Neutering & Defanging Chinese Threat (09-08-2014)

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SSridhar
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Re: Managing Chinese Threat (09-08-2014)

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India mulling building tsunami early warning system in South China Sea - PTI
The government is exploring the possibility of setting up a tsunami early warning system in the disputed South Indo-China Sea, which has been witnessing China's growing assertiveness.

M Rajeevan, the secretary of the Ministry of Earth Sciences, said India already has a system in place to provide tsunami warning to south-east and south Asian nations.

"India is the chairperson of RIMES (Regional Integrated Multi-hazard Early Warning System for Asia and Africa). We are also a major contributor in terms of resources. So, we are exploring the possibility of having a tsunami early warning system in the South Indo-China Sea," he said.

He, however, clarified that this project has not got official sanction yet.

"If the project materialises, then alerts will be provided through RIMES and it will benefit nations such as Vietnam and Thailand," Rajeevan said.
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Re: Managing Chinese Threat (09-08-2014)

Post by sanjaykumar »

I believe India did this some years ago.
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Re: Managing Chinese Threat (09-08-2014)

Post by chanakyaa »

New theory coming out of a Chinese sounding researcher out of overrated massa university??

India may be more populous than China, research suggests
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Re: Managing Chinese Threat (09-08-2014)

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deleted.
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Re: Managing Chinese Threat (09-08-2014)

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In first under Trump, US warship challenges Beijing's claims in South China Sea - Reuters
A US Navy warship sailed within 12 nautical miles of an artificial island built up by China in the South China Sea, US officials said on Wednesday, the first such challenge to Beijing in the strategic waterway since US President Donald Trump took office.

The officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the USS Dewey traveled close to the Mischief Reef in the Spratly Islands, among a string of islets, reefs and shoals over which China has territorial disputes with its neighbors.

The so-called freedom of navigation operation, which is sure to anger China, comes as Trump is seeking Beijing's cooperation to rein in ally North Korea's nuclear and missile programs.

Territorial waters are generally defined by UN convention as extending at most 12 nautical miles from a state's coastline.

One US official said it was the first operation near a land feature which was included in a ruling last year against China+ by an international arbitration court in The Hague. The court invalidated China's claim to sovereignty over large swathes of the South China Sea.

The US patrol, the first of its kind since October, marked the latest attempt to counter what Washington sees as Beijing's efforts to limit freedom of navigation in the strategic waters.

The United States has criticized China's construction of the man-made islands and build-up of military facilities in the sea, and expressed concern they could be used to restrict free movement.

US allies and partners in the region had grown anxious as the new administration held off on carrying out South China Sea operations during its first few months in office.

Last month, top US commander in the Asia-Pacific region, Admiral Harry Harris, said the United States would likely carry out freedom of navigation operations in the South China Sea soon, without offering any details.

Still, the US military has a long-standing position that these operations are carried out throughout the world, including in areas claimed by allies, and they are separate from political considerations.

The Pentagon said in a statement it was continuing regular freedom of navigation operations and would do more in the future but gave no details of the latest mission.

"We operate in the Asia-Pacific region on a daily basis, including in the South China Sea. We operate in accordance with international law," Pentagon spokesman Captain Jeff Davis said in the statement.

US-China relations

Under the previous administration, the US Navy conducted several such voyages through the South China Sea. The last operation was approved by then-President Barack Obama.

China's claims to the South China Sea, which sees about $5 trillion in ship-borne trade pass every year, are challenged by Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Vietnam, as well as Taiwan.

The latest US patrol+ is likely to exacerbate US-China tensions that had eased since Trump hosted Chinese President Xi Jinping for a summit at the US leader's Florida resort last month.

Trump lambasted China during the 2016 presidential campaign, accusing Beijing of stealing US jobs with unfair trade policies, manipulating its currency in its favor and militarizing parts of the South China Sea.

In December, after winning office, he upended protocol by taking a call from the president of self-ruled Taiwan+ , which China regards as its own sacred territory.

But since meeting Xi at his Mar-a-Lago resort, Trump has praised Xi for efforts to restrain North Korea, though Pyongyang has persisted with ballistic missile tests despite international condemnation.

US-based South China Sea expert Greg Poling of the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said the operation was also the first conducted by the United States close to an artificial feature built by China not entitled to a territorial sea under international law.

Previous freedom of navigation operations have gone within 12 nautical miles of Subi and Fiery Cross reefs, two other features in the Spratlys built up by China, but both of those features are entitled to a territorial sea.

Mischief Reef was not entitled to a territorial sea as it was underwater at high tide before it was built up by China and was not close enough to another feature entitled to such a territorial sea, said Poling.


He said the key question was whether the US warship had engaged in a real challenge to the Chinese claims by turning on radar or launching a helicopter or boat -- actions not permitted in a territorial sea under international law.

Otherwise, critics say, the operation would have resembled what is known as "innocent passage" and could have reinforced rather than challenged China's claim to a territorial limit around the reef.
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Re: Managing Chinese Threat (09-08-2014)

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China downplays UN report stating CPEC may fuel geo-political tensions - PTI
China today played down a UN report that cautioned that the USD 50 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor could ignite "geo-political" tensions with India, saying it is an economic project and will not affect Beijing's stand on the Kashmir issue.

In an exhaustive report on China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), the UN's Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) said, "the dispute over Kashmir is also of concern, since the crossing of the CPEC in the region might create geo-political tension with India and ignite further political instability".


Asked for his comments on the report which also warned Beijing that the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) could also fuel the separatist movement in Pakistan's Balochistan, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang told a media briefing that the ESCAP did not issue any specific report on the CPEC but on the BRI. {What an excuse !}

CPEC is the flagship project of the BRI.

"As for whether the CPEC passes through the controversial territory, I have said many times that the CPEC is an economic initiative and it will not affect our position on the Kashmir issue," Lu said.

"I have seen the Indian media reporting on this but we have not read the full text," Lu said, adding that "all parties" who attended the just concluded 73rd session of ESCAP in Bangkok spoke highly of the BRI and its role in promoting the development of Asia and the Pacific.

"They support ESCAP in enhancing its alignment with the BRI so as to promote connectivity and coordination in policies, infrastructure building, exchanges in trade, finance and people to people and cultural exchanges," he said.

This shows the support of the international community towards the BRI and the report issued by ESCAP also gave a high evaluation for the positive role played by it and also expanded indeed how ESCAP can play a positive role in this initiative, Lu said.

Besides cautioning about geo-political tensions due to the CPEC traversing through the disputed regions, the ESCAP report also said the project may "ignite" further political instability besides fuelling the separatist movement in Pakistan's Balochistan province.

The report prepared at the request of China also cautioned that the instability in Afghanistan could cast a shadow over the viability of the CPEC on which India has already raised protests with China and boycotted last week's BRI summit hosted by Beijing.

"Afghanistan's political instability could also limit the potential benefits of transit corridors to population centres near Kabul or Kandahar, as those routes traverse southern and eastern Afghanistan where the Taliban are most active," the report said.

According to the report, while the CPEC could serve as the "driver for trade and economic integration" between China, Pakistan, Iran, India, Afghanistan and the Central Asian states, it could also cause many problems within Pakistan and reignite separatist movement in the country due to opposition in Balochistan.
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Re: Managing Chinese Threat (09-08-2014)

Post by TKiran »

The very idea of CPEC changes the Chinese position regarding Kashmir "dispute". They are singing like parrots that CPEC doesn't change their position wrt "Kashmir", and no one is disputing their stand.

If you tell a lie 10 times and no one is disputing, that lie becomes TRUTH.

MEA is paralyzed because of Sushma Swaraj trying to get some relevance or publicity through social media. She must be replaced.
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Managing Chinese Threat

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X Posted on the China Watch Thread

Moody's makes Modi smile with China's first rating downgrade in 30 years

Has ratings firm Moody's Investors Services just given Prime Minister Narendra Modi a chance to drive the Indian economy faster? Moody's downgraded China's long-term local and foreign currency issuer ratings today by one notch to an A1 rating from AA3, citing expectations that the financial strength of the world's second biggest economy would erode in the coming years.

"The downgrade reflects Moody's expectation that China's financial strength will erode somewhat over the coming years, with economy-wide debt continuing to rise as potential growth slows," Moody's said. Rating downgrade will raise borrowing costs for China.

The downgrade is not likely to give India an edge over China as its rating still remains among the highest. Yet, the downgrading signals to the Yet, the downgrading signals to the international community that all is not well with China, especially when it is launching its ambitious one-belt one-road initiative which aims at global dominance.

Though India lags far behind China in several fields, the communist country is getting wary of India's gains in foreign direct investment (FDI), technology and manufacturing.

China faces dwindling foreign exchange reserves when India is aggressively pushing itself as a destination for foreign investment. Recently, President Xi Jinping had vowed to open up China like never before. Premier Li Keqiang has also announced that foreign firms would be treated the same as domestic firms when it comes to licence applications, standard setting and government procurement and would enjoy same preferential policies under Made in China 2025 initiative. In 2015, India was for the first time the leading country ($63 billion) in the world for FDI by capital investment, overtaking China ($56.6 billion) and the US ($59.6 billion). This had set the alarm bells ringing in the Chinese establishment.

China is also scared of India overtaking it in manufacturing in the long term as labour costs in China are rising. Global Times, a Chinese establishment newspaper, wrote recently in an article headlined 'China should pay more attention to India’s increasing manufacturing competitiveness': “Although India is still in its initial stage of developing export-oriented manufacturing industries, the country has great potential to emerge as a regional hub for labour-intensive industries. One recent analysis showed China’s manufacturing hourly wage in 2016 was roughly five times that in India.”

The trigger for the article was India’s exports to China increasing 42% in January this year. Though China has a big edge over India in bilateral trade, it wants to see if the rise in Indian exports is a flash in the pan or a trend.

The importance of Moody's China downgrade may be more symbolic than substantial for the communist country. Though India cannot be seen as China's economic rival for the far bigger economy of China, it certainly benefits from any drop in sentiment about China in the outside world.

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Re: Managing Chinese Threat (09-08-2014)

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Yellen and Moody will give Modi room to grow.
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Re: Managing Chinese Threat (09-08-2014)

Post by chanakyaa »

Moodys's, ok get it. Yellen? How??
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Managing Chinese Threat (09-08-2014)

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Outspoken Chinese law professor, government critic, silenced

BEIJING: One of the Chinese government's most vocal critics is finally falling silent after a yearslong online campaign against him.

He Weifang told The Associated Press Friday that he would no longer publish on social media after authorities repeatedly shut down his personal blog, his Weibo microblog and two WeChat accounts.

He is a famed law professor at elite Peking University and key defender of imprisoned Chinese Nobel Peace Prize laureate Liu Xiaobo.
He attracted a massive following in Chinese intellectual circles over the past decade for his essays on Chinese society, rule of law and politics. By his count, he boasted 20 million readers at his peak.

In the past five years, He has come under relentless attack online from government defenders and has seen his speaking engagements dry up.

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Re: Managing Chinese Threat (09-08-2014)

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Dhola-Sadiya bridge is India's way to tell China to keep off - Economic Times
Alarm bells must be ringing in China as Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurates the 9.15 kilometre Dhola-Sadiya bridge in Assam today. The bridge that connects a remote part of Assam to the rest of the state also makes Arunachal Pradesh more accessible to the Indian Army.

The border with China in Arunachal Pradesh is a weak spot of India due to inaccessibility and lack of any infrastructure such as roads. So much so that the Chinese troops have infiltrated deep into the Indian territory several times. In 2013, the Chinese troops infiltrated 20 km deep and reached around Chaglagam in Anjaw district.

Since China doesn’t recognise Arunachal Pradesh as Indian territory, it remains vulnerable to the Chinese infiltration.

The Dhola-Sadiya bridge will give the army a shorter and smoother access to the border areas in Arunachal. So far, a very poor and circuitous road network was the only connection of Arunachal Pradesh with India.

At present, the army enters Arunachal Pradesh via Tezpur in Assam. It takes about two days from Tezpur to reach the border in areas in Arunachal Pradesh. But the new bridge will give a quicker access to the army. It can even withstand movement of battle tanks.

To reduce vulnerability of the border areas, the government is building infrastructure in Arunachal Pradesh, including a 1,500-km proposed highway along the border.

India is trying to boost its response capabilities on its China border for quite some time.

In August 2013, the air force had successfully landed a C-130 J Super Hercules medium-left transport aircraft at the Daulat Beg Oldi advanced landing ground, close to the area where Indian Army had a stand-off with the Chinese troops a few months ago.

Last year, the air force landed a C-17 Globemaster transport aircraft at the Mechuka in Arunachal Pradesh just 29 km from the border with China to demonstrate its capabilities.
Some other things that are happening, apart from the bolded part above:
  • The Indian Army also plans to raise two more independent infantry brigades and deploy them along the LAC. The Army will also raise a new Mountain Strike Corps (MSC) to be headquartered at Panagarh in West Bengal with formations scattered from Ladakh to Arunachal Pradesh.
  • AIndia is also raising an armoured brigade each in eastern Sikkim and eastern Ladakh. The two armoured brigades would have six tank regiments (consisting of 354 tanks) equipped with the Russian T-90MS. By c. 2016, the Indian Army has also inducted two regiments of T-72 tanks in eastern Ladakh sector using special additives and lubricants for high altitude and winter-grade operations.
  • India has also started acquiring 145 M777 ultra lightweight howitzers. These will be located in Arunachal Pradesh and Ladakh.
  • GoI also a sanctioned a new regiment (fourth with the other three along the western border with Pakistan) Block-III "steep-dive" version of BrahMos to be stationed in Arunachal Pradesh.
  • GoI sanctioned 54 new border posts in Arunachal Pradesh along its 1126 Km border with China, for the ITBP. In October 2014, the Home Minister Rajnath Singh announced the recruitment of 12 new battalions (12000 personnel) to man these 54 new BoPs.
  • In October 2014, the ITBP began acquiring high-end surveillance cameras that could see over 20 km deep into Chinese territory. One had been already installed in Leh and 50 more were being inducted.
  • In September 2015, after frequent incursion attempts by the PLA in Demchok in Southern Ladakh and Daulat Beg Oldie sector in North Ladakh, the Home Ministry ordered raising of additional 40 BOPs in Ladakh. It was also decided to establish a sector command in Ladakh to quicken decision making process.
  • Apart from the squadron of Su-30 MKIs at Tezpur & C-130J Super Hercules, a squadron of Rafales will eventually be located at Hasimara.
  • Advanced landing grounds (ALGs) at Ziro Pasighat, Mechuka, Walong, Tawang, Tuting, Aalo and Vijaynagar as well as several helipads in Arunachal Pradesh have now been upgraded, much like western sector ALGs like Daulat Beg Oldi, Fukche and Nyoma in eastern Ladakh. They can now take C-130Js and operate day & night.
  • India is deploying six squadrons of the Akash missile system to defend the airspace in the North East. In April 2013, after the three-week ‘LiveWire’ war games involving 400 fighters of the IAF, it was announced by the IAF that it was then ready to face a twin-front air assault from both China and Pakistan.
  • Roads & railways are happening all over the place in the North East.
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Re: Managing Chinese Threat (09-08-2014)

Post by ArjunPandit »

The part that saddens me is that we did not finish these papis when we had chance in 71, 87 or '02. Had we done that China would have been facing the full might of indian military and geography
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Re: Managing Chinese Threat (09-08-2014)

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Two Chinese fighters intercept US plane in South China Sea - Agencies
Two Chinese aircraft conducted an unprofessional intercept of a US Navy surveillance aircraft over the South China Sea, the Pentagon said on Friday, marking the second time in about a week that the US has complained about unsafe Chinese operations in the region.

The US P-3 Orion surveillance plane was 150 miles (240 km) southeast of Hong Kong in international airspace when the Chinese aircraft carried out the unsafe intercept.

A defense official said one of the Chinese J-10 fighter jets flew about 200 yards in front of the US P-3 aircraft and about 100 feet above it, doing slow turns. The second Chinese fighter remained about 750 yards off the P-3's right wing.
The official wasn't authorized to discuss the issue publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.

Navy Cdr. Gary Ross said the Navy P-3 Orion was operating in international airspace. He said the US is reviewing the incident and will convey concerns to the Chinese.

Earlier this week, a US navy warship sailed within 12 nautical miles (22 km) of an artificial island built up by China in the South China Sea, US officials said on Wednesday, the first such challenge to Beijing in the strategic waterway since US President Donald Trump took office.

China is deeply suspicious of any US military activity around its coastline, especially in the resource-rich South China Sea, parts of which are disputed by China and its smaller neighbors, including the Philippines, Vietnam and Malaysia.

Incidents such as Wednesday's interception are not uncommon.

Last week, US defense officials said two Chinese SU-30 jets conducted an unprofessional intercept of an American radiation-sniffing surveillance plane in the East China Sea.

Pacific Air Forces spokeswoman Lt Col Lori Hodge said at the time that the Chinese aircraft approached a WC-135 Constant Phoenix aircraft — a modified Boeing C-135 — conducting a routine mission in international airspace in accordance with international law.

The WC-135 crew characterized the intercept as unprofessional "due to the maneuvers by the Chinese pilot, as well as the speeds and proximity of both aircraft," Hodge said.

China denied US accusations about last week's intercept, saying its aircraft conducted a safe and professional operation.

Defense ministry spokesman Wu Qian said the American plane was conducting surveillance over the Yellow Sea — the northern part of the East China Sea — and that the Chinese jets moved to identify and verify the plane "in accordance with laws and regulations."
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Re: Managing Chinese Threat (09-08-2014)

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Delhi pushes Indian Ocean Policy amid China's forays in the region - Dipanjan Roy Chaudhury, Economic Times
Reinforcing the 'neighbourhood first' policy and boosting New Delhi's role as the provider of security net in the Indian Ocean Region, the Modi government in the past week has come to the rescue of two southern neighbours -- Sri Lanka and Maldives - in the time of distress.

But it was not just relief operations for neighbours. India's outreach to Sri Lanka and Maldives also coincided with the visit of the Prime Minister of Mauritius - yet another key Indian Ocean country - to Delhi as part of Indian Ocean diplomacy
at a time when China is making forays in the region. On the occasion, Delhi and Port Louis concluded a wide-ranging maritime security pact that involves anti-piracy and disaster management cooperation.

While India and Mauritius share a robust naval cooperation, Colombo and Male are part of a trilateral security dialogue architecture involving Delhi.

Last week, away from the public glare, the Indian Navy was successful in rescuing Maldivian ship 'MV Maria 3' which suffered propulsion failure and was drifting on the sea with no controls for five days. The ship had six sailors on board, including those from Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Maldives.

The Maldivian ship lost contact with shore after its departure from Male on May 15, following which the Maldivian Coast Guard sought Indian Navy's help in search and rescue operation.

A Dornier aircraft of the Indian Navy, capable of undertaking multiple roles, was deployed to Maldives at short notice to assist the Maldivian Coast Guard in the search and rescue operation. The Dornier had located the drifting 'overdue' ship about 150 nautical miles south-east of Male, with all survivors safe on board, during the aerial surveillance on May 20, officials said.

Subsequently, Indian Naval warship INS Kirch was informed and the Maldivian vessel was towed back to Male.

Within seven days of this rescue operation, INS Kirch was dispatched to Sri Lanka to render assistance to the flood victims.


INS Kirch, with emergency relief supplies, arrived at the Port of Colombo Saturday to assist the ongoing disaster relief efforts for communities affected by the extreme weather in Sri Lanka. The consignment of relief materials have been shipped to Sri Lanka on the directives of the Indian prime minister, who visited the island state mid-May on his maiden trip abroad this year.

INS Kirch, which was patrolling in the Bay of Bengal, was diverted to Sri Lanka with essential commodities including dry rations, bottles of drinking water, makeshift shelters and medicine. High Commissioner of India to Sri Lanka, Taranjit Singh Sandhu, handed over these relief supplies to the Sri Lanka's Minister of Foreign Affairs Ravi Karunanayake, at the Colombo port.

A relief team has also been dispatched on board INS Kirch to swiftly engage in rescue missions in flood affected areas.

INS Shardul, with medical relief kits and diving teams, left from Kerala's Kochi port on Saturday morning to reinforce relief operation for the flood affected. INS Jalashwa will sail out from Visakhapatnam with HADR (Humanitarian Assistance Disaster Relief) stores including victualing, clothing, medicines and water. The ship will also carry medical and diving teams along with Gemini crafts and helicopters.

"The Indian Navy's swift action is a testimony to the fact that India is net security provider in the region which will come to rescue of its neighbours in real time, unlike China, even as it has invested heavily in both Lanka and Maldives," an expert on the Indian Ocean Region told ET.
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Re: Managing Chinese Threat (09-08-2014)

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For high-flying China, signs of a hard landing are now clear. Here's proof - Bloomberg
The first hints of China's economic performance this month suggest that a slowdown in growth is taking hold, as policy makers beef up efforts to clamp down on financial risks.

The international-investor optimism that dominated in the earlier part of the year is now souring, as curbs on leverage push up the cost of domestic borrowing. Small and medium-sized companies are also reporting dented confidence, and sentiment among sales managers and in the steel market worsened.

A surprise cut in China's debt rating by Moody's Investors Service last week may mark a turning point for the world's second-largest economy, as momentum weakens following a better-than-expected expansion in the first quarter. Yet the gloom shouldn't spread too far, with consumers still spending, factory-gate prices gaining and home prices defying predictions of a hard landing.

Here's what May's earliest indicators show:

Smaller Businesses


Standard Chartered Plc's Small and Medium Enterprise Confidence Index headed for a second consecutive month of decline in May, falling slightly to 56.9 from 58 in April.

"Both current performance and expectations fell," which put pressure on the labor market and on profitability, economists Yan Se and Ding Shuang at the bank wrote in a note. "Credit access for small- and medium-sized enterprises is tougher" and funding costs have worsened, the analysts said.

ZEW Panel

Global financial market experts veered toward pessimism on the outlook for the economy, according to a survey of the China Economic Panel, a joint project of the Centre for European Economic Research (ZEW) in Mannheim, Germany, and Fudan University in Shanghai.

The reading for expectations slumped to minus 0.1 in May, down from 17.7 last month -- the highest since at least late 2015. The assessment of the current economic situation has also dampened, falling to 12.2 in May from 17.6 in April.

"The rather optimistic sentiment witnessed in the previous survey has thus faded" although the long-term outlook remains stable, said Michael Schroeder, a senior researcher at ZEW.

Sales Managers

A survey-based gauge of sales-manager sentiment also hit a six-month low at 51.6 in May, dragged down by a sub-index assessing the potential of market growth, according to London-based research firm World Economics Ltd. A reading above 50 indicates expansion.

Managers in services sectors were more upbeat than those in the manufacturing sector, the report said, a sign of the Chinese economy's gradual reliance on consumption rather than investment and export-led growth.

The "economy continued to grow in May but at a slower rate than has been the case for some time," analysts at the firm wrote, "even though sales have remained stable in May, sales managers have expressed worry that the overall growth trend can't continue."

Steel Plummet

The S&P Global Platts China Steel Sentiment Index slumped to 33.1 this month from 45.1 in April, weighed down by the outlook for domestic steel orders. The gauge is based on a survey of between 75 and 90 China-based market participants including traders and steel- mill executives.

"China's steel market is extremely volatile at the moment," Paul Bartholomew, a senior managing editor at S&P Global Platts in Melbourne, wrote in a release. "Underlying demand for flat steel products has been more robust, both domestically and for exports, though overseas customers have started to resist further price hikes."
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Re: Managing Chinese Threat (09-08-2014)

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http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-39918647
Japan's growing concern over China's naval might
By Alexander Neill
Shangri-La Dialogue Senior Fellow, IISS Asia
28 May 2017

JS Izumo helicopter carrierImage copyrightAFP
The pride of Japan's naval defence, the JS Izumo, is making an unprecedented journey through Asian waters over the next three months.
The Izumo is the largest vessel built by Japan since the end of World War Two - and she looks very much like an aircraft carrier. She has already participated in Singapore's first ever fleet review, an international naval gathering with fleets from Asia and beyond to demonstrate their power.
There is growing support in Japan for a more strident response to Chinese military assertiveness around Japanese waters and Japan's Maritime Self-Defense Force has been increasingly active in the region.
It is all part of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's determination to loosen constitutional strictures over the role of Japan's self-defence forces.
The sea is where this is playing out right now.
Chinese and Japanese flagImage copyrightGETTY IMAGES
Japanese navy officials are careful to describe the ship as a "helicopter destroyer" capable of carrying more than 20 helicopters from its expansive flight deck, and thus playing down any offensive capabilities forbidden under Japan's constitution.
Against the backdrop of China's narrative of suffering and humiliation at the hands of Japanese imperial forces during World War Two, the transit of the Izumo through the South China Sea is particularly sensitive for China, since Japan has been very vocal in its support of a ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration overwhelmingly against China's claims to a large expanse of the South China Sea and its features.

Japan's new military role
The widening of Japanese naval operations in the South China Sea and beyond is also a response to a more pressing concern for Japan: China's own relentless drive to dominate the waters around Japan.
Chinese critics of Japan's naval modernisation will point out that with a few minor adjustments, this ship could carry vertical take-off and landing fighter jets, including the F-35 stealth fighter.
For China, therefore, the Izumo and the latest additions to the JMSDF fleet are both a symbol of a new era of military expansionism under Prime Minister Abe's administration and a painful reminder of China's wartime suffering and the destruction wrought by Japan's powerful carrier fleet of World War Two.

JS Izumo helicopter carrierImage copyrightAFP
Image caption
The Izumo is a helicopter carrier and the largest vessel built by Japan since the end of WW2
For Japan's navy, however, impressive vessels such as the Izumo serve a dual purpose. They are both a symbol of the JMOD's desire to make a greater contribution to regional and international security and an example of Japan's contribution to its alliance with the United States.
This was shown recently when the Izumo escorted a US navy supply vessel in a joint manoeuvre not designated as a military exercise, under the auspices of a revised Article 9 of Japan's constitution, which outlaws war as a way to settle disputes.
Japan's defence industries, long fettered by Japan's pacifist constitution now feel emboldened to compete for defence contracts far from home.
Japan's new Kawasaki P-1 Maritime Patrol aircraft flew all the way to the Farnborough air show two years ago for a demonstration to the British MoD and last year, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries campaigned to supply a new generation of submarines for the Australian navy.

Territorial disputes over Senkaku
Japan's navy and coast guard in recent years have also been under increasing pressure to respond to China's campaign of incursions into Japan's territorial waters and frequent transits of vessels and aircraft through the numerous straits of the Japanese archipelago.
A focal point for such rivalry are the disputed Senkaku islands, known as Diaoyu in Chinese. Until 2012 when the Japanese government purchased the islands from their private owners, Chinese maritime law enforcement vessels seldom intruded into Japanese territorial waters.
Chinese outrage at the purchase triggered sustained incursions into Japanese waters at up to three incursions per month.
Japanese protesters for the Senkaku islandsImage copyrightAFP
Two years later the Japanese maritime agencies were alarmed to detect armaments on Chinese coast guard vessels and that Chinese navy frigates and destroyers were being transformed into white-hulled law enforcement vessels.
Recently such vessels have been increasing in size from 3 or 4,000 tonne to 10,000-tonne vessels.
While in 2012, Japanese and Chinese coast guard vessel numbers were roughly similar at 51 and 40 respectively, the Japanese government estimates that by 2019, the numbers will have swung hugely in favour of China at 135 vessels versus Japan's 65.
And there have been an increasing number of other concerning incidents for Japan in recent years.

Rising tensions
In June 2016 the Japanese destroyer Setogiri spotted a PLA Navy Jiangkai class frigate entering the contiguous zone around the Senkakus at the same time as a group of Russian navy vessels transited the same waters. That same month, Chinese naval intelligence-gathering ships entered Japan's territorial sea near Kuchinerabujima and Yakushima islands for the first time and in the southern waters of the Senkaku islands.
One particularly unnerving episode for Japan began in early August 2016 when a China coast guard vessel escorted 300 Chinese fishing vessels into waters around the Senkakus, and over four days a total of 15 coast guard ships repeatedly intruded into the waters, half of them armed.
The Japanese defence ministry suspects that many of the Chinese fishing vessels belonged to the maritime militia.
Meanwhile, the number of Japanese scrambles against Chinese aircraft around the East China Sea and towards the Senkakus has jumped dramatically, surpassing even the annual peak number of 994 during the Cold War.
A group of disputed islands, Uotsuri island (top), Minamikojima (bottom) and Kitakojima, known as Senkaku in Japan and Diaoyu in China is seen in the East China Sea, in this photo taken by Kyodo September 2012.Image copyrightREUTERS
Image caption

The islands lie near potential oil and gas reserves
Japanese fighter patrols have also encountered challenging behaviour by Chinese PLA Air Force pilots in a similar vein to the increasing number of dangerous encounters between US and Chinese aircraft over the East and South China Seas.
The final element to China's saturation of the East China Sea is its unilateral construction of 12 new gas platforms adjacent to the Japan-China geographical equidistance line in an area agreed as a joint development zone between the countries. It is concerned that radars deployed by China on some of the platforms could be used in support of military operations.
China's strategic vision
For Mr Abe, the Izumo is a military instrument which could be deployed under his recent proposal to change Japan's constitution to allow a more assertive Japanese defence posture.
The deployment of Japan's naval assets further afield and more diversely alongside those of the US also helps to answer Donald Trump's calls for more burden-sharing within the alliance.
But most importantly, the Japanese government sees a direct link between China's behaviour in the South and East China Seas.

Aircraft carrier sets sail in DalianImage copyrightREUTERS
Image caption
China recently launched its own first domestically-built aircraft carrier
The wider deployment and sustained presence of Japanese vessels throughout the region therefore underpins Shinzo Abe's consistent demands for China to abide by a "rules-based international order", which includes freedom of navigation through international waters.
However for China, the clamour for a rules-based order is simply camouflage for the perpetuation of a US regional hegemony and what the Chinese leadership describe as "outmoded Cold War thinking".
China has its own vision for regional security and a new geo-strategic plan accompanying it in the form of the the 'Belt and Road initiative', providing an alternative to US dominance in the region.
For China's new maritime Silk Road to succeed, it needs to secure its seas on its own terms but that means the potential for an unmanaged escalation between Japan and China increases substantially.
Alexander Neill is Shangri-La Dialogue Senior Fellow at IISS-Asia (International Institute for Strategic Studies - Asia) .The IISS Shangri-La Dialogue will be held in Singapore from 2-4 June.
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Managing Chinese Threat (09-08-2014)

Post by Peregrine »

'Be cautious, exercise restraint': China tells India on Bhupen Hazarika bridge

BEIJING: China on Monday asked India to be "cautious" and exercise "restraint" over building infrastructure in Arunachal Pradesh, days after Prime Narendra Modi launched the country's longest bridge+ linking Assam with the state claimed by Beijing.

"We hope India adopts a cautious and restrained attitude on the issue before the final settlement of the border issue with China to jointly control disputes, safeguard peace and tranquility in the border areas," the Chinese Foreign Ministry told IANS.

"China's position on the eastern section of the Sino-Indian border areas is consistent and clear," a statement in Chinese said.

"China and India should resolve territorial disputes through negotiations and consultations between the two countries," the foreign ministry said.

PM Modi last week opened the country's longest bridge+ over Brahmaputra river that connects Assam's easternmost region with Arunachal Pradesh, claimed and dubbed by China as South Tibet.

Dedicating to the nation the 9.15 km-long bridge, named after Dadasaheb Phalke awardee and legendary lyricist-singer Bhupen Hazarika who hailed from Sadiya, the PM said it will serve as the foundation for a new economic revolution and help India in its efforts to become a superpower.

Speaking on the Act East Policy, the Prime Minister said he wanted the northeast region to become a trade hub for southeast Asia by connecting the area for economic activity.

"For this, we are laying stress on development of infrastructure and making the northeast a tourism centre. Lakhs of tourists would also come to Kamakhya temple and improve the economy," he said.

"Stress in now being laid on what was never done earlier... Electricity, roads, rail infrastructure and optical fibre network in the northeast will connect every corner of the region with the country," Modi said.

"The bridge will not only save money, reduce travel time but comes as a foundation for the beginning of a new economic revolution. That is why the whole nation has its eyes on this bridge," he said.

"The reduction of distance by 165 km and cutting travel time by seven to eight hours will open new doors for economic development... The bridge will bring development to Assam and Arunachal Pradesh.

"For fulfilling India's dream of becoming a top economically developed nation, a superpower, the northeast region is the place to begin with," Modi said.

The 9.15 km-long Bhupen Hazarika bridge will cut the distance and travel time between Assam and Arunachal Pradesh by 165km and five hours.

Analysts say the bridge will ensure swift movement of Indian troops in Arunachal Pradesh, which, therefore, will bolster India's defence along the China border.

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Re: Managing Chinese Threat (09-08-2014)

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Another classic case of China using a set of arguments that can be turned against it.

For India, Arunachal Pradesh is an integral, inalienable part.

If China contends that status, then China should look at the Dhola-Sadiya bridge as just another 'connectivity infrastructure' project for which it wants to place importance all over the world. The bridge also improves livelihood and promotes local economic and social development. Thesee are all objectives dear to the Chinese heart and that is why BRI is initiated by it. And, China also believes that 'disputes of sovereignty' should not stand in the way of 'economic development' and these two are very different. Then, why deny all those to India alone?
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Re: Managing Chinese Threat (09-08-2014)

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SSridhar wrote:
Another classic case of China using a set of arguments that can be turned against it.

For India, Arunachal Pradesh is an integral, inalienable part.

If China contends that status, then China should look at the Dhola-Sadiya bridge as just another 'connectivity infrastructure' project for which it wants to place importance all over the world. The bridge also improves livelihood and promotes local economic and social development. Thesee are all objectives dear to the Chinese heart and that is why BRI is initiated by it. And, China also believes that 'disputes of sovereignty' should not stand in the way of 'economic development' and these two are very different. Then, why deny all those to India alone?
SSridhar Ji;
We should thank our Late Prime Minister Jawahar Lal Nehru for not accepting the Security Council Seat and passing it on to China. That is the begining of of the later disasters like Aksai Chin, Indus Water Treaty, the 1962 Debacle etc. Need I say more?

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Re: Managing Chinese Threat (09-08-2014)

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China is behaving like a 'bully' in South China Sea: John McCain - Reuters
SYDNEY: China is behaving like a "bully" with its militarization of islands in the South China Sea, Republican US Senator John McCain said on Tuesday, activity Washington must confront with its allies to find a peaceful solution.

In a speech in Sydney, McCain said China was asserting itself globally, best illustrated by militarizing artificial islands in the South China Sea, a claim repeatedly rejected by Beijing.

"I think it is very clear that the Chinese by filling in these islands are militarizing them and that is in violation of international law," the Arizona senator said.

McCain's comments are set to escalate tensions between the United States and China just days before delegates from both countries are scheduled to attend a regional security conference in Singapore.


China claims most of the resource-rich South China Sea, through which about $5 trillion in ship-borne trade passes every year. Neighbors Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam also have claims on the strategic waterway.

The United States estimates Beijing has added more than 3,200 acres (1,300 hectares) of land on seven features in the South China Sea over the past three years, building runways, ports, aircraft hangars and communications equipment.

To counter the perceived Chinese aggression, the United States has conducted so-called freedom-of-navigation exercises, the most recent of which was conducted by a U.S navy warship near Mischief Reef in the disputed Spratly Islands.

At the same time, US President Donald Trump is seeking China's cooperation to rein in ally North Korea's nuclear and missile programs.

Allies such as Australia have so far refused to participate in freedom-of-navigation exercises in the fear of alienating Beijing.

While McCain stopped short of calling on Australia to undertake the exercises, the former US presidential nominee said allies must work together to find a peaceful solution.
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Re: Managing Chinese Threat (09-08-2014)

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X-Post from OBOR thread...
Bold highlights by me
SSridhar wrote:On the McCartney-McDonald and other similar boundary lines . . .

Geographically, three mountain ranges are important in understanding the dispute. The Himalayas (the Westernmost), the Karakoram (in the middle) and the Kun Lun (the Easternmost). They all meet at the Pamir Knot at the Wakhan Corridor. The Pamir Ranges then extend westwards first into Hindu Raj Ranges and afterwards, the Hindu Kush Ranges. Tibet lies enclosed among the Himalayas, Karakorams and the Kun Lun. The Karakoram is bounded on the northeast by the edge of the Tibetan Plateau, and on the north by the Wakhan Corridor and the Pamir Mountains.The southern boundary of the Karakoram is formed by the Gilgit, Indus, and Shyok Rivers, which separate the range from the north western end of the Himalaya range proper. The Karakoram runs right across the Aksai Chin and bisects it.

The first Boundary Commission set up by the British in c. 1846 determined that the Karakoram range formed the eastern limits of J&K Princely State. The KunLun Mountain range is on the eastern extremity of Aksai Chin. The Tibet-Sinkiang Highway (built by China in 1957) passes right between the Karakoram & the KunLun ranges in Aksai Chin.

The border story starts in the year 1865 when British Surveyor W.H.Johnson surveyed the land extent of the State of Jammu & Kashmir. The Kashmir Maharaja’s outpost at Shahidullah (now renamed as Xaidulla by the Chinese) made Johnson include the Kun Lun watershed (further east of the Karakoram) as part of J&K. Pangong Lake (Pangong Tso in Tibet) is the southern end of the Johnson Line and is about five hours drive from Leh through the third highest motorable pass, Chang La. The Pangong Tso is south of the great bend of the Shyok River around Siachen just before the Nubra River joins it. Thus, Shaidullah (further north of the Karakoram Pass) made the eastern end of Johnson’s survey while Pongong Tso made the southern end of the survey for Ladakh. There existed therefore a gap in the boundary between Pongong Tso and Shahidullah through the Karakoram Pass (the Karakoram pass was never in dispute and which was already accepted as forming the border between Ladakh and Tibet). The Johnson Line thus confirmed Aksai Chin as part of J&K. By 1878, China had conquered Eastern Turkistan (later known as Sinkiang and now Xinjiang) and had erected boundary markers at the Karakoram Pass.

In c. 1897, Sir John Ardagh proposed a boundary line along the crest of the Kun Lun north of the Yarkand River (The Yarkand River orginates in the Karakoram very near Siachen Glacier. One tributary of the Yarkand is the Shaksgam River. It is the Shaksgam valley that Pakistan conceded to China in c. 1963 as part of the Border Agreement with China). This proposal fixed the gap between Pongong Tso and Shahidullah through the Karakoram Pass. These lines together became known as the Johnson-Ardagh Boundary Line.

In c. 1899, Britain re-drew the boundary as China and Britain became friends and the boundary was re-fixed along the Karakoram rather than Kun Lun further east as the Johnson-Ardagh line did. This new line was known as McCartney-McDonald Line. The Chinese never replied to the British proposal. Britain used both boundaries according to the exigencies of circumstances.

India, since its independence, has recognized only the Johnson-Ardagh Line in Ladakh which gives the entire Aksai Chin to India.
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Re: Managing Chinese Threat (09-08-2014)

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Let’s be wary of China’s New Silk Road - G.Parthasarathy, Business Line
China has got accustomed to violating India’s territorial integrity in Jammu & Kashmir and Arunachal Pradesh. It transgresses international norms by supplying Pakistan with know how and designs of nuclear weapons and missiles. Its provocative behaviour includes protests over visits by Indian dignitaries to Arunachal.

China, meanwhile welcomes political figures from POK and Gilgit-Baltistan on official visits. Beijing also seeks to undermine India’s relations with South Asian neighbours such as Sri Lanka, Nepal, the Maldives and Bangladesh, backing politicians and political parties known to be less than friendly to India.


Finally, a studied reaction

New Delhi is, however, now reacting in a more measured manner to China’s policy of “strategic containment”. Ignoring warnings from China, India reinforced its claims to Arunachal Pradesh by encouraging a high profile visit to the State by the Dalai Lama, who acknowledges it as an integral part of India. The Dalai Lama pointedly visited Tawang, which has special spiritual significance for Tibetans.

But the proverbial last straw on the Indian camel’s back is the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) involving an investment of around $51 billion. The CPEC challenges Indian sovereignty by traversing Gilgit-Baltistan as part of Beijing’s larger Eurasian ‘One Belt One Road’ (OBOR) project. India cannot ignore the security threat that this project poses, as an integral part of a China-Pakistan axis to contain India, across the Indian Ocean region. Accompanying this project has been the laying of a fibre-optic cable connecting China’s People’s Liberation Army in Kashgar, Xinjiang province, and the Pakistan army’s GHQ in Rawalpindi. The CPEC enhances communications between the armies of China and Pakistan. It provides Beijing the road link to the port of Gwadar, which has been handed over to it by Pakistan. China has also agreed to provide Pakistan with a large number of frigates and submarines.

Smart routing

Gwadar is significantly located alongside the maritime routes for oil supplies to India from the Persian Gulf. China’s Maritime Silk Route, which complements the OBOR, traverses India’s shores in the Indian Ocean, from the Straits of Malacca to the Gulf of Aden. China is evidently seeking to surround India with a “string of pearls”, comprising base facilities in Kyaukpyu in Myanmar, Hambantota in Sri Lanka, Gwadar in Pakistan, Mombasa in Kenya and Djibouti in the Gulf of Aden.

The Chinese modus operandi is clear from what transpired in Sri Lanka. China undertook financially unviable projects in President Rajapakse’s constituency and pushed Sri Lanka into a debt trap. Sri Lanka was compelled to hand over both the port and the neighbouring industrial area to China in a debt/equity swap. Despite this having triggered protest riots in Sri Lanka, China sought to berth a submarine in Colombo when Narendra Modi was visiting the island.

After carefully graduating its response to the CPEC, India finally made a statement, objecting to not just the fact that the CPEC violates our territorial integrity, but that it appears to be a project, whose exploitative terms would render the recipients bankrupt. The external affairs ministry’s spokesperson suggested, prior to the OBOR summit in Beijing, that the project was not based on “universally recognised international norms”, adding that it appeared to violate international norms of “openness, transparency and equality”. The statement also suggested that the project does not meet the principles of financial responsibility, which require avoidance of creating unsustainable debt in recipient countries. India noted that connectivity projects should involve transfer of skills and technology and respect “sovereignty and territorial integrity”.

Like its decision on taking the Kulbhushan Jadhav case to the International Court of Justice, the Government’s decision not to attend the OBOR summit in Beijing, was predictably criticised by the same critics. Ominous warnings were voiced that India would now find itself “isolated” by taking on an all-powerful China.

What transpired was somewhat different. Only 20 countries, mostly from South and South-East Asia and Africa, attended the summit. Given his dependence on China, President Vladimir Putin was the only major world leader present. This, despite the fact that Russian academics and others had expressed serious reservations on OBOR cutting through the Eurasian belt, major portions of which have historically been regarded by the Russians, as their backyard.

Chinese pettiness and petulance were evident when they expressed their displeasure by not inviting the respected prime minister of Singapore, Lee Hsien Loong, who had the courage to say that territorial disputes in the South China Sea should be settled according to international law. The navies of India and Singapore held joint exercises in the South China Sea shortly thereafter. Moreover, within the OBOR conference, the Europeans and some others were quite vociferous.


The EU has strongly criticised China’s international trade and economic assistance policies. Senior EU leaders have made it clear that they believe that the OBOR project lacks a formal structure and that China has shown a lack of transparency. The EU is sceptical about China’s motives and its terms of trade and economic cooperation. EU functionaries feel Chinese policies are mercantilist.

Financial risks

The UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and Pacific has meanwhile warned of high financial risks in several OBOR projects. There are now apprehensions that Pakistan will be forced to go the Sri Lanka way. More importantly, there is growing realisation internationally that China is not a 21st-century Santa Claus and that the OBOR project is predominantly an effort by China to rebalance its economy and provide jobs for its vast labour and construction industry.

It is now time for India to work with Japan, the US and the EU to actively promote alternatives to Chinese economic exploitation in Asia and Africa. Moreover, Russia needs to be co-opted bilaterally and through funding by institutions such as the Brics Bank and the Asian Infrastructure Development Bank, to construct transport corridors through Iran to Afghanistan, the Caspian and Central Asia. The US has meanwhile renewed its proposal for a ‘New Silk Route’ across Asia, which India had welcomed. Finally, India and Japan should jointly build a transportation and industrial corridor to the shores of East Africa, where Modi’s visits have set the stage for expanding economic, industrial and energy cooperation, across the Indian Ocean.

China will have to learn that true economic development comes from transparent multilateral cooperation and not bilateral economic exploitation.

The writer is a former High Commissioner to Pakistan
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Re: Managing Chinese Threat (09-08-2014)

Post by nirav »

A perfect spanner to throw in the works for CPEC would be India demanding a road for connectivity to Afghanistan through PoK or we holding the PoK section hostage for the Chinese.

We technically share a land border with Afghanistan and must state that as a larger connectivity plan for the north south international corridor between India and Russia/Eurasian block. The international north south corridor is an area of interest announced in the PMs declaration with Russia on his current visit.

The pakis are never going to agree to it.Helps create tensions between sino Pak and also establish their Mai-baap credentials.
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Re: Managing Chinese Threat (09-08-2014)

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Re: Managing Chinese Threat (09-08-2014)

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India has active territorial dispute with China: Report - PTI
India has an active territorial dispute with China and is unhappy about the Communist nation's apparent efforts to stifle its ambitions in multilateral fora such as the UN and NSG, according to a report released at a defence forum here [Singapore] today.

The report, titled 'Asia Pacific Regional Security Assessment 2017' and released at the Shangri-La Dialogue, notes that India is increasingly worried about China's build- up of military forces and infrastructure along the disputed Sino-Indian border.

New Delhi has also been unhappy about China's apparent efforts to stifle Indian ambitions in multilateral fora such as the United Nations and Nuclear Suppliers Group, said the report prepared by the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS).

"India has sought to improve its defence partnerships with the US, and several regional powers, based on shared concern about the rise of China," it said.

The report states that Indian officials and analysts remain wary of any formal military alliances, as indicated by the fierce public debate and opposition by some Indian political parties to the 'Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA)', a logistics-service agreement that the US has signed with dozens of countries.

"Nevertheless, the most dramatic change in India's foreign policy over the last two decades has been its energised relationship with Washington, and the prevailing security rationale for this change - namely, a shared concern about China's rising power," said the report which pointed out the concern of Indo-Pacific countries about China's economic and military rise.


The Shangri-La Dialogue is held annually by independent think tank International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) in Singapore and is attended by defense ministers and heads of armed forces from Asia-Pacific nations. The current dialogue will take place from June 2-4.
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Re: Managing Chinese Threat (09-08-2014)

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US praises PM Modi's call for freedom of navigation for peace - PTI, Economic Times
The US today praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi's emphasis on having freedom of navigation and adhering to the international norms for peace and economic growth, amidst China flexing its muscles in the disputed South China Sea.

Speaking at the annual Shangri-La Dialogue here, US Defence Secretary General (Retd) James Mattis also said while competition between the US and China was bound to occur, the conflict between the world's two largest economies was not "inevitable".

"Respecting freedom of navigation and adhering to international norms [are] essential for peace and economic growth in the inter-linked geography of the Indo-Pacific," Mattis said.

Modi has termed sea lanes passing through the strategic South China Sea as the "main arteries" of global trade.

He has maintained that India supports freedom of navigation and seeks "utmost respect" for international law, amid China's muscle flexing in the region.

Outlining India's principled position on the dispute over the South China Sea, Modi in his address at the 11th East Asia Summit (EAS) in September last year had said "the threat or use of force" to resolve would complicate matters affecting peace and stability.


China claims sovereignty over all of South China Sea.

Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines, Brunei and Taiwan have counter claims.

China is engaged in hotly contested territorial disputes in both the South China Sea and the East China Sea. Beijing has built up and militarised many of the islands and reefs it controls in the region.

Both areas are stated to be rich in minerals, oil and other natural resources. They are also vital to global trade.

Mattis in his speech titled 'The United States and Asia- Pacific Security' also expressed reservation about Chinese actions that impinge on the interests of the international community.

"We cannot accept Chinese actions that impinge on the interests of the international community, undermining the rules-based order that has benefited all countries represented here today including, and especially, China," he told some 500 delegates at the Shangri-La Dialogue which focus on defence and security.


"While competition between the US and China, the world's two largest economies, is bound to occur, conflict is not inevitable," he said in his speech.

"We seek a constructive, results-oriented relationship with China. We believe the United States can engage China diplomatically and economically to ensure our relationship is beneficial - not only to the United States and China - but also to the region and to the world," Mattis said.
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Re: Managing Chinese Threat (09-08-2014)

Post by SSridhar »

A_Gupta wrote:What Xi wants: https://www.theatlantic.com/internation ... ts/528561/
Worth a read.
A_Gupta, thanks for posting that well written article. It talks about the inevitable Thucydides Trap which we had also discussed here sometime back. The book by that author must be worth buying.
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Re: Managing Chinese Threat (09-08-2014)

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Chinese general refutes US Defence Secretary's remarks, says China upholds international and regional order - Straits Times
China has responded to US Defence Secretary James Mattis' accusation that the Asian power disregards international order, saying that, to the contrary, it is an upholder and supporter of the international and regional order.

Citing China's signing up to the United Nations charter and its more than 23,000 bilateral agreements and over 400 multilateral agreements, Lieutenant-General He Lei said: "China can be said to be following, supporting and safeguarding the international and regional order."

Lt-Gen He, who heads the Chinese delegation to this year's Shangri-La Dialogue, instead countered that sending navy ships to waters and military jets to airspace close to China's islands to conduct surveillance and military activities was not within the scope of the principle of freedom of navigation.

The Chinese government and people are resolutely opposed to it," he said on Saturday
(June 3).

While he did not name the country, the US has been conducting freedom of navigation and overflight operations using its military ships and aircraft, including one late last month, in waters close to Chinese-claimed islands in the South China Sea to challenge what it sees as China's excessive maritime claims.

Mr Mattis said at a plenary session on Saturday morning that the US cannot accept China's actions that undermine the rules-based order in the Asia-Pacific region.

Lt-Gen He said a regional order should be one that represents the interests of the majority of countries in the region.

He gave as an example the signing of a Declaration of Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea in 2002 between China and Asean, and the two sides' recent conclusion of a framework on a Code of Conduct to manage disputes in the waters.

China has overlapping territorial claims with four Asean countries in the South China Sea which have escalated tensions in the region in recent years.

Lt-Gen He also took issue with Mr Mattis' comments on US relations with Taiwan in accordance with the US' Taiwan Relations Act, which spells out that the US would assist Taiwan in its defence, including the sale of arms to the island.

He said Mr Mattis should also have mentioned the three communiques between Washington and Beijing in which the US acknowledged that there is one China in the world and that Taiwan belongs to that one China and agreed to scale down arms sales to Taiwan, seen by China as a breakaway province.

But Lt-Gen He's remarks were in the main conciliatory.

He pointed out that as the world's great powers, the Sino-US relationship affects the security and stability of the Asia-Pacific region and of the world.

He added that China greatly values the bilateral relationship.

So long as the two sides adhered to the principles of non-confrontation, non-conflict, mutual respect and win-win, and strengthened mutual trust as well as crisis and risk control, there was much room for cooperation.
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Re: Managing Chinese Threat (09-08-2014)

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How India, other Asian nations plan to counter an assertive China - Reuters, Economic Times
Several Asian nations are seeking to bolster informal alliances among themselves, regional diplomats and officials said, unsettled by growing fears that the United States could not be relied on to maintain a buffer against China's assertiveness.

Countries including Australia, Japan, India and Vietnam are quietly stepping up discussions and co-operation, although taking care they do not upset Beijing, the diplomats said. No one was yet talking about a formal alliance.

Inaugurating the weekend Shangri-La Dialogue, the region's premier security forum, Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said: "In this brave new world we cannot rely on great powers to safeguard our interests.

"We have to take responsibility for our own security and prosperity, while recognising we are stronger when sharing the burden of collective leadership with trusted partners and friends."

His comments resonated through the three-day meeting that ended on Sunday.

Regional officials and analysts said there was growing mistrust of the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump, especially because of his withdrawal from the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) on trade and then, last week, the pullout from the Paris climate accord.

Many fear Trump is signalling a deeper retreat from a traditional U.S. security role that has underpinned the region for decades.


US Defence Secretary Jim Mattis told the Singapore forum that Washington remained committed to the region and insisted it would oppose China's militarisation of the disputed South China Sea, one of Asia's most volatile hotspots.

Regional officials said they were worried by Trump's unpredictability and concerned that his warm praise of Chinese President Xi Jinping after their first summit meeting in April would influence any decisions on Asia.

"We trust Mattis and we trust (U.S. Pacific Commander Harry) Harris but at the very top? The trust gap is very wide," said one senior Asian military officer.

"Our fear is driven by the reality that it is only the U.S. that is powerful enough to set red lines with China."

Malaysian Defence Minister Hishammuddin Hussein said Asia was still trying to figure out Trump's policy in the region.

"I would like to know very clearly what are the true intentions of the new administration," he said.

Five powers

In broad terms, Singapore Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen confirmed accelerated co-operation among partners, but he also said he welcomed Mattis' reassurances.

"Countries look at the landscape and you adjust, and that's what good leadership does...you put yourself in a position so if there are changes, you are not caught completely off-guard," Ng said at a news conference on Sunday.

Australia, New Zealand, Britain, Malaysia and Singapore re-energised their Five Powers Defence Agreement at the weekend, with officials saying they wanted to better link new military capabilities, as well as boosting counter-terrorism efforts and maritime security.

Tim Huxley, a regional security expert, wrote in a newspaper article last week that the five countries needed to improve the inter-operability of their militaries as the regional balance of power shifted.

While China was becoming richer and more assertive, U.S. strategy and policy had entered "a period of, at best, uncertainty under President Donald Trump", he said.

"Amid this uncertainty, most states in the region are seeking to increase their military capabilities."

India did not send a government delegation to the Shangri-La forum but has been active in strengthening cooperation in the region.{For a few years now, India has not been sending a delegation to the Shangri-La Dialogue. I don't know why and I think this is a mistake.}

It sent four ships and a P-8 Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft to naval exercises with Singapore last month, and is discreetly improving Vietnam's defences. Several Indian defence companies attended the International Maritime Defence Exhibition and Conference in Singapore last month, including the manufacturers of short-range missiles.

New Delhi rejected an Australian request to join its Malabar naval exercises next month with Japan and the United States for fear of antagonising China, which has warned against expanding the drills, navy officials and diplomats said.

But officials say the exercises will expand gradually, noting that India has bilateral defence agreements with countries including Australia, Singapore and Vietnam.

"There are different strands of cooperation. At some point they will come together," one Indian official said.

Beijing sent a low-key delegation to the Shangri-La forum this year, but its officials were warily watching developments and warning of "Cold War thinking" behind moves to strengthen alliances.

"It's a Cold War mentality to use alliances to check on China," said Senior Colonel Zhao Xiaozhuo, of the People's Liberation Army's Academy of Military Science.

"It's creating some sort of threat and using China as a threat is a huge mistake."
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Re: Managing Chinese Threat (09-08-2014)

Post by SSridhar »

China defends PLA choppers entering Indian airspace - PTI, Economic Times
China today defended PLA helicopters hovering over Barahoti region of Uttarakhand's Chamoli district, saying India and China have a territorial dispute in the eastern section of their boundary and the Chinese military carry out regular patrolling in the relevant areas.

While the details can be obtained from the Ministry of Defence, "in principle China and India have territorial disputes in the eastern section of the China-India border",
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying told the media when asked about reports that PLA helicopters violated Indian airspace on Saturday.

"The Chinese military carries out regular patrolling in the relevant areas. We hope that the two sides will make joint efforts to maintain tranquillity and peace in the border areas," {The Chinese spokespersons have a penchant for using the word, 'relevant'. India should also patrol 'relevant' areas because India has a territorial dispute with China and we too carry out 'regular patrolling in the relevant areas'.} Hua said.

Two helicopters of the People's Liberation Army of China hovered over Chamoli district on Saturday, triggering concern in India's security establishment about the PLA's fourth such incursion into Indian airspace since March this year.

Official sources in New Delhi said the choppers, which returned to the Chinese side after about five minutes, could have carried out aerial photography of Indian ground troops during what was possibly a reconnaissance mission.

The choppers were identified as the Zhiba series of attack helicopters.

The Indian Air Force (IAF) is probing the incident.

On previous occasions, Chinese helicopters had entered 4.5 kilometres into Indian territory, an area that China claims as its own and recognises as Wu-Je.


Barahoti is one of three border posts in the sector, comprising Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, where ITBP jawans are not allowed to carry weapons and are in civilian clothes under a unilateral decision taken by the Central government in June 2000.

In 1958, India and China listed Barahoti, an 80-sq-km sloping pasture, as a disputed area where neither side would send their troops. In the 1962 India-China war, the PLA did not enter the 545-km middle sector, focusing on the Western (Ladakh) and Eastern (Arunachal Pradesh) sectors.

However, after the 1962 war, ITBP jawans patrolled the area with weapons in a non-combative manner, under which the barrel of the gun is positioned downward.

During prolonged negotiations on resolving border disputes, the Indian side had unilaterally decided in June 2000 that ITBP troops would not be carrying arms to three posts -- Barahoti, Kauril and Shipki in Himachal Pradesh.


The India-China border dispute covers the 3,488 km long Line of Actual Control (LAC). While China claims Arunachal Pradesh in the Eastern Section as Southern Tibet, India asserts that the dispute covered Aksai Chin area which was occupied by China during 1962 war.
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Re: Managing Chinese Threat (09-08-2014)

Post by ArjunPandit »

and here we cancelled exercises with australia to appease the chinese
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Re: Managing Chinese Threat (09-08-2014)

Post by Philip »

Sometimes,our MEA acts as if its left hand does not know what the right hand is doing! However, a tough line is being drawn about a PLAN port visit to Cochin.Topsy-turvy time,but this action is very welcome.Keep the sh*tworms out of India,along with their products.We shoukld orchestrate a "boycott Chinese goods" campaign.

https://www.telegraphindia.com/1170604/ ... 155095.jsp
Chinese navy hits India wall

- Permission 'delay' ensures three vessels are kept out of Kochi port
Charu Sudan Kasturi

New Delhi, June 3: Strategic concerns wrapped in red tape have shut three Chinese naval ships out of an Indian port.

Beijing had proposed a visit by three naval ships to Kochi this week but the trip never materialised.

Three Indian officials confirmed the proposal to The Telegraph but insisted that New Delhi gave permission for the ships - a destroyer, a frigate and a replenishment ship - to dock at the Kerala port. India went out of its way, the officials contended, since the vessels were not visiting on a bilateral mission.

But Chinese officials suggested they received the permission too late, and that the delay was tantamount to a denial.

Two of the Indian officials, while disagreeing with China's claim that the proposal was effectively denied, conceded that concerns within New Delhi's strategic establishment had delayed a decision.

The issue highlights deepening tensions between the Asian neighbours who publicly sparred last month over Beijing's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), which is also known as the One Belt One Road (Obor) initiative.

The People's Liberation Army's Navy had proposed the port call by the three ships as part of a larger "goodwill tour" that the fleet is undertaking across 20 countries of Asia, Africa and Europe over six months.

But India was worried about allowing the ships to dock at Kochi because the route the ships are taking closely maps the maritime component of the BRI that New Delhi has criticised, the officials said.

India had only last month boycotted a Belt and Road Forum conclave in Beijing hosted by Chinese President Xi Jinping. The BRI includes as a project the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), which passes through a part of Kashmir that India claims.

"No country can accept a project that ignores its core concerns on sovereignty and territorial integrity," foreign ministry spokesperson Gopal Baglay had said then, while announcing the boycott of the Beijing meeting.

On Saturday, spokespersons for the defence and foreign ministries and the navy did not comment.

The CPEC - officially India's biggest reason for opposing the BRI - is a land project. But India also has deeper concerns over the so-called "maritime silk route" that is part of the BRI.

India fears that a string of ports that China is building - in Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Pakistan - under this initiative will strengthen Beijing's strategic influence in South Asia.

The three ships that were to visit Kochi - the Chang Chun (a destroyer), the Jing Zhou (a frigate) and the Chao Hu (a replenishment ship) - are currently docked at Colombo port. Their officers and staff have joined relief efforts there following floods that have killed 200 people in Sri Lanka.

Visits by Chinese ships to Indian ports - and by Indian carriers to Chinese ports - are not uncommon. Nor is Kochi alien to visiting Chinese ships.

A Chinese navy training ship, Zheng He, visited Kochi in May 2012 while the destroyer Shenzhen made a stop at the Kerala port in August 2009. The Zheng He and a frigate, the Weifang, visited Visakhapatnam port in late May 2014, days after the Narendra Modi government came to power. The Jinan, a missile destroyer, docked at Mumbai port in July 2015.

In many of those instances, the Chinese ships were returning from anti-piracy operations in the Gulf of Aden. In some cases, like the 2014 Visakhapatnam port call, the ships were part of a larger "goodwill" visit. The 2014 trip by Chinese ships also included stops in Myanmar, Indonesia and Vietnam.

But last week's request was part of a trip of unprecedented scale for the Chinese navy, across 20 countries over six months.

Indian officials were particularly worried by suggestions over the past few weeks from China that its navy would undertake the trip spanning countries along the maritime component of the BRI.

Although China's request for the port call at Kochi did not expressly refer to the BRI, officials indicated that the path the three ships had so far taken on their tour fitted the suggestions of a trip across the region that the initiative spans. The BRI is envisaged as a network of highways, ports and railroads connecting Asia, Africa and Europe.

The three ships left Shanghai in late April and began with a visit to the Philippines, a country that had clashed with China over disputed waters till last year but has indicated a rethink under its maverick President Rodrigo Duterte.

No Chinese chip had visited the Philippines in the previous seven years.

Next, the ships visited Malaysia, and then sailed to Myanmar. There, China and Myanmar held their first-ever naval exercises. The ships proceeded to Chittagong in Bangladesh and are now in Sri Lanka.

All these countries participated in the Belt and Road Forum and have agreed to join the BRI.

India has called the BRI opaque, non-consultative and potentially dangerous to the economic independence and ecology of other partner countries.

Prime Minister Modi shared New Delhi's concerns with German Chancellor Angela Merkel during a Berlin visit last week.

China has claimed the BRI is a transparent and cooperative initiative and is open for India to join even after it skipped the Beijing meeting.
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Re: Managing Chinese Threat (09-08-2014)

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Nepal, China ink mega hydropower agreement - AFP
Nepal has signed an agreement with a Chinese company to build the largest hydroelectric plant in the impoverished landlocked country, which suffers from a chronic energy shortage.

Nepal’s Energy Minister Janardan Sharma on Sunday signed the agreement for the China Gezhouba Group Corporation (GGGC) to build the long-mooted 1,200 megawatt Budhi-Gandaki hydroelectric project.

The agreement was signed at the Prime Minister’s residence, in the presence of outgoing Prime Minister of Nepal Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ and Chinese Ambassador to Nepal Yu Hong, The Kathmandu Post reported.

Estimates put the project cost at $2.5 billion. A financing agreement will be signed later, Ministry spokesman Dinesh Kumar Ghimire said.

The CGGC is currently building three smaller hydropower plants in Nepal and has completed another one, though critics have complained that the projects have consistently run over time and over budget.
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Re: Managing Chinese Threat (09-08-2014)

Post by SSridhar »

China cautions India, others against any informal alliance - PTI
China today cautioned India and other Asian countries against forming informal alliances to counter its increasing assertiveness as they cannot rely on the US in Trump era.

"I have seen the reports but I doubt the authenticity of these reports," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying told media briefing here.

She was commenting on reports from Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore that India, Japan, Australia and Vietnam were contemplating informal alliances in view of the uncertainties of US policies under President Donald Trump.

If those reports are authentic, it demonstrate that Cold War mindset has not been eradicated and "some people approach and handle the country to country relations with zero sum opinion," Hua said.

Speaking at the forum two days ago, Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said: "In this brave new world we cannot rely on great powers to safeguard our interests."

"We have to take responsibility for our own security and prosperity, while recognising we are stronger when sharing the burden of collective leadership with trusted partners and friends," he said.

Hua said China stands for common comprehensive and sustainable security idea for the building of cooperation of a new international relation with win cooperate at its core.

"Any confrontation and containment will have no way out. Hope relevant people {Chinese fetishness for 'relevant'} can put China's development in perspective," Hua said.
The Indian spokesperson must use the same exact words wrt China-Pakistan nexus at suitable opportunities.
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Re: Managing Chinese Threat (09-08-2014)

Post by ArjunPandit »

SS, is it actual english they are using or is the the translators in India/China?
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Re: Managing Chinese Threat (09-08-2014)

Post by SSridhar »

Arjun, like Indian MEA's press meets, the Chinese also speak in both Chinese and English.
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Re: Managing Chinese Threat (09-08-2014)

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China-India border tension remains despite growing economic ties: U.S. - PTI, The Hindu
The Pentagon has said that tension continues to exist along the disputed portions of the India-China border even though the economic relationship between the two countries has increased in recent years.

According to the Pentagon, China’s use of force in territorial disputes has varied widely throughout its history.

“Tensions persist along disputed portions of the Sino-Indian border, where both countries patrol with the armed forces,” the Pentagon said in its annual report to Congress.

In September 2016, an Indian patrol observed that more than 40 Chinese troops had set up a temporary shelter within Indian territory in Arunachal Pradesh, which China also claims as South Tibet, it said.

“The two sides conducted flag-officer level meetings where they agreed to maintain peace, and then withdrew to mutually acceptable positions,” the Pentagon said as it listed out other border disputes that China has with neighbouring countries, prominent among them being the East China Sea.

Some disputes led to war, as in border conflicts with India in 1962 and Vietnam in 1979, it said, adding that a contested border with the former Soviet Union during the 1960s raised the possibility of nuclear war.

In more recent cases involving land border disputes, China has sometimes been willing to compromise with and even offer concessions to its neighbours.

“Since 1998, China has settled 11 land-based territorial disputes with six of its neighbours,” the Pentagon said.

In recent years, China has adopted a coercive approach to deal with several disputes that continue over maritime features and ownership of potentially rich offshore oil and gas deposits, it added.

The Pentagon said tensions remain with India along the shared 4,057 km border over Arunachal Pradesh, which China asserts is part of Tibet and therefore part of China, and over the Aksai Chin region at the western end of the Tibetan Plateau, despite growing China-India political and economic relations.

“China and India continue to accuse each other of frequent incursions and military build-ups along the disputed territories. In 2013, however, Chinese and Indian officials signed the Border Defence Cooperation Agreement, which supplements existing procedures managing the interaction of forces along the Line of Actual Control,” it said.

As per Chinese figures, cumulative Chinese investments into India till September 2016 stood at USD 4.75 billion while Indian investments into China were $0.689 billion. Indian businesses have a presence in China in sectors such as IT, pharmaceuticals and automobiles.

The Pentagon said China and Japan have overlapping claims to both the continental shelves and the exclusive economic zones in the East China Sea.

The East China Sea contains natural gas and oil, though hydrocarbon reserves are difficult to estimate.

Japan maintains that an equidistant line from each country involved should separate the EEZs, while China claims an extended continental shelf beyond the equidistant line to the Okinawa Trench, it said.

Also the South China Sea plays an important role in security considerations across East Asia because Northeast Asia relies heavily on the flow of oil and commerce through South China Sea shipping lanes, including more than 80% of the crude oil to Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan.

The total length of the Indo-Pak border in Jammu and Kashmir is 1,597 km, Himachal Pradesh 200 km, Uttarakhand 345 km, Sikkim 220 km and Arunachal Pradesh 1,126 km.
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Re: Managing Chinese Threat (09-08-2014)

Post by SSridhar »

US says China likely to build military base in Pakistan - Reuters, ToI
A Pentagon report released on Tuesday singled out Pakistan as a possible location for a future Chinese military base, as it forecast that Beijing would likely build more bases overseas after establishing a facility in the African nation of Djibouti.

The prediction came in a 97-page annual report to Congress
that saw advances throughout the Chinese military in 2016, funded by robust defense spending that the Pentagon estimated exceeded $180 billion.

That is higher than China's official defense budget figure of 954.35 billion yuan ($140.4 billion). Chinese leaders, the US report said, appeared committed to defense spending hikes for the "foreseeable future," even as economic growth slows.

The report repeatedly cited China's construction of its first overseas naval base in Djibouti, which is already home to a key US military base and is strategically located at the southern entrance to the Red Sea on the route to the Suez Canal.

"China most likely will seek to establish additional military bases in countries+ with which it has a longstanding friendly relationship and similar strategic interests, such as Pakistan," the report said.

Djibouti's position on the northwestern edge of the Indian Ocean has fueled worries in India that it would become another of China's 'string of pearls' of military alliances and assets ringing India, including Bangladesh, Myanmar and Sri Lanka.

The report did not address India's potential reaction to a Chinese base in Pakistan.

But Pakistan, the US report noted, was already the primary market in the Asian-Pacific region for Chinese arms exports. That region accounted for $9 billion of the more than $20 billion in Chinese arms exports from 2011 to 2015.

Last year, China signed an agreement with Pakistan for the sale of eight submarines.

The Pentagon report flagged Chinese military advances, including in space and at sea.

It cited China's 2016 launch of the first experimental quantum communications satellite, acknowledging that it represented a "notable advance in cryptography research."

As in past years, the Pentagon renewed its concerns about cyber spying, saying US government-owned computers were again targeted by China-based intrusions through 2016.


"These and past intrusions focused on accessing networks and extracting information," the report said.

"China uses its cyber capabilities to support intelligence collection against US diplomatic, economic, and defense industrial base sectors."

In a section discussing China's Navy, the report predicted that China's first domestically designed and produced aircraft carrier would likely reach initial operating capability in 2020.
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Managing Chinese Threat (09-08-2014)

Post by Peregrine »

SSridhar wrote:China-India border tension remains despite growing economic ties: U.S. - PTI, The Hindu
The total length of the Indo-Pak border in Jammu and Kashmir is 1,597 km, Himachal Pradesh 200 km, Uttarakhand 345 km, Sikkim 220 km and Arunachal Pradesh 1,126 km.
SSridhar Ji :

Sir Ji, why is Indo-Pak border in Jammu and Kashmir is 1,597 km, included in the India-China Border is that the reason is "Clapistan is already Clapziang"? :rotfl:
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