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

SSridhar · Post by **SSridhar** » 15 Nov 2014 16:48

Obama warns territorial rows in Asia could 'spiral into confrontation' - ToI

BRISBANE: US President Barack Obama on Saturday warned of the dangers of outright conflict in Asia, as China squares off against rival claimants over disputed territories, but vowed that Washington would remain anchored in the region.

In a speech at Brisbane's University of Queensland, Obama insisted that his "pivot" of US policy back to Asia was real and here to stay.

In the talk, given on the margins of the G20 summit, the president reviewed the stunning economic progress seen in East Asia since World War II.

"Yet alongside this dynamism, there are genuine dangers that can undermine this progress," he said, citing North Korea for one and adding: "Disputes over territory — remote islands and rocky shoals — that threaten to spiral into confrontation."

China is locked in dispute with four Southeast Asian countries over lonely outcrops in the South China Sea and with Japan over another set of islets.

Obama repeated his insistence given in Beijing this week, after talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping, that the United States welcomes the rise of China provided it is a peaceful and responsible player on the world stage.

But China, he stressed in Brisbane, must "adhere to the same rules as other nations, whether in trade or on the seas".

And the United States will continue to be "frank where there are differences" with Beijing, Obama said.

An effective security order for Asia must be based "not on spheres of influence, or coercion or intimidation where big nations bully the small", he said, but on alliances built on respect.

SSridhar · Post by **SSridhar** » 16 Nov 2014 11:54

Sri Lanka undermining Indian interests by favouring China: TNA - Meera Srinivasan, The Hindu

A senior Tamil parliamentarian has accused Sri Lanka of seeking to undermine Indian interests by privileging China.

Addressing the parliament on Friday, R. Sampanthan, leader of Tamil National Alliance (TNA), asked if it was a clear indication of President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s insensitivity to the concerns of neighbouring India or whether Colombo was pursuing a “deliberate, pre-determined programme” to undermine Indian interests to isolate India and free itself from obligations and commitments made to India. Almost 98 per cent of Chinese funding came by way of loans, while one-third of India’s approximately $1.3 billion-assistance was a grant, he said, on the support extended by two countries.

“Is a position sought to be created where India will not be able to play any role in Sri Lanka in keeping with India’s role over the past three decades and consistent with India’s historical, geographical and cultural links with Sri Lanka?” asked Mr. Sampanthan, who headed the TNA delegation that met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi in August.

In response, Foreign Minister G.L. Peiris denied claims that China had hidden interests in Sri Lanka. He told parliament that China’s ties with Sri Lanka went back several years before the current government came to power in 2005. The Ministry’s monitoring MP Sajin de Vass Gunawardena said: “We are maintaining good ties with all countries. We know the importance of India.”

The debate comes at a time when India has been raising serious concerns over China's expanding military presence in Sri Lanka. In October, The Hindu reported Sri Lankan Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa's visit to New Delhi in this connection, and his meeting with National Security Adviser (NSA) Ajit Doval and Defence Minister Arun Jaitley. It is learnt that New Delhi raised the issue of a Chinese submarine that docked at the Colombo Port twice in the last two months. “Even after our repeated requests for prior information, Colombo informed the Indian Mission only after the vessel was docked at the port,” a senior official in New Delhi told The Hindu .

SSridhar · Post by **SSridhar** » 17 Nov 2014 11:08

China President Xi vows never to use force to achieve country's goals - AFP, Straits Times

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday vowed never to use force to achieve Beijing’s goals, including in maritime disputes, just days after United States President Barack Obama warned of the dangers of outright conflict in Asia.

In an address to the Australian Parliament, Mr Xi said his giant and developing nation needed peace, noting that history showed no one ever benefited from conflict.

“A review of history shows that countries that attempted to pursue development with force invariably failed,” he said in a lengthy address in which he also reminisced about kangaroos and koala encounters during previous visits to Australia. “This is what history teaches us. China is dedicated to upholding peace. Peace is precious and needs to be protected.”

But he added: “We must always be on high alert against the factors that may deprive us of peace.”

Beijing is locked in disputes with four South-east Asian countries over lonely outcrops in the South China Sea, and with Japan over another set of islets.

The leaders of the US, Australia and Japan on Sunday called for peaceful resolutions of the maritime disputes. The day before, Mr Obama had warned of “disputes over territory – remote islands and rocky shoals – that threaten to spiral into confrontation”.

Mr Xi said on Monday he was open to dialogue.

“It is China’s long-standing position to address peacefully its disputes with countries concerned and territorial sovereignty and maritime interests through dialogue and consultation,” he said.

“China has settled land boundary issues with 12 out of its 14 neighbours through friendly consultation. And we will continue to work in this direction,” added Mr Xi.

“The Chinese government is ready to enhance dialogue and cooperation with relevant countries to maintain freedom of navigation and the safety of maritime routes, and ensure a maritime border of peace, tranquility and cooperation.”

SSridhar · Post by **SSridhar** » 17 Nov 2014 14:40

Home Minister Rajnath Singh warns China against building roads on Indian territory - PTI

Home Minister Rajnath Singh today warned China against constructing roads in Indian territory while maintaining that New Delhi wants cordial ties with its neighbours.

Asked what if China continues to carry out construction of roads on Indian side, Singh said our forces will be left with no alternative but to "break" any such construction.

"China must end its practice of infiltrating Indian territory and construction of roads on our side. We want to maintain good relations with China and it must respect our sentiment," he said while addressing a public rally here.

Sending out a message of a stronger India emerging under the BJP regime, Singh said if China continues construction of roads on Indian side, there will be no alternative left with India but to "break" them as a last resort.

SSridhar · Post by **SSridhar** » 17 Nov 2014 15:35

The Bay of Bengal: A New Locus for Strategic Competition in Asia David Brewster, Insight South East Asia, IDSA

It is possible that the Bay of Bengal may soon be joining the South China Sea as a major locus of competition between China and its neighbors. Both are the key transit zones between the Indian and Pacific Oceans and, some would argue, the pivot points for maritime security across the Indo-Pacific littoral. Like the South China Sea, the Bay of Bengal is now coming under the strategic spotlight. Indeed, this body of water is beset by a host of security problems which may even dwarf those in other regions of Asia. These include separatist insurgencies and religious violence in most of the littoral states; major concerns over the energy trading routes through the Malacca Strait; maritime boundary disputes relating to oil and gas; widespread piracy and smuggling; and many environmental security problems, not least the possible inundation of large parts of the littoral by rising sea levels. To these problems can be added strategic competition among India, China and the United States.

There are however surprisingly few attempts by strategic analysts to take a coherent view of security problems around
the Bay of Bengal. Indeed, analysts rarely even see it as a “region,” usually drawing a sharp dividing line through the middle of the bay, between “South Asia” and “Southeast Asia.” Perhaps it is now time to better understand the Bay of Bengal as a coherent strategic region within the broader framework of the Indo-Pacific.

India has long been the biggest naval power in the Bay and last year announced that it should henceforth be seen as a “net security provider” to the region. India’s National Security Advisor Shiv Shankar Menon announced in March the
establishment of a new maritime security arrangement among India and the island states of Sri Lanka, Maldives, Seychelles and Mauritius. Menon also foreshadowed that the arrangement may be expanded to encompass the Bay of Bengal or that a similar arrangement could be replicated with other littoral states around the Bay. If implemented, such an arrangement would represent a major strategic development for India and for the region.{The Chinese PLAN is trying to spoil that while advancing the Chinese interests of MSR}

The main driver for these developments is China. India has long been anxious about a possible Chinese military strategic presence in the Bay of Bengal. Delhi fretted about the purchase of Chinese arms by Sri Lanka during its civil war. The close military links between Myanmar and China have also long worried India, including a supposed Chinese listening post on Myanmar’s Great Coco Island—which if it ever existed, is no longer there. More recently there have been concerns about Bangladesh-China military links, including the purchase of two Ming-class submarines by Bangladesh from China.

India has also long been building its military power in the Bay, including new naval and air facilities in the Andaman and
Nicobar Islands that run north-south through the Bay. These would allow India to potentially dominate the western end
of the Malacca Strait and much of the surrounding waters. The Indian Navy is also gradually being “rebalanced” towards
the Bay through the expansion of its Eastern Fleet on India’s east coast—among other things, India’s new aircraft carriers
and nuclear submarines will be based there. India has growing securityrelationships with all of its Bay of Bengal
neighbors and is keen to demonstrate its credentials as a provider of public goods in such areas as maritime policing,
counter-terrorism and humanitarian and disaster relief.

For years, India has hosted its premier multilateral naval exercise, Exercise MILAN, out of the Andaman Islands. This
year’s event, held in early February, was the largest ever with 16 guest navies represented, including all the Bay of
Bengal states and other navies from the Pacific to Africa. The cooperative and multilateral nature of India’s Exercise
MILAN stands in stark contrast to a unilateral naval exercise which was conducted in late January by China in the
eastern Indian Ocean—between the Indonesian island of Java and Australia’s Christmas Island.

These developing security relationships have been accompanied by an increased focus on building political and economic
ties across the Bay. Recently, New Delhi has been giving renewed focus to BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for
Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation), the regional grouping of Bay of Bengal states, with an emphasis on developing improved transport connectivity across the Southern Asian littoral. Some see BIMSTEC as representing an important opportunity for India to break out of the “stagnant regionalism” of the Indian subcontinent—where India is frequently constrained by its rivalry with Pakistan.

Raja Mohan, a prominent Indian strategic commentator, argues that India’s sluggishness is allowing China to seize opportunities which are enabling it to develop regional infrastructure in and around the Bay. These include the
construction of road links and gas and oil pipelines that essentially extend “vertically” from southern China through Myanmar to the Bay of Bengal. According to Mohan, New Delhi’s dithering means that India risks being
marginalized in the region—while India talks, China builds.

Certainly the BIMSTEC grouping has had few concrete achievements to date. This largely reflects the internal political turmoil and violent insurgencies that have kept members such as Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Myanmar and Thailand
internally focused. Plans for the development of “horizontal” road infrastructure connecting major manufacturing areas in eastern India with Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, and even to Vietnam have been under discussion for years. India’s Congress-led government did little to create any sense of urgency in implementing these projects.

This is not, however, just about India and China. Washington is also playing a delicate balancing act in the Bay. It wants to see a reduction in China’s relative economic influence and to encourage countries such as Myanmar, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka to avoid becoming too reliant on Chinese weapons or military assistance. The United States also wants to be
able to counter or contain any new Chinese maritime presence. These objectives are consistent with India’s, but India is also extremely sensitive towards the military presence of any outsiders in the Bay. This means that Washington needs to build security relationships and capabilities in the Bay of Bengal in a manner that pays proper regard to India’s perspectives. This includes avoiding or minimizing any overt US military presence that could be perceived as impinging upon India’s core interests in the Bay. An understanding about respective security objectives and responsibilities in the Bay of Bengal needs to be part of a more cooperative overall strategic relationship that Washington should be seeking to develop with the new government in New Delhi.

SSridhar · Post by **SSridhar** » 18 Nov 2014 08:20

Chinese media plays down Srikanth, Saina whitewash - PTI

Reveaals the Chinese attitude. Will Lin Dan be now hauled up before the CPC and grilled as to how he could have lost to an Indian and that too on Chinese soil? Haven't we seen pictures of sharp needles at the top of the lapels of the Chinese soldiers to instill drill discipline and perfection?

Indian shuttlers Kidambi Srikanth and Saina Nehwal may have hit global headlines with their big wins against China's superstars of badminton but sadly they have not made it into the state-run Chinese media, which played down their herculean achievement.

Top English dailies like China Daily and Global Times which have big sports pages found little or no space for the Indian duo's whitewash of Chinese stars in $7 lakh China Open, while it found a little mention in the sports programme of the English CCTV.

China Daly completely ignored the event, while Global Times published a picture of China's superstar badminton player trying to reach a Srikanth volley.

The event was telecast live on the CCTV sports channels with locals cheering their Chinese stars.

But the media coverage has gone cold once China suffered a white wash.

State run Xinhua news agency ran a brief story after Sunday's match saying "Lin Dan stunned by Indian young shuttler Srikanth in China Open final" failing to make his 6th champion of the tournament.

"I tried hard in this event. I believed I played well this time because I'm just recovering from the injury," Lin said.

"The problem was I did not move fast enough today," he said.

"I did not have myself trained systematically after the Asian Games. But I'm confident I'll be better in the coming 3-4 years," said Lin.

Srikanth told Xinhua that it was his first time to play in the final in Super Series.

"It seems my dream comes true. I'm so excited to play 100 percent and won my first title. I'd like to take it as a gift for my coach, for it is his birthday today," he said.

It briefly noted Saina's victory saying that she a beat Akane Yamaguchi from Japan 21-12, 22-20.

vijaykarthik · Post by **vijaykarthik** » 18 Nov 2014 15:50

^^ freaking idiots. If they cant do this, they are just a bad sport.

Looks like Abe might call for snap elections. While this isn't directly related to the managing Chinese threat, it would be interesting to see how the Sino-Japan relns move fwd with the new devs, as and when they happen.

SSridhar · Post by **SSridhar** » 18 Nov 2014 17:01

Modi-Abbott to upgrade defence ties - Suhasini Haider, The Hindu

India and Australia will commit to an “enhanced strategic partnership” when Prime Minister Narendra Modi meets his Australian counterpart Tony Abbott in Canberra on Tuesday.

Sources told The Hindu that the two sides will announce an “action plan” for cooperation in defence and other areas.

This will include exercises between armies, navies and air forces, as well as counter-terrorism, maritime security, non-proliferation and cyber security. The joint maritime exercises will be kicked off in early 2015. In other exercises, an Australian Coast Guard ship is expected in Indian waters next month, said sources.

In a first, India and Australia will also set up a mechanism to discuss “synergies in integrating defence system”, including research and development cooperation on integrating defence equipment that both countries currently purchase, for example, U.S’s C-17 Hercules aircraft, according to officials.

The new strategic framework will be discussed in addition to five other agreements expected to be signed when the two Prime Ministers meet.

RajeshA · Post by **RajeshA** » 18 Nov 2014 17:23

Indo-Pacific Security Organization

It seems Modi is making Australia as a bridge to the Anglo-American Axis.

Reasoning for this seems to be that
- Australia is India's neighbor across the Indian Ocean;
- Australia has in the past not been so actively anti-India, as say the British, Americans and even the Canadians;
- It is much easier to sell India's independence polity with a bridge to the Anglo-Americans going through Australia, rather than if India were to build alliances with USA, UK, Canada directly;
- Any binding of Anglo-American security in Asia can only be done through Australia, which is in the region; and
- Thus Australia becomes India's ambassador in the Anglo-American Axis, or more probably the go-between country.

This partnership enhances Australia's stature as well in Asian security, for otherwise without India as a balancing pole, Australia would continue to be seen as American poodle in the region or as China's raw materials supplier!

NaMo is slowly building an Indo-Pacific Security Organization centered around India, Japan, Australia, Vietnam and possibly Myanmar.

rsingh · Post by **rsingh** » 18 Nov 2014 19:51

SSridhar wrote:Chinese media plays down Srikanth, Saina whitewash - PTI

Reveaals the Chinese attitude. Will Lin Dan be now hauled up before the CPC and grilled as to how he could have lost to an Indian and that too on Chinese soil? Haven't we seen pictures of sharp needles at the top of the lapels of the Chinese soldiers to instill drill discipline and perfection?

Indian shuttlers Kidambi Srikanth and Saina Nehwal may have hit global headlines with their big wins against China's superstars of badminton but sadly they have not made it into the state-run Chinese media, which played down their herculean achievement.

Top English dailies like China Daily and Global Times which have big sports pages found little or no space for the Indian duo's whitewash of Chinese stars in $7 lakh China Open, while it found a little mention in the sports programme of the English CCTV.

China Daly completely ignored the event, while Global Times published a picture of China's superstar badminton player trying to reach a Srikanth volley.

The event was telecast live on the CCTV sports channels with locals cheering their Chinese stars.

But the media coverage has gone cold once China suffered a white wash.

State run Xinhua news agency ran a brief story after Sunday's match saying "Lin Dan stunned by Indian young shuttler Srikanth in China Open final" failing to make his 6th champion of the tournament.

"I tried hard in this event. I believed I played well this time because I'm just recovering from the injury," Lin said.

"The problem was I did not move fast enough today," he said.

"I did not have myself trained systematically after the Asian Games. But I'm confident I'll be better in the coming 3-4 years," said Lin.

Srikanth told Xinhua that it was his first time to play in the final in Super Series.

"It seems my dream comes true. I'm so excited to play 100 percent and won my first title. I'd like to take it as a gift for my coach, for it is his birthday today," he said.

It briefly noted Saina's victory saying that she a beat Akane Yamaguchi from Japan 21-12, 22-20.

A La Peter Rusels.......Youuuuuuuuuu can-not-give-bad-news-about -china-to-chinese

SSridhar · Post by **SSridhar** » 18 Nov 2014 19:53

Cooperation with India is not in disputed area: Japan to China

Japan has told China that its plans to build 2,000 kms of "strategic road" in India's North-East do not come under the disputed areas along the Sino-India border, a senior Chinese official said today.

"China has noted such reports and checked with capable authorities," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei told a media briefing here today answering a question about reports that Japan International Corporation Agency (JICA) will build 2,000 km "strategic road" in the "disputed" Eastern part of China-India boundary.

"The Japanese side has clarified that its cooperation with India is not in the disputed area between China and India," Hong said.

According to recent media reports, India has agreed to allot the project to build about 2,000 km road along the India-China border to JICA, which has expertise in building roads in the rugged hilly terrain.

JICA will also provide financial assistance, the report said.

China which claims Arunachal Pradesh as Southern Tibet has earlier opposed Asian Development Bank's (ADB) plans to extend assistance there stating that it was a disputed area.

According to Hong, China sought clarification from Japan. He did not elaborate "capable authority" or whether the issue was taken up with India.

Chinese Foreign Ministry in recent weeks raised concerns over plans announced by India to improve road network along the Arunachal border as well as to establish 54 new border posts stating that pending final settlement of the boundary question, India should refrain from taking any action that may complicate it.

China says the border dispute is confined to 2,000 kms mostly in Arunachal Pradesh where as India asserts that the dispute covered the western side of the border spanning to about 4,000 kms.

Early this year, India has invited Japan to assist improving the infrastructure in North East areas which could also pave the way for enhancing India's connectivity with South East Asian countries.

Also Japanese Minister for Land, Infrastructure and Tourism Akihiro Ohta during his visit to New Delhi in September this year has offered to assist India in building infrastructure in the North Eastern states.

The offer was made during his meeting with Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari.

krishnan · Post by **krishnan** » 19 Nov 2014 13:12

so those morons where shouting through their mush without knowing any details. Seems like pakiness has rubbed into them

SSridhar · Post by **SSridhar** » 19 Nov 2014 13:51

Countering another string of pearls - T.P.Sreenivasan, The Hindu

India-China rivalry spilling over to South Pacific.

For a handful of islands scattered on the Australia-U.S. trunk route in the Pacific, with less than a million people, Fiji is new to international rivalries. The South Pacific has been a western lake with the happy co-existence of the U.S., France and Australia, inevitably dominated by Australia’s commercial interests. Some ripples occasionally disturbed the placidity of these waters when Father Walter Lini, the maverick Prime Minister of tiny Vanuatu, hobnobbed with the erstwhile Soviets, when the island states protested against the French nuclear tests and disposal of waste on the atolls, when the indigenous people asserted their rights in Australia, New Zealand and Fiji, and when Libya’s Muammar Qadhafi did some sabre-rattling in the area. But these subsided and peace and tranquillity returned soon enough.
Political and protocol challenge

The arrival this week of the leaders of the two giants of Asia, India and China, who have also invited a dozen South Pacific leaders to meet them there, will be an unprecedented political and protocol challenge to Fiji. As a popular tourist destination, Fiji has enough luxury rooms to cater to the unusual group of diplomats in sartorial elegance, as against the tourists in bermudas and bula shirts and Fijians in Scottish kilts. But the political fallout of the visit will extend the tensions in the Asia Pacific to its southern corner.

Fiji was the first among the island states of the region to taste political upheavals, first on attaining independence from the British and then when the political compact between the native Fijians and the immigrant Fiji Indians collapsed on account of the first military coup in the region by Sitiveni Rabuka in 1987. India, in a reversal of its traditional policy of non-interference in such situations, fought for the rights of the Fiji Indians through economic sanctions and promoted their cause in the Commonwealth and the United Nations. By standing by Fiji Indians at a time of crisis, India sent a strong signal of solidarity to the Indian communities abroad. In the short term, the Fijians were concerned, but it dawned on them that it was the Indian position that led to the eventual return of democracy in the elections of 2014.

Although the present Prime Minister of Fiji, Rear Admiral (Rtd) Frank Bainimarama, first took power through a military coup, he concentrated on building communal harmony and creating a constitution devoid of the race-based electoral rolls, which was devised by the British. The abolition of the unelected Council of Chiefs removed the last vestiges of feudalism in Fiji. The moderates among the Fijians and the Fiji Indians supported him, leading to the removal of the racial divide in Fiji politics.

His Fiji First Party won an impressive victory even though the Social Democratic Liberal Party of the native Fijians and the National Federation Party, the traditional Fiji Indian Party, won some seats. Mr. Bainimarama had visited India twice to raise confidence among the Fiji Indians. As a nationally elected Prime Minister, he has no reason to be prejudiced against Indian influence in Fiji. His own senior advisers include Indian professionals and politicians such as Attorney General Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum.

India is certainly at an advantage in its bid to retain influence in the region, even as China is making sustained efforts to woo Fiji and the other islands in the South Pacific. In fact, India had no competitors in Fiji, as Pakistan had no presence and China had maintained only a token presence in the island country. China was focussed on seeking recognition from the islands, many of which had diplomatic relations with Taiwan. Having won that battle after many of them adopted the ‘One China’ policy, China has proceeded to befriend them with trade and economic linkages. The Chinese now have a firm foothold in the South Pacific, but with the kind of soft power it enjoys in the region, India can resist the expansion of Chinese influence in the South Pacific.

Relations with other islands

Apart from Fiji, Tonga, Vanuatu and Nauru have cordial relations with India, while Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Kiribati and others have warm feelings for India. The Indian brand is known in these islands mainly because of the Fiji Indian traders and businessmen. Nauru depends on India for teachers and administrators and had invested in the Paradeep Phosphates as part of its strategy to invest abroad in the context of its dwindling land. Tonga had a king who had a special relationship with Indian leaders and who had visited India. Vanuatu felt close to India because of its socialist dreams. At one time Australia had some apprehensions about the expansion of the Indian Navy in the Indian Ocean, but it doesn’t resent Indian influence in these islands now.

Unlike Japan and Vietnam, Australia has no major problems with China, and their commercial and economic relations are significant. This is a factor which will have an impact on the attitude of the South Pacific towards China. But the human rights violations in China, which Australia resents, must be a concern for the smaller state too. The only factor that weighs in favour of China in the region will be the massive investments that it promises to make in return for a market and strategic space in the South Pacific.{This is where India will find it tough. India and Japan have recently worked out a scheme in Sri Lanka where Japanese funds and Indian industries will jointly be involved in projects. This is the only way to defeat Chinese incursions, otherwise China has money, manpower and technology to single-handedly carry though with its plans}

The visit of the Indian Prime Minister to Fiji comes 33 years after Indira Gandhi’s visit. But the timing of Narendra Modi’s visit is most appropriate because racial harmony and non-discrimination, both of which India had wished for Fiji, have just been accomplished. But the visit has to be followed up with a robust programme of co-operation in areas in which we have particular strengths. Indian businessmen tend to deal with those countries which give them the maximum profits, but other things being equal, they will be happy to source Indian products for the islanders.

Mr. Modi will receive a royal welcome, with popular participation. The Chinese President is likely to be received warmly, but only by the government. The contrast will be too obvious to be missed. Moreover, the arrival of the leaders of the other island states at the invitation of the Indian Prime Minister will be impressive. Mr. Modi will also address the Fiji Parliament in which the successors of the indentured labourers, who came to these islands in the 19th century, are represented. That will be an emotional moment. China appears to have plans to build another “string of pearls” in its favour in the South Pacific, mainly through trade and economic cooperation. India can effectively counter these moves if it makes use of its assets in the region.

(T.P. Sreenivasan was High Commissioner to Fiji and other South Pacific island states from 1986-89.)

member_28714 · Post by **member_28714** » 19 Nov 2014 15:53

SSridhar wrote:Countering another string of pearls - T.P.Sreenivasan, The Hindu

India-China rivalry spilling over to South Pacific.

For a handful of islands scattered on the Australia-U.S. trunk route in the Pacific, with less than a million people, Fiji is new to international rivalries. The South Pacific has been a western lake with the happy co-existence of the U.S., France and Australia, inevitably dominated by Australia’s commercial interests. Some ripples occasionally disturbed the placidity of these waters when Father Walter Lini, the maverick Prime Minister of tiny Vanuatu, hobnobbed with the erstwhile Soviets, when the island states protested against the French nuclear tests and disposal of waste on the atolls, when the indigenous people asserted their rights in Australia, New Zealand and Fiji, and when Libya’s Muammar Qadhafi did some sabre-rattling in the area. But these subsided and peace and tranquillity returned soon enough.
Political and protocol challenge

The arrival this week of the leaders of the two giants of Asia, India and China, who have also invited a dozen South Pacific leaders to meet them there, will be an unprecedented political and protocol challenge to Fiji. As a popular tourist destination, Fiji has enough luxury rooms to cater to the unusual group of diplomats in sartorial elegance, as against the tourists in bermudas and bula shirts and Fijians in Scottish kilts. But the political fallout of the visit will extend the tensions in the Asia Pacific to its southern corner.

Fiji was the first among the island states of the region to taste political upheavals, first on attaining independence from the British and then when the political compact between the native Fijians and the immigrant Fiji Indians collapsed on account of the first military coup in the region by Sitiveni Rabuka in 1987. India, in a reversal of its traditional policy of non-interference in such situations, fought for the rights of the Fiji Indians through economic sanctions and promoted their cause in the Commonwealth and the United Nations. By standing by Fiji Indians at a time of crisis, India sent a strong signal of solidarity to the Indian communities abroad. In the short term, the Fijians were concerned, but it dawned on them that it was the Indian position that led to the eventual return of democracy in the elections of 2014.

Although the present Prime Minister of Fiji, Rear Admiral (Rtd) Frank Bainimarama, first took power through a military coup, he concentrated on building communal harmony and creating a constitution devoid of the race-based electoral rolls, which was devised by the British. The abolition of the unelected Council of Chiefs removed the last vestiges of feudalism in Fiji. The moderates among the Fijians and the Fiji Indians supported him, leading to the removal of the racial divide in Fiji politics.

His Fiji First Party won an impressive victory even though the Social Democratic Liberal Party of the native Fijians and the National Federation Party, the traditional Fiji Indian Party, won some seats. Mr. Bainimarama had visited India twice to raise confidence among the Fiji Indians. As a nationally elected Prime Minister, he has no reason to be prejudiced against Indian influence in Fiji. His own senior advisers include Indian professionals and politicians such as Attorney General Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum.

India is certainly at an advantage in its bid to retain influence in the region, even as China is making sustained efforts to woo Fiji and the other islands in the South Pacific. In fact, India had no competitors in Fiji, as Pakistan had no presence and China had maintained only a token presence in the island country. China was focussed on seeking recognition from the islands, many of which had diplomatic relations with Taiwan. Having won that battle after many of them adopted the ‘One China’ policy, China has proceeded to befriend them with trade and economic linkages. The Chinese now have a firm foothold in the South Pacific, but with the kind of soft power it enjoys in the region, India can resist the expansion of Chinese influence in the South Pacific.

Relations with other islands

Apart from Fiji, Tonga, Vanuatu and Nauru have cordial relations with India, while Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Kiribati and others have warm feelings for India. The Indian brand is known in these islands mainly because of the Fiji Indian traders and businessmen. Nauru depends on India for teachers and administrators and had invested in the Paradeep Phosphates as part of its strategy to invest abroad in the context of its dwindling land. Tonga had a king who had a special relationship with Indian leaders and who had visited India. Vanuatu felt close to India because of its socialist dreams. At one time Australia had some apprehensions about the expansion of the Indian Navy in the Indian Ocean, but it doesn’t resent Indian influence in these islands now.

Unlike Japan and Vietnam, Australia has no major problems with China, and their commercial and economic relations are significant. This is a factor which will have an impact on the attitude of the South Pacific towards China. But the human rights violations in China, which Australia resents, must be a concern for the smaller state too. The only factor that weighs in favour of China in the region will be the massive investments that it promises to make in return for a market and strategic space in the South Pacific.{This is where India will find it tough. India and Japan have recently worked out a scheme in Sri Lanka where Japanese funds and Indian industries will jointly be involved in projects. This is the only way to defeat Chinese incursions, otherwise China has money, manpower and technology to single-handedly carry though with its plans}

The visit of the Indian Prime Minister to Fiji comes 33 years after Indira Gandhi’s visit. But the timing of Narendra Modi’s visit is most appropriate because racial harmony and non-discrimination, both of which India had wished for Fiji, have just been accomplished. But the visit has to be followed up with a robust programme of co-operation in areas in which we have particular strengths. Indian businessmen tend to deal with those countries which give them the maximum profits, but other things being equal, they will be happy to source Indian products for the islanders.

Mr. Modi will receive a royal welcome, with popular participation. The Chinese President is likely to be received warmly, but only by the government. The contrast will be too obvious to be missed. Moreover, the arrival of the leaders of the other island states at the invitation of the Indian Prime Minister will be impressive. Mr. Modi will also address the Fiji Parliament in which the successors of the indentured labourers, who came to these islands in the 19th century, are represented. That will be an emotional moment. China appears to have plans to build another “string of pearls” in its favour in the South Pacific, mainly through trade and economic cooperation. India can effectively counter these moves if it makes use of its assets in the region.

(T.P. Sreenivasan was High Commissioner to Fiji and other South Pacific island states from 1986-89.)

PNG can be India's French Guyana. ISRO can make big investments there for an equatorial launch facility and a deep space tracking station in Fiji.

SSridhar · Post by **SSridhar** » 20 Nov 2014 08:42

China, Russia step up defence ties - Atul Aneja, The Hindu

China and Russia are swiftly reinforcing their military ties to counter the “Asia Pivot” of the United States, widely seen as a military doctrine in the Asia-Pacific to contain Beijing’s growing international stature.

Russia’s Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu, during a visit to the Chinese capital, minced no words on Wednesday in his assertion that Beijing and Moscow have “expressed concern about the U.S. attempts to strengthen its military and political influence in the Asia-Pacific region”.

U.S. ‘Asia pivot’

Under the framework of its “Asia Pivot,” Washington is strengthening its military presence along China’s periphery through fresh deployments chiefly in Japan, South Korea, Australia and the Philippines.

Russia and China will hold joint military exercises in the Pacific Ocean next year, closer to the Chinese mainland and in the Mediterranean Sea, Mr. Shoigu said.

Analysts say that the manoeuvres in the Mediterranean will reinforce Beijing and Moscow’s common understanding not to permit U.S.-led “regime change” in countries such as Syria and Lebanon.

Mr. Shoigu also asserted in Beijing, the headquarters of the Shanghai Cooperative Organisation (SCO), that Russia and China visualise establishing a collective security force in the region.

Both countries, emerging as the core defenders of Eurasia, are acutely concerned about the escalating threat of terrorism radiating from Afghanistan, which is likely to experience a military power vacuum following the bulk troop withdrawal of NATO forces from Kabul.

Beijing and Moscow see counter-terrorism cooperation by the SCO countries, which include Central Asia, as part of the solution.

In an address last week, former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev warned that growing tensions over Ukraine are threatening a new Cold War between Russia and the West.

Russia on Wednesday also came out in stout defence of China in its handling of the situation in Hong Kong. Russian media quoted Deputy Defence Minister, Anatoly Antonov as saying: “We have taken note of the events that recently took place in Hong Kong and the two Ministers acknowledged that not a single country can feel insured against colour revolutions.”

SSridhar · Post by **SSridhar** » 20 Nov 2014 08:43

George wrote:PNG can be India's French Guyana. ISRO can make big investments there for an equatorial launch facility and a deep space tracking station in Fiji.

Apparently, stronger defence & space cooperation was part of the discussions that Modi had with Fiji and 13 other heads of South Pacific islands who had been invited.

Tuvaluan · Post by **Tuvaluan** » 20 Nov 2014 10:39

The US cannot be trusted to work against China -- from a game theoretic perspective, the best option for the US is to work with china in the naval sphere and divide responsibilities (and costs) to retain control of the whole. The US is in bed with china, not withstanding all their bullsh*t about asia pivot. China has actually perfected the art of being a swing state that uses events to increase its own power at the expense of others, chiefly the US. The cretins in the US state dept. will see China eat the food off their table while they stand around looking all macho in their jockstraps with their weiners in their palms.

SSridhar · Post by **SSridhar** » 20 Nov 2014 12:45

As China engages world, domestic goals likely to conflict with international responsibilities - Japan Times

BEIJING – In a flurry of diplomacy, Chinese President Xi Jinping has agreed on environmental targets with the U.S., held a first formal summit with Japan and pledged friendship with Vladimir Putin, even as the Russian president is ostracized by Western countries.

Two years since becoming head of the ruling Communist Party, Xi, an establishment scion of the country’s post-1949 elite, has moved from offering his own country a “Chinese dream” to an “Asia-Pacific dream” for the region, with China at its center.

The expansion symbolizes the way the world’s No. 2 economy is seeking a greater global diplomatic role fitting to its commercial heft — as other rising powers, such as the United States, have before it.

But as it further engages with the world, analysts say China will have to perform ever more complicated balancing acts to meet its international responsibilities and domestic goals.

Jia Qingguo, professor of international relations at Peking University, said Beijing is still trying to establish what its interests are and strike the right balance between them, given that they vary depending on its own complex and competing identities.

“As a developing country we want to have the right to development on the climate change issue,” he said. “But at the same time, as a developed country we want to cut emissions to reduce the problem of PM2.5,” he added, referring to tiny particulates that have become an emblem of the country’s pollution crisis.

“China has to take up certain responsibilities,” he said. “It increasingly finds it difficult to take a free ride,” stressing that if the U.S. ignored its global responsibilities, the international system would “collapse.”

State media has lauded Xi, but the communist leader’s interactions with other heads of state, at a series of summits in recent weeks, tell a more nuanced story of the challenges China faces.

Under Xi, Beijing has been increasingly assertive in pursuing territorial claims against Tokyo in the East China Sea and other neighbors in the South China Sea.

Xi’s awkward meeting with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit last week followed a narrowly crafted agreement that both sides could spin as a victory on their own terms, and was marked by barely concealed mutual distaste, evident from images of the two leaders shaking hands.

Despite the dramatic emissions targets announced with U.S. President Barack Obama in Beijing, the two sides made clear they hold fundamentally opposite positions on multiple issues, including human rights and regional security.

Both Abe and Obama were in Beijing this month to participate in the APEC forum leaders’ meeting, the first of three successive regional and global summits that culminated with the Group of 20 meet in Brisbane, Australia — which China will host in 2016.

China’s role at the center of proceedings contrasted noticeably with that of fellow U.N. Security Council permanent member Russia, whose president left the G-20 early as Western countries criticized him over Ukraine and other issues.

But China’s potential as a diplomatic middleman is constrained by history and its domestic priorities.

Kim Han-kwon, an expert at the Asan Institute for Policy Studies in Seoul, said that China’s communist leaders have embraced “patriotic nationalism” since the end of the Cold War to replace socialist ideology as a unifying internal glue.

As a result they are pushed “to show a more strong and stern image of China to protect China’s own national interest,” he said.{I believe that this is a very fine articulation}

Before Xi and Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott announced a deal to slash trade barriers, Obama warned of the dangers of outright conflict in Asia as China contests disputed territory.

The U.S., Japanese and Australian leaders committed their countries to deepening existing strong security cooperation in the Asia-Pacific — with China the obvious object of their attentions.

Kerry Brown, professor of Chinese politics at the University of Sydney, said that Xi does not want “challenges from the external world” to distract it from internal changes such as transforming the economy and creating more stable and sustainable growth.

“The question now is will the rest of the world let it do this without making more demands on it,” he said.

That may be unavoidable. At the global level, the U.S. and China both compete and cooperate on issues such as climate change and the denuclearization of North Korea, the Asan Institute’s Kim said.

But he added that in the realm of “regional international politics in Northeast Asia, strategic competition between the U.S. and China has increased.”

ramana · Post by **ramana** » 20 Nov 2014 21:14

SS this is PRC version of Nazariya-e-Pakistan(NeP) to replace Islamist Toe Nation (ITN) theory after creation of Bangladesh in 1971.

harbans · Post by **harbans** » 20 Nov 2014 21:31

So Japan can stop funding construction because China considers ArP disputed. That is why i keep saying we have to make more areas disputed wrt Tibet. Start with KM and progress to the whole of Tibet. At least we can then loudly oppose any construction by China near our borders with Tibet. With such stupid laws and rules posing as INternational, reducing disputes in not the way, increasing them is.

SSridhar · Post by **SSridhar** » 21 Nov 2014 08:02

‘Reports that China-Bhutan ties worries India are nonsense’

Referring to visits in the past few months by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Pranab Mukherjee, Bhutan’s Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay said India-Bhutan relations had reached an “unprecedented level of cooperation and understanding.”

In an exclusive interview to The Hindu , Mr. Tobgay denied speculation that the high-level visits were tied to India’s worries over Bhutan-China relations. “There is a theory that India’s leaders are visiting Bhutan in quick succession, and Mr. Modi made Bhutan his maiden foreign visit destination because the government is concerned about Bhutan’s security. Our friendship is deep and this is a celebration of it. The rest are nonsense theories,” Mr. Tobgay said.

Boundary talks

He also dismissed reports of alleged Chinese incursions into Bhutan and also reports of India planning helipads along the Bhutan border, but said that boundary resolution talks with China were “going very well.”

In his first comments on the talks, since a Bhutanese delegation led by Foreign Minister Rinzin Dorje met Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Beijing in July this year, Mr. Tobgay said, “We have now had 22 rounds of discussions since 1984 and based on the Guiding Principles (1988) and agreement for Maintenance of Peace and Tranquillity (1998). Where there have been issues, we have raised them. Right now, the discussions are going very well with the Chinese.” {The Chinese are adept at such agreements. We also have a 'Guiding Principles and Political Parameters', 'Agreement on Maintenance of Peace & Tranquility', ‘Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on India-China Border Affairs’, ‘Border Defence Cooperation Agreement’ (BDCA) and above all the great Panchsheel. All these are treacherous agreements, meant as a one-way road for China alone. None of these stop the Chinese incursions, provocations or border infrastructure development etc. The Chinese flout these at will and expect only the other party to play by rules. Every international agreement or convention that China has agreed to, has been flouted by it whether it is IAEA, NSG, UNCLOS etc. We have also had 20 rounds of Special Representatives meeting but there is no progress at all on resolution}

SSridhar · Post by **SSridhar** » 21 Nov 2014 09:14

US accuses China of cyber spying on American companies - Reuters, ET

The United States on Monday charged five Chinese military officers and accused them of hacking into American nuclear, metal and solar companies to steal trade secrets, ratcheting up tensions between the two world powers over cyber espionage.

China immediately denied the charges, saying in a strongly worded Foreign Ministry statement the U.S. grand jury indictment was "made up" and would damage trust between the two nations.

Officials in Washington have argued for years that cyber espionage is a top national security concern. The indictment was the first criminal hacking charge that the United States has filed against specific foreign officials, and follows a steady increase in public criticism and private confrontation, including at a summit last year between U.S. President Barack Obama and Chinese President Xi Jinping.

"When a foreign nation uses military or intelligence resources and tools against an American executive or corporation to obtain trade secrets or sensitive business information for the benefit of its state-owned companies, we must say, 'Enough is enough,'" U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder said at a news conference.

Federal prosecutors said the suspects targeted companies including Alcoa Inc, Allegheny Technologies Inc, United States Steel Corp, Toshiba Corp unit Westinghouse Electric Co, the U.S. subsidiaries of SolarWorld AG , and a steel workers' union.

Officials declined to estimate the size of the losses to the companies, but said they were "significant." Some of the victims had filed unfair trade claims against their Chinese rivals, helping Washington draw a link between the alleged hacking activity and its impact on international business.

According to the indictment, Chinese state-owned companies "hired" Unit 61398 of the People's Liberation Army "to provide information technology services" including assembling a database of corporate intelligence. The Chinese companies were not named.

The Shanghai-based Unit 61398 was identified last year by cybersecurity firm Mandiant as the source of a large number of espionage operations. All five defendants worked with 61398, according to the indictment.

"The administration is trying to make this clear it's a trade issue, not a cold war with China," said Jim Lewis of the Center for Strategic and International Studies, who has served as a U.S. representative in hacking negotiations with China.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry statement said it would suspend the activities of a Sino-U.S. working group on cyber issues, which American officials believe refers to a joint effort established in April 2013 involving State Department expert Chris Painter and China Foreign Ministry official Dai Bing.

That was set up as a spinoff from the U.S.-China Strategic and International Dialogue, but produced little tangible progress even before leaks by former National Security Administration contractor Edward Snowden leaks gave China grounds for accusing the NSA of infiltrating Chinese companies as well as government offices.

U.S. officials have maintained that they do not steal secrets to give an advantage to U.S. companies, but in China, Lewis said, the line between military and business prowess is unclear.

Unit 61398 has hundreds of active spies and is just one of dozens of such bodies in China, said Jen Weedon, an analyst at Mandiant, now owned by global network security company FireEye Inc. She said the group is not among the most sophisticated.

The specific accusation is less important than the demonstration that the United States is committed to stepping up its fight in multiple ways, Weedon said.

"There's a paradigm shift with regards to other ways countries try to hold each other accountable," she said.

U.S.-CHINA TIES

The cyber spying charges come amid growing tensions between Washington and Beijing over China's increased assertiveness in maritime disputes with its neighbors.

Days after Obama ended an Asia-Pacific tour in late April, China deployed an oil drilling rig 150 miles (240 km) off the coast of Vietnam, in a part of the South China Sea claimed by itself and Hanoi. That sparked deadly anti-China riots in central Vietnam last week and raised questions among U.S. allies in the region over whether Obama's long-promised strategic "pivot" toward Asia is more than talk.

A tougher stand against Chinese cyber crime targeting U.S. interests could help counter criticism that Washington has responded too passively to Beijing's geopolitical challenges. U.S. officials have long complained about Chinese cyber spying but have taken few concrete actions to punish those suspected of being behind it.

Washington announced the charges as new claims emerged last week about the scope of overseas spying by the United States. Documents leaked by Snowden showed the agency intercepted and modified equipment made by Cisco Systems Inc that was headed overseas.

Cisco responded by asking Obama to curtail U.S. surveillance programs, underscoring the vulnerability of multinationals to a whipsaw of competing government interests.

Douglas Paal of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace think tank said the hacking charges will add to the list of grievances that have been accumulating between China and the United States. "It will give Beijing a chance to remind the U.S. that its own spying is a bigger problem."

He added, "We have a plethora of vulnerable firms, including Cisco, Intel, IBM and others. Targeted retaliation is likely intended to split and weaken American support for the administrations action."

Skeptics said U.S. authorities would not be able to arrest those indicted because Beijing would not hand them over. Still, the move would prevent the individuals from traveling to the United States or other countries that have an extradition agreement with the United States.

"It won't slow China down," said Eric Johnson, dean of the business school at Vanderbilt University and an expert on cyber security issues.

But the step could prompt China to rethink the position that industrial secrets are fair game, analysts said.

"At some point, they are going to start dealing seriously with this problem, unless they want to hurt relations," said Dmitri Alperovitch, co-founder of security firm CrowdStrike.

SPEAR PHISHING

In an indictment filed in the Western District of Pennsylvania, prosecutors said the officers hacked into computers starting in 2006, often by infecting machines with tainted "spear phishing" emails to employees that purport to be from colleagues.

Prosecutors alleged that one hacker, for example, stole cost and pricing information in 2012 from an Oregon-based solar panel production unit of SolarWorld. The company was losing market share at the time to Chinese competitors who were systematically pricing exports below production costs, according to the indictment.

Another officer is accused of stealing technical and design specifications about pipes for nuclear plants from Westinghouse Electric as the company was negotiating with a Chinese company to build four power plants in China, prosecutors said.

American businesses have long urged the government to act against cyber espionage from abroad, particularly by China.

Alcoa spokeswoman Monica Orbe said: "To our knowledge, no material information was compromised."

U.S. Steel declined to comment, while SolarWorld CEO Frank Asbeck said the company supported the U.S. investigation.

Suraj · Post by **Suraj** » 21 Nov 2014 13:13

Chinese state media give professors a chilling warning

During visits to more than 20 schools, the regional paper wrote last week, it found exactly what it said it was looking for: Some professors compared Chinese Communist Party co-founder Mao Zedong to ancient emperors, a blasphemy to party ideology upholding Mao as a break from the country's feudal past. Other scholars were caught pointing out the party's failures after taking power in 1949. Some repeatedly praised "Western" ideas such as a separation of powers in government.

"Dear teachers, because your profession demands something higher of you, and because of the solemnity and particularity of the university classroom, please do not speak this way about China!" implored the article, since widely distributed on social media throughout China.

Chinese professors have long endured government monitoring and some degree of political interference, but this kind of public shaming was unprecedented in China's recent history, said Zhang Wen, a journalism professor at the University of Science and Technology Beijing. For some, it evokes memories of the bloody political purges of the Cultural Revolution 40 years ago.

Since taking power last year, President Xi Jinping's government has tightened controls over a wide range of society, from artists to churches. And while academics have traditionally been held up as respected voices of authority in Chinese society, many view the public investigation as an order to watch what they say in classrooms, Zhang said.

"I think this is a very bad thing," he said. "Teachers need some freedom to interpret facts. If not, why have teachers then? Students can just read books. I think this is definitely a warning to us."

Just months after Xi took power last year, Chinese authorities outlined seven topics that professors shouldn't talk about in their classes, including judicial independence, civil society and the wealth of government officials, according to Xia Yeliang, a former Peking University economics professor who was fired last year for supporting democratic reforms in China.

In addition to Xia, at least two other Beijing-based professors have been disciplined for their teachings about sensitive topics such as the Arab Spring uprisings and constitutionalism in China, Zhang said.

sanjaykumar · Post by **sanjaykumar** » 21 Nov 2014 23:04

For the adoration of Mao and the mass mental illness afflicting China, this society needs liberal treatment with tranylcypromine.

(I know, but it will make sense to pharmacologists).

Agnimitra · Post by **Agnimitra** » 23 Nov 2014 15:01

X-post from Japan thread:

Japan assures China it will stay out of Arunachal projects

China said on Tuesday that it had received a "clarification" from the Japanese government saying Tokyo would not involve itself in infrastructure projects in Arunachal Pradesh.

Responding to reports in India which said the Border Roads Organization (BRO) had given 'strategic' projects to the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) along the China border, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said the Japanese government had made clear that it would not involve itself in projects in 'disputed areas' between India and China. Officials clarified this included Arunachal Pradesh, which China has territorial claims on.
...
India's BRO has sought help from the JICA to push forward long-overdue infrastructure projects in India's Northeast. The JICA has been roped in to provide assistance for a number of road projects. According to the Japanese agency's website, it is currently involved in various projects in the Northeast in Sikkim, Assam, Mizoram and Tripura.

The Japanese government's clarification suggests that at least in Arunachal - and along the strategically significant China border where India's infrastructure is especially lagging behind that of its neighbour - the BRO will have to move forward without Tokyo's assistance.

arun · Post by **arun** » 23 Nov 2014 15:56

^^^ X Posted from the “India and Japan: News and Discussion” thread.

Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hong Lei's Regular Press Conference on November 18, 2014 …………………..

Q: Recently, there are reports saying that the Indian government will cooperate with the Japanese side to build a 2000-km strategic road in the disputed area of the eastern section of the China-India boundary. Japan International Corporation Agency landed the contract, and will provide financial assistance and technical expertise. What is China's comment?

A: We have noted the report and checked with relevant authorities. The Japanese side has clarified that their cooperation project does not involve disputed parts of the China-India boundary.

MOFA of PRC

Philip · Post by **Philip** » 25 Nov 2014 11:11

Oh sh*t!

Cesspool excrement explosion destroys Chinese building
Fifteen people injured in blast apparently caused when methane gas from pit ignited

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/n ... e-building

The future of China? The "Big Bang"?

SSridhar · Post by **SSridhar** » 26 Nov 2014 07:35

China hopes to start a new round of talks soon

China has said it is hopeful of starting a new round of talks with India soon following the appointment of Ajit Doval, the National Security Adviser to the Prime Minister, as the government’s special representative for border talks with Beijing.

China said on Tuesday that it welcomed Mr. Doval’s appointment and expects talks to commence soon.

“We are willing to hold a new round of special representatives’ talks on border issues at an appropriate time, and push forward the settlement of the problem based on the principles and consensus reached by both sides in previous talks,” said Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying on Tuesday.

She pointed out that talks had entered a “crucial stage,” following an initial agreement that had already been reached.{She is lying to mislead}

Diplomatic sources, however, told The Hindu , that progress had been achieved in “better management” of the border, as witnessed during the incident in the Chumar sector of Ladakh, during Chinese President Xi Jinping’s recent visit to India. But clarification of the Line of Control (LAC) or a focused dialogue on a formula for ending the border row was still far away.

SSridhar · Post by **SSridhar** » 26 Nov 2014 08:07

Link

Diplomats said the Pakistani objections weren’t the only issue in the proposed declaration that led to tense moments at the SAARC foreign ministers’ meeting on Tuesday. The role of the nine observers at the Summit is also likely to be amended to accept the requests from some of the observers, most notably China and the U.S., for a greater engagement with SAARC. While Nepal has expressed willingness to accept China’s request for a “larger and more regular” role, India has pushed for a “project by project” engagement to fund and execute regional projects, in the areas of connectivity, environment, health and energy.

China’s Vice-Foreign Minister Liu Zhenmin, who is heading the Chinese Observer delegation, and U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Nisha Biswal, met with SAARC secretary-general Arjun Bahadur Thapa to discuss the contours of the discussions. However officials dismissed reports that China had put in an official proposal to be accepted as a member-state, even as Indian diplomats said the concerns over the possibility was “exaggerated.”

The Kathmandu declaration, as it is likely to be called once it is adopted on Thursday, was expected to include a 26-point agenda, with two ‘framework’ agreements on easing the movement of motor vehicles and passenger traffic across the SAARC region, as well as one on developing railway links between all the countries, that would facilitate trade.

SSridhar · Post by **SSridhar** » 26 Nov 2014 08:14

China to study feasibility of Delhi-Chennai bullet train

A high-level team from the Indian railways has arrived here to discuss the conduct of a feasibility study by China for a high-speed north-south rail link, clocking nearly 300 km an hour, between New Delhi and Chennai.

Diplomatic sources told The Hindu , that the proposal for the study has come from China, and the Chinese authorities have stated their intent to carry it out at their own cost.

So far the only Japanese bullet-train project linking Mumbai and Ahmedabad sector is on track. However, the Indian side will send around 100 railway personnel in batches of 20 to China for training. Both countries have also agreed to work together in “heavy haul” trains — an area in which China has developed world class expertise.

“Model stations”

The two countries have also identified development of Bengaluru and the Bhubaneswar as “model stations” that China would establish, the sources said. There are two other areas where collaboration in the railway sector is already on: the establishment of a railway university and upgrade of existing track so that trains can run at around 180 km an hour. The rail corridor between Chennai to Mysore via Bengaluru has been identified for this purpose, the sources said.

The sources observed that in case the New Delhi-Chennai corridor materialises, though India, has so far an open mind on this, it would become the world’s second largest bullet train line. The 1,754 km line will only be second to the 2,298 km high speed track between Beijing and Guangzhou that was launched last year. China Daily quoted officials as saying that the high-speed line between New Delhi and Chennai will cost around $ 32.6 billion.

vijaykarthik · Post by **vijaykarthik** » 26 Nov 2014 18:35

^^ I wonder why the Indian govt allows them to do 'feasibility' studies. Never allow poisonous snakes into the lawn grass in the assumption that they are pets.

harbans · Post by **harbans** » 26 Nov 2014 19:18

Settling a permanent Indo-China border will be the greatest/ biggest political and foreign policy blunder any Govt can make. THis blunder will be so big it will never be possible to recover ever. If Indian FP thinking is we recognize 1 China if China recognizes 1 India it is utterly Nehruvian, foolish and stupid. No one except China disputes Ar P not even the denizens of the State. What is roundly disputed and should be is Chinese sovereignty over Tibet, Kailash Mansarover and the right to make dams over the Brahmaputra or any river in Tibet or mine for minerals or destroy the Dharmic civilization of Tibet. Acknowledging a China - India border will be a monumental error. An error that can destroy Modi's Foreign Policy legacy. This area is a Strict very strict no. THe max extent they should go is formalize an LAC. That is it. Nothing more.

SSridhar · Post by **SSridhar** » 27 Nov 2014 09:59

Japan casts shadow on China’s bullet trainambition with India

Having lost a contract in Mexico that was supposedly in the bag, China is keeping its fingers crossed regarding a possible bullet- train deal with India along the 1,754 kilometre Delhi-Chennai high speed rail corridor.

A commentary on Wednesday that appeared in the Global Times, affiliated to the Chinese communist party, apprehended that the Sino-Indian partnership in the high-speed rail domain “has not yet been well-received by the Indian public”.

Besides, it observed that “Japan, which is also eyeing the market and has pledged to offer a more attractive funding scheme, is a serious rival in the sector.”

Yet, notwithstanding its rivalry with Tokyo, the daily was hopeful that in case the first rail project after President Xi Jinping’s September visit to India materialised, it could become a game-changer, yielding “untold dividends for both sides.”

The commentary, which was also carried by the People’s Daily, the official newspaper of the Chinese government was timed with visit to China by a five-member delegation of India’s High Speed Rail Corporation, led by its chairman, Satish Agnihotri. The delegation is engaged in nailing the “terms of reference” of the feasibility study, which Chinese authorities will undertake to establish a high-speed rail corridor between Delhi and Chennai.

Highly places sources told The Hindu that the finalisation of the study of the Delhi-Chennai corridor does not mean a commitment to award the high-speed rail contract to a Chinese company.

China’s mixed response to the prospect of a deal, which could turn travel time between Delhi and Chennai to around 6 hours, follows its recent debacle in Mexico. On November 3, Mexico’s transport minister, announced that China-the only bidder had won the contract for the 210 kilometre rail link between Mexico City and Queretaro, the upcoming industrial centre to the north. Yet, in an unexpected turn of events, Mexico’s President Enrique Pena Nieto decided "to revoke the November 3 ruling and restart" the bidding process.{May be, by even Mexican standards, the corrupt Chinese practises were too much}

The commentary acknowledged that the “global reach of Chinese high-speed rail is still in its nascent stage,” but asserted that China “has become one of the very few countries that owns intellectual property rights for high-speed rail technology, and has achieved this in the space of only a decade”.

Tuvaluan · Post by **Tuvaluan** » 27 Nov 2014 10:51

harbans:"Settling a permanent Indo-China border will be the greatest/ biggest political and foreign policy blunder any Govt can make. THis blunder will be so big it will never be possible to recover ever."

indeed, which is why it amuses to see jokers in India that call themselves foreign policy experts actually push this line..like this imbecile C. Rajamohan

http://www.thehindu.com/2003/11/25/stor ... 581200.htm

India should disown the "One China" policy and push for Tibet independence once it has girded its loins along the border with china. Until then, a defensive posture is the best India can do give the lack of capability at this time to press some steel toed boots up the chinese groin.

vijaykarthik · Post by **vijaykarthik** » 27 Nov 2014 14:08

I hope for the day when the external affairs min / for sec nonchalantly says during a bilateral summit when they are exchanging points of agreement...

when it comes to the pt of reiterating India accepting a 1-china moment: "Look up as say wow, Tibet? But when was Tibet ever part of China? I don't know about the rest of the ignoramuses... but I do know geography and I don't quite remember why / how Tibet become China" and step away from the room or something to that effect.

That is what is reqd. If not so wickedly, at least strongly.

In the meanwhile, Chinese ships incursion near the disputed Senkakus a few days ago. 3 Chinese ships. Mmh.

SSridhar · Post by **SSridhar** » 28 Nov 2014 07:54

China looks to deepen ties with SAARC through New Silk Road - Atul Aneja, The Hindu

China is looking at deepening its ties with South Asia by opening the gates of its New Silk Road initiatives to SAARC member states.

The state-run Xinhua news agency quoted visiting deputy foreign minister, Liu Zhenmin, who was at Kathmandu to represent China as an observer at the SAARC summit, as saying that China has set up a $40 billion fund for the development of infrastructure under its Silk Road initiative.

He also pointed out that China was the lead player in the development of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) — an institution that is likely to compete with the western-backed Asian Development Bank (ADB).

China has embarked on its Silk Road undertakings, which include the establishment of a 21st century Maritime Silk Road, in response to the “rebalancing” strategy or “Asia Pivot” of the United States, which Beijing has interpreted as an attempt to contain China’s rise.

Mr. Liu pointed out that China has concretised its plans for engaging SAARC countries, which include raising trade volumes to $150 billion in the next five years.

“We are offering South Asian countries with 30 billion U.S. dollars in construction of roads, offering 10,000 scholarships, 5,000 training opportunities and exchange programmes for 5,000 youths and sending off 5,000 Chinese language teachers to South Asian countries in the next five years,” he observed.

China has activated its Silk Road initiative, which includes an exponential expansion of connectivities through high speed rail, road and cyber links, along with the establishment of energy pipelines along the route, which has several nodes and junctions.

The Chinese visualise that one major Silk Road artery will start from the former imperial capital Xian to Urumqi in Xinjiang Province. It will then pass through Central Asia, Iran, Iraq, and Turkey’s Anatolia, and terminate at Venice.

Branch lines of the main Silk Road could pass through SAARC members, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India.

vijaykarthik · Post by **vijaykarthik** » 28 Nov 2014 11:26

One other geostrategic miracle:

HKND is planning to start constrcn of the Nicaragua Canal sometime in Dec. Few reports say 22nd while a few say 24th. A Christmas present to the Nicaraguans to build the canal and riBal Panama. Looks like the canal will be dredged to be about 30m deep and will pass through Lake Cocibolca and can also allow* Panamax class ships...

If the canal does indeed complete, that is.

harbans · Post by **harbans** » 28 Nov 2014 20:40

Vijay/ Tuvaluan thanks for comments and pointing at 'experts' like Rajamohan. Large number of these 'experts' have been groomed with Nehruvian basics. They don't question Nehru's core vision and assumptions. Once you don't question Nehruvian assumptions like China was our neighbor for millenia, or We can't change neighbors one's entire expertize meanders on a coarse that is bound to failure and tragedy. It will remain wishful though intellectual. It will remain idealist and never match with reality. When things don;t work out to the vision of these experts they start disowning what we consider ours. Hence you will find a lot of 'China' hands like MKB. MSA etc veer drastically towards the left more and more as they keep getting cornered. Lets face it even many of the RW/ anti INC kind of 'experts' have been virtually clueless on the China front. It is only recently we have seen some articles that have started conceding that yes Neighbors can be changed and China was not our neighbor. There has been huge institutionalized damage that has been done which has to be undone. Remember UPA ministers in parliament and elsewhere vehemently denied China was building dams to divert the Brahmaputra. Today it is confirmed that indeed they have been busy at it for a long while. The nation will pay a heavy price for these follies. But it is never too late to reaffirm our apprehensions.

What use is it if after this GOvt on advice of 'FP experts' says we have finalized a Indo-China border, that experts start criticizing the stand taken. If it has to be done it has to be done now. No this endorsing 1 China for some stupid endorsement of China of 1 India is just plain stupid. Sikkim and ArP don;t want to be part of China and are happy with India. It is that what should matter. Not whether China, USA, UK, Saudi or Timbuktu endorses a 1 India policy. So a big NO to the GoI feeling great, happy and pleased with itself on finalizing an India-China border.

SSridhar · Post by **SSridhar** » 29 Nov 2014 16:11

Terror attack in Xinjiang kills 15 - The Hindu

Chinese state media say 15 people have been killed in an attack in the country’s western Xinjiang region.

The official Xinhua News Agency says 14 other people were injured in what it said was a terrorist attack on Friday in Shache county.

The Tianshan news portal said on Saturday that the attackers used vehicles, knives and explosives in the assault. It said the dead included 11 of the attackers.

Xinjiang has been the site of repeated violence over the past year as members of the Muslim Uighur (WEE-gur) minority group have bristled under what they say is repressive Chinese government rule.

Culturally, ethnically, historically, neither Xinjiang, nor Tibet is part of Han China. Like those 'stans' bordering Xinjiang, there must be the Turkestan or Uyghurustan.

Christopher Sidor · Post by **Christopher Sidor** » 29 Nov 2014 21:30

^^^^^^^
Hope to see that happen in my life time.