Emergency Info Window: China

One dark early morning in 2006 or 2007. 3:30 AM (EST). Is this what Americans will suddenly see on their television screens -- frantic reporters and anchor people hastily preparing to inform the viewing public that the unthinkable has happened? NEWSFLASH: THE LAUNCHING OF TWENTY-FIVE LAND-BASED CHINESE CSS-4 LONG-RANGE MISSILES, EACH ARMED WITH TWELVE FIVE-MEGATON NUCLEAR WARHEADS, HAS BEEN DETECTED BY NORAD. DESTINATION: THE UNITED STATES MAINLAND. SPECIFIC CITIES TARGETED: UNKNOWN. IN ADDITION, TWO CHINESE NUCLEAR SUBMARINES HAVE BEEN SPOTTED NINETY MILES OFF THE COAST OF NEW YORK CITY. US SUBMARINES ARE PREPARING TO ENGAGE ...

Very soon, due to a new change in the strategic balance and recent international developments, the above nightmare scenerio may take place.

BACKGROUND: TAIWAN RE-UNIFICATION OR DEATH

The earliest foundation of the worsening crisis between China and the United States began on March 18, 2000, with the election of pro-independence candidate Cheng Shui-bian. Although Beijing announced that it would take a "wait and see" attitude, it has since been made abundantly clear that the rulers of this communist military dictatorship will settle for nothing less than re-unification between Taiwan and China -- at any price.

This alone would tend to make armed conflict between the two great nuclear powers of the Pacific INEVITABLE. The infamous "white paper" irrevocably re-defined cross-Straits policy. Linkage was made regarding the United States of America: if Washington defended Taiwan against a Chinese invasion, nuclear missiles would be fired against the US mainland. Both President Jiang Zemin and Prime Minister Zhu Rongji each placed his reputation and "honour" on the line by promising this form of military action if the island pursues independence.

Here is the initial news report of the "white paper":

February 21, 2000 -- 'WHITE PAPER' WAR POLICY (Reuters and AP) -- China will be forced to use "drastic measures, including military force" if Taiwan indefinitely delays negotiations aimed at reuniting with the mainland, declared a policy "white paper" issued by the State Council, China's cabinet. NBC's Eric Baculinao reported from Beijing that the policy represented a dramatic lowering of the threshold for armed conflict across the Taiwan Strait, which also means raising the risk of a confrontation or war between the United States and China. The new policy also represents a stunning and dangerous revision of China's long-standing preconditions for initiating military attacks on Taiwan. Previously, China's position was to resort to force only in the event of foreign intervention or outright declaration of independence by Taiwan. Taiwan's continued refusal to talk is now also a cause of possible military action.

Underscoring the threat of force, the Hong Kong media, which is widely followed in Taiwan, reported over the weekend that Chinese President Jiang Zemin was in southern China touring military bases that would contribute to any invasion force of the island. The tactics ominously echoed Taiwan's last presidential election four years ago. Then, China tested missiles near the island to dampen independence sentiment, and the United States sent in warships to bolster Taiwan, once a close Cold War ally, raising tensions in the area to their highest in more than 30 years. Beijing's policy paper included a warning to the United States, calling on Washington to scale back arms sales to Taiwan and "not to stand in the way of the reunification of China." Taiwan bought 150 F-16 jet fighters from the United States and 60 Mirage fighters from France in the 1990s, enraging Beijing. China has warned the United States against including Taiwan in a proposed Theater Missile Defense system.

The following report from the Washington Times dated March 1, 2000, also leaves no doubt that Beijing has the will and the means to carry out the unthinkable: a nuclear attack against the United States:

March 1, 2000 -- BEIJING (Washington Times) -- BEIJING THREATENS NUCLEAR MISSILE STRIKES AGAINST UNITED STATES -- China stepped up its war of words over Taiwan yesterday, bluntly threatening to fire long-range nuclear missiles at the United States if it defends the island. The warning, published in the official People's Liberation Army newspaper, comes as a U.S. aircraft carrier and two cruise-missile destroyers recently began exercises off Japan. Defense officials said the warships could be sent to the Taiwan Strait in a crisis.

The official military newspaper, Liberation Army Daily, stated in a commentary made public in Beijing that U.S. intervention in a conflict between China and Taiwan would result in "serious damage" to U.S. security interests in Asia. The military then warned that China could resort to long-range missile attacks on the United States during a regional conflict. "China is neither Iraq nor Yugoslavia but a very special country," the newspaper stated. While China is a permanent member of the Security Council of the United Nations, "on the other hand, it is a country that has certain abilities of launching strategic counterattack and the capacity of launching a long-distance strike," the article said. China's nuclear arsenal currently includes about 24 CSS-4 long-range missiles that are capable of hitting most of the United States with warheads of up to 5 megatons -- the equivalent of 5 million tons of TNT. It is building two other road-mobile ICBMs and a new class of strategic missile submarines.

Chinese leaders can continue wearing their poker faces, but we now know what they have considered and that they are preparing for the unthinkable: nuclear war.

So the question one now must ask is: will these dire events take place?

RECENT DEVELOPMENTS:

Several events have taken place since the 9/11 terrorist attack on the United States that make armed and nuclear conflict with China more likely in the coming months.

• China's long-standing alliance with Pakistan. Since 1992, Pakistan has been receiving nuclear and offensive missile technology from Beijing. Pakistani President Pervez Musharaff recently visited with top Chinese officials who have guaranteed their military support in the event of a major war between Pakistan and India. Despite the support provided to the US by Musharaff, allowing Pakistan to be used as a US base of operations in the military offensive against the Taliban and Al Qaeda in Afghanistan, there is no question that the US will side with India with hundreds of thousands of Chinese troops amassing on her northern border, ready to ally with Islamabad. This is the "back door" route to nuclear war between the US and China.
  
  
• The "axis of evil" speech. US President George Bush has made it clear that North Korea is likely to be the third nation America will attack after a war in Iraq. China has condemned the inclusion of North Korea in the "evil axis" and has reminded the world that Pyongyang is a long-time ally. An attack on North Korea will mean war with China, just as it did during the Korean War of 1950-53. Also, in all likelihood, the nations of Iran and North Korea will probably not wait "their turn" for an American attack. Once US bombs fall on Baghdad, or during the turmoil and chaos of a drawn-out Lebanon/Vietnam type quagmire when US and allied casualties are mounting, both countries will probably make a move: Iran in the Persian Gulf, North Korea against South Korea, Japan, and US ships in the Pacific. North Korea also has a fledgling nuclear capability that can be used against US territory, including air bases, adding to China's arsenal.
  
  
• The strategic balance has now changed and research and development are escalating. In early February 2002 the Chinese launched a Dongfeng-31 ICBM, which has a range of more than 5,000 miles. It was armed with twelve dummy warheads which successfully seperated during the missile's disintegration in the first half of its trajectory. Naval versions of the missiles are being developed. There has been much talk in the last few years as to whether China really had the ability to MIRV its missiles like the Russians. It has now accomplished this, ending any further speculation. What is more, it will have outfitted at least 20 CSS-4 (DF-5) ICBMS that have a reach of 8,000 miles with twelve nuclear warheads per missile by the end of 2002. That's 224 nuclear warheads, each capable of destroying a large city, raining down on the mainland United States. And Beijing is hurrying as fast as it can to achieve this. For more on this development, read this article.

STRATEGIC INFORMATION:

• Continuance of William Jefferson Clinton's policy of "economic appeasement" by the George W. Bush administration will not stop what will happen. Germany and Britain were each others most important trading partners during the 1930s. Still, when it suited Hitler, Poland was invaded and Britain and France declared war on Germany.
  
  
• China considers the United States its unnamed "main enemy." Its objective is to neutralise and defeat the United States any way possible.
  
  
• The PRC (People's Republic of China) currently has 20 CSS-4 (DF-5) long-range missiles that are capable of hitting most of the United States. They now have the capability of equipping these with a dozen multiple warheads of up to 5 megatons. The anti-ballistic shield the US is constructing will only be capable of knocking out 24 incoming ICBMs equipped with single warheads. It cannot defend against multiple warheads detaching from each missile.

NOTE: The following strategic information, although largely still relevant, should be read with the successful February 2002 testing of a MIRVed Dongfeng-31 ICBM in mind. Continued testing and development throughout the year may quickly make the information below outdated and require new assessments.

Background on the CSS-4 (designated as DF-5 or DF-5A by the PRC):

Deployment: Silo
Range (km): 12,000 - 15,000
Re-entry Vehicle Mass (kg): 3,000 - 3,200
Warhead Yield: 2 MT (this is at variance with other reports indicating 5 MT yield)
Launch Preparation Time: 30-60 minutes

When the DF-5 (CSS-4) was first tested in September 1971, it had a range of 10,000 to 12,000 kms which allowed it to threaten the western portions of the United States. Beginning in 1983 the Chinese inaugurated the improved DF-5A, with an increase of over 13,000 km and a more accurate guidance system. The DF-5A upgrade increased the throw-weight of the system from 3,000 kg to 3,200 kg. As with the DF-4, initially the DF-5 was stored in a horizontal position in tunnels under high mountains, and are launched immediately outside the mouth of the tunnel. The missiles must be moved into the open and fueled prior to firing, an operational mode dubbed chu men fang pao (shooting a firecracker outside the front door), with the fueling operation apparently requiring about two hours. The initial deployment of a pair of DF-5s in silos in Central China was completed in 1981. That portion of the DF-5A force that is deployed in silos could be maintained in a ready-to-fire status.

For many years almost all sources credited China as having only four DF-5s deployed in silos, including the authoritative 1992 treatement by John Wilson Lewis and Hua Di, which asserted that as of 1992 only four DF-5 missiles on alert. However, more recent estimates suggest that some 8 to 11 were deployed as of 1995, and that at least 13 missiles were deployed at the end of 1997. According to the National Air Intelligence Center, as of 1998 the deployed DF-5 force consisted of "fewer than 25" missiles. As of early 1999 the total deployed DF-5 force was generally estimated at about 20 missiles. In order to enhance the survivability of these missiles, China has constructed a large number of decoy silos which consist of shallow holes excavations with headworks that resemble operational silos.

The current force of DF-5A missiles is deployed with single warhead, but in November 1983 China inaugurated a DF-5 modification program to arm these ICBMs with MIRVed warheads. Technical difficulties, however, have stalled the program. The DF-5A, able to strike targets in the continental United States (CONUS), was the designated recipient of the MIRVs, although there is no evidence that they have been deployed. Some sources claim that at least four DF-5As have already been MIRVed, though it is generally asserted that while MIRVing may occur within the next few years no DF-5s have yet been fitted with MIRVed warheads. Based on the DF-5A throwweight and warhead shroud the missile could be equipped with a six reentry vehicles with each RV weighing 600 kgs (the size of the single warhead on the DF-21). The DF-5A second stage apparently has four vernier engines which reportedly fire for 190 seconds after the main missile engine cuts off. Thus the DF-5A could direct a warhead bus over a fairly large arc covering an array of aim points. But the exact status of this program cannot be confirmed based on open sources.

All CSS-4 info current as of April 15, 2000

• One year ago, there were 52 submarines in the Chinese fleet from which some of its roughly one hundred medium-range missiles could be launched. It was reported on February 29 that they are building up their submarine capabilities. A recent check has shown that there are now 66.

Background on the CSS-NX-4 (designated as JL-2 by the PRC):

Deployment: SLBM (Submarine Launched Ballistic Missile)
Submarine Types: 092 Xia, 094 SSBN
Range (km): 8,000
Re-entry Vehicle Mass (kg): 700 kg
Warhead Yield: 3 or 4 MIRV @ 90 kT
1 @ 250-1000 kT

The new JL-2 (CSS-NX-4) SLBMs will carry either 3 or 4 MIRV (90 kT each) or a single warhead with a yield of 250-1000 kT over a range of 8,000km. The missile is the sea-based variant of the DF-31 land-mobile long-range missile. Development of these missiles was accelerated following the successful test of their common 2m-diameter solid rocket motor in late 1983. The missile is apparently comparable in size and performance to the American TRIDENT C-4 long-range multiple-warhead three-stage solid fuel missile missile that is launched from submergedsubmarines.


All CSS-NX-4 info current as of September 3, 1999

For the latest on the development of the JL-2 (DF-31), now nearing completion, see final paragraph of this article below.

Land-Attack Cruise Missiles (LACM)

China is developing land-attack cruise missiles (LACMs) for theatre warfighting and strategic attack. These cruise missiles seem to have a relatively high development priority to ensure that Chinese forces will have greater conventional firepower. Long-range cruise missiles probably will also be used to bolster the viability of Chinese military deterrence. The first LACM design produced probably will be air-launched from Chinese bombers and should be operational in the near future. China could develop a sea-launched version for use on either submarines or surface combatants. Almost no hard data is available concerning this new weapon system, though various sources have provided fragmentary accounts.

Chinese LACM R&D is aided by an aggressive effort to acquire foreign cruise missile technology, particularly from Russia. China has also stolen enabling technologies, subsystems, GPS data, and technical data concerning cruise missile guidance systems from the United States.


All LACM info current as of May 1, 2000

Background on the Type 92 Xia class submarine:

Length: 120 m
Speed: 22 knots dive
Missiles: SLBM - 12 JL-2
Torpedoes: 6 - 533 mm bow tubes

The Xia class proto-type: HAN

The HAN class submarine is a nuclear powered torpedo attack boat. While this class boat greatly improved the Chinese Navy's distant defense capabilities against enemy nuclear equipped surface forces, one of its most significant features was that it served as a stepping stone in the development of a Chinese nuclear powered, submarine launched ballistic missile (SSBN) force. Such a force would enhance Beijing's assurance of an effective retaliatory capability, as well as strengthening her deterrent posture.

Type 92 Xia

In 1981, China launched the Xia-class SSBN #406, derived from the Han-class SSN, with the hull lengthened to accommodate the missile tubes. The Type-092 became operational in 1983, though missile firings conducted in 1984 and 1985 were unsatisfactory due to fire control problems which were not resoloved until until 1988.

The Xia class SSBN was initially armed with 12 JL-1 (CSS-N-3) SLBMs. A major update of the class started in 1995 to fit the new JL-2 SLBM system. The upgrade was completed in 1998. The JL-2 (CSS-NX-4) SLBMs is reported to carry 3 or 4 MIRV (90kT each) or a single 250kt warhead with a range of 8,000km. Operations have been limited and the Xia has never sailed beyond Chinese regional waters. Despite a potential for operations in the Pacific Ocean, capabilities would be very limited against modern Western or Russian ASW capabilities.

Background on the Type 93 SSN class submarine:

Missiles: LACM
Torpedoes: 6 - 533 mm bow tubes

The ONI new Type 93 SSN will be similar to Russian second generation designs such as the Victor III. The launch of the initial unit of this class from the Bohai Shipyard is expected sometime this year. As with the Song SSK, the new submarine will incorporate a hydrodynamically efficient hull form, a single shaft and a highly skewed 7-bladed propeller. The Type 093 is expected to deploy submerged-launch anti-ship cruise missiles, possibly a follow-on to the C801s, as well as the project Land Attack Cruise Missile.

Background on the Type 94 JL-20 class submarine:

Missiles: SLBM - 16 JL-2
Torpedoes: 6 - 533 mm bow tubes

A new design (type 094) has been planned and is expected to begin production between 2003-2005 **. Incorporating some Russian technology, the Type 094 is expected to be a dramatic improvement over the sole Xia class SSBN, with improved quieting and sensor systems, and a more reliable propulsion system. Other improvements in sonar, propulsion, training, and the application of quieting techniques will contribute to a significant improvement in the capabilities of China’s submarine fleet. There is unconfirmed speculation that as many as a dozen of these new boats may be eventually constructed, although other estimates suggest that 4-6 or 6-8 boats may be constructed.

** IMPORTANT (3/13/01): PRC has now tested and developed the 094. Click to article 3/13/01, read 'Red Subs Threaten Taiwan and U.S.' section, and click to article 8/8/00, read last paragraph.

Plans to deploy this class of nuclear powered SSBNs are said to have been delayed due to problems with the nuclear reactor power plants. As of late 1999 there was an evident absence of public reports of the start of construction of the Type 094 submarine. Several years would be required for submarine construction, and probably an additional year or two for shake-down trials of the submarine, and testing of the JL-2 from the submarine. Each of the Type 094 SSBNs will mount 16 JL-2 ballistic missiles (DF-31s) with a range of 8000 kms. When deployed, this missile will allow Chinese SSBNs to target portions of the United States for the first time from operating areas located near the Chinese coast. Equipped with the JL-2 missiles, the Type 094 SSBNs would only have to patrol just to the northeast of the Kuril Islands to hold about three-fourths of the United States at risk.


All nuclear submarine info current as of December 7, 1999

• By 2005, China will have a nuclear arsenal comparable to that of Russia and the United States.
  
  
• Beijing is working on ways to neutralise US space communications and reconnaissance satellites.
  
  
• China is working on a coordinated EMP (electromagnetic pulse weapons) attack strategy that will render all sophisticated electronic equipment useless prior to a nuclear strike on the US.
  
  
• China has effectively taken control of the Panama Canal -- a shortcut to the US east coast for nuclear submarines. The PRC is also establishing close ties with Cuba, Venezuela, Ecuador, Paraguay, and Brazil.

TIMETABLE: Various Chinese officials have issued the following warnings regarding Taiwan:

An invasion "at any time." A US war with North Korea may indeed incite a war with China "any time."

An invasion in "three to five years" (stated in 2000) (2003 - 2005)

China predicts war with Taiwan before or by 2006. (2002 - 2006)

A final, ultimate deadline specified in the "white paper" as 2007. All, not most or some, but all foreign policy observers agree that China will never wait longer than that to take action against Taiwan.

PROPHECY TIMETABLE:

Nostradamus or Base 7 Numerology

Nostradamus provides numerous quatrains discussing war with China. Western China and Mongolia is the land of the "great King of the Mongols." But his territory also included Central Asia and Afghanistan. Ghengis Khan was unwittingly resurrected in May 1999 when the US bombed the Chinese embassy in Belgrade. America has also been at war with "Ghengis Khan" in Afghanistan.

China is the "Red Adversary" who will put "the great [Pacific] Ocean to terror." China may be "the Orient" that "will be in great fear and dread" sometime during the adminstration of U.S. President George W. Bush. And a leader "born from the aquatic triplicity" (the United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean, the Pacific Ocean, and the Gulf of Mexico) who "celebrates Thursday as his feast day" (Thanksgiving Day is always on a Thursday) will bring "a tempest to the Orient."

From all of this we can deduce only that the war will likely begin sometime during Bush's administration. It is possible that Nostradamus may be indicating that war will begin in November around the time of Thanksgiving. This would likely occur during any of the Bush administration years. Otherwise, Nostradamus provides no other dating clues.

We can also deduce that America will be the victor -- but at what cost?

My system of divination, base 7, has been indicating for some time that we would near the most dangerous period in March or April 2000.

That having passed, another vector involving both China and North Korea presented itself between November 2000 and July 2001 -- a period which has also passed.

However, the next period of danger, in keeping with what some PRC officials are saying, places the US against a far more dangerous North Korea and China in July/August 2006.

Profile: Kim Jong Il and the North Korean Threat

by Michael McClellan

DATELINE: January 4, 2003, 10:00 PM EST - The passing of North Korean dictator Kim Il Sung on July 9, 1994 opened a new chapter in the on-again, off-again crisis in the North Pacific which began late in 1993. What information exists concerning his shadowy only son, Kim Jong Il, should be cause for sober thought. The evidence suggests that the 61-year-old successor to one of the most repressive and isolated communist regimes in the world is a decadent and dangerous psychopath. With the threat of a second Korean War never more than another international incident away, there is every indication that North Korea's despot is more militant, audacious, and confrontational than his predecessor. This excerpt from a July 10, 1994 Los Angeles Times article by Teresa Watanabe provides us with a disturbing view of the psychological profile of Kim Jong Il:

TOKYO -- Kim Jong Il, North Korea's presumed leader, is said to watch public executions with ‘frenzied joy,’ and amuse himself by ordering subordinates to shave their heads or strip naked. He is suspected of masterminding ... the 1983 bombing in Burma, now Myanmar, that killed 17 South Korean officials and a 1987 mid-air bombing of a South Korean airliner that killed all 115 people aboard.

Despite a nuclear freeze negotiated by former U.S. President Jimmy Carter with Kim Il Sung only a few weeks before Kim's death, numerous violations and threats to abrogate the treaty have occurred. Pyongyang finally abandoned the treaty in late December 2002, plunging the North Pacific, the Korean Peninsula, and the United States into the current crisis and setting the stage for a possible regional war -- one that could turn nuclear.

On April 22, 1997, Hwang Jang Yop, a high-ranking North Korean official who defected in early February, disclosed to the world that his country was "capable of scorching" South Korea and Japan with nuclear and chemical weapons. Meanwhile, U.S. intelligence experts also confirmed that the isolated communist nation was in the process of developing a large force of long-range Taepo Dong ballistic missiles which will be capable of reaching targets throughout much of Canada and all of the western and part of the central United States by the year 2005. Neighbouring China already possesses this capability now.

On August 31, 1998, North Korea fired a new version of the Taepo Dong I missile with a range of 1,240 miles over Japan, sparking international concern and outrage. The booster landed in the Sea of Japan and the payload, capable of carrying a nuclear warhead, crashed in the Pacific Ocean. A second test launch of a medium-range Taepo Dong in 1999 reached the waters off Hawaii. Thus it would appear that the 2005 missile danger to North America posed by North Korea as projected by U.S. intelligence experts may be an uncomfortably accurate assessment.

Kim Jong Il’s regime presents a continuing proliferation problem as well. On November 21, 1998, the Pentagon said North Korea was producing and marketing short range missiles to Iran, Libya, Syria, and Pakistan—all capable of carrying nuclear payloads. It is well known that the North Koreans have also been supplying nuclear technology to these countries throughout the decade of the 1990s.

The North Korean military has now begun to utter direct threats against the United States as it mindlessly pushes forward with its nuclear development program and militarisation of the DMZ like so many army ants. Since December 1998, North Korean military leaders have repeatedly accused the U.S. of plotting a second war in the Korean Peninsula and warned that they are prepared to fight back. A general staff spokesman added that "it must be clearly known that there is no limit to the strike of our People’s Army and that on this planet there is no room for escaping the strike."

Since November 1993, 750,000 North Korean troops have remained amassed near their border with the south. South Korea’s army, 670,000 strong, along with the 37,000 American forces permanently stationed there, are no match against the north’s army of 1.1 million soldiers, mass artillery, tanks, MiG fighter jets, and Soviet-made SCUD missiles. Most analysts agree that Pyongyang's abandonment of the 1994 nuclear freeze accord with the U.S. and Japan, the reported development of at least two nuclear warheads (possibly a dozen more in the next six months), and incursions of men and artillery in the DMZ are indications that the regime of Kim Jong Il may be planning an "opportunistic" invasion of South Korea when George W Bush launches his invasion of Iraq.

Indeed, on October 22, 1997, a senior top military defector revealed what Kim is planning: to attack American forces in South Korea and Japan. According to the defector, Kim believes that after he has incurred 20,000 U.S. casualties, the United States will "roll back its troops" and he will win the war. In the process, he has claimed, North Korea will strike Seoul, Japan, and Alaska with missiles equipped with chemical and nuclear warheads. With North Korea's economy in shambles and famine rampant throughout the country, Kim feels he has little to lose by commencing a second Korean War. And while the masses starve, China is seeing to it that the North Korean military is receiving large shipments of food.

According to most U.S. military planners, a second Korean conflict would be won by the United States and would be over in 60 days: but at an horrendous price. Hundreds of thousands of casualties, tens of thousands of them American, would be the inevitable result. Also, there is the distinct possibility that North Korea might use whatever nuclear capability it already possesses against its North Pacific neighbors or to turn Seoul into "a sea of fire" as it has threatened in the past. This can be accomplished by launching medium-range missiles like the No Dong II or Taepo Dong I which are capable of reaching Tokyo or Seoul.

Two nuclear strikes off the coast of Tokyo, Taipei, or even Los Angeles may be indicated in the following quatrain:

Quatrain 9.48

The great city of the maritime ocean,
Surrounded by a swamp of crystal:
In the winter solstice and the spring
Will be tried by a dreadful wind.

Either Red China or North Korea could be responsible for the cataclysm implied by the above prediction. China currently possesses 52 nuclear submarines from which it can launch any of its roughly one hundred medium-range missiles. China also possesses four DF-5A long-range strategic missiles capable of striking the west coast of the United States and is aggressively developing its first line of CSS-4 ICBMs which will be capable of carrying multiple nuclear warheads. A potential scenario for Quatrain 9.48 could be one of China's DF-5As falling short of its target, striking the ocean waters a few miles just outside Los Angeles harbor. Instead of total immolation the city would be ravaged by radioactive hurricane-force winds and huge, poisonous tsunamis. What is truly frightening is that, given the threats made by Chinese officials concerning the consequences of U.S. interference, this scenario could have played itself out "in the spring" of March 23, 1996 had China decided to invade Taiwan.

However, if either China or North Korea chooses the path of nuclear terrorism, the "tempest to the Orient" by an American president forecast by Nostradamus in the following verse may well prove to be a nuclear firestorm:

Quatrain 1.50

From the aquatic triplicity [the United States] will be born
One who will make Thursday his feast day [Thanksgiving]:
His fame, praise, rule, and power will grow,
By land and sea, a tempest to the Orient.

Commentators have long been divided as to the intended meaning behind the "aquatic triplicity," viewing it as either an astrological clue or a metaphor for the United States which is bordered on three sides by the Atlantic Ocean, the Pacific Ocean, and the Gulf of Mexico. In late 1993, former President Clinton warned the late Kim II Sung that an unconventional attack on any of his neighbors would result in the total immolation of North Korea. Nevertheless, the following quatrain suggests that successor Kim Jong Il—or worse, China's next president—may desire to carry out the unthinkable:

Quatrain 3.1

After the combat and naval battle,
Great Neptune in his highest belfry:
The red adversary will become pale with fear
And put the great Ocean into terror.

Once again we are faced with "terror" which would certainly come "from the sky" via land-launched and sea-launched nuclear missiles. Is it possible that Quatrain 10.72 is somehow linked with this prophecy? If the color red in this instance is being used to represent communism, then the ocean upon which this red antagonist wreaks havoc must be the Pacific. The only nuclear communist states in that part of the world currently are China and North Korea.

This bodes ill for the future of other nations positioned around the "great Ocean"—including Japan, Australia, and the United States.

But what of Russia which also is situated on the Pacific Ocean? Let us hope that a Sino-Russian military axis against America and her Pacific allies is never forged.

This page will endeavour to keep you apace of important developments and predictions in this ongoing crisis involving China, its strategic ally North Korea, and any other Asian or Pacific nations that demonstrate an involvement with either (India or Pakistan, for example).

NEWS AND ALERTS

Japan seeks G8 pressure on NKorea in wake of missile tests - June 7, 2007.

North Korea test-fires missiles - June 7, 2007.

US, Japan call for tough G8 line on North Korea - June 6, 2007.

Japan steps up pressure on North Korea ahead of G8 summit - June 6, 2007.

North Korea fires missiles into Sea of Japan - May 25, 2007.

North Korea test-fires missiles - May 25, 2007.

North Korea slams US, Japan, South Korea as greatest threats - May 24, 2007.

N. Korea warns South over 'provocations' - May 21, 2007.

Pyongyang warns South Korea in sea-border dispute - May 21, 2007.

Japan deploys own ballistic missile defences - March 30, 2007.

Japan to extend sanctions against NKorea - March 30, 2007.

U.S. carrier in South Korea for drills - March 23, 2007.

NKorea Condemns U.S.-SKorea Exercises - March 22, 2007.

Russia warns North Korea over nukes 'threat' - January 31, 2007.

Nuclear perils push Doomsday Clock ahead - January 17, 2007.

U.S. sends stealth fighter planes to South Korea - January 9, 2007.

North Korea Prepping Nuclear Weapons Test -- Defense Officials Tell ABC News 'They've Put Everything in Place' - January 4, 2007.

Seoul: N. Korea a serious threat - December 29, 2006.

North Korea accuses U.S. of staging aerial war exercises - November 23, 2006.

US Mock Attack of North Korea - November 23, 2006.

France searches N. Korean vessel - November 16, 2006.

Bush seeks global help on N. Korea - November 16, 2006.

Chinese Sub Came Close To U.S. Ships -- Navy Commander Says Close Encounter Could Have Triggered 'Unforeseen' Incident - November 14, 2006.

Defenses on subs to be reviewed - November 14, 2006.

China sub stalked U.S. fleet - November 13, 2006.

N. Korea: Japan stay out of talks - November 3, 2006.

Taiwan commissions U.S. destroyers - November 1, 2006.

Pace on war with North Korea: 'More brute force,' less precision - October 31, 2006.

Why Bush Is Seeking Confrontation With N Korea - October 30, 2006.

North Korea launched five missiles - October 30, 2006.

MSDF set to monitor 2 sea-lanes / To check ships near Okinawa, Tsushima Strait - October 22, 2006.

Rice Secures Russian Support in Blocking North Korea - October 22, 2006.

Rice dubious over nuke test pledge - October 22, 2006.

US tracks 'suspicious' N Korea ship - October 20, 2006.

N.Korea ship being tracked by U.S. intelligence - October 19, 2006.

North Korean General: 'War Is Inevitable' - October 19, 2006.

Bush: 'Grave consequence' for North Korea nuke transfer - October 18, 2006.

US calls for swift sanctions, warns North Korea against attack - October 18, 2006.

N. Korea informs China of plan to conduct 3 more nuke tests - October 18, 2006.

Rice Promises U.S. Defense of Japan - October 18, 2006.

Rice reassures Japan, discusses N. Korea worries - October 18, 2006.

North Korea calls UN sanctions a 'declaration of war' - October 17, 2006.

U.S. officials: N. Korea may be planning 2nd nuclear test - October 17, 2006.

S. Korea aware of signs N. Korea may be preparing 2nd nuke test - October 16, 2006.

Crisis heightens as China attacks use of warships to intercept cargo vessels - October 16, 2006.

Australia volunteers navy for naval blockade of North Korea - October 16, 2006.

Korea bomb could be sent by sea, analyst warns - October 16, 2006.

UN declares tough sanctions on North Korea - October 16, 2006.

U.S. intelligence statement: N. Korea radioactivity detected - October 13, 2006.

US fears 'hell' of a response - October 12, 2006.

N.Korea Threatens Japan Over Sanctions - October 12, 2006.

Bolton urges 'swift' U.N. action on North Korea - October 12, 2006.

Military options 'on table' on N Korea - October 12, 2006.

North Korea Threatens War Against U.S. - October 11, 2006.

Japan Is Set to Ban North Korean Ships - October 11, 2006.

US push for air strikes - October 10, 2006.

N.Korea may conduct another nuclear test-Yonhap - October 9, 2006.

Bush urges immediate UN response to North Korea's nuclear test - October 9, 2006.

North Korea Nuke Test Fans Fears in Asia - October 9, 2006.

Sanctions proposed against North Korea - October 9, 2006.

North Korea says conducted nuclear test - October 9, 2006.

North Korea claims nuclear test - October 9, 2006.

North Korea's Bomb Can Kill 200,000 -- Russian Experts - October 8, 2006.

Korea tension: 60 shots fired - October 7, 2006.

N. Korea's Kim Rallies Army Commanders - October 6, 2006.

Fears N. Korea may test at weekend - October 6, 2006.

U.S. warns North Korea against nuclear test - October 5, 2006.

Renewed Activity Seen at Suspected North Korea Test Sities, U.S. Intelligence Says - October 4, 2006.

World calls for N. Korea restrain - October 4, 2006.

North Korea pledges to test nuclear bomb - October 3, 2006.

NKorea says nuclear weapons 'self-defense', blasts US - September 26, 2006.

Scholar: N. Korea speeds up nuclear bomb plan - September 23, 2006.

Japan imposes N Korea sanctions - September 19, 2006.

North Korea 'determined to carry out underground test' - September 10, 2006.

US warship arrives in Japan on N. Korea concerns - August 30, 2006.

N. Korea lashes out at wargames - August 22, 2006.

North Korea Could Attempt Nuclear Test Soon -- Russian Expert - August 20, 2006.

N. Korea Appears to Be Preparing for Nuclear Test - August 17, 2006.

N. Korea slams Seoul for spy satellite launch -- Pyongyang says move compels it to step up ‘invincible war deterrent’ - August 1, 2006.

Korean troops exchange border fire - August 1, 2006.

China warns US not sell fighter jets to Taiwan - July 22, 2006.

North Korea 'completely irresponsible', 'dangerous': Rice - July 21, 2006.

North Korea launches wartime alert - July 19, 2006.

US military exercise 'violates' North Korea's sovereignty: official - July 11, 2006.

Japan N-crisis draft under attack by China - July 11, 2006.

Satellite photos detect activity at NKorea missile bases: report - July 11, 2006.

Japan Considers Strike Against N. Korea - July 10, 2006.

Japan mulling attack on N. Korean missile bases - July 10, 2006.

North Korea braces for 'all-out war' - July 9, 2006.

West mounts 'secret war' to keep nuclear North Korea in check - July 9, 2006.

New U.S. Destroyer Sails to Japan - July 8, 2006.

U.S. deploys missile destroyer to Japan - July 7, 2006.

N.Korea issues new threat - July 7, 2006.

N. Korea missile aimed at area off Hawaii - July 7, 2006.

Taiwan To Test Fire Cruise Missile Capable Of Hitting China - July 6, 2006.

North Korea May Test More Missiles; UN Considers Resolution - July 6, 2006.

World Condemns North Korean Missile Tests - July 5, 2006.

U.S. \: World united against N. Korean missile threat - July 5, 2006.

U.S. Officials: North Korea tests long-range missile - July 5, 2006.

NORAD alert status stepped up - July 5, 2006.

Missiles launched from North Korea -- Reports indicate 6 rockets fired, including long-range - July 4, 2006.

N. Korea threatens U.S., with 'nuclear war' - July 4, 2006.

N. Korea Warns of Nuclear War if Attacked - July 3, 2006.

North Korea Warns Off US Attack - July 3, 2006.

N. Korea missile threat could test U.S. might -- Pyongyang’s long-range weapon could test American resolve, alliances - June 24, 2006.

All options open if North Korea tests missile: US envoy - June 21, 2006.

U.S. begins massive war games in Pacific - June 20, 2006.

N. Korean threat activates shield - June 20, 2006.

US makes missile defense system operational - June 20, 2006.

Report: U.S. activates missile defense system -- North Korea seems headed 'towards a launch' - June 20, 2006.

Rice Warns N. Korea Against Missile Test - June 19, 2006.

US warsn North Korea against 'provocative' missile launch - June 19, 2006.

N Korea threatens to 'wipe out' US forces - June 19, 2006.

Japan Warns North Korea Over Any Missile Attack - June 19, 2006.

North Korea Threatens To Wipe Out US Forces In South Korea - June 19, 2006.

North Korea Accuses US Spy Plane Of Intruding Into Its Territory - June 19, 2006.

North Korea Appears Close to Missile Test - June 18, 2006.

Pentagon warns over China buildup -- Pace and scope of modernization surprises analysts, report says - May 24, 2006.

China military upgrades a potential threat to US: Pentagon - May 23, 2006.

Iran receives 'missile shipment' from North Korea - April 27, 2006.

More muscle, with eye on China - April 20, 2006.

N. Korea Suggests It Can Strike U.S. First -- North Korea Suggests It Has Ability to Launch a Pre-Emptive Strike on the United States - March 21, 2006.

Thousands of Taiwanese hold anti-China rally - March 18, 2006.

N.Korea army threatens pre-emptive attack - March 14, 2006.

China Conference Slams Taiwan - March 14, 2006.

North Korea: U.S. Is Preparing Invasion - March 12, 2006.

Report: North Korea fires missiles - March 9, 2006.

N. Korea Launches Missiles Near China Border - March 8, 2006.

China Sends Warning To US Over Taiwan - March 7, 2006.

Taiwan Says It Now Faces Almost 800 Chinese Missiles - March 7, 2006.

'Taiwan independence' bid to bring disaster: China - March 1, 2006.

Negroponte Calls North Korea, China, Iran 'Threats to U.S. national security' - February 28, 2006.

Chen move threatens peace in the Strait - February 28, 2006.

Taiwan scrap unification council - February 27, 2006.

Taiwan scraps unification body -- Meeting draws fire from Beijing, alarm from U.S. - February 27, 2006.

Commercial photos show Chinese nuke buildup - February 16, 2006.

Amid China Threat US To Hold Mammoth Naval Operations In Pacific - February 15, 2006.

N. Korea Accuses U.S. of Plotting Attack - September 21, 2005.

Chinese warships cruis near gas field claimed by Japan - September 15, 2005.

War Is Not Far from Us and Is the Midwife of the Chinese Century -- Leading CCP official argues for exterminating U.S. population - August 8, 2005.

Top Chinese general warns US over attack - July 15, 2005.

China: We'd nuke U.S. if provoked over Taiwan -- Major general says Beijing prepared to use WMDs against American cities - July 14, 2005.

U.S. defense and intelligence officials voice fear 'Beijing will attack Taiwan in the next two years' -- 'Officials say all the signs point in one troubling direction: Beijing then will be forced to go to war with the United States, which has vowed to defend Taiwan against a Chinese attack' - June 26, 2005.

China's new missile 'warning to U.S.' -- Taiwan military experts say America should take notice - June 20, 2005.

PLA officer threatens America: 'China is not Iraq' - June 16, 2005.

Rumsfeld blows whistle on China military threat -- Defense secretary warns of hundreds of missiles targeting Taiwan, Beijing weapons spending - June 5, 2005.

North Korea Says US Stealth Bomber Move Signals Nuclear War - June 2, 2005.

N. Korea move concerns U.S. allies - May 12, 2005.

N. Korea 'boosts nuclear arsenal' - May 11, 2005.

New missile tested by N. Korea could reach U.S. base - May 11, 2005.

IAEA: N. Korea could have 5-6 nuclear weapons - May 8, 2005.

N. Korea nuke test preparations? -- Signs of activity raise alarm, uncertainty - May 7, 2005.

Japan Threatens to Take N. Korea Nukes Issue to U.N. - May 6, 2005.

UN chief Kofi Annan warns of nuclear catastrophe - May 3, 2005.

US Has 'Significant' Deterrent Capability Against North Korea: Rice - May 3, 2005.

Rice to N.Korea: U.S. Can Defend Itself - May 2, 2005.

N.Korea 'Bullies,' U.S. Says After Missile Reports - May 1, 2005.

N. Korea Missile Test Raises New Fears - May 1, 2005.

N. Korea Fires Missile Into Sea of Japan - May 1, 2005.

US: N. Korea apparently tests missile -- Development follows tough language in nuclear standoff - May 1, 2005.

Official: North Korea capable of firing nuclear-armed missile at US - April 28, 2005.

US envoy leaves Beijing concerned over possible North Korean nuclear test - April 27, 2005.

UN sanctions a 'declaration of war': N Korea Says - April 27, 2005.

China to deploy missiles near Taiwan - April 25, 2005.

US Debates Plan to Quarantine North Korea - April 25, 2005.

China blames Japan for tensions - April 11, 2005.

Chinese begin to worry U.S. military -- Officials say equation has shifted in event of a Taiwan crisis - April 8, 2005.

Massive Protest in Taiwan Against China Law - March 26, 2005.

Massive anti-China march in Taipei - March 26, 2005.

North Korea ready for war over nuclear issue: ambassador - March 25, 2005.

China Threatens Australia Over Alliance With U.S. -- "Australia had better not help the United States to defend Taiwan -- or else" - March 21, 2005.

North Korea an 'imminent threat' - March 18, 2005.

IAEA chief: N Korea bigger threat - March 17, 2005.

REPORT: CHINA, RUSSIA TO 'REHEARSE INVASION OF TAIWAN' - March 17, 2005.

Russian Army Chief Arrives in China Ahead of Joint War Games - March 17, 2005.

Chinese military growth raising tension, U.S. warns - March 16, 2005.

Chinese military given right to attack Taiwan - March 15, 2005.

N. Korea threatens to boost nukes,denouncing joint military drills planned this week by United States and South Korea as preparations for an invasion of the North - March 15, 2005.

N. Korea: S. Korea-US Joint Military Operation Could End in Real War - March 14, 2005.

Taiwan: China's War bill a big provocation - March 14, 2005.

China Law Authorizes Force Against Taiwan - March 14, 2005.

Beijing warns of invasion if Taiwan dares to declare its independence - March 9, 2005.

Beijing lays down law over Taiwan -- China warns military action against Taiwan if peaceful means fail to stop move towards independence - March 8, 2005.

China warns US, Japan to keep Taiwan out of military pact - March 6, 2005.

N. Korea: Japan, U.S. plotting invasion - February 21, 2005.

U.S., Japan upset China on Taiwan - February 20, 2005.

Goss: North Korea's nuclear capability grown -- CIA director also cites chemical, biological weapons programs - February 17, 2005.

CIA issues warning on China's military efforts - February 16, 2005.

North Korea Confirms It Has Nuclear Weapons - February 10, 2005.

China builds up strategic sea lanes - January 19, 2005.

Japan maps plan to defend southern islands against military attack - January 16, 2005.

Taiwan deploys missiles on mobile launchers to counter Chinese attack - January 16, 2005.

N.Korea says nuclear war risk on rise - January 10, 2005.

N. Korea Issues Guidlines for War With U.S. - January 5, 2005.

ElBaradei Says N.Korea Nuke Crisis Getting Worse - January 5, 2005.

Jihad In North Korea: Communism's Embrace Of Islam - January 4, 2005.

Iraq, Iran, North Korea Top Bush Agenda - January 2, 2005.

Danger of nuclear war mounting on Korean peninsula: North Korea - January 1, 2005.

North Korea says Japanese sanctions would be 'declaration of war' - December 15, 2004.

China, Russia Will Hold First War Games - December 13, 2004.

Fears on North Korea's nuclear status - December 7, 2004.

Hawk Engagement: A Dangerous Turn in US Plans for North Korea - November 30, 2004.

Militia Squads to Defend Russia's Disputed Kuril Islands - November 16, 2004.

Russian Far East Outraged Over Return of Kuriles to Japan - November 15, 2004.

China warns Taiwan against provocation - November 15, 2004.

Japan Says Chinese Sub Intruded Waters - November 12, 2004.

Japan says submarine was Chinese - November 12, 2004.

Japan on alert after sub scare - November 10, 2004.

Sea border breach irks South Korea - November 10, 2004.

U.S. Nuclear Weapon to Be Used in Case of N. Korea's Invasion - November 7, 2004.

N. Korea warns of naval conflict - November 2, 2004.

S. Korean boats fire warning shots - November 1, 2004.

North Korea argues US force cutback means war imminent - November 1, 2004.

South Korea on alert - October 26, 2004.

DMZ breach raises spy fears - October 26, 2004.

Islamic Terror Group: Seoul Will Burn if Zaitoon Unit is Not out of Iraq in Seven Days - October 20, 2004.

N Korea warns of "grave consequences" - October 16, 2004.

China sends more troops to N. Korea border -- 150,000 troops already deployed - October 16, 2004.

S.Korea navy ship sinks amid N.Korea alert - October 13, 2004.

Threat of Iran, North Korea Getting Nukes Makes 2005 a Scary Year - October 7, 2004.

US deploys destroyers off North Korea as part of missile defense system - October 1, 2004.

U.S. Deploys Destroyers in East Sea to Watch North Korea - September 30, 2004.

China warns against Taiwanese war threat - September 29, 2004.

North Korea says danger of war rising, blames US - September 27, 2004.

US concerned about signs of N Korean missile test -- N Korea accuses Japan of wanting "to invade N Korea" - September 27, 2004.

7th Fleet on mission to keep Asia stable -- United States deploys ships for missile defense against N Korea - September 26, 2004.

THE NEXT WAR FRONT: Kerry criticizes Bush over N Korea and Iran, urging direct engagement - September 25, 2004.

Tokyo conducts drills in case of missile attack on Yokota Air Base - September 25, 2004.

U.S. destroyers deploying off N. Korea - September 24, 2004.

Japan fears North Korea ballistic missile launch -- Warships dispatched to Sea of Japan - September 24, 2004.

US warns N. Korea against missile test, threats - September 24, 2004.

North Korea threatens to turn Japan into "nuclear sea of fire" - September 23, 2004.

North Korea may be preparing to test-fire missile - September 23, 2004.

N. Korea and Iran: The terrorist threat that lies ahead - "Iraq, with all its problems, is only the opening act of the drama now ahead of us" - September 17, 2004.

Mystery surrounds N. Korea cloud - September 13, 2004.

Massive Explosion in North Korea - September 12, 2004.

Report: Mushroom Cloud Seen After N.Korean Explosion - September 11, 2004.

China will send troops to Haiti - September 6, 2004.

Taiwan Says China Ships Challenge U.S. Defense Line - August 25, 2004.

Taiwan stages war games as report shows China would win in six days - August 11, 2004.

US may move second aircraft carrier to Asia-Pacific - August 11, 2004.

China will have 800 missiles aimed at Taiwan by 2005 - August 11, 2004.