China the top challenge in US history: senior diplomat

September 19, 2024 — SpaceWar.com reports: “China presents the top challenge to the United States in all of its history, surpassing the Cold War, a top US official said Wednesday, as he urged Europe to get tougher on Beijing.

Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell, a key architect of a 15-year push for the United States to reorient its foreign policy toward Asia, also urged greater US investment in advanced technology to compete better with China.

‘There is a recognition that this is the most significant challenge in our history,’ Campbell told the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

‘Frankly, the Cold War pales in comparison to the multifaceted challenges that China presents,’ he said.

‘It’s not just a military challenge; it’s across the board. It is in the Global South. It is in technology. We need to step up our game across the board.’

Asked about the remarks on Thursday, a spokesman for China’s foreign ministry said they ‘disregard facts, openly and wantonly exaggerate the China threat, and clamour for camp confrontations’.

Regarding China as the United States’ greatest challenge was a mistake, Lin Jian said at a regular press conference.

‘China urges the United States to abandon Cold War zero-sum thinking, stop spreading the China threat theory, and stop distorting China’s strategic intentions,’ he added…”  (China will become a basic partner with Russia for the rapidly approaching battle of Armageddon – Revelation 16:16. Russia will lead invasion number one – Ezekiel 38 & 39. China will lead invasion number two – Revelation 16:12; Revelation 9:14 – 16. Then all nations will come against Jerusalem for the final invasion at which point Jesus will return to stop the bloodshed and set up his eternal kingdom upon earth – [He gathers] all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken… Then shall the Lord go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle. And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south – Zechariah 14:2 – 4. Then Psalm 2:6 occurs as God the Father says: …I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion [Jerusalem].  See the next two reports)

China launches intercontinental missile into Pacific in rare test

September 25, 2024 — SpaceWar.com reports: “China said it test-launched an intercontinental ballistic missile on Wednesday, firing it into the Pacific Ocean in its first such exercise in decades.

The launch sparked protests from other countries in the region, with China’s neighbour Japan saying it had not been given advance notice and expressing ‘serious concern’ about Beijing’s military build-up.

Beijing has stepped up its nuclear development and boosted defence spending in recent years, with the Pentagon last October warning China was developing its arsenal more quickly than the United States had anticipated.

China held more than 500 operational nuclear warheads as of May 2023 and is likely to have more than 1,000 by 2030, it said.

On Wednesday, the Chinese military’s Rocket Force ‘launched an ICBM… carrying a dummy warhead to the high seas in the Pacific Ocean at 08:44 on September 25, and the missile fell into expected sea areas’, the defence ministry said in a statement.

An analyst told AFP such tests were very rare…”

China insists nuclear stance defensive after ‘routine’ ICBM launch

September 26, 2024 — SpaceWar.com reports: “China said on Thursday that its launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) into the Pacific Ocean was ‘legitimate and routine’, insisting that its nuclear stance remained defensive after the rare test prompted an outcry from countries in the region.

Beijing announced the trial on Wednesday — its first such test in four decades — saying that the missile was carrying a dummy warhead.

The launch sparked protests from countries in the region, with China’s neighbour Japan saying it had not been given advance notice and Taiwan expressing ‘solemn condemnation’.

Beijing’s defence ministry said on Thursday the test was ‘a legitimate and routine arrangement’ that aimed to ‘test our weapon and training performance’.

‘China’s nuclear policy is very stable, consistent and predictable,’ ministry spokesman Zhang Xiaogang told a news conference in Beijing.

‘We strictly follow a nuclear policy of no first use of nuclear weapons and pursue a nuclear strategy of self-defence,’ he said.

He said China does not seek an ‘arms race’ and had ‘promised not to use or threaten to use nuclear weapons against non-nuclear weapons states or weapon-free zones’.

‘China will continue to keep its nuclear capabilities at the minimum level required for national security,’ Zhang said…”

North Korea’s Kim vows to put his nuclear force ready for combat with US

September 10, 2024 — Voice of America News reports: “North Korean leader Kim Jong Un vowed to redouble efforts to make his nuclear force fully ready for combat with the United States and its allies, state media reported Tuesday, after the country disclosed a new platform likely designed to fire more powerful intercontinental ballistic missiles targeting the mainland U.S.

Kim has repeatedly made similar pledges, but his latest threat comes as outside experts believe Kim will perform provocative weapons tests ahead of the U.S. presidential election in November. In recent days, North Korea has also resumed launches of trash-carrying balloons toward South Korea.

In a speech marking the 76th founding anniversary for his government on Monday, Kim said North Korea faces ‘a grave threat’ because of what he called ‘the reckless expansion’ of a U.S.-led regional military bloc that is now developing into a nuclear-based one. Kim said such a development is pushing North Korea to boost its military capability, according to the official Korean Central News Agency.

Kim said North Korea will ‘redouble its measures and efforts to make all the armed forces of the state including the nuclear force fully ready for combat,’ KCNA said…”  (God help America.  Revelation 9: 14 – 18 is the prophecy describing Armageddon: …Loose the four angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates.  And the four angels were loosed, which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to slay the third part of men.  And the number of the army of the horsemen were two hundred thousand thousand: and I heard the number of them.  And thus I saw the horses in the vision, and them that sat on them, having breastplates of fire, and of jacinth, and brimstone: and the heads of the horses were as the heads of lions; and out of their mouths issued fire and smoke and brimstone.  By these three was the third part of men killed, by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths.” The good news is that Dr. Van Impe dogmatically believed that this battle is fought after the Rapture: “Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth – Revelation 3:10; …I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter – Revelation 4:1; …the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:  Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord – I Thessalonians 4:16 – 18.  Rest upon God’s Word: Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ – Titus 2:13.  See the next three reports)

North Korea’s Kim vows to increase nuclear weapons arsenal

September 11, 2024 — SpaceWar.com reports: “North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said the country was moving to steadily increase its nuclear arsenal, state media reported Tuesday, claiming that Pyongyang was a ‘responsible’ nuclear state.

Kim made a speech for an event to mark the 76th anniversary of the country’s founding, with state media images showing thousands of people gathering in central Pyongyang to celebrate.

Due to what Kim characterised as ‘more various threats’ from the United States and its allies, North Korea’s ‘nuclear force’ and its ability to deploy it ‘should be more thoroughly perfected’, he said.

North Korea ‘will steadily strengthen its nuclear force capable of fully coping with any threatening acts imposed by its nuclear-armed rival states’, Kim said.

The country will also ‘redouble its measures and efforts to make all the armed forces of the state, including the nuclear force, fully ready for combat’, he added.

Kim said Pyongyang was a ‘responsible nuclear weapons state’, adding that ‘our nuclear weapons for defending ourselves do not pose a threat to anyone’.

Kim’s speech comes as relations between North and South Korea are at one of their lowest points in years, with the North recently announcing the deployment of 250 ballistic missile launchers to its southern border…”

North Korea claims it tested ballistic missile with ‘super-large’ warhead

September 19, 2024 — SpaceWar.com reports: “North Korea claimed Thursday that its latest weapons test had been of a tactical ballistic missile capable of carrying a ‘super-large’ warhead, and a strategic cruise missile, state media reported.

Leader Kim Jong Un ‘guided the test-fires’, the official Korean Central News Agency said, of the ‘new-type tactical ballistic missile Hwasongpho-11-Da-4.5 and an improved strategic cruise missile’.

Kim has staged dozens of launches this year, part of a testing spree that experts say could be linked to North Korea’s alleged illicit supplying of weapons to ally Russia for use in Ukraine.

‘The new-type tactical ballistic missile was tipped with a 4.5 tonnage super-large conventional warhead according to design,’ KCNA said.

The North ‘also conducted a test-fire of strategic cruise missile whose performance has been highly upgraded for its combat use,’ it added.

Seoul’s military had described the Wednesday launches as a salvo of short-range ballistic missiles, which it said had flown about 400 kilometres east of the Korean peninsula…”

North Korea releases images of uranium enrichment facility for first time

September 13, 2024 — SpaceWar.com reports: “North Korea released images of its uranium enrichment facility for the first time on Friday, showing leader Kim Jong Un touring it as he called for more centrifuges to boost his nuclear arsenal.

The country, which conducted its first nuclear test in 2006 and is under rafts of UN sanctions for its banned weapons programmes, has never publicly disclosed details of its uranium enrichment facility.

Such facilities produce highly enriched uranium — which is needed to produce nuclear warheads — by spinning the original material in centrifuges at high speeds.

Kim toured the Nuclear Weapons Institute and the ‘production base of weapon-grade nuclear materials,’ the official Korean Central News Agency reported, without giving the location of the facility or the date of the visit.

Kim ‘stressed the need to further augment the number of centrifuges in order to exponentially increase the nuclear weapons for self-defence,’ state media reported, publishing images of Kim inspecting rows of centrifuges.

Kim ‘acquainted himself with the production of nuclear warheads and current nuclear materials,’ the report said…”

North Korea’s top diplomat heads to Russia as military cooperation grows

September 18, 2024 — SpaceWar.com reports: “North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui departed for a trip to Russia, state media reported Tuesday, as the two regimes continue to strengthen ties amid growing international concern about their military cooperation.

Choe left for Russia on Monday to attend the Eurasian Women’s Forum and the BRICS Women’s Forum, state-run Korean Central News Agency reported in a brief dispatch.

The Russian Embassy in Pyongyang also announced the trip on its Telegram channel, saying the minister traveled on a commercial North Korean Air Koryo flight and would participate in the forums in St. Petersburg Wednesday through Friday.

Choe will also take part in an ‘extensive cultural program,’ the embassy said.

The trip is the second to Russia this year by the North Korean envoy, who rarely travels abroad. She visited in January and held talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin as part of a series of high-level exchanges between the two increasingly isolated regimes.

Pyongyang and Moscow have strengthened their relationship in the wake of the Kremlin’s invasion of Ukraine, with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Putin signing a mutual defense treaty in June…”  (Ezekiel 38:5 predicts that Russia, the Orient, and Persia [which changed its name to Iran in 1932] will see millions destroyed through atomic warfare in the Latter Years and Latter Days – Ezekiel 38:8, 16. Prepare to meet thy God Israel – Amos 4:12. This battle is described in Revelation 9:14 – 18: Saying to the sixth angel which had the trumpet, Loose the four angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates. And the four angels were loosed, which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to slay the third part of men. And the number of the army of the horsemen were two hundred thousand thousand: and I heard the number of them. And thus I saw the horses in the vision, and them that sat on them, having breastplates of fire, and of jacinth, and brimstone: and the heads of the horses were as the heads of lions; and out of their mouths issued fire and smoke and brimstone. By these three was the third part of men killed, by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths.  See the next report.)

US, UK concerned Russia may be assisting Iran with nuclear weapons program — report

September 16, 2024 — The Times of Israel reports: “The US and UK are concerned that Russia has been helping Iran develop its nuclear weapons program in exchange for the recent delivery of ballistic missiles it was provided by Tehran for use in its war against Ukraine, according to a report Saturday that cited sources familiar with the matter.

The issue of deepening ties between Russia and Iran was a matter of concern during meetings between US President Joe Biden and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer in Washington, DC, on Friday, as well as during talks between US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy earlier in the week.

According to the Guardian newspaper, however, the two countries aren’t just focused on the ballistic missiles supplied to Russia by Iran, but are also concerned about what Russia may provide in return.

Citing British sources familiar with the high-level talks last week, the news outlet reported that the two countries believe Iran may be working with experienced Russian specialists to streamline its manufacturing process as it grows its stockpile of enriched uranium and prepares to make its own nuclear weapons…”