. Among those, I most looked forward to their chorus of the songs Pearl of the Orient and Country," Lin Yumei, 26, a lawyer from Fuzhou, East China's Fujian Province, told the Global Times.

On July 1, 1997, Hong Kong officially returned to the motherland. That night, Hong Kong hosted its largest-ever "TV karaoke," with millions of Hong Kong residents singing along to Pearl of the Orient while it played simultaneously on TV.

"Although I was only 2 years old at the time and don't have many memories of the momentous occasion, I grew up listening to my parents and teachers describe the exhilaration of that time. Today I can finally enjoy and witness a great cast perform this significant song once again," she added.

Lin noted that Country is a song dedicated to the 60th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, and the original intention of the creation was to reflect on the fate of China and its people standing together after the earthquake, snow disaster and hosting of the Beijing Olympic Games in 2008.

"These songs with strong positive energy, and performed by representative stars from all over the country, are bound to resonate with the feelings of family and country, and the homesickness of our compatriots in different places," Lin said.

The gala was held as some in Hong Kong were being reported to have helped incite violence in the 2019 anti-extradition bill movement in the city, such as Anthony Wong Yiu-ming.

It also followed recent controversies involving some Taiwan entertainers, for example female host Dee Hsu and singer Jolin Tsai, over their political stances.

It was viewed as a great opportunity to enhance cohesion and convey patriotism amid the controversies.

Five middle-aged entertainers who recently rebranded themselves as the boy band GBA on the latest episode of the variety show Call Me by Fire, were also scheduled to attend the gala.

The five members of GBA, which include 54-year-old Jordan Chan and 49-year-old Julian Cheung, aroused Chinese netizens' nostalgia for the heydays of the Hong Kong entertainment industry.

Besides the GBA gala, galas held by the Henan provincial TV station and the Bilibili website also attracted much attention.

While galas held by Chinese online platforms and TV stations used to be luxury events that involved heavy spending for popular idols to ensure high audience ratings, these galas focused on restoring traditional Chinese programs and scenes of how people celebrated the festival in ancient times.

Under the "Clear and Bright" campaign led by the relevant departments, those in the Chinese entertainment industry who received invitations to perform at the Mid-Autumn Festival Gala this year were mainly powerful singers and actors with representative works.

There were fewer idols with huge fan bases, and the concept behind the galas was also more exquisite, no longer simply competing with the popularity of the artists, but emphasizing themes and presentation, a senior entertainment industry insider surnamed Sun told the Global Times on Tuesday.

Sun noted that this year's show also brought more attention to truly talented but relatively unknown artists, and allowed the audiences to enjoy a higher level of performance.

"The performance of the galas highlighted family sentiment and traditional Chinese culture. There was less controversy among netizens on social platforms, and the discussion of the Mid-Autumn Festival Galas was more focused on the festival and the performances.

"This is a pleasing phenomenon for the entire entertainment industry," Sun said.

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Monday, September 20, 2021

China successfully launches Tianzhou-3 for second space station supply mission; to support upcoming six-month Shenzhou-13 manned mission

 

https://youtu.be/fBlddesm1rQ 


Photo:Hu Xujie

Photo:Hu Xujie

Knock knock. This is your delivery-man Tianzhou-3, and please confirm your package receipt and may you have a happy Mid-Autumn Festival!

Carrying the Tianzhou-3 cargo spacecraft, the Long March-7 Y4 rocket lifted off from Wenchang Space Launch Center located in South China's Hainan Province on Monday afternoon, one day ahead of this year's Mid-Autumn Festival - one of the happiest family reunion holidays for the Chinese people.

The lift-off gave the nearby forest of palm trees quite a shake in the Hainan tropical haze, the same way it excited many who came to witness the historic moment at the Wenchang beach on Monday afternoon.

As the fourth of 11 missions scheduled to build China's three-module space station, Tianzhou-3 mission came shortly after the historic Shenzhou-12 mission in which three taikonauts spent a record 90 days in the China's space station core module and safely returned to Earth on Friday.

After a flight time of around 597 seconds, the spacecraft separated with the rocket and entered preset orbit. At 3:22 pm, the solar panels onboard the spacecraft smoothly unfolded, with all functions in normal operating condition, marking the success of the third launch of a spaceship to the space station core cabin, according to the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA.)

The Monday mission is tasked to bring supplies, equipment and propellant to get Tianhe ready for the next three-taikonaut Shenzhou-13 mission in October for their six-month stay. It is the Tianzhou spacecraft series second supply delivery run to the orbiting Tianhe module following a first by the Tianzhou-2 mission launched on May 29.

Although the launch of Tianzhou-2 by Long March-7 Y3 rocket was a successful one, it experienced two delays and met problems of leaking of injected fuels.

The Tianzhou-2 cargo spacecraft was originally slated to be launched at around 1:30 am on May 20 and to head to China's Tianhe space station core cabin, which was launched into orbit on April 29, for a supply run. However, the launch was scrubbed narrowly following an announcement from CMSA on the early morning of May 20 for "technical reasons."

Research teams were dispatched immediately to check system functions, while the command center prepared for an attempt to recover the mission, which had been set to a day later in the early morning of May 21. However, after liquid oxygen was refueled eight hours before the scheduled launch time, abnormal signals once again occurred.

Drawing lessons from the previous launch, the Long March-7 rocket developer with the China Academy of Launch Vehicles have further optimized the quality examination process before and after the lift-off and make detailed emergency plans. This is to ensure the launch mission is on time with zero errors, the academy told the Global Times on Friday.

Photo:Deng Xiaoci/Global Times

Photo:Deng Xiaoci/Global Times

To sustain Taikonauts' longer stay in space

Global Times learned from the mission insiders that Tianzhou-3 mission will lay ground for the upcoming October Shenzhou-13 mission, just the way Tianzhou-2 mission prepared for the epic Shenzohu-12 manned spaceflight mission. The October mission is expected to last six months, renewing the record of the longest stay in space for a Chinese astronaut in a single mission.

The spacecraft developer China Academy of Space Technology (CAST) told the Global Times in a statement that just like the Tianzhou-2, Tianzhou-3 will carry a range of goods including daily necessities, drinking water, gas supplies, consumables for extravehicular activities [spacewalk,] as well as experiment payloads.

Yang Sheng, Chief designer of the Tianzhou-3 spacecraft system, told the Global Times that "As Tianzhou-3 mission will sustain taikonauts' 6-month-long stay in space, the density of cargo is greater on Tianzhou-3 than on Tianzhou-2, and Tianzhou-3's loading capability is also higher than that of Tianzhou-2. The number of packages onboard Tianzhou-3 is 25 percent more than on Tianzhou-2."

There were 6.8 tons of supplies onboard the Tianzhou-2, including some 160 parcels of goods and two tons of propellants, CAST told the Global Times previously.

One of the most expensive items to be onboard the Tianzhou-3 would be one piece of spacesuit specially designed for spacewalk missions that weighs some 90 kilograms, the CAST highlighted in the Friday statement. Tianzhou-2 had sent two pieces of spacesuits for Taikonauts' spacewalk with each weighing some 100 kilograms.

Also, onboard Tianzhou-3 is the replacement parts of the urine treatment system to ensure the device is in the best condition for the Shenzhou-13 crew, Global Times learned from the system developer 206 Research Institute of the Second Academy of the China Aerospace Science and Industry Corp (CASIC).

"The system has processed some 600 liters of urine into over 500 liters of water which was used to generate oxygen and for clean-up purpose during the Shenzhou-12 crew's three-month stay. Shenzhou-13 crew will install those parts when moving into the China's space station core module," Cui Guangzhi, the project leader, told the Global Times.

The Tianzhou-3 cargo spacecraft is expected to also execute a fast and automatic rendezvous and docking with the Tianhe core module, just like the Tianzhou-2 spacecraft did in May, which took some eight hours after lift-off,according to Deng Kaiwen, assistant of the Tianzhou-3 cargo spacecraft's chief commander from the spacecraft developer

Compared to the Tianzhou-1's rendezvous and docking with Tiangong-2 in 2017, which took about two days, Tianzhou-2 took a mere eight hours to achieve the feat in May.

Tianzhou-3 will dock to the Tianhe module from the rear. Before such development, CMSA updated on Saturday, Tianzhou-2 had flown around Tianhe and conducted an automatic docking to the craft's front, which took four hours.

Shenzhou-13 will later rendezvous with the Tianhe module and conduct a R-Bar or vertical docking with the orbiting craft, which Shenzhou-12 had practiced on Friday before heading back to Earth. 

 Graphic: Wu Tiantong/GT

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Sunday, September 19, 2021

AUKUS plans to provide nuclear submarines to Australia seriously endangers nuclear non-proliferation


https://youtu.be/6XVxdoHoMBM
 
 

The world needs to prepare for the arrival of the coming nuclear submarine craze

 The Ohio-class ballistic missile submarine USS Tennessee returns to Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay, Georgia, U.S., Feb. 6, 2013. (Xinhua/REUTERS) 
The Ohio-class ballistic missile submarine USS Tennessee returns to Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay, Georgia, U.S., Feb. 6, 2013. (Xinhua/REUTERS

The US, UK, and Australia have announced the establishment of a security alliance known as AUKUS. One of the key elements of this military alliance is that Washington and London will help Canberra develop nuclear-powered submarines.

It is an act by the US and UK, two nuclear-weapon states, to secretly support and provide carriers of weapons of mass destruction, nuclear technology, and nuclear materials to Australia, a non-nuclear-weapon state, within the Anglosphere. But the move apparently runs counter to the objectives and core obligations set by the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT).

First, the AUKUS move will lead to the proliferation of carriers of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) in the world. Although the nuclear-powered submarine is not a type of nuclear weapon itself, it still has the potential to carry nuclear weapons. It also belongs to an important platform for carrying WMD.

There are only six countries in the world that have nuclear submarines, including China, the US, Russia, the UK, France, and India, all of which possess nuclear weapons as well. It is clear that nuclear-powered submarines and nuclear weapons are inextricably linked with each other.b

Second, AUKUS will spread fissionable material that could be used to make nuclear weapons. The second paragraph of Article III of the NPT states that each member party to the Treaty undertakes not to provide special fissionable material to any non-nuclear-weapon state unless subject to various safeguards.

The International Atomic Energy Agency has no authority to supervise nuclear materials for submarines because of their military implications, which has objectively created conditions for Australia to make nuclear weapons. In history, Australia once planned to build up its own nuclear arsenal, while the UK conducted its first nuclear test in Australia in 1952.

Third, the partnership between the UK, the US and Australia may lead to the proliferation of uranium enrichment technology.

Washington and London's nuclear-powered submarines run on highly enriched uranium, while Canberra is rich in uranium deposits. If the US and the UK transfer the uranium-enriching technology to Australia to help it become self-sufficient in nuclear fuel, it would be no better than the international nuclear black market reported by the media in the early 2000s.

Fourth, the AUKUS move will negatively impact the international nuclear non-proliferation regime. Since Australia can openly acquire nuclear materials by developing nuclear-powered submarines, other non-nuclear-weapon states may follow suit, resulting in the endless risks of nuclear proliferation on our living planet. Therefore, James Acton, co-director of the nuclear policy program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, called the recent action of the three countries "a terrible precedent."

And, finally, the trilateral security partnership is almost certain to trigger a regional arms race.

Canberra's peace record in the Indo-Pacific region is not unblemished. There were Australian troops participating in unjust wars in countries such as Korea, Vietnam, and Afghanistan. Thus, Australia's enhanced underwater attack capability is no good news for its neighbors that may be forced into a vicious circle of the arms race to protect their own national security.

Looking at the latest changes in nuclear policies of the US and the UK, it is needless to say that what these countries have done has disappointed the world. US President Joe Biden once campaigned in his election campaign to reduce the role of nuclear weapons in the US security policy. However, less than eight months after entering the White House, he is eating his campaign pledge.

The same is also true with the UK. In March this year, the country adjusted its nuclear strategy drastically and took a significant step backward in its nuclear arms control. It not only increased its nuclear weapon stockpile cap from 180 to 260 warheads, but moved to lowered the threshold for the use of nuclear weapons.

Peace, development, and nuclear non-proliferation are what most countries in the world yearn for. The actions of the US, the UK, and Australia to challenge the bottom line of nuclear non-proliferation, won't bode well for our living world.

The author is director of Arms Control Studies Center, China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations. opinion@globaltimes.com.cn
 
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