China has established a beachhead even closer to the U.S. with its plans to build a military base on an island belonging to the small island-nation of Kiribati – only 1,800 miles southwest of major U.S. bases on Hawaii. The Chinese plans reportedly involve construction on the tiny island of Kanton (also spelled Canton), a coral atoll measuring only 15 square miles. It is strategically located midway between Asia and the Americas, notes Reuters.
“The island would be a fixed aircraft carrier,” said one adviser to Pacific governments, who declined to be named because of the sensitivity of the project.
Kanton has a population of about 20 people and is part of Kiribati’s wider ‘Phoenix Islands’ group, none of the others of which are inhabited.
This strategic move breaks decades of pro-U.S. alignment by Kiribati. Kanton has been used by the U.S. for space and missile tracking operations and its nearly 6,300 ft runway hosted long-range bombers during WWII, but in late 2019 it severed diplomatic ties with Taiwan in favor of China; a controversial decision at the time.
With only 120,000 residents, Kiribati also controls one of the biggest exclusive economic zones in the world, covering more than 2.2 million square miles of the Pacific. Many analysts believe CHina corruptly bought its influence with the current leadership of Kiribati, as part of its massive influence operation throughout the region.
The island’s airfield’s runway is potentially threatening to U.S. forces in the region, explains The Drive. While officially measuring 6,230 feet in length, the total unimproved length is closer to 8,000 feet, based on satellite imagery.
The Drive adds:
The existing runway at Canton Airport, once modernized, could be long enough to support fighter deployments, but the improved section would likely need to be extended out to the full 8,000 feet length to support large-size transports, as well as maritime patrol aircraft or even bombers…
The location of the airstrip would be especially useful for surveillance aircraft flights, including those by long-endurance unmanned aircraft, extending reach toward both Hawaii in one direction, and Australia and New Zealand in the other. Persistent intelligence-gathering, sea control, and long-range maritime targeting would all be of interest for the People’s Liberation Army in this region.
The Drive continues:
…if China’s developments at Canton Airport come to fruition and have an overt military component, they could also include other anti-access and area denial capabilities, such as surface-to-air missiles or shore-based anti-ship cruise missiles. Command and control and communications nodes might be another addition to any such military complex. This would all be similar to what has been seen on China’s man-made outposts in the South China Sea, which also simply underscore the country’s demonstrated ability to turn remote, uninhabited islands into important military facilities.
China is attempting to do today what Japan did during world war 2. Will the mainstream news media report on this?
Remember what the empty suit in the white house said.”They’re not bad folks, folks. “
They’re gonna eat our lunch, come on man, their not bad folks!! Whatamoron!
Well, we’ve likely added another name to our strategic target list. Or at least we should have.
LISTEN UP…HOW about GOD Just send a METEOR to CHINA….that Would SOLVE On e PROBLEM. From SamuraiQueen. 😄😄😄
China is bying up everything, countries, so they have a strategic, advantage for war that their getting ready for with us. They know we have a weak,frail,senile,old,fool running the country, who is spineless, and will not challenge them. So is russia testing him in ukraine, knowing he won’t challenge them either. The hidenbiden administration armed the terrorists in palestine, so now their trying to destroy Israel because of biden, and iran has been paid off again, to continue their terrorism. Hidenbiden needs to be removed before he starts WW3, he is unfit,unstable,unhinged, and meantally gone to make any rational decisions,Time for u spineless,repukes to stand up to this blithering,idiot, before America is lost forever.
Biden, Obama , Hillary and Kerry have all committed Treason!
actually the list of politicians the have commited treason is really, about all of them. Just syin’
It’s not biden. It is all the usper rioch that are calling all thd shots, paying all these very low life politicians to do thu==ier bidding. No these super rich want the world so they csn have complete control and screw the majority of the population. Boy will movements (terrorist movements) like blm be crying then.
Time to turn the new ghost airstrip atop a coral atoll into a shimmering, glowing plate of volcanic glass.
We had to know this was coming…. When I say “we” I mean the readers and writers of the article…. Can anyone say “Cuban missile crisis”?
Just realize that some day, this will all be over…for some, there will be instant joy, for others, long lasting pain and torture…. Choose you this day whom you will serve…. Be ready!
I doubt they would have done this while DJT was CINC.
We need him back immediately, and he really did win the election!
What if the US invaded Kiribati (now, before the Chinese are established) and then offered to leave once 1) China was out of Tibet and the South China Sea and 2) Russia was out of Crimea and Eastern Ukraine?
The cabal, including, Klaus Schwab, Bill Gates, Ed Schmidt, Obama, Biden, Hillary, etc., have been feeding China our secrets for a very long time now. They decided to make the East great while destroying the West. The worst player of all is Soros!
Quote: “Kiribati also controls one of the biggest exclusive economic zones in the world, covering more than 2.2 million square miles of the Pacific”
Joe Biden will say “Not anymore”.
Kiribati, curiously isn’t on the list of the world’s top navies… So theoretically they control pretty much, nothing! Part of the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean, but there’s plenty of ways to go around Kirabati, Tarawa and the Gilberts. When trade moves northwest to the Marianas, Palau or Chuk, better for our allies!
Their latest president elected is a Chinophile!
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taneti_Maamau