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https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/16432/turkey-gas-discovery

“Turkey’s never-ending military challenge against world powers in seas and land” makes for hundreds of stories of Turkish heroism in the media, which is largely controlled by Erdoğan and his business cronies.

Now comes the promise of tens of billions of gas-dollars from the Turkish merchant of dreams. Experts say production at the Black Sea field could start in 7-10 years, at best. Erdoğan has promised 2023 for production. In that election year, Turkish voters may question the availability of natural gas, or, more realistically, they may ask Erdoğan why they are still paying high gas bills to heat their homes.

Turkey’s economy minister, Berat Albayrak, has said that the discovery of a large natural gas field off Turkey’s Black Sea coast will change Turkey’s [political] axis. “Neither the West, nor the East, Turkey’s new axis is Turkey,” said Albayrak, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s son-in-law. The discovery, at an estimated 320 billion cubic meters (bcm) of deep sea gas, marks a historic day for Turkey, Erdoğan said, the beginning of a new era.

Erdoğan announced that production at the site could start by 2023 — when Turks will go to ballot box for presidential and parliamentary elections. Officials in Ankara hopes the discovery will meet Turkey’s natural gas needs for 7-8 years, and earn the national economy $65 billion.

There is unprecedented euphoria in the pro-Erdoğan media. There is massive propaganda talk of “a Turkish moment,” of “Turkey on the way to becoming a global power.” All this is understandable in a country with a per capita GDP of barely $9,000, an ailing economy and a plunging national currency — and in need of epic stories to keep voters within the realm of hope. How much of this newfound Turkish hope is fact-based? Could the “Turkish moment” really be coming? Will Turkey be a global power with 320 bcm of natural gas? There are a number of reasons to be cautious about the Turkish optimism.

Hydrocarbon discoveries in the shape of “breaking news” have been part of Erdogan’s propaganda machinery since 2004. “This is the ninth discovery since then… I was hoping for them to discover ready-to-use gasoline this time,” joked columnist Yılmaz Özdil.

https://amgreatness.com/2020/09/02/its-china-stupid/

A new report from the Pentagon paints a chilling portrait of the challenge the Chinese Communist Party poses to the United States and the world.

The annual report to Congress, “Military and Security Developments Concerning the People’s Republic of China,” details the comprehensive effort the Chinese have launched to achieve global military and economic superiority. 

The 200-page report tells us the CCP seeks “the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation,” by which it means to revise the international order and “return” China to global preeminence.

On the military front, China has already surpassed the United States in shipbuilding with the world’s largest navy, land-based conventional and cruise missiles, and integrated air-defense systems. 

“China is the top ship-producing nation in the world by tonnage and is increasing its shipbuilding capacity and capability for all naval classes,” the report informs us. The United States largely gave up its shipbuilding and merchant marine industries decades ago. 

China’s leadership understands something that America’s leaders forgot: military power flows from economic power. While Washington encouraged the offshoring of America’s industries, Beijing knows its military depends on a growing industrial and technological base.

The integration of civilian industries and military objectives is all-encompassing. The policy is known as military-civil fusion (MCF):

MCF encompasses six interrelated efforts: (1) fusing the China’s defense industrial base and its civilian technology and industrial base; (2) integrating and leveraging science and technology innovations across military and civilian sectors; (3) cultivating talent and blending military and civilian expertise and knowledge; (4) building military requirements into civilian infrastructure and leveraging civilian construction for military purposes; (5) leveraging civilian service and logistics capabilities for military purposes; and, (6) expanding and deepening China’s national defense mobilization system to include all relevant aspects of its society and economy for use in competition and war.

https://www.theepochtimes.com/us-to-move-ahead-with-taiwan-trade-deal-expects-beijings-ire_3485952.html

WASHINGTON—As the United States moves forward with talks toward a bilateral trade deal with Taiwan, the State Department is expecting backlash from the Chinese regime, while hoping for the best.

The Chinese Communist Party has a long history of retaliating against other country’s decisions that involve what it deems as threats to its power. The regime’s response to a U.S.–Taiwan deal would be “all about Beijing’s decision matrix,” said David Stilwell, assistant secretary of state for East Asia and Pacific affairs.

“But, our job is to obviously think through what those are and anticipate them,” Stilwell said in response to a question by The Epoch Times during a media call on Sept. 2.

“If you look at the language from the three communiques and the Taiwan Relations Act … the economic relationship, cultural exchanges, all those things are fully allowed. There’s nothing that prohibits those things. And so there should be no lash back. The efforts to increase prosperity between the two countries should have no effect.”

Taiwan opened the door on Aug. 28, when President Tsai Ing-wen announced she would move to lift restrictions on imports of U.S. pork and beef.

“This decision is based on our national economic interests and consistent with our overall strategic goals for the future,” Tsai said in a translated statement.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo welcomed the news.

“This move opens the door for even deeper economic and trade cooperation,” Pompeo wrote on Twitter on Aug. 28.