Last year china stopped buying coal from
australia which used to be the country
its main foreign coal supplier. But it
has reportedly suspended that tough
stance. Energy research firm cler reported that
a total of five vessels waiting offshore
released 383.000 tons of australian
steam coal to china last month.
Nick Riesteich chief DRY cargo analyst
at bremer ACM ship broking also said
that Australian cargo waiting outside a
chinese port has been moored last month
since the ban came into effect a year
ago. He reported that 450.000 tons of coal
were discharged.
Now australian prime minister Scott
morrison May hold the key to
de-escalating tensions. Policymakers in beijing have not given
any indication of whether china will be
importing any more australian coal. But
it comes after taiwan also asked
canberra for help as military tension
soar in the southeast.
Taiwan's foreign minister Joseph Wu
warned his country would fight to the
end of the chinese invasion in an
interview with ABC Australia. he said,"if china is going to launch a
war against taiwan we will fight to the
end and that is our commitment, i'm sure that if china is going to
launch an attack against taiwan, i think
they are going to suffer tremendously as
well."
Taiwan's police to australia came after
beijing flew dozens of warplanes towards
the island and british warships
re-entered the south china sea after
china sent warnings against foreign
powers deploying in the contested waters. China's people's liberation army air
force also flew 38 aircraft towards
taiwan airspace on friday.
Taiwanese defense officials also say
there were 39 sorties on saturday and
another 16 on sunday. They say 36 fighter jets, 12 H6
nuclear-capable bombers and four other
planes from china's people's liberation
army air face entered its southwest air
defense identification zone on monday.
the most recent tensions have been
sparked from china's claims that a large
bulk of the south china sea is its own
territorial waters pointing to both the
international law of the sea and its
historic claim to taiwan. but that claim is disputed by malaysia, vietnam brunei and the philippines, and the tension does not end there as
ever since nationalist forces defeated
by mao zedong's communists retreated to
taiwan in 1949 and there has been
periodic invasion scares ever since.
Xy has been investing heavily in
military capabilities ever since he came
to office in 2013 and fears he will use
military force for reunification are
high. But should Australia help Taiwan? They
could use china's desperation for coal
as bargaining power and convince china
to relax its military aggression.
China using the closed civilian airport
to launch taiwan incursions. Satellite
images show China is likely using an
unused civilian airport just across the
taiwan strait to conduct its incursions
into taiwan's air defense identification
zone ADIZ. Multiple photos show chinese military
aircraft at the airport which matches
reports by the taiwan military.
According
to a defense news report released on
friday, october 29th Chanto Yshay Airport west across the
strait from taiwan city of Tainan has
seen detachments of PLA aircraft since
at least october last year.
According to
satellite imagery provided by planet
labs the airport used to service the
city of Shantou but halted operations in
2011 when nearby Jaeyong Kayoshon
airport opened. The october 2020 imagery shows two Shanxi KQ-200 anti-submarine warfare
aircraft on what was once the civil
parking apron. The aircraft's distinctive
mounted anomaly detector boom is clearly
visible in the photo.
China's kQ-200s have been the most
common aircraft reported by taiwan
crossing into the ADIZ for reports, taking off from the base shortens the
time it takes pilots to break into the ADIZ. It also positions them to conduct flight
training over the southern part of the
taiwan strait the northern part of the
south china sea and the basu channel for
reports. The Bashi Channel sits between taiwan
and the philippines. It is one of the several strategic choke
points of the so-called first island
chain.