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Anonymous ID: 8ed09a Oct. 15, 2018, 7:22 a.m. No.3484004   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>4012 >>4028 >>4029 >>4071

In an apparent first-of-its-kind operation, or at least the first to be successful against the Chinese government, U.S. authorities have secured the extradition of a senior member of that country’s top civilian intelligence agency from Belgium after coaxing him there in the first place. Yanjun Xu stands accused of orchestrating the theft of trade secrets, potentially including details on U.S. military-related systems, from American aerospace companies including GE Aviation. The news comes as President Donald Trump and his administration have become increasingly critical of various Chinese activities targeting the United States, including its long-standing economic and military espionage operations.

 

Belgian authorities arrested Xu on April 1, 2018, and the U.S. Department of Justice announced his extradition to the United States on Oct. 10, 2018. The intelligence officer, the deputy division head of the Jiangsu Province office of the Ministry of State Security (MSS), reportedly first began attempting to infiltrate into the American aviation and aerospace sectors in December 2013.

 

Sauce: http://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/24156/u-s-and-belgium-nab-chinese-spy-accused-of-stealing-ge-jet-engine-tech-and-more

Anonymous ID: 8ed09a Oct. 15, 2018, 8:11 a.m. No.3484367   🗄️.is 🔗kun

TRADE DISPUTE DISRUPTION

 

The slowdown comes amid concerns that the world’s most populous country may struggle to secure enough corn to produce biofuel without disrupting food supplies and prices of the grain.

 

Some 45 million tonnes of corn, almost a quarter of the country’s current annual demand, would be needed to make enough ethanol for a national roll-out.

 

Domestic corn supplies have dwindled in recent years, leaving little cushion for the extra demand just as Beijing ratchets up pressure on Washington in their escalating trade dispute.

 

Beijing will hit corn imports from the United States, one of its top suppliers, with hefty extra tariffs from Friday.

 

China already imposes a 30 percent tariff on all ethanol imports, keeping arrivals to a trickle. In April, it slapped an extra 15 percent tariff on imports from the United States, the world’s top producer, and is set to impose another 25 percent on Friday.

 

And after years of selling off its 200 million ton corn stockpile, the state reserves, which were expected to help feed the new factories, will run out of corn by the end of next year, according to Reuters calculations.

 

Sauce: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trade-china-ethanol/chinas-ethanol-push-in-doubt-as-u-s-trade-dispute-widens-idUSKBN1JV0RP

 

This is an article from July 2018; but may add some perspective as to the increase in US Ethanol production. Quite the bargaining chip if China runs out of supply.