China's supersonic stealth bomber could be ready later this year - making it the third country alongside US and Russia capable of launching nukes from land, sea or air

  • Stealth bomber Xian H-20 has been in development for a number of years
  • Beijing is considering rolling it out this year amid escalating global tensions
  • It would complete China's nuclear triad and double its strike range
China's new supersonic stealth bomber could be ready later this year.
The feared Xian H-20, which doubles China's strike range and completes its nuclear triad, puts Australia, Japan and Korea all within range.
It would mean China would join the US and Russia is possessing a three-pronged military force that can launch nuclear missiles from air, land and sea. 
China's new supersonic bomber, the Xian H-20, could be ready later this year, completing the country's nuclear triad (artist's impression)
China's new supersonic bomber, the Xian H-20, could be ready later this year, completing the country's nuclear triad (artist's impression)
Beijing has been weighing up when to roll out the bomber amid escalating tensions due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Military sources told the South China Morning Post the bomber could make its first public appearance at this year's Zhuhai Airshow in November.
The sources said: 'The Zhuhai Airshow is expected to become a platform to promote China's image and its success in pandemic control – telling the outside world that the contagion did not have any big impacts on Chinese defence industry enterprises.' 
Amid an escalating war of words between Washington and Beijing over COVID-19, the bomber could further ramp up tensions by exposing US bases and fleets in the Pacific.
Both countries have increased naval patrols in the Taiwan Strait and the South and East China seas. 
The H-20 is a strategic bomber similar to the B-2 or B-21, according to the US Defense Intelligence Agency.
Amid an escalating war of words between Washington and Beijing over COVID-19, the bomber could further ramp up tensions by exposing US bases and fleets in the Pacific.
Both countries have increased naval patrols in the Taiwan Strait and the South and East China seas. 
The H-20 is a strategic bomber similar to the B-2 or B-21, according to the US Defense Intelligence Agency.
Tensions have been escalating between the US and China over coronavirus which is believed to have started in Wuhan
Tensions have been escalating between the US and China over coronavirus which is believed to have started in Wuhan
The US defence department has estimated a cruising distance of more than 5,300 miles for the H-20.
The bomber will be equipped with nuclear and conventional missiles with a maximum take-off weight of more than 200 tonnes.
Another source said: 'Like intercontinental ballistic missiles, all strategic bombers can be used for delivering nuclear weapons … if China claimed it had pursued a national defence policy which is purely defensive in nature, why would it need such an offensive weapon?'   
They also revealed that if the US deploys more F-35 supersonic fighter jets, it would push China to bring forward the unveiling of the bomber.
The US has already sold around 200 of the fighter jets to Japan and South Korea.   
The H-20 is believed to have been in development since the early 2000s, but the project was first publicly announced in 2016.  

China accuses the US of launching 'unprecedented propaganda warfare' and even blames Trump for 'impeding global efforts to fight COVID-19' after the president accused Beijing of cover-up

    By Billie Thomson for MailOnline 
    A major Chinese propaganda outlet has accused the US of launching 'unprecedented propaganda warfare' as Beijing sharpens its rhetoric against Washington amid a diplomatic war over the new coronavirus.
    The Global Times, a state-backed newspaper, also blamed Trump for 'trying to impede global efforts in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic'.
    The fresh editorial attack came as Trump yesterday said that China had made a 'horrible mistake' and tried to cover-up the coronavirus outbreak.
    Hours before Trump's remarks, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo claimed there was 'enormous evidence' to show that the virus escaped from a lab in Wuhan, where the pandemic first emerged in December. 
    China's President Xi (pictured on January 17) is facing widespread doubts that his government has covered up the true scale of the outbreak
    Trump (pictured on January 15) yesterday said that China had made a 'horrible mistake' and tried to cover-up the crisis
    China's President Xi (left, pictured on January 17) is facing widespread doubts that his government has covered up the true scale of the outbreak. Trump (right, pictured on January 15) yesterday said that China had made a 'horrible mistake' and tried to cover-up the crisis
    The US has become the country worst-hit by the deadly disease, with more than 68,000 recorded COVID-19 deaths. Pictured, people wear protective face masks as they wait in line to receive free food at a curbside pantry for needy residents in Brooklyn, NYC, on April 24
    The US has become the country worst-hit by the deadly disease, with more than 68,000 recorded COVID-19 deaths. Pictured, people wear protective face masks as they wait in line to receive free food at a curbside pantry for needy residents in Brooklyn, NYC, on April 24
    China's President Xi is facing widespread doubts that his government has covered up the true scale of the outbreak.
    As many as 232,000 people may have contracted the disease in China during the epidemic, experts in Hong Kong believe. The figure is four times the official tally released by Beijing.
    World leaders, including Angela Merkel and Emmanuel Macron, have hinted their disapproval of Chinese tactics of false information amid the ongoing pandemic.
    An internal report from China reveals that global anti-China sentiment is at its highest since the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown. 
    The backlash, led by the US, needs to be prepared in a worst-case scenario for armed confrontation between the two global powers, according to sources familiar with the document.
    'We've said from the beginning that this was a virus that originated in Wuhan, China,' Pompeo said on ABC. 'We took a lot of grief for that from the outset. Remember, China has a history of infecting the world, and they have a history of running substandard laboratories,' he added
    'We've said from the beginning that this was a virus that originated in Wuhan, China,' Pompeo said on ABC. 'We took a lot of grief for that from the outset. Remember, China has a history of infecting the world, and they have a history of running substandard laboratories,' he added
    Chinese officials have denied there is any connection between the outbreak and the Institute of Virology in Wuhan. The picture shows researchers working in the lab in February, 2017
    Chinese officials have denied there is any connection between the outbreak and the Institute of Virology in Wuhan. The picture shows researchers working in the lab in February, 2017
    Chinese officials have denied there is any connection between the outbreak and the Institute of Virology in Wuhan. The picture shows researchers working in the lab in February, 2017
    The Global Times was blasting Pompeo's claims over the virus's origin when it escalated its war of words against the Trump administration. 
    The harsh column accused Pompeo of 'bluffing' and continuing to 'fool' the American public.
    It said: 'Since Pompeo said his claims are supported by "enormous evidence," then he should present this so-called evidence to the world, and especially to the American public who he continually tries to fool.
    'The truth is that Pompeo does not have any evidence, and during Sunday's interview, he was bluffing.
    It continued: 'The Trump administration continues to engage in unprecedented propaganda warfare while trying to impede global efforts in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic.
    'The most urgent tasks for international communities are to prevent the virus from spreading and to save lives while restarting the world economy.
    'Ironically, Washington has put forth the weakest efforts in accomplishing the aforementioned tasks.'
    Hu Xijin, the editor-in-chief of the Global Times, last Friday accused Trump of 'publicly lying about China'. He wrote in a column 'Why is the American public so easily fooled?'
    Hu Xijin, the editor-in-chief of the Global Times, last Friday accused Trump of 'publicly lying about China'. He wrote in a column 'Why is the American public so easily fooled?'
    Trump (pictured on April 30) last week made the explosive charge that the coronavirus - which has killed more than 247,000 worldwide and wreaked havoc on the global economy - might have been created in a Chinese lab. He also threatened to impose new tariffs on China
    Trump (pictured on April 30) last week made the explosive charge that the coronavirus - which has killed more than 247,000 worldwide and wreaked havoc on the global economy - might have been created in a Chinese lab. He also threatened to impose new tariffs on China
    The article then suggested that Trump and his team were trying to divert the public's attention from their 'incompetent' in the hope of winning the election this year.
    It wrote: 'As the US presidential election campaigns are underway, the Trump administration has implemented a strategy designed to divert attention from the incompetence it has displayed in fighting the pandemic.
    'It is clear that their goal is to blame China for the pandemic by pinpointing the country as the source of COVID-19.'
    Last week Trump told reporters that he had seen proof that suggests the virus originated in the lab, but he did not go into detail.
    'If Washington has solid evidence, then it should let research institutes and scientists examine and verify it,' the Global Times asserted in today's commentary.
    'Another option would be to have intelligence agencies release a detailed report on the origin of the virus, which would help the White House keep its fabrications moving forward.'
    Beijing insists the WHO has found no evidence that the novel coronavirus was manmade. 
    The pandemic has killed more than 247,000 people and infected over 3.5 million worldwide
    The pandemic has killed more than 247,000 people and infected over 3.5 million worldwide
    A video released by Chinese state broadcaster CCTV in February shows virologists donning spacesuit-like protective gears as they work in the P4 lab at the Wuhan Institute of Virology
    A video released by Chinese state broadcaster CCTV in February shows virologists donning spacesuit-like protective gears as they work in the P4 lab at the Wuhan Institute of Virology
    Billed as China's 'most belligerent tabloid', the Global Times has been at the forefront of defending Beijing's actions and denouncing the West over its criticism against the Community Party.
    It slams the Trump administration nearly every day amid the global outbreak.
    The paper's editor-in-chief, Hu Xijin, last Friday launched an astonishing attack on Trump, accusing him of 'publicly lying about China'.
    Hu admitted that 'some Chinese experts made some misjudgments at the early stage of the outbreak' before quickly pointing his finger at Trump, saying that the US President 'had repeatedly downplayed the risk of the outbreak and brushed aside warnings'.
    He continued: 'Then there is the fact that Trump can boost himself in the US and shirk his responsibility for failing to fight the epidemic by publicly lying about China.
    'Why is the American public so easily fooled?'
    Beijing and Washington have been locking horns in a tit-for-tat diplomatic dispute over the COVID-19 pandemic.

    Chinese state media intensifies anti-US propaganda campaigns

    Various other Chinese state media outlets have also intensified their campaigns in stirring up anti-US sentiment. 
    China's state broadcaster on Monday branded Pompeo's remarks over the virus's origin as 'insane and evasive'.
    Titled 'Evil Pompeo is wantonly spewing poison and spreading lies', the scathing commentary cited WHO executive director Mike Ryan and Columbia University virologist W. Ian Lipkin, who claimed that the virus is natural in origin and was not man-made or leaked from a laboratory.
    China's CCTV branded Pompeo's remarks over the virus's origin as 'insane and evasive' in a commentary titled 'evil Pompeo is wantonly spewing poison and spreading lies'
    China's CCTV branded Pompeo's remarks over the virus's origin as 'insane and evasive' in a commentary titled 'evil Pompeo is wantonly spewing poison and spreading lies'
    Pompeo has said there is 'enormous evidence' showing the virus originated in a lab
    Pompeo has said there is 'enormous evidence' showing the virus originated in a lab
    'These flawed and unreasonable remarks by American politicians make it clear to more and more people that no "evidence" exists,' the commentary said.
    'The so-called 'virus leaked from a Wuhan lab' hype is a complete and utter lie. American politicians are rushing to shift the blame, cheat votes and suppress China when their own domestic anti-epidemic efforts are a mess.'
    Two further commentaries published on Monday by state newspaper People's Daily attacked Pompeo and former White House strategist Steve Bannon as a "pair of lying clowns", and blasted Bannon as a "Cold War living fossil".
    Bannon last week said on a US far-right talk show that China had committed a "biological Chernobyl" against America and advocated the theory that the virus originated in the Wuhan Institute of Virology, echoing recent White House rhetoric.
    The US accuses China of covering up the outbreak, hiding its real origin and taking advantage of the crisis to push its territorial ambitions.
    China accuses the US of carrying out 'smear campaigns' and avoiding its responsibilities in containing the disease. A spokesperson has also suggested that the virus might have been brought to Wuhan by US troops.
    Trump suggested last night that the coronavirus pandemic sweeping the globe was the result of a 'horrible mistake' made by China and that Chinese officials tried to cover it up.
    The president continued to point the finger at Beijing and fuelled growing suggestions that COVID-19 spread from a Wuhan laboratory before snowballing into a worldwide pandemic.
    His fiery remarks at Sunday's Fox News virtual town hall meeting at Washington's Lincoln Memorial came hours after Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said there was a 'significant amount of evidence' the virus had escaped.
    President Donald Trump suggested that the coronavirus pandemic sweeping the globe is the result of a 'horrible mistake' made by China
    President Donald Trump suggested that the coronavirus pandemic sweeping the globe is the result of a 'horrible mistake' made by China
    Trump also said there was enough evidence to prove President Xi Jinping's regime misled the world. The Chinese leader is pictured during a visit to the province of Shaanxi on April 20
    Trump also said there was enough evidence to prove President Xi Jinping's regime misled the world. The Chinese leader is pictured during a visit to the province of Shaanxi on April 20
    Trump also said there was enough evidence to prove President Xi Jinping's regime misled the global community.
    'Well, I don't think there's any question about it. We wanted to go in; they didn't want us to go in. Things are coming out that are pretty compelling. I don't think there's any question,' the president said Sunday.
    'Personally, I think they made a horrible mistake, and they didn't want to admit it,' he added.
    His comments came as a Department of Homeland Security report shared on Sunday revealed US officials believe China' intentionally concealed the severity' of the pandemic in early January and hoarded medical supplies.
    The four-page report dated May 1 that was obtained by the Associated Press notes that China downplayed the virus publicly but increased imports and decreased exports of medical supplies.
    The document accuses China of covering their tracks by 'denying there were export restrictions and obfuscating and delaying provision of its trade data.'
    It lends weight to a leaked dossier drawn up by the Five Eyes intelligence alliance which describes how Beijing made whistleblowers' disappear', destroyed virus samples in the early days and scrubbed the internet of any mention of the disease in the early stages.
    Dr Yuan Zhiming (pictured), the deputy head of the Wuhan Institute of Virology, told CGTN 'there's no way this virus came from us'. He also refuted claims that the virus was man-made
    Dr Yuan Zhiming (pictured), the deputy head of the Wuhan Institute of Virology, told CGTN 'there's no way this virus came from us'. He also refuted claims that the virus was man-made
    The Wuhan Institute of Virology (pictured) is affiliated to the Chinese Academy of Sciences
    The Wuhan Institute of Virology (pictured) is affiliated to the Chinese Academy of Sciences
    Earlier on Sunday Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that 'a significant amount of evidence' suggested the virus came from the Wuhan lab.
    'I can tell you that there is a significant amount of evidence that this came from that laboratory in Wuhan.
    'These are not the first time that we've had a world exposed to viruses as a result of failures in a Chinese lab,' Pompeo said on ABC's This Week.
    The US intelligence community said it believes that COVID-19 was not 'manmade or genetically modified' but was investigating whether it was caused by 'an accident at a laboratory in Wuhan'.
    However, Chinese officials and scientists have denied that there is any connection between the outbreak and the Institute of Virology in Wuhan that studies infectious diseases, including coronavirus.
    Dr Yuan Zhiming, the deputy head of the Wuhan Institute of Virology, hit back at the accusations in an interview with state media last month.
    'There's no way this virus came from us,' Dr Yuan told CGTN, the English-language arm of CCTV.
    'I know it's impossible,' he added. 
    Dr Yuan said that a manmade coronavirus would be beyond human intelligence as he rejected claims that the virus was artificially engineered.

    Classified Chinese report warns of 'armed confrontation' between Beijing and Washington US, sources reveal 

    Beijing could face a rising wave of hostility in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak that could tip relations with the United States into 'armed confrontation', an internal Chinese report has warned.
    The report, presented early last month by the Ministry of State Security to top Beijing leaders including President Xi Jinping, concluded that global anti-China sentiment is at its highest since the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown, the sources said.
    As a result, Beijing faces a wave of anti-China sentiment led by the United States in the aftermath of the pandemic and needs to be prepared in a worst-case scenario for armed confrontation between the two global powers, according to people familiar with the report's content, who declined to be identified given the sensitivity of the matter.
    US President Donald Trump is pictured meeting with China's President Xi Jinping at the start of their bilateral meeting at the G20 leaders summit in Osaka, Japan, June 29, 2019
    US President Donald Trump is pictured meeting with China's President Xi Jinping at the start of their bilateral meeting at the G20 leaders summit in Osaka, Japan, June 29, 2019
    The report was drawn up by the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations (CICIR), a think tank affiliated with the Ministry of State Security, China's top intelligence body.
    Although the briefing paper remains disclosed, the content of the document was described to Reuters by people who had direct knowledge of its findings.
    'I don't have relevant information,' the Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson's office said in a statement responding to questions from Reuters on the report.
    China's Ministry of State Security has no public contact details and could not be reached for comment.
    CICIR, an influential think tank that until 1980 was within the Ministry of State Security and advises the Chinese government on foreign and security policy, did not reply to a request for comment.
    The Tiananmen Square crackdown is immortalised by the above picture called the 'Tank Man', which shows a student holding bags of grocers standing in front of a row of tanks to protest at the clampdown by the armies against its own people. The picture was taken by AP photographer Jeff Widener from a sixth-floor balcony of the Beijing Hotel near Tiananmen
    The Tiananmen Square crackdown is immortalised by the above picture called the 'Tank Man', which shows a student holding bags of grocers standing in front of a row of tanks to protest at the clampdown by the armies against its own people. The picture was taken by AP photographer Jeff Widener from a sixth-floor balcony of the Beijing Hotel near Tiananmen
    But the presentation of the report shows how seriously Beijing takes the threat of a building backlash that could threaten what China sees as its strategic investments overseas and its view of its security standing, according to Reuters.
    Relations between China and the United States are widely seen to be at their worst point in decades, with deepening mistrust and friction points from US allegations of unfair trade and technology practices to disputes over Hong Kong, Taiwan and contested territories in the South China Sea.
    In recent days, US President Donald Trump, facing a more difficult re-election campaign as the coronavirus has claimed tens of thousands of American lives and ravaged the U.S. economy, has been ramping up his criticism of Beijing and threatening new tariffs on China. His administration, meanwhile, is considering retaliatory measures against China over the outbreak, officials said.
    It is widely believed in Beijing that the United States wants to contain a rising China, which has become more assertive globally as its economy has grown

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