Latest news with #HECTORRETAMAL
Newsweek
29-05-2025
- Politics
- Newsweek
Chinese Bombers Seen in South China Sea Amid US Aircraft Carrier Patrol
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. China has reportedly deployed bombers to an island outpost in the South China Sea as a United States nuclear-powered aircraft carrier returns to the contested region. Newsweek has contacted the Chinese defense and foreign ministries for comment by email. Why It Matters China has asserted sovereignty over most of the South China Sea, with territorial claims that overlap those of neighboring countries. Beijing has strengthened its presence in the region by building military facilities—including runways and hangars—on islands under its control. The U.S. military and its allies have been operating in the South China Sea to uphold what they call "freedom of navigation and overflight." USS Nimitz—the oldest American aircraft carrier in service—returned to the South China Sea on Monday after transiting the Strait of Malacca. What To Know Citing satellite imagery provided by Maxar Technologies, Reuters reported on Wednesday that two Chinese H-6 bombers were spotted at an airfield on Woody Island on May 19. The island forms part of the Paracel Islands, located southeast of China's southern Hainan Island. A Chinese H-6K bomber is seen during the 15th China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition in Zhuhai in China's Guangdong province on November 14, 2024. A Chinese H-6K bomber is seen during the 15th China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition in Zhuhai in China's Guangdong province on November 14, 2024. HECTOR RETAMAL/AFP via Getty Images Ben Lewis, founder of the open-source data platform PLATracker, told the news agency that the Chinese bombers were likely sent to the remote South China Sea island on a rotational basis, providing a "force protection mechanism" for the Chinese military in the region. It remains unclear which variant of the H-6 was deployed. In its report on Chinese military power last year, the Pentagon stated that China has fielded greater numbers of H-6K bombers, a modernized H-6 variant capable of launching supersonic missiles at warships. The ability to cycle forces through the bases, especially higher level assets like the H-6, provides the PLA with a force protection mechanism - my views in this piece with @GregTorode as we explore the PLA's recent deployment of bombers to the SCShttps:// — Ben Lewis 🇺🇦 (@OfficialBen_L) May 28, 2025 Woody Island has undergone land reclamation to expand its size and allow the construction of military facilities, including an air base with 20 hangars for combat aircraft, according to the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative at the Center for Strategic and International Studies think tank. Meanwhile, officially released photos show that the Nimitz was underway at an undisclosed location in the South China Sea on Tuesday, with a photo caption stating that the aircraft carrier was demonstrating the U.S. Navy's commitment to "a free and open Indo-Pacific." United States Navy pilots walk across the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz in the South China Sea on May 27, 2025. United States Navy pilots walk across the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz in the South China Sea on May 27, 2025. Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Hannah Kantner/U.S. Navy Further east, the U.S. Air Force deployed an unspecified number of B-52H bombers to Andersen Air Force Base in Guam on May 19, where they are supporting what the Pacific Air Forces called "strategic deterrence missions" in the Indo-Pacific region. What People Are Saying The Pentagon's Chinese military power report reads: "[People's Republic of China]'s outposts in the [South China Sea] extend the operating reach of [People's Liberation Army] aviation forces. In 2023, [People's Republic of China] media released videos of J-11 fighters operating from Woody Island carrying out surveillance and response missions." Lin Jian, spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, said on May 8: "The current situation in the South China Sea is generally stable…China firmly safeguards its territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests, and works with other countries in the region to uphold peace and stability in the South China Sea." What Happens Next It remains to be seen whether the Chinese military will conduct bomber exercises in the South China Sea while the Nimitz is deployed in the contested region.
Forbes
10-04-2025
- Business
- Forbes
Trump's Tariff Pause May Help China's Clothing, Electronics Billionaires
A screen in Shanghai shows Chinese stock indexes on April 9 after China said it would impose 84 percent tariffs on U.S. imports. HECTOR RETAMAL/AFP via Getty Images Chinese stocks rose on Thursday, even though U.S. President Donald Trump hiked tariffs on the country to a towering 125%. Some investors found hope in Trump's decision to 'pause' big duties on other trading partners, because China may be able to make products in them to ultimately sell to America. The 90-day reprieve on higher levies on goods from other countries announced Thursday is good for clothing billionaire Ma Jianrong and electronics billionaire Pan "Benjamin" Zhengmin, analysts say. Shares in Ma's Hong Kong-listed garment maker Shenzhou International, which has customers like Nike and Adidas, surged as much as 12.5% in trading Thursday morning. Pan's Hong Kong-listed electronics maker AAC Technologies, an Apple supplier, saw its shares rise as much as 23%. Those companies' stock market performance far outpaced the Hang Seng Index's 1.3% gain as of 11:45 am Thursday. On mainland bourses, the CSI 300 index tracking stocks listed in Shanghai and Shenzhen rose 1% around the same time. These gains came as Trump signaled he is willing to negotiate with trading partners that haven't retaliated with their own tariffs, which led U.S. markets to soar overnight and investor optimism to rise on other Asian markets including Japan and South Korea. Trump's reprieve covered many countries in Southeast Asia, where Chinese companies including Shenzhou and AAC have set up plants to avoid American duties on products directly sourced from China. 'The reciprocal tariffs have been paused,' Kenny Ng, a Hong Kong-based securities strategist at Everbright Securities, says by WeChat. 'Shares of Chinese companies that have factories in Southeast Asia previously plunged because investors thought they couldn't reroute exports anymore. But now the losses have been pared.' Yet despite the temporary relief, future growth is far from certain amid a very cloudy macro-economic outlook. Charu Chanana, Singapore-based chief investment strategist for Saxo Bank, says by email that investors are hopeful China will stimulate its economy to cushion the impact from Trump's tariffs. Meantime, hopes for a China- U.S. trade deal resurfaced after the American president suggested on Thursday that duties on Chinese imports may have peaked. China's top leaders will reportedly meet on Thursday to discuss new stimulus measures including support for consumers and technological innovation, according to Bloomberg. But many analysts don't expect a trade deal soon. In a tit-for-tat move, Chinese President Xi Jinping hiked levies on U.S. goods to 84%. 'While Trump is acknowledging that tariffs are negotiable with countries, it would seem that he is not giving any wriggle room for China,' Peter Kim, Seoul-based managing director of KB Securities, says by email. Trump may be waiting for China to climb down first, as the American leader has said he is waiting for a phone call from China to start negotiations. But Guo Shan, a Shanghai-based partner at research firm Hutong Research, says by WeChat that Xi is quite unlikely to make the first move. Doing so is 'politically untenable,' Guo says, as any gesture from Beijing risks making the Chinese leader look weak. On Tuesday, Chinese officials vowed to 'fight to the end' as the U.S. escalated tariffs. State-affiliated funds were mobilized to buy domestic shares and prop up the stock market. 'In the immediate future, we expect Beijing to prioritize stabilizing the domestic financial markets, and it is also likely to expedite the implementation of certain planned supportive measures,' Nomura analysts wrote in an April 10 research note, without specifying what measures might be considered.
