July 1, 2021
WW3 fears as US ‘warned it could face Pearl Harbor-style attack’ as Russia conducts war games off Hawaii
by Henry Holloway
the-sun.com
WORLD War 3 fears are raging in the Pacific as tensions rage between the US, China and Russia with dire warnings of the threat of another "Pearl Harbour".
Japanese defence minister Yasuhide Nakayama gave a chilling assessment of the situation as discussed threats from China to Taiwan and potentially to Hawaii from Russia.
Russian ships and warplanes allegedly came as close as 35 miles from Hawaii
Russia carried out the biggest drill of its kind since the Cold War
Yasuhide Nakayama warned the US could face an attack like Pearl Harbor
Mr Nakayama was speaking at the Hudson Institute and reportedly claimed China and Russia are preparing jointly for the threat of a major war exploding in the region, according to the Washington Examiner.
"We have to show the deterrence towards China, and not just China but also the Russians, because, as I told you, that they are doing their exercises together," he said.
And to hammer home is point about the threat in the Pacific, he pointed to recent war games which Russia carried out just 35 miles from the US state Hawaii.
He compared the threat to that of Pearl Harbor, the Japanese surprise attack that dragged the US into World War 2 at the end of 1941.
"Seventy years ago, we attacked Pearl Harbor, but now the U.S. and Japan [are] very good allies, one of the best allies all over the world," he said.
"I don't want to remind [us of the attack] 70 years ago, but we have to be careful of the exercising of the Russians.
"They are taking place [off] the western side of that, Honolulu, I mean, in Hawaii."
Russian war games saw the USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier and its strike group deployed to the region for its own exercises.
And meanwhile Vladimir Putin's forces practised sinking enemy ships nearby with "missile and artillery firings" designed to check their readiness in a "hot climate".
Mr Nakayama described the stretch of sea between Japan and Hawaii - an area of around 4,100 miles - as becoming zone often used by Russia and China.
He said: "So, [for] the United States, the protection line is going to be backwards a little bit."
US forces had to scramble F-22 fighter jets to meet Russian bombers near Hawaii to ensure they did not enter US airspace - an incident which took place as Putin was due to meet US President Joe Biden.
Putin has this year ordered a succession of military exercises across Russia’s eleven time zones amid the highest tension between East and West since the collapse of the Soviet Union three decades ago.
And amid the warnings in the Pacific, NATO war games are taking place in the Black Sea following a tense stand off between the Russian navy and British destroyer HMS Defender.
More than 2,000 Americans died when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor in 1941
Mr Nakayama also spoke about the seemingly constant threat from China towards Taiwan - with the Communist giant seeking to "reunify" with the breakaway island that has declared independence.
Chinese military exercises near the island have been taking place, and its feared that Beijing could be preparing for an invasion.
The Japanese minister said: "I think the Taiwanese are really concerned. And also, they’re focusing on the two big countries collaborating and [presenting] a lot of threat towards Taiwan."
China regards Taiwan as a renegade province, by the island's government maintain a positive relationship with the US who appear willing to defend them from aggression from Beijing.
"He have to protect Taiwan as a democratic country," he said.
And as expected, China reacted angrily to Mr Nakayama's description of Taiwan as a "country" on multiple occasions.
China's ambitions to reclaim Taiwan were hammered home again today as the Communist Party marked its hundredth anniversary with a fiery speech from President Xi Jinping.
China has undertaken an ambitious programme to boost its military might
President Xi said: "Solving the Taiwan question and realising the complete reunification of the motherland are the unswerving historical tasks of the Chinese Communist Party and the common aspiration of all Chinese people.
"All sons and daughters of China, including compatriots on both sides of the Taiwan Strait, must work together and move forward in solidarity, resolutely smashing any 'Taiwan independence' plots."
Taiwan hit back quickly and blasted China for trampling on people's freedoms and accused it of being a dictatorship, and said it will defend its sovereignty from Beijing.
Elsewhere in his speech, President Xi also appeared to throw down a gauntlet as an ambitious China continues to rise despite the Covid pandemic.
He warned China's enemies would "have their heads bashed bloody"- as chilling satellite pictures reveal he is building more than 100 new nuclear missile silos.
The all-powerful leader told crowds that "no one should underestimate the resolve" of the Chinese people , and that Beijing would put an end to "sanctimonious preaching" - another veiled dig at Washington.
Joe Biden has pledged to confront challenges from both Russia and China
Vladimir Putin always denies any aggressive intent from Russia
Xi Jinping has promised to 'bash bloody' anyone who takes on China
Meanwhile, yesterday Putin was also talking tough as he claimed he could have sunk HMS Defender without sparking World War 3.
He boasted his forces could have attacked the ship as the West knows "full well that they can't win in that war" - and he also suggested the clash was calculated with the US.
Putin also called Ukrainians and Russians "one people" in response to a question on Moscow's tug-of-war with Kyiv over its eastern territories.
Moscow had sparked further tensions earlier this year by massing almost 100,000 troops near the border its former Soviet neighbour amid fears of an invasion.
Cold War-esque tensions appear to be heating up as the world continues to emerge from the pandemic.
China is facing accusations of its human rights record, claims it has covered up key questions about Covid, and fears over its ambitions in the South China Sea and against Taiwan.
Russia meanwhile continues to face accusations over election interference, cyber attacks and its apparent aggression towards Ukraine.
Putin has taunted the US, saying their world dominance is “over” and threatened to strike back if any “boundaries are crossed”.
http://www.the-sun.com/news/3196388/ww3-pearl-harbor-russia-hawaii/
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