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Xi calls on Chinese troops to intensify training for “actual combat”

Chinese President Xi Jinping has called on his troops to level up their military training with a focus on “actual combat.”

This statement came amid heightened tensions over Taiwan after the communist regime concluded military exercises around the island. The United States and its allies watched the exercises closely as their global strategic and economic interests are on the line.

Xi made the comment during his visit to see Chinese naval troops stationed in the southern province of Guangdong, an area directly facing the South China Sea and Taiwan. Both areas would be on the front line in the event of a hot war between the nations.

The Chinese president had also urged troops to deepen military training in preparation and take the Chinese military modernization to the next level.

Xi added that China must be “innovative in its concepts and methods of combat.”

The Chinese leader reportedly made the defense of Beijing’s territorial sovereignty and maritime interests as the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy’s core mission, in addition to the protection of overall peripheral stability.

“And they gathered them together to the place called in Hebrew, Armageddon.” Revelation 16:16

Image: Xi calls on Chinese troops to intensify training for “actual combat”

China has not ruled out military options in “reunification” with Taiwan

Beijing considers the fully democratic island of Taiwan to be an inalienable part of its territory that has been taken over by separatists. It is also accusing the U.S. of meddling in its domestic affairs and encouraging so-called “secessionist” politicians, including current Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-Wen, who has routinely tried to assert her country’s sovereignty and independence without actually claiming that she supports the creation of an independent Republic of Taiwan.

Read More @ Natural News HERE

US Debt: Visualizing The $31.4 Trillion Owed In 2023

Can you picture what $31.4 trillion looks like?

The enormity of U.S. government debt is hard for the average person to wrap their head around. For instance, compared to the median U.S. mortgage, the current level of federal debt is 230 million times larger.

In this graphic, Visual Capitalist’s Julie Peasley shows how many one-dollar bills it would take to stack up to the total U.S. debt of $31.4 trillion.

The rich rules over the poor,
And the borrower is servant to the lender.” Proverbs 22:7

How Did U.S. Debt Get So High?

U.S. national debt is how much money the federal government owes to creditors. When the government spends more than it earns, it has a budget deficit and must issue debt in the form of Treasury securities.

The U.S. has run a deficit for the last 20 years, substantially increasing the national debt. In fact, according to the Department of the Treasury, the current debt is $31.4 trillion.

Stacked up in one-dollar bills, the U.S. debt would be equivalent to almost eight of Chicago’s 110-story Willis Tower.

Year Outstanding Debt Year-Over-Year Increase
2023* $31.4T 2%
2022 $30.9T 9%
2021 $28.4T 6%
2020 $26.9T 19%
2019 $22.7T 6%
2018 $21.5T 6%
2017 $20.2T 3%
2016 $19.6T 8%
2015 $18.2T 2%
2014 $17.8T 6%
2013 $16.7T 4%
2012 $16.1T 9%
2011 $14.8T 9%
2010 $13.6T 14%
2009 $11.9T 19%
2008 $10.0T 11%
2007 $9.0T 6%
2006 $8.5T 7%
2005 $7.9T 8%
2004 $7.4T 9%
2003 $6.8T 9%
2002 $6.2T 7%
2001 $5.8T 2%
2000 $5.7T 0%

Source: Fiscal Data. Debt for 2023 is as of January, with the year-over-year increase reflecting the growth from October 2022 to January 2023. October is the start of the fiscal year for the U.S. government. Debt includes both debt held by the public and intragovernmental holdings.

The last time the government had a surplus was in 2001, when debt rose only 2% due to interest costs. Since then, the largest jumps in U.S. debt have been during the Global Financial Crisis—which saw three straight years of double-digit growth rates—and in 2020 due to trillions of dollars of COVID-19 stimulus.

U.S. federal debt rises during recessions because government revenue, primarily composed of taxes, decreases. At the same time, the government increases spending to help stimulate an economic recovery.

Read More @ Zero Hedge HERE