China Flexes Its Military Muscle
China Flexes Its Military Muscle
With several nations planning to recognize a Palestinian state, Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly intends to respond by annexing the West Bank. Our feature story this morning, by Mihailo Zekic, explores how these mounting tensions may play out considering the Bible’s prophecies.
Asian dictators showcase military muscle: China hosted its largest-ever military parade today, attended by two other nuclear-armed strongmen, Russia’s Vladimir Putin and North Korea’s Kim Jong-un, and dozens of other foreign leaders. The show of force and solidarity, marking the 80th anniversary of Japan’s surrender in World War ii, highlights the coalescing of a militarily impressive Asian alliance.
And it was clearly meant to send a defiant message to President Trump.
“The Chinese nation is never intimidated by any bullies and always forges ahead,” Xi Jinping stated.
Among the weaponry China showcased were advanced nuclear ICBMs, several hypersonic missiles, a laser-powered interceptor and giant underwater drones. Experts are scrutinizing the parade video to ascertain just how powerful China has become.
Kim Jong-un—who has sent troops, weapons and ammunition to help Russia fight Ukraine—become the first North Korean leader to attend a Chinese military parade since 1949.
This follows the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit on Monday where India’s prime minister stood beside the Russian and Chinese dictators.
Last night, Trump posted a Truth Social message to Xi Jinping:
Please give my warmest regards to Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong-un as you conspire against the United States of America.
Trump appears unperturbed by the parade, confident in America’s power. But to this point, his record on Asia—trying to draw India away from Russia and Russia from China, working to end Russian aggression—seems to be accomplishing the opposite of his intent.
Prophecy foretells the end of America’s dominance and a shift toward foreign powers. Among those powers will be a unified Asia that forges a massive combined military, unparalleled in human history. The way these Eastern strongmen are cozying up to one another is leading directly to the fulfillment of that prophecy.
From Russia with love: Russia and China are about to grow even closer through energy cooperation: Russia will build a pipeline to export natural gas to China, state corporation Gazprom announced yesterday. Putin first proposed the Power of Siberia 2 project in 2022, but it never really started. Now it will.
Why now? China imports much of its fossil fuels from the Middle East, particularly through secure trade routes from the Persian Gulf. Israel’s attack on Iran in June spooked China over Mideast volatility and jump-started talks on the Russian pipeline.
The prophecies of the Asian alliance depict Russia as the leader. Right now, China is the far bigger economy of the two; most analysts see Russia as the junior partner. China becoming dependent on Russian energy may start to change that. Our article “Will the Iran Strikes Unite Russia and China?” elaborates.
Judge blocks Trump using National Guard in California: A legal battle is heating up over the constitutional use of federal policing forces. Yesterday, U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer ruled that President Trump’s decision to send in 4,000 national guardsmen and 700 marines broke the Posse Comitatus Act, which bars the use of the Army to execute laws unless specifically authorized by Congress or the Constitution.
The Trump administration argued that the Posse Comitatus Act did not apply because federal troops were protecting federal forces like ICE agents rather than engaging in law enforcement themselves. It also said the Army’s presence was authorized under the Constitution and other acts of Congress. The judge argued that if this were true, exceptions to the act would be so broad as to render the act meaningless—the executive could always find a way around it.
The ruling does not apply outside California but could influence similar challenges elsewhere, especially since Trump wants to deploy the National Guard to other cities like Chicago.
We watch these wranglings closely: On one side are judges and officials who want to rein in the president even if it means siding with criminals; on the other is a president who is stretching the powers of his office in ways that could well fulfill prophecy.
IN OTHER NEWS
EU military spending hits new record: Defense spending among the 27 European Union member states surged by 19 percent last year, reaching a record €343 billion (us$400 billion), 1.9 percent of the bloc’s gdp, the European Defense Agency reported. Spending is projected to climb further to €381 billion this year. eda Chief Executive André Denk said: “It is encouraging to see EU member states taking their defense spending to record levels. Meeting the new nato target of 3.5 percent of gdp will require even more effort, spending a total of more than €630 billion a year.” Europe’s ongoing militarization is a trend we watch closely.
Syrian oil back on the market: For the first time in 14 years, a tanker departed from the Syrian port of Tartus carrying 600,000 barrels of crude oil, according to the sana state news agency on Monday evening. Before the outbreak of civil war, Syria was a key oil supplier to the EU, but sanctions had long blocked its exports. The potential resumption of regular shipments could prove pivotal for reviving Syria’s battered economy and reestablishing economic ties with Europe—as has been prophesied.
Trump goes to war with drug cartels: Over the weekend, U.S. Navy vessels were gathering in the Caribbean Sea, prompting speculation that President Trump was preparing to take out Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. Yesterday, a different reason for the buildup seemed to appear when the U.S. launched a missile strike on a drug vessel, killing 11 members of the Tren de Aragua gang. Trump posted on Truth Social: “Please let this serve as notice to anybody even thinking about bringing drugs into the United States of America. Beware!”
An Irish comedy writer was arrested by five armed police at Heathrow Airport on Monday over three posts he made on X. Graham Linehan, who lives in the UK, is an outspoken critic of the trans movement. He said he was treated “like a terrorist” and had to be rushed to the hospital because the stress “nearly killed me.” His arrest could prove a turning point in Britain’s war on free speech. It is so outrageous that even members of the current Labour government are talking about changing the law.
