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Daily Mirror
07-05-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mirror
Top admiral's chilling warning China will soon be able to defeat US in war
Amid growing concerns about China's preparation for an invasion of Taiwan, a US Navy admiral, Samuel Paparo, has warned the US won't be able to protect the contested island for much longer The US may no longer have the ability to protect Taiwan from China should a war break out over the contested island in the South China Sea. It comes amid rumours that Beijing may be close to plotting a full-scale invasion of the island, which it claims is Chinese territory, after reports of its military amassing warships and submarines. Top US Navy Admiral Samuel Paparo, who commands the Indo-Pacific Command, says the US' current dominance could be shortlived. He said the US would best China if a war broke out now, but that wouldn't always be the case and it could soon lose its advantage. The Financial Times cited him saying: 'The United States will prevail in the conflict as it stands now, with the force that we have right now.' 'Our trajectory on . . . really every force element that is salient is a bad trajectory,' he warned colleagues at the McCain Institute's Sedona Forum on Friday in Arizona. Over recent years, China has dramatically increased its defence spending, splashing out huge amounts on warships and submarines. However, the US, the country spending the most money on defence each year by a huge majority, appears as though it can't keep up. For the 1.8 warships built by the US in a 12-month period, China is able to knock out six. Beijing can also produce two submarines for America's 1.4. It comes after another top US general voiced his concerns about the increasingly "aggressive" military drills that China has been holding to simulate a blockade of Taiwan. He noted that these exercises have often left him and fellow senior military leaders 'speechless'. Speaking to The Wall Street Journal, General Ronald P Clark, the newly appointed Commanding General of US Army Pacific, highlighted that the frequency of these war games has escalated tensions in the South China Sea region. Since 2022, such manoeuvers by China have become a routine affair, and the presence of Chinese fighter jets, naval ships, coast guard vessels, and drones is now a near-daily occurrence around Taiwan. The threat of invasion looms larger than ever with China considering Taiwan part of its domain, despite Taiwan's self-perception as independent. In his interview, General Clark expressed amazement at the audacity of these moves, admitting, "These are extraordinary times," and acknowledging that the actions of China's military sometimes "really leave you speechless at times.", reports the Express US. He added that the thought of China attempting such bold operations was unbelievable five years ago, but today it is a new normal, stating, "now it's commonplace that the PLA (People's Liberation Army) would make a move like that".
Scottish Sun
06-05-2025
- Politics
- Scottish Sun
China will soon be able to defeat the US in a war over Taiwan – they are preparing to invade, warns top US admiral
CHINA will soon be able to defeat the US in a war over Taiwan, a top US admiral has warned. The chilling warning comes amid fears that China is preparing for a full-scale invasion of the island as it masses warships and submarines. 6 Taiwanese tanks parade the streets in Taipei Credit: AFP 6 Taiwanese US-made tank during the military exercises on Taiwan's Penghu Islands Credit: AFP 6 China's aircraft carrier Liaoning during a military drill Credit: Reuters 6 Commander of the US Indo-Pacific Command, Admiral Samuel Paparo, raised the alarm at the McCain Institute's annual Sedona Forum in Arizona on Friday. The admiral said that while the US would defeat China in a war over Taiwan now, it may soon lose its advantage, as reported by the Financial Times. Paparo said: 'The United States will prevail in the conflict as it stands now, with the force that we have right now.' But he added: 'Our trajectory on . . . really every force element that is salient is a bad trajectory.' China has ramped up its production of weapons including warships and submarines - and the US doesn't seem to be able to keep up. According to Paparo, for every 1.8 warships made in the US each year China builds an impressive six. And for every 1.4 submarines made in the US, it builds two. The warning comes as China continues to expand its military exercises around Taiwan, as fears of an invasion mount. Paparo fuelled fears of an attack, saying that Beijing is rehearsing "the full spectrum of military operations" - from a direct invasion of the island to a naval blockade. This comes as Taiwan reported at least 19 Chinese warships as well as the large Shandong aircraft carrier patrolling nearby last month. Total blockade, mega-barges & 2 million troops… How Taiwan invasion would unfold as island warns of all-out war by 2027 This marked the biggest number of enemy vessels seen in a 24-hour period since last May - part of China's chilling war games. But the US admiral hinted that Taiwan wouldn't be on their own if China invaded. When asked whether the US would support military intervention in Taiwan, he responded: 'A lesson in history is that people are always saying America will never get in a fight, but it's not the track record.' But if China continues to ramp up its weapons production the US may not be able to protect the island. And China may have more weapons than previously thought. Why does China want to invade Taiwan? TAIWAN insists it is an independent nation after splitting from mainland China amid civil war in 1949. But China claims Taiwan remains a part of its territory with which it must eventually be reunified - and has not ruled out the use of force to take the island and place it under Beijing's control. The island, which is roughly 100 miles from the coast of south-east China, sees itself as distinct from the Chinese mainland, with its own constitution and democratically-elected leaders. Taiwan sits in the so-called "first island chain", which includes a list of US-friendly territories that are crucial to Washington's foreign policy in the region. This also puts it in an ideal situation to slow a Chinese attack on the West. And with tensions between the two nations high, Taiwan is likely to aid China's enemy if it means keeping its independence. Taiwan's economy is another factor in China's desperation to reclaim the land. If China takes the island, it could be freer to project power in the western Pacific and rival the US, thanks to much of the world's electronics being made in Taiwan. This would allow Beijing to have control over an industry that drives the global economy. China insists that its intentions are peaceful, but President Xi Jinping has also used threats towards the small island nation. Google Maps images exposed China's secret submarine fleet back in April. The shocking pictures showed six nuke boats massed at a Chinese base. These included two of the deadly Type 091 submarines, two Type 093A and one chillingly unidentified submarine. The base - dubbed the First Submarine Base - is located 18km east of Qingdao in the Yellow Sea, meaning there's easy access to the East China Sea and the Sea of Japan. Australian independent naval analyst Alex Luck posted the shocking images to X. In the post, he said that five nuclear-powered subs seen on the base were conventionally armed. Taiwan insists it is an independent nation after splitting from mainland China amid civil war in 1949. But China claims Taiwan remains a part of its territory with which it must eventually be reunified - and has not ruled out the use of force to take the island and place it under Beijing's control. China insists that its intentions are peaceful, but President Xi Jinping has also waged a "war of words" on the small island nation. In this years New Year's address, President Xi said that the people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait are one family. And he has previously called the independence of Taiwan a futile effort and that annexation by Beijing is a "historical inevitability". 6 Taiwanese soldiers in front of inscriptions reading 'immediate action' Credit: AFP
The Irish Sun
06-05-2025
- Politics
- The Irish Sun
China will soon be able to defeat the US in a war over Taiwan – they are preparing to invade, warns top US admiral
CHINA will soon be able to defeat the US in a war over Taiwan, a top US admiral has warned. The chilling warning comes amid fears that China is preparing for a Advertisement 6 Taiwanese tanks parade the streets in Taipei Credit: AFP 6 Taiwanese US-made tank during the military exercises on Taiwan's Penghu Islands Credit: AFP 6 China's aircraft carrier Liaoning during a military drill Credit: Reuters 6 Commander of the US Indo-Pacific Command, Admiral Samuel Paparo, raised the alarm at the McCain Institute's annual Sedona Forum in Arizona on Friday. The admiral said that while the US would defeat China in a war over Taiwan now, it may soon lose its advantage, as reported by the Paparo said: 'The United States will prevail in the conflict as it stands now, with the force that we have right now.' But he added: 'Our trajectory on . . . really every force element that is salient is a bad trajectory.' Advertisement read more on taiwan China has ramped up its production of weapons including warships and submarines - and the US doesn't seem to be able to keep up. According to Paparo, for every 1.8 warships made in the US each year China builds an impressive six. And for every 1.4 submarines made in the US, it builds two. The warning comes as China continues to expand its military exercises around Taiwan, as fears of an invasion mount. Advertisement Most read in The Sun Paparo fuelled fears of an attack, saying that Beijing is rehearsing "the full spectrum of military operations" - from a direct invasion of the island to a naval blockade. This comes as Taiwan reported at least 19 Chinese warships as well as the large Shandong aircraft carrier patrolling nearby last month. Total blockade, mega-barges & 2 million troops… How Taiwan invasion would unfold as island warns of all-out war by 2027 This marked the biggest number of enemy vessels seen in a 24-hour period since last May - part of China's chilling war games. But the US admiral hinted that Taiwan wouldn't be on their own if China invaded. Advertisement When asked whether the US would support military intervention in Taiwan, he responded: 'A lesson in history is that people are always saying America will never get in a fight, but it's not the track record.' But if China continues to ramp up its weapons production the US may not be able to protect the island. And China may have more weapons than previously thought. Why does China want to invade Taiwan? TAIWAN insists it is an independent nation after splitting from mainland China amid civil war in 1949. But China claims Taiwan remains a part of its territory with which it must eventually be reunified - and has not ruled out the use of force to take the island and place it under Beijing's control. The island, which is roughly 100 miles from the coast of south-east China, sees itself as distinct from the Chinese mainland, with its own constitution and democratically-elected leaders. Taiwan sits in the so-called "first island chain", which includes a list of US-friendly territories that are crucial to Washington's foreign policy in the region. This also puts it in an ideal situation to slow a Chinese attack on the West. And with tensions between the two nations high, Taiwan is likely to aid China's enemy if it means keeping its independence. Taiwan's economy is another factor in China's desperation to reclaim the land. If China takes the island, it could be freer to project power in the western Pacific and rival the US, thanks to much of the world's electronics being made in Taiwan. This would allow Beijing to have control over an industry that drives the global economy. China insists that its intentions are peaceful, but President Xi Jinping has also used threats towards the small island nation. Google Maps images exposed Advertisement The shocking pictures showed six nuke boats massed at a Chinese base. These included two of the deadly Type 091 submarines, two Type 093A and one chillingly unidentified submarine. The base - dubbed the First Submarine Base - is located 18km east of Qingdao in the Yellow Sea, meaning there's easy access to the East China Sea and the Sea of Japan. Australian independent naval analyst Alex Luck posted the shocking images to X. Advertisement In the post, he said that five nuclear-powered subs seen on the base were conventionally armed. Taiwan insists it is an independent nation after splitting from mainland China amid civil war in 1949. But China claims Taiwan remains a part of its territory with which it must eventually be reunified - and has not ruled out the use of force to take the island and place it under Beijing's control. China insists that its intentions are peaceful, but President has also waged a "war of words" on the small island nation. Advertisement In this years New Year's address, President Xi said that the people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait are one family. And he has previously called the independence of Taiwan a futile effort and that annexation by Beijing is a "historical inevitability". 6 Taiwanese soldiers in front of inscriptions reading 'immediate action' Credit: AFP 6 Taiwanese air force Defense Fighter aircrafts take-off as part of a combat readiness exercise at the Ching Chuan Kang Air Base in Taichung Credit: AFP Advertisement
Epoch Times
04-05-2025
- Politics
- Epoch Times
Sen. Kelly Says CCP Still Has Access to US Telecom Networks
Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) told attendees of the McCain Institute's Sedona Forum on May 3 that the Chinese communist regime still has access to the nine U.S. telecommunication companies hacked into in December 2024 during the Salt Typhoon cyber intrusion coordinated by the Chinese Ministry of State Security. 'They did it in such a way that it was very hard for us to detect that they were there and not done through the typical way that you would do something with malware,' he explained to the panel moderator. 'It was done through access to routers and using a lot of sophisticated techniques, and it was the, as you mentioned, the Chinese Ministry of State Security that coordinated this operation. They're still there, and we have yet to figure out a way to kick them off.' The FBI and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) identified the hacks in October of 2024 and began an investigation. In a joint statement issued on Nov. 13, 2024, the agencies revealed that the hackers compromised the networks of multiple telecom companies and stole customer call records and private communications from 'a limited number of individuals who are primarily involved in government or political activity.' CISA Executive Assistant Director for Cybersecurity Jeff Greene 'It would be impossible for us to predict when we'll have full eviction,' Greene said at the time. On Dec. 4, 2024, the Biden administration Related Stories 3/14/2025 3/5/2025 By Dec. 27, the number of compromised telecommunication companies had increased to nine. Kelly sits on the Senate Intelligence Committee and told the audience that rebuilding the United States' telecom infrastructure in order to prevent hackers from gaining access continues to be a topic of conversation among his fellow committee members. One of the issues with the nation's current telecommunication infrastructure is how organically it developed over time. 'Somebody built a system, somebody improved that system,' Kelly said. 'They added technology to it, and today we have this collaged together systems of multiple companies using different kinds of equipment that are easily accessible from our adversaries, and they're able to, if they know who you are, know your phone number, and they want to get access to some of your information, they today can probably do that, including voice calls.' Meanwhile, the Volt Typhoon threat group had been targeting U.S. critical infrastructure since 2021, and CISA confirmed that hackers had Volt Typhoon was reported to be dismantled in January 2024 but Kelly said the CCP's Ministry of State Security 'still have access into some of these systems,' and emphasized that the security risks such infiltration poses to the nation's ability to mobilize against communist China. He and his fellow panelists, Sue Gordon, former principal deputy director of national intelligence, and Frances Fragos Townsend, former counterterrorism and homeland security advisor, stressed the need for the federal government to lead the way in developing the necessary cybersecurity. They also stated that there is still no clear definition of when a cyberattack is considered an act of war. In the meantime, the senator advised the crowd on how to proceed with their telecommunications. 'If you're in any kind of sensitive position, just be aware that there are folks that are gathering information on you that want to know who all your connections are, that in a lot of cases, there are probably people in this room that foreign adversaries have access to your cell phone and you do not know it,' he said. 'There are ways to kick them off. The easiest way is [by] keeping your software up to date and turning the phone off.' Frank Fang contributed to this report.
