China Conducts Unprecedented Dual Carrier Exercises in South China Sea | China Truths

Welcome to China Truths. Today we will bring you the following stories. New U.S. Treasury Rule Expands Oversight of Foreign Land by Izmir Military Bases. China Conducts Unprecedented Dual Carrier Exercises in South China Sea. U.S. Calls on China to Curb North Korean Involvement in Russia-Ukraine War. Now, let's dive into the details. It's all covered in today's China Truths. New U.S. Treasury Rule Expands Oversight of Foreign Land by Izmir Military Bases. The Treasury Department is expanding the review process for land purchases around more than 60 military bases following a land-buying spree by Chinese entities. The department announced the new rule on November 1, saying it significantly expands its ability to review certain real estate transactions by foreign persons near more than 60 military bases and installations across 30 states. The Biden-Harris administration will continue to use our strong investment screening tools to advance America's national security and protect our military installations from external threats, said Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen in an Associated Statement. As chair of the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States CFIUS, the department has the authority to recommend the president block or undo certain real estate deals deemed to negatively impact national security. A 2018 law grants CFIUS jurisdiction over real estate transactions dealing with the foreign purchase of U.S. land in close proximity to military installations. The new rule expands that jurisdiction, allowing CFIUS to review purchases anywhere within a one-mile radius of 40 military sites and anywhere within a 100-mile radius of 27 others. The purchase of large amounts of farmland near U.S. military bases by Chinese entities has spooked members of the U.S. national security establishment in recent years. Chinese holdings of U.S. agricultural lands reached more than 352,000 acres in 2020, more than 25 times the 14,000 acres owned in 2010, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates. States with the largest Chinese holdings include Texas at 159,640 acres, North Carolina at 44,776 acres, Missouri at 43,071 acres, Utah at 32,447 acres, and Virginia at 14,382 acres. That number represents just one percent of all the foreign-owned land in the United States. Still, there is now a fear that China could use access to these parcels of land to collect intelligence or otherwise compromise U.S. military readiness and national security. Certain real estate transactions near military ranges owned by each of the armed forces could reasonably provide a foreign person the ability to collect intelligence, perform surveillance, or otherwise expose national security activities at such installations, the final rule reads. The rule also comes amid another concerning trend of recent years, in which foreign nationals from China have attempted to enter U.S. military bases without authorization, sometimes going so far as to attempt to drive at blistering speed through the front gate. U.S. Navy Admiral Daryl Caudill said in May that the Navy alone now faced such incidents multiple times a week. House Oversight Committee leaders have subsequently urged the Government Accountability Office to review how the Department of Justice investigates instances of foreign nationals probing sensitive U.S. facilities. Some Chinese nationals have likewise been prosecuted and convicted for their efforts to illegally gain access to U.S. military bases. Numerous states are now seeking to bar China and other potentially hostile entities from purchasing U.S. land. In 2023, there were some 53 measures considered in 23 states across the nation. Enforcement remains a key problem with any state-level legislation, however. Many local governments don't have the resources to independently vet every land purchased near military sites in their state, particularly if the site is near a population center. To that end, it is hoped that the new rule will help to shore up critical national security and decrease the ease with which foreign powers might collect information on key U.S. sites. This final rule will significantly increase the ability of CFIUS to thoroughly review real estate transactions near bases and will allow us to deter and stop foreign adversaries from threatening our armed forces, including through intelligence gathering, Yellen said. The new rule will go into effect in approximately 30 days. China conducts unprecedented dual-carrier exercises in South China Sea. China has conducted a series of unprecedented military exercises using both of its aircraft carriers and a fleet of support vessels in the South China Sea. Chinese state media unveiled video of the Liaoning and Shandong carrier groups conducting their first dual-formation exercise on October 31. Video of the exercises showed the two aircraft carriers, China's first, sailing through an unspecified area of the South China Sea with around a dozen smaller support ships in tow and a similar number of fighter aircraft flying in formation above. Fighter aircraft can also be seen taking off from and landing on the deck of one of the carrier ships using a similar type of launch technology employed by Russian and Indian aircraft carriers. The exercises were intended to hone and improve the combat capability of the aircraft carrier formation system, according to a social media account run by the People's Liberation Army, PLA. The exercises are the first of their kind and mark a major milestone in the development of China's maritime capabilities, mirroring similar exercises conducted by two U.S. carriers in the Indo-Pacific in 2021. Exercises with two aircraft carriers and their associated support vessels require a high level of operational flexibility and showcase the ability to deploy and sustain extensive air and sea power, providing a powerful deterrent to potential adversaries. The PLA Navy operates the Liaoning and the Shandong as its two active aircraft carriers. China's third carrier, the Fujian, was unveiled in June 2022. It is still undertaking sea trials and is not yet operational. The Liaoning was originally laid down as a Soviet ship in the mid-'80s, whereas the Shandong was built domestically beginning in 2013. The Fujian, meanwhile, began its sea trial in May of this year and is China's first domestically designed carrier. It also boasts more advanced electromagnetic catapult technologies, similar to those of newer U.S. Navy carriers. The exercises are also likely to rattle China's neighbors, many of whom have longstanding territorial disputes with China owing to Beijing's expansionist activities throughout the South China Sea. Chinese vessels have repeatedly harassed and even collided with those from the Philippines in recent months, and clashes have occurred between Chinese and Indonesian vessels. Officials from the Philippines have also reported that their crews have been sprayed with high-pressure hoses and beaten with metal pipes by Chinese law enforcement operating illegally out of Chinese waters. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken addressed regional leaders about those activities in early October, condemning China's increasingly dangerous and unlawful actions in the South and East China Seas. The ability to deploy both carriers in close coordination will also be paramount to China's ability to project power internationally as the country continues its attempts to expand its overseas military presence. To that end, China has established an overseas military base in Djibouti and is also funding the creation of a deep water port in Cambodia, which it is expected the PLA will retain access to. China also maintains intelligence-gathering bases abroad, including in Cuba, and it is possible the PLA could send naval assets to make ports of call in the United States' backyard in the coming years. Thursday's exercises may additionally serve the purpose of signaling China's readiness for the conquest of Taiwan, a task that Chinese leader Xi Jinping has ordered the PLA be prepared to undertake by 2027. The U.S. Navy, meanwhile, has also received instructions to prepare itself for a possible war with China by 2027. It is currently unclear what, if any, effect the exercises will have on U.S. posture and actions in the Indo-Pacific region. U.S. Calls on China to Curb North Korean Involvement in Russia-Ukraine War U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken confirmed on October 31 that the United States has communicated with China about curbing North Korea's involvement in the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war. In fact, we had a robust conversation just this week, and I think they know well the concerns that we have and the expectations that, both in word and deed, they'll use the influence that they have to work to curb these activities, Blinken said during a press conference after meetings with South Korean officials. Blinken noted that China is a member of the United Nations Security Council and is expected to demand that North Korea and Russia cease provocative military action in violation of UN Security Council resolutions. So we'll see if they take action, he said of China. China has not yet shown signs of action. Liu Pengyu, spokesman for the Chinese embassy in Washington, said in a statement that China's position on the Ukraine crisis is consistent and clear. Liu said that Beijing supports peace talks and political settlement of the Ukraine crisis, adding that its position remains unchanged and will continue to play a constructive role to this end. According to the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission, China has refused to condemn Russia's war actions and continued to support them through financial and technological means. If China is serious about its desire for de-escalation, it should be asking Russia some hard questions at this point, said U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin at the press conference on Thursday. The deepening North Korea-Russia partnership was a major topic in discussions between Blinken, Austin, and their South Korean counterparts, Foreign Minister Cho Tae-il and Minister of Defense Kim Yong-hyun. Cho said South Korean officials continue to hold high-level talks with China regarding the military partnership between North Korea and Russia. China still continues to be silent, Kim said, adding that if it comes to a point when the interests of China will be violated, then China will begin to play a certain role. Blinken said on Thursday that about 10,000 North Korean soldiers have arrived in Far East Russia and that up to 8,000 North Korean troops were likely to begin fighting alongside Russian soldiers in the western Kursk region on the Ukrainian border in the coming days. Also on Thursday, North Korea tested a new intercontinental ballistic missile, a long-distance nuclear-capable missile capable of striking as far as anywhere in the United States. We condemn it in the strongest terms, the latest launch of many and other provocative actions that it's taken, flagrant violations of all of multiple UN Security Council resolutions, said Blinken, according to the statement. All countries should be demanding that the DPRK cease these destabilizing actions. Blinken said that the injection of North Korean troops into Russian forces has also provided training for Pyongyang's military. Russia has been training DPRK soldiers in artillery, UAVs, basic infantry operations, including trench clearing, indicating that they fully intend to use these forces in frontline operations, he said. The officials also highlighted increased cooperation between South Korea, Japan, and the United States amid the destabilizing actions of the countries in the Indo-Pacific and European fronts.