OBOR Continues to Weave Its Web

By this time, most of you know that my dryfrog103 account was summarily closed, perhaps by No Such Agency, if I may be paranoid, as my being a spammer. 

Really, it was just musings addressed among all of my friends collectively called “Jack’s Pack.”  It had been in existence for perhaps a quarter century when I was thrown off the Internet without warning.  It coincided with my analyses about Communist China’s erupting emergence upon the Western Civilization scene with Xi Jinping’s New Silk Road.  Hm-m-m!  The MSM is ignoring the gigantic move.  Why?

Many of you are veterans who might have studied Admiral Alfred Mahan’s theories of sea power, becoming familiar with trade routes affecting the entire world.  Xi Jinping seemingly has adopted that and added Marco Polo-like, similar land trade routes through Central Asia, South Asia and even Africa.

Hopefully, by this time you might have read some of my personal analyses of the One Belt, One Road initiative of China’s Xi Jinping, otherwise known as the New Silk Road.  It’s a web being woven to encompass direct trade routes throughout Asia, Europe and Africa with inroads to South America.  Such a network of sea lanes and rail lines interwoven with new highway routes would just about ensnare the world except North America.  The USA, in my analysis, would sink from being the dominant world power simply by commerce and be relegated to Third World status as consumers of goods and exporter of foodstuffs – a nation of poor farmers sort of category.

Mahan’s sea lanes as applied to the Communist Chinese would be mainly China’s East Coast manufacturing complex through its newly-fortified South China Sea, through the Straits of Malacca, the Indian Ocean, Bab al Mandeb and the Red Sea.  The Indian Ocean would become a Chinese lake with PLAN bases possibly at Chittagong, Bangladesh; certainly at Hambantota, Sri Lanka; Jiwani, Pakistan; and Djibouti.  Commercial Chi-Com sea ports are underway in the Aegean Sea, the Adriatic, the Red Sea at Port Sudan and Gwadar, Pakistan.

To continue:  I would like to hear from each of you. 

Have I overstudied the move or are the Chi-Comms our real nemesis in the global scheme of geopolitics?

China is funding (with the American dollars we pay for the ubiquitous “Made in China” consumer everything) new high speed rail lines in southern Europe.  New trans-African railroad is being constructed from which a whole network will deliver consumer goods and ship Africa’s raw materials back to Chinese manufactories.  The initial line stretches from Port Sudan all the way to Dakar, Senegal.

http://www.sudantribune.com/spip.php?article63949

Yet, the MSM is still screaming, “The Russians Are Coming!”

The new land-port at Khorgos connecting China with Kazakhstan is amazing.

http://multimedia.scmp.com/news/china/article/One-Belt-One-Road/khorgos.html

Again, it applies Mahan’s theories to land routes opening highways to Gwadar via the Khunjerab Pass in Pakistan as well as an alternate route via Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, and southward to Gwadar.  That the major port of Gwadar is indeed a Chi-Com exclave is indicated by the Chinese yuan being accepted there as is the Paki rupee.

Next, follow the hotel chains, mostly American, which have followed or preceded the New Silk Road by Googling the various land routes ever westward from China to Western Civilization nations.

Marlene and I would love to hear your thoughts on our fears for a future America, keeping in mind that the Orient plans in decades and generations while the West plans in four-year administrative increments.

Are we bats or fruitcakes or are we seeing something perhaps too dire for Joe Sixpack’s consumption?

massacheepjack and M5.

What Beijing is Building in the South China Sea

Stratfor has obtained satellite imagery of Mischief Reef in the South China Sea, and we show in this visual analysis what China is putting in place

Since China began its extensive land reclamation program in the South China Sea in 2013, Beijing has focused on improving its presence and infrastructure at seven locations in the Spratly Island chain: Cuarteron Reef, Fiery Cross, Gaven, Hughes, Johnson, Mischief and Subi reefs. Of the seven locations, the Fiery Cross, Mischief and Subi reefs received particular attention in the form of large-scale airfields built there. Over time, China has also added harbors, barracks, radar and other sensors. This is in addition to communications equipment, storage bunkers and general infrastructure installed across all seven islands. Stratfor partners at AllSource Analysis have provided imagery that confirms mobile electronic warfare (EW) equipment was recently deployed to Mischief Reef.

Beijing deployed EW equipment to prepared positions in Mischief Reef, consisting of 13 concrete pads located between an airfield to the north and what is probably a motor pool area in the southeast. The imagery shows that two camouflaged vehicles, most likely mobile EW systems, were moved to the deployment site as recently as March 13. The imagery indicates that China likely engaged in periodic training at the airfield for mobile electronic warfare operations during February and March of 2018.

Satellite imagery showing how China has deployed electronic warfare assets to the Spratly Island chain in the South China Sea. <https://www.stratfor.com/sites/default/files/styles/wv_small/public/china-spratly-islands-electronic-warfare-satellite-imagery-focal-point-042718.png?itok=0oaTJiJx>

The recent addition of mobile equipment for electronic warfare to Mischief Reef adds to the already-extensive electronic network on the reef. To the southeast, China has constructed what is probably a high-frequency, direction-finding antenna array installation which could be used to collect electronic or signals intelligence from transmissions by aircraft or ships in the region, as well as to detect stealth aircraft. North of the island, China has also built what is probably an inter-island communication tower with an associated antenna array similar to the ones found at Cuarteron, Hughes, Johnson South and Gaven reefs. On top of that, China constructed a Doppler very high-frequency omnidirectional range (DVOR) radio system adjacent to the airfield on Mischief Reef. DVOR systems provide short-range navigation information for aircraft without using satellite navigation data.

These developments are yet another example of China reinforcing its territorial claims in the region.

The deployment of EW equipment is particularly notable because the gear could be used to harass and jam the electronic equipment of various actors in the South China Sea, including the United States. In fact, the equipment deployed to Mischief Reef could have already been used for this purpose. A recent statement from a U.S. Navy pilot, for example, alluded to an incident in recent weeks when his aircraft was likely jammed by Chinese electronic equipment. As Beijing continues to build up its capabilities across the South China Sea, tools like electronic warfare equipment will make the country better positioned to continue asserting its territorial claims in the region.