More China expansion

China now trying to expand its territory to island within reach of Hawaii and across major sea lanes between North America, and Australia and New Zealand.

Kanton Island of Kiribati "has been used by the U.S. for space and missile tracking operations and its near 2-kilometre (6,562 ft) runway hosted long-range bombers during the war." Kiribati also has a "mothballed Chinese space tracking station."

Think "fixed aircraft carrier."

"In late 2019 [Kiribati] severed diplomatic ties with Taiwan in favour of China, in a decision overseen by Maamau, who went on to win aclosely contested electionon a pro-China platform."

Did Maamau get election help from China?

https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2021-05-05/exclusive-china-plans-to-revive-strategic-pacific-airstrip-kiribati-lawmaker-says

https://archive.md/hMMeG

Exclusive: China Plans to Revive Strategic Pacific Airstrip, Kiribati Lawmaker Says

By Jonathan Barrett of Reuters

|May 5, 2021, at 3:15 a.m.

SYDNEY (Reuters) - China has drawn up plans to upgrade an airstrip and bridge on one of Kiribati's remote islands about 3,000km southwest of Hawaii, lawmakers told Reuters, in a bid to revive a site that hosted military aircraft during World War Two.

The plans, which have not been made public, involve construction on the tiny island of Kanton (also spelled Canton), a coral atoll strategically located midway between Asia and the Americas.

Kiribati opposition lawmaker Tessie Lambourne told Reuters she was concerned about the project, and wanted to know whether it was part of China's Belt and Road Initiative.

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Some background on the friendly ties between China and Kiribati’s President Taneti Maamau, which resumed in 2019 after Kiribati cut relations with Taiwan. "Up until [2003], China had operated a space tracking station in Kiribati, which played a role in tracking China’s first manned space flight."

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-kiribati-idUSKBN1WC2KB

https://archive.md/uJVeZ

China restores ties with Kiribati, site of space tracking station

SEPTEMBER 27, 2019 / 11:02 PM