Latest news with #BeijingWinterOlympics
Epoch Times
23-04-2025
- Politics
- Epoch Times
Insider: Under Secret Xi-Putin Pact, Thousands of Chinese Embedded Within North Korean Units in Ukraine
Chinese Communist Party leader Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin reportedly reached a secret agreement where China pledged to support Russia ahead of its invasion of Ukraine, according to a prominent Chinese dissident citing insider information. As part of that covert arrangement, Beijing is said to have sent nearly 3,000 troops, embedded within North Korean units, to assist Russian forces on the ground. The dissident, Yuan Hongbing, a former law professor at Peking University now living in exile in Australia, told The Epoch Times that he received the classified information from an insider whose father is a senior Chinese Communist Party (CCP) official ousted during Xi's political purge. The Pentagon has According to the source, nearly 3,000 Chinese troops—primarily non-commissioned officers (NCOs)—were embedded within these North Korean units. NCOs are responsible for training soldiers and making key decisions in the field, making them the backbone of any military force. 'For the CCP, such deployment serves a critical purpose: to gain first-hand combat experience in modern warfare as preparation for a potential future conflict over Taiwan,' Yuan explained, citing information from his source. Earlier this month, following the capture of two Chinese soldiers, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy Related Stories 4/8/2025 4/11/2025 Beijing swiftly denied any government involvement, insisting that those individuals were acting on their own as mercenaries. If it is proven that these Chinese nationals were state-backed, China could face accusations of violating international laws prohibiting state involvement in mercenary activities. According to the insider, the deployment of Chinese troops is part of a secret agreement between Xi and Putin, reached before Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Negotiations over the agreement began as early as 2020 and concluded with a final decision to sign it in 2022. The source also claimed that when Putin attended the opening ceremony of the Beijing Winter Olympics in February 2022, what brought him to Beijing, more than anything else, was the signing of the agreement with Xi. On that very day—Feb. 4, 2022—China and Russia officially Under this pact, Beijing has supported Russia not only through direct military involvement but also via indirect means. One such arrangement allegedly involves North Korea sending troops to fight for Russia, with China providing equipment for 100,000 North Korean special forces. 'Moreover, for North Korea's every loss on the battlefield, China has promised to replenish the troops,' the source said. At the heart of the Putin–Xi agreement was the ambition to reshape the global order through what they call a 'once-in-a-century global shift.' According to the source, the two leaders see the current moment as a rare window of opportunity for a major transformation—one aimed at challenging the 'U.S.-dominated unipolar world.' Their strategic vision is for China and Russia to join forces in replacing the United States as the global leader and reshaping the international order. In line with this agreement, the CCP has provided Russia with comprehensive support—economic, diplomatic, and military—which, according to the insider, has been essential to Russia's ability to sustain its war in Ukraine and now poses the greatest obstacle to the U.S. President Donald Trump's efforts to negotiate a ceasefire.
Yahoo
17-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Opinion - China is sending soldiers to Ukraine to prepare for a Taiwan invasion
A former Western intelligence official told Reuters that approximately 200 Chinese soldiers are fighting for Russia in Ukraine. Two current U.S. officials, speaking anonymously, confirm that there are more than a hundred of them. Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky put the number at 155. His forces have recently captured two of them. Reuters reports that the U.S. government believes these soldiers are mercenaries and apparently have no 'direct link' with the Chinese government. Whether this view is correct or not, Washington and other governments should impose severe costs upon China for permitting its nationals to enter the battle against Ukraine. As an initial matter, China's regime is in fact sending soldiers to that Eastern European country. Reuters reports that 'Chinese military officers have, with Beijing's approval, been touring close to Russia's frontlines to draw lessons and tactics from the war.' The former Western intelligence official told the news service that these officers 'are absolutely there under approval.' 'The Communist Party craves first-hand experience of the battlefield in Ukraine to inform its People's Liberation Army for its future wars,' Richard Fisher of the Washington, D.C. area-based International Assessment and Strategy Center told me late last week. 'For the PLA, the Ukraine battlefield offers the most livid and brutal evolution of the revolutionary and see-saw battle between unmanned weapons and electronic warfare defenses arrayed against them.' 'If the PLA can grasp and expand on the lessons of the Ukraine battlefield, it can vastly increase its chances of a rapid blitzkrieg victory in Taiwan,' says Fisher. It is also likely that the Chinese officers are doing more than observing and reporting back to China. They may also be giving advice to their Russian counterparts. China, after all, has been backing Russia's war effort from the beginning. China almost certainly greenlighted the invasion with its 5,300-word joint statement issued by Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin in Beijing on Feb. 4, 2022, just 20 days before the Russian attack. Putin might have invaded earlier, but he evidently acceded to Chinese wishes and waited until after the end of the Beijing Winter Olympics to hit the former Soviet republic. China has during the war supported Putin almost across the board. For instance, Beijing has purchased Russian oil sanctioned by the United Kingdom, U.S. and the European Union, opened its financial and banking systems to Russia's institutions under sanction, provided military intelligence and diplomatic and propaganda support and sold both dual-use items and, according to some sources, weapons. Given Beijing's support to both Moscow and Pyongyang, it is unlikely that North Korea could have joined the war on Russia's side without China's approval. With regard to the mercenaries, Beijing probably both knew and approved of their participation in the war. 'It is unlikely that these soldiers would have been permitted to travel to Russia without the full consent of the Xi regime,' Charles Burton of the Sinopsis think tank told me. 'Xi runs a near-total surveillance state and pays special attention to the interactions of its nationals with close partners such as Russia,' Burton, also a former Canadian diplomat stationed in Beijing, said. 'A couple hundred military-age Chinese men leaving the country to fight in a foreign war is certainly something Beijing would know about.' There are, for instance, bound to be Ministry of State Security agents monitoring visa applications for Russia. The presence of Chinese soldiers in Ukraine is reminiscent of the 'Chinese People's Volunteers' who went to fight United Nations troops in North Korea beginning in 1950. 'China sending in an initial small cohort to join the Russians is consistent with Chinese Communist strategy to initially create plausible deniability and then a veneer of legitimacy for a gradual build-up of those at the front lines,' says Burton. 'This will almost certainly be accompanied by the gradual introduction of sophisticated Chinese offensive weaponry,' he added. Burton is also concerned that Russia, indebted to China because of the support in Ukraine, will not be able to say no when China demands that Moscow send forces to help it invade Taiwan or another neighbor. The Chinese and Russian militaries regularly hold joint drills in East Asia. Therefore, the Pentagon should assume that these two powers, along with North Korea, will fight together during the next war. So China probably sees great advantage in Chinese troops, even if just mercenaries, fighting in Ukraine. The U.S. and other countries have imposed almost no costs on China for its extensive support for the Russian war effort. We should not be surprised, therefore, that Beijing now thinks it can, with impunity, send soldiers to fight in Europe. 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
17-04-2025
- Politics
- The Hill
China is sending soldiers to Ukraine to prepare for a Taiwan invasion
A former Western intelligence official told Reuters that approximately 200 Chinese soldiers are fighting for Russia in Ukraine. Two current U.S. officials, speaking anonymously, confirm that there are more than a hundred of them. Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky put the number at 155. His forces have recently captured two of them. Reuters reports that the U.S. government believes these soldiers are mercenaries and apparently have no 'direct link' with the Chinese government. Whether this view is correct or not, Washington and other governments should impose severe costs upon China for permitting its nationals to enter the battle against Ukraine. As an initial matter, China's regime is in fact sending soldiers to that Eastern European country. Reuters reports that 'Chinese military officers have, with Beijing's approval, been touring close to Russia's frontlines to draw lessons and tactics from the war.' The former Western intelligence official told the news service that these officers 'are absolutely there under approval.' 'The Communist Party craves first-hand experience of the battlefield in Ukraine to inform its People's Liberation Army for its future wars,' Richard Fisher of the Washington, D.C. area-based International Assessment and Strategy Center told me late last week. 'For the PLA, the Ukraine battlefield offers the most livid and brutal evolution of the revolutionary and see-saw battle between unmanned weapons and electronic warfare defenses arrayed against them.' 'If the PLA can grasp and expand on the lessons of the Ukraine battlefield, it can vastly increase its chances of a rapid blitzkrieg victory in Taiwan,' says Fisher. It is also likely that the Chinese officers are doing more than observing and reporting back to China. They may also be giving advice to their Russian counterparts. China, after all, has been backing Russia's war effort from the beginning. China almost certainly greenlighted the invasion with its 5,300-word joint statement issued by Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin in Beijing on Feb. 4, 2022, just 20 days before the Russian attack. Putin might have invaded earlier, but he evidently acceded to Chinese wishes and waited until after the end of the Beijing Winter Olympics to hit the former Soviet republic. China has during the war supported Putin almost across the board. For instance, Beijing has purchased Russian oil sanctioned by the United Kingdom, U.S. and the European Union, opened its financial and banking systems to Russia's institutions under sanction, provided military intelligence and diplomatic and propaganda support and sold both dual-use items and, according to some sources, weapons. Given Beijing's support to both Moscow and Pyongyang, it is unlikely that North Korea could have joined the war on Russia's side without China's approval. With regard to the mercenaries, Beijing probably both knew and approved of their participation in the war. 'It is unlikely that these soldiers would have been permitted to travel to Russia without the full consent of the Xi regime,' Charles Burton of the Sinopsis think tank told me. 'Xi runs a near-total surveillance state and pays special attention to the interactions of its nationals with close partners such as Russia,' Burton, also a former Canadian diplomat stationed in Beijing, said. 'A couple hundred military-age Chinese men leaving the country to fight in a foreign war is certainly something Beijing would know about.' There are, for instance, bound to be Ministry of State Security agents monitoring visa applications for Russia. The presence of Chinese soldiers in Ukraine is reminiscent of the 'Chinese People's Volunteers' who went to fight United Nations troops in North Korea beginning in 1950. 'China sending in an initial small cohort to join the Russians is consistent with Chinese Communist strategy to initially create plausible deniability and then a veneer of legitimacy for a gradual build-up of those at the front lines,' says Burton. 'This will almost certainly be accompanied by the gradual introduction of sophisticated Chinese offensive weaponry,' he added. Burton is also concerned that Russia, indebted to China because of the support in Ukraine, will not be able to say no when China demands that Moscow send forces to help it invade Taiwan or another neighbor. The Chinese and Russian militaries regularly hold joint drills in East Asia. Therefore, the Pentagon should assume that these two powers, along with North Korea, will fight together during the next war. So China probably sees great advantage in Chinese troops, even if just mercenaries, fighting in Ukraine. The U.S. and other countries have imposed almost no costs on China for its extensive support for the Russian war effort. We should not be surprised, therefore, that Beijing now thinks it can, with impunity, send soldiers to fight in Europe.
CNN
28-03-2025
- Sport
- CNN
Olympic skier Berkin Usta, 24, and his father die in hotel fire in Turkey
Olympic skier Berkin Usta and his father have died in a fire which broke out at a hotel resort, the Turkish sports minister confirmed on social media Thursday. Usta, 24, and his father – who was the president of the Turkish Ski and Snowboard Teachers Association and a former national skier – had been staying at the Kervansaray Hotel in Uludağ, Bursa. 'I learned with deep sorrow the news that our national athlete Berkin Usta, who represented Turkey at the Beijing Winter Olympics, and his father, former national athlete Yahya Usta, passed away in a fire that broke out in Bursa,' Osman Aşkın Bak said on X. 'May God have mercy on our athletes and I offer my condolences to their families, loved ones and the entire sports community. May their resting place be heaven.' According to the state-run Anadolu Agency, 110 rescue personnel were sent to attend to the blaze after it broke out. The manager of the hotel has since been detained, according to Anadolu. CNN has reached out to the hotel manager, the Kervansaray Hotel, Bursa police and the Bursa Governor's office for comment. Berkin Usta's mother, who was also staying at the hotel, survived and was taken to hospital, according to Anadolu Agency. The Bursa Chief Public Prosecutor's office told Anadolu Agency that the hotel manager had a barbecue with the Usta family in the cafeteria area behind the hotel the evening before the fire and then left the hotel. 'We have learned about the tragic death of Turkish Olympic skier Berkin Usta, and his father, in a terrible fire,' International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach said in a statement on X. 'Berkin lived his Olympic dream by competing at the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022 in Alpine skiing. Our thoughts are with their family and friends.' Usta had represented Turkey at the 2022 Winter Olympic Games in Beijing, finishing 43rd in the giant slalom and failing to finish in the slalom. Bursa Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Mustafa Bozbey told reporters that an initial investigation into the fire found that there were 'many deficiencies' at the hotel and that it did 'not comply with the fire regulations.' CNN has reached out to Jura Hotels, the owner of the Kervansaray Hotel, for comment on the Bursa mayor's statements. The Bursa Chief Public Prosecutor's Office told Anadolu Agency that an investigation was ongoing and the cause of the fire was yet to be determined. CNN has reached out to the Bursa Chief Public Prosecutor's Office for comment. 'We have learned with deep sorrow that our national skier Berkin Usta, who represented our country at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games and the Erzurum 2017 European Youth Olympic Winter Festival, and his father, former national skier Yahya Usta, passed away due to a hotel fire in Uludağ, Bursa,' the Turkish Olympic team said on X. 'We wish God's mercy to our national skier Berkin Usta and his father Yahya Usta, and offer our condolences to his family, loved ones and the sports community.'
CNN
28-03-2025
- Sport
- CNN
Olympic skier Berkin Usta, 24, and his father die in hotel fire in Turkey
Olympic skier Berkin Usta and his father have died in a fire which broke out at a hotel resort, the Turkish sports minister confirmed on social media Thursday. Usta, 24, and his father – who was the president of the Turkish Ski and Snowboard Teachers Association and a former national skier – had been staying at the Kervansaray Hotel in Uludağ, Bursa. 'I learned with deep sorrow the news that our national athlete Berkin Usta, who represented Turkey at the Beijing Winter Olympics, and his father, former national athlete Yahya Usta, passed away in a fire that broke out in Bursa,' Osman Aşkın Bak said on X. 'May God have mercy on our athletes and I offer my condolences to their families, loved ones and the entire sports community. May their resting place be heaven.' According to the state-run Anadolu Agency, 110 rescue personnel were sent to attend to the blaze after it broke out. The manager of the hotel has since been detained, according to Anadolu. CNN has reached out to the hotel manager, the Kervansaray Hotel, Bursa police and the Bursa Governor's office for comment. Berkin Usta's mother, who was also staying at the hotel, survived and was taken to hospital, according to Anadolu Agency. The Bursa Chief Public Prosecutor's office told Anadolu Agency that the hotel manager had a barbecue with the Usta family in the cafeteria area behind the hotel the evening before the fire and then left the hotel. 'We have learned about the tragic death of Turkish Olympic skier Berkin Usta, and his father, in a terrible fire,' International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach said in a statement on X. 'Berkin lived his Olympic dream by competing at the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022 in Alpine skiing. Our thoughts are with their family and friends.' Usta had represented Turkey at the 2022 Winter Olympic Games in Beijing, finishing 43rd in the giant slalom and failing to finish in the slalom. Bursa Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Mustafa Bozbey told reporters that an initial investigation into the fire found that there were 'many deficiencies' at the hotel and that it did 'not comply with the fire regulations.' CNN has reached out to Jura Hotels, the owner of the Kervansaray Hotel, for comment on the Bursa mayor's statements. The Bursa Chief Public Prosecutor's Office told Anadolu Agency that an investigation was ongoing and the cause of the fire was yet to be determined. CNN has reached out to the Bursa Chief Public Prosecutor's Office for comment. 'We have learned with deep sorrow that our national skier Berkin Usta, who represented our country at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games and the Erzurum 2017 European Youth Olympic Winter Festival, and his father, former national skier Yahya Usta, passed away due to a hotel fire in Uludağ, Bursa,' the Turkish Olympic team said on X. 'We wish God's mercy to our national skier Berkin Usta and his father Yahya Usta, and offer our condolences to his family, loved ones and the sports community.'
