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

[Gyan]

Pakistan is an Army with nation. Then China is a Party with Nation. Their rich elite have parlayed Chinese slave labour for making inroads into power structure of western world. We need to ban and or license all Chinese imports, to develop indigenous industries.

[manju]

^^^ ".....particularly in Buddhist countries and INDIA, WHICH Mao was courting....."

Courting?
What does that mean - invasion ?!!

I guess....to accept him as the leader of the international communist movement.

[Bart S]

This may be just a conspiracy theory, but is there another sinister dimension to the CPEC project? One of the interesting things about CPEC is the massive amount of power supply generation, which Pakistan just doesn't need, with it's current or projected economic trajectory or industrial capabilities. A lot about the project (other than providing China a land + naval footprint) does not make sense, it is rather like gifting an iPad to a camel.

Now whether the investments in power generation and roads will materialize, and whether the Pakis can pull it off and obtain even half-decent infrastructure upgrades without going even more bankrupt or imploding, is a huge unknown. However:

Could it be that the long term plan is to build capacity, and then use Pakistan as a base using cheap labour to set up Chinese manufacturing targeting the Indian market? Right now the Pakis are not keen on economic integration with India because (apart from their Jihadi mindset and flawed understanding of trade and economics) they just don't have the infrastructure, know how or industrial base to compete. Perhaps 15 years from now the Indian per-capita will be easily 2-3X that of Pakistan and the labour arbitrage might come into play. They could then turn full circle and demand free trade etc in the interests of peace and integration etc and bring huge pressure to bear on India to open up. It would be a huge gamble but may be a long term strategy of the Chinese...after all, they have little to lose since if it does not materialize that way the Paki morons are still paying for much of CPEC.

[kit]

The CPEC can itself be used the Chinese to open a new front against India in times of war inside Pakistan ..the infrastructure will enable them to move huge supplies and men in a short period . it's time to realise we are not exactly at war with Pakistan but with China ..it's not overt now but inside of a decade it will .. The CPEC should not happen.. it's a dagger straight into India 's heart

[manju]

43. Maoism goes global – 1959-70

(sorry, long summary as it involved India-China war of 1963... )

In Feb 1959, USSR signed an agreement to prvide China wit the means to make nuclear submarines. When Mao try to elbow out USSR and make himself ‘THE Leader’ of the communist world Khrushchev had second thoughts. When an unexploded air-to-air missle fired by US fell in China from a Taiwanese plane Mao refused to let the USSR access the missile. Chines had dismantled the missile and critical guidance system was found missing. Khrushschev felt offended. He said ‘We held no secrets back fro China. We gave them everything…..Yet when they got a trophy they refused to share it.’ In June 1959 USSR suspended assistance on the nuclear bomb as well.

Khrushchev had been to USA and was trying to make peace with the west. Mao saw this as an opportunity to put himself forwards as the champion of all those around the world who saw peaceful coexistence as favoring the status quo. Mao made a strategic retreat after USSR with held transfer of some military technology but continued to undermine Khrushchev silently. He started with a campaign to propagate ‘Mao Tse-tung Thought’ round the world. The resulting propaganda campaign brought the world ‘Maoism.’

First Mao ensured that he had watertight filter on what foreigners could see and hear as he did not the starvation and deaths to become public as this would dent his campaign. Here, Mao and his team did a great job the real story did not come at that time. He also fund some useful idiots in the form os some western journalists who were willing to sing his tune.

In addition Mao gave handouts liberally to other countries in the form of arms, money and food (even as millions of Chinese were dying of starvation and famine.) What was even worse was that Moa was donating to countires that had a much higher per capita income than China, like Hungary. Mao apparently insisted that the loans did not be repaid and should be treated as gifts. He lavished more than US $20 billion during the are in Indochina region. His beneficiaries included Cuba, Albania and many other newer Maosit factions of communist parties. To launch ‘Moaism’ he chose the 19th anniversary of Lenin’s birth, in April 1960, in the form of a manifesto entitled Long Live Leninism!

When this friction with USSR was on Khrushchev needed Mao’s support for one of his one strategic moves. In October 1962, Khrushchev was planning to move nuclear missiles to Cuba when JKF threatened to invade Cuba. In the event there was an open conflict with USA, USSR needed China. At this time move was itching to attack India. Khrushchev threw a big bone at Mao; USSR’s blessing for china to attack India, even though this meant betraying the interests of India, which USSR had been long wooing. Beijing was preparing to attack India in May-June 1962. But Mao was wary of starting a war, as he was worried about the security of the nuclear site at Lop Nor in northwest China, which was beyond the range of American U-2 spy planes flying from Taiwan, but lay within range from India. Part of the fall-out from the war was the India allowed U-2s to fly from a base at Charbatia (in NE India), from where they were able to photograph China’s fist A-bomb test in 1964.

Mao was also scared of two front wars in case Taiwan attacked mainland. During this time Chiang of Taiwan was making preparation to invade mainland, fired by the hope that the population would rise up and welcome him because of the famine. In this situation Russia, on which China was heavily dependent for oil as a major factor. Previous Khrushchev had ostentatiously decline to back Peking when it had border clashes with India. In the summer of 1962 USSA signed an agreement not only to sell India MiGs, but for the India to manufacture Mig-21s
When Moa sent a feeler to the Russian ambassador about how Moscow would react if China attacked India. Khrushchev seized this change to make a startling demarche. On 14th October he told the Chinese ambassador that Moscow would stand by Peking if China got into a border war with India, and would delay the sale of MiG-21s to India. He also revealed that he had been secretly installing nuclear missile in Cuba and said he hoped the Chinese would give him their support. On 20th October, just was Cuba crisis was about to break, Mao gave the go-ahead to attack India. Five days later, with the Cuba crisis at fever pitch, Khrushchev came through with this support for Mao in the form of a statement in Pravda that mortified Nehru. The Cuban missile crisis settled on 28th October, after Khrushchev agree to withdraw the missile in return for promise by JFK not to invade Cuba (and an unpublished promise to pull US missile out of Turkey).

Mao used this backtracking of missile deployment in Cuba to drive a wedge between USSR and Cuba. This worked to some extend and when an advance US rocket, a Thhor-Able-Star, landed accidentally in Cuba, instead of letting the Russian have it, as he could normally have done, Castro played them off against the Chines by auctioning it. The result was Peking got some crucial components, which played a big part in enabling it to upgrade its missiles.

Khrushchev, for his part, backtracked from his previous support for China even while fighting was still going on inside INDIA. A Pravda editorial on 5 November conspicuously contained not one work endorsing Peking’s position. However, both did not want to break up openly as USSR wanted to keep the communist camp united and Mao was nuclear and other military technology from USSR. However, for Moa these hopes were dashed definitive in July 1963, when Khrushchev signed a Nuclear Test Ban Treaty with America and Britain, which embargoed the signatories helping others acquire a Bomb. It was this point, more than three years after he had started pushing Maoism onto the world stage, that Moa gave the order to denounce Khrushchev by name as a ‘revisionist.’

[manju]

Chapter 44: Ambushed by the President – 1961-62

from the book: Mao: The unknown Story

The No. 2, Lin Shao-chi, went along with Mo, even though he disagree with Mos’ position during the Great Leap forward in 1958. But the famine caused by the 'GLeat leap' touched Liu personally. His sister and brother in law were affected and died from malnutrition as they had to live only on the meager rations allotted to them. His sister was married to a land lord and they were categorized as ‘class enemy’ and forced into labor. When he visited some of the provinces he saw first the devastation and the misery and in once instance he broke down after hearing the stories and started to sob and apologized to the villagers.

In August 1961 during the annual meeting of government where targets for grain ‘requisition’ had to be set Mao was challenged by many top level leaders. Even Chou En-lai who usually never opposed Mao agreed with Liu and Mao accepted to cut food requisition by a third. Mao made this concession partly because a large number of big industrial projects had to be close down anyway as a result of lack of essential like steel, coal and electivity. Closing these down was a good idea anyway as they were a tremendous waste, but it resulted in 26 m lost jobs. Most of these people had come from villages and now they were to be kicked back.

Mao got wind of the resentment being aired by the party workers and even the Praetorian Guard, the people he relied on for his personal security. The Guards were promptly purged. Mao tried to deflect the blame and found scapegoats. The people he picked on were first of all village cadres, whom he blamed for ‘beating people up and beating them to death’, and for ‘causing grain harvest to drop and people not have enough food to eat’. He also blamed Russians and the natural calamities (there was no shortage of rains that year but he could get away with such lies.

Moa never compromised on his extravagant and lavish lifestyle but this was not know to the public. Once in a while he put up a show of austerity. His daughter who was in college (hostel) had to live by rations set for students. When she developed malnutrition and edema she abandoned college and stayed home. When Mao’s housekeeper took some leftover food, Moa exiled them to the freeing Northern wilderness.

In 1962 Mao called for “Conference of the Seven Thousand.” This conference would be attended by the top few people in each ministry, province, city, region, country and major industrial enterprise. In this conference the famine was brought to halt and this was mainly because Liu Shao-Chi ambushed Mao by delivering an impromptu key note speech speaking his mind (deviating from the prepared text vetted by Mao which was circulated to the participants in the conference). This encouraged the others to speak up and I was difficult for Mao to stop once the ball had rolled out.

Mao was seething with anger but he did not take Liu head on. He designated some provincial bosses and agricultural chiefs and planner to make speeches taking responsibility for the disaster, thus implicitly exonerating him. In addition he felt compelled to produce a ‘self-criticism’ in front of them- his first ever since coming to power. Even here he was vague and never directly took the responsibility.

After this conference, on 7th Feb 1962 Moa went to Shanghai to be among his cronies, under local boss Ke Quing-shi. He had to take back seat while Liu and his other colleagues, mainly Chou En-lai, Chen Youn and a raising start, Deng Xiao-ping, made major changes his policies. Investment in agriculture rose sharply, and a few peasants were allowed to lease land from commune, and effectively were able to return to being individual farmers. This motivated productivity. It was in defense of this practice that Deng Xiao-ping quote an old saying, which became his most famous remark: ‘It doesn’t matter whether it’s a yellow cat or a black cat, as long as it catches mice'. Many political prisoners were released and some ‘Rightists’ were rehabilitated.

Being forced to change policy by his own Party- without the backing of Moscow- was the biggest setback Mao had suffered since taking power. He was itching for revenge and a few years later, he launched his Great Purge, the Cultural Revolution, in which Liu and most of the officials in that hall, and numerous others, were to be put through hell.


My comments:
Moa was narcissist. It was always about him but he was cunning and was able to present this as if he was doing this in the interest of the masses. He really did not care about the people. For example when Chiang was fighting the Japanese (before ww-2) Moa was actively scheming and fighting Chiang (Nationalists). Similarly, now with his back to the wall and with the pragmatists among the CCP including Liu and his colleagues worked at getting the economy back into shape- Mao was planning for revenge.

[SSridhar]

Chinese hurdle to be India's concern at international trade meet - Economic Times

The government is looking at ways to handle the Chinese headache while negotiating Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, which will create one of the world's largest free trade blocs.

The issue will be foremost on commerce and industry minister Nirmala Sitharaman's mind when she meets trade ministers from the 16 countries, including China, South Korea, Japan, Australia and Asean members in the Philippines later this week.

At the last ministerial meeting, India had agreed to a common approach for tariff reduction for all countries instead of its earlier plan of a three-tier approach where it was offering to slash customs duty on less than half its imports from China while offering to open its market more for others such as Asean, Japan and South Korea, with which it has trade agreements. A second set of countries included those such as Australia with which a trade pact is being negotiated.

Having agreed to a common approach, sources said, the government is now going to seek greater flexibility so that it can sequence its tariff reduction plan for various countries and offer higher cuts for some. So, the government may offer to open up more quickly for imports from, say, Vietnam than for China. India's trade deficit with China, which rose to nearly $53 billion last year, is a major worry for the domestic industry as well as policymakers, who are keen to reduce the gap by boosting exports and also checking imports, which included mobile phones, electric bulbs and iron and steel.

Sources said India would not like to open up 85% of its market to all countries, something that was offered under the bilateral trade agreement with Japan. “For India, China is the concern. Being ambitious beyond Japan is going to be very difficult,“ a key negotiator said. Sources said when it came to China, even Japan and Korea were cautious.

Sitharaman is also set to flag India's concerns over limited progress in opening up of services, which is being resisted by the Asean members led by Singapore. The flow of Indians beyond software professionals was a key focus area for the government.

[SSridhar]

RCEP members worry over market access to China - Arun S, The Hindu

The concerns of 15 Asia-Pacific nations including India, over agreeing to give greater market access to Chinese goods without gaining in return, may take centre-stage in the forthcoming ministerial meeting on the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP).

RCEP is the proposed mega-regional Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between 16 Asia-Pacific countries including India, China, Japan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand and the 10-member ASEAN bloc.

Trade ministers of these countries are slated to meet on November 3-4 at Cebu, Philippines to take forward the FTA negotiations.

The proposed FTA, which aims to open up trade in goods and services as well as liberalise investment policies, will cover a market of over three billion people in these countries — whose total GDP is more than $17 trillion and account for 40 per cent of world trade.

Indian government sources said it was not just India, but all the other countries in the RCEP grouping are also worried about agreeing to eliminate tariffs altogether — a move that will mainly help China.

Concerns over dumping

The sources said the concerns of the RCEP nations also stem from fears of China dumping its excess capacity in several items including steel, as well as highly subsidised items, thereby harming the local industry of the importing countries and distorting trade. The RCEP negotiation process, which had begun three years ago, is unlikely to be concluded by this year-end, they said.

[SSridhar]

India must counter China’s aid games - G.Parthasarathy, Business Line

The BRICS summit in Goa has had a salutary effect. For too long, people in India have been carried away by the illusion that China will show better understanding of India’s strategic imperatives if only we opened our doors to trade and investment and obliged Beijing, ‘accommodating’ its wishes by diluting our relations with the US.

Such illusions about China prevailed despite the fact that we refrained from voicing concerns about its unprecedented assistance to Pakistan’s exclusively ‘India-centric’ nuclear weapons and missile programmes. President Xi Jinping made it clear in Goa that China would not countenance even an oblique reference to Pakistan’s sponsorship of cross-border terrorism, or its involvement in the Uri attack. To add insult to injury, China announced its intention to supply Pakistan eight submarines, barely a week after President Xi left India.

Using Pakistan

Pakistan has been and remains Beijing’s principal tool in its “strategic containment” of India. China’s mandarins have also been more than forthcoming in providing military and economic assistance to India’s South Asian neighbours, to undermine India ’s regional influence. Beijing has sought to back leaders in South Asia who are less than friendly to India — most notably recently in Sri Lanka and Nepal.

India has to, however, recognise the reality that it just does not have the resources to match Chinese economic assistance to governments in its neighbourhood and beyond, to the shores of Africa. We should also understand the realities that shape Chinese economic assistance worldwide. The Chinese Export Import Bank and the apex China Development Bank fund Beijing’s aid projects, with interest rates generally varying between 2 per cent and 3 per cent.

With its foreign exchange reserves now crossing $4 trillion, following double-digit economic growth over a decade, China’s overseas development assistance has averaged around $174 billion annually in recent years. This poses a challenge to the US and western/OECD aid organisations, including the World Bank and Asian Development Bank. But, unlike the terms of western assistance, which are largely untied and concessional, Chinese assistance has conditions that give it an exploitative orientation.

Chinese assistance is marked by very substantial use of Chinese labour, machinery and equipment, with very little transfer of technology, or expertise. Some 50 per cent of imports required for ‘aid’ projects have to be sourced from China. Moreover, experiences in Africa have shown that while the large number of Chinese workers in infrastructure and mining projects are required to be provided comfortable living conditions, the Chinese are parsimonious in payments to local labour.

A wide net

China’s dependence on import of oil and gas is steadily growing. Chinese investments and economic assistance in minerals and energy-related projects are simultaneously growing significantly in Africa, the Gulf region, Central Asia, and Latin America. China is involved in exploring for gold in Eritrea and Zimbabwe, for platinum and diamonds in Zimbabwe and South Africa, for uranium in Niger, and aluminium in Egypt. China has secured a $2-billion contract for the Kingfisher oilfield in Uganda. It has built the largest hydropower project in Africa, along the Ethiopia-Sudan border. China’s ability to move swiftly and act decisively in the wake of the shale revolution, has led to its securing large investment opportunities in Iraq and Iran in the oil and gas sector. This is reportedly evoking Saudi concern.

Closer to India in South Asia, there is growing awareness of the mercantilist elements in so-called Chinese ‘aid’; Sri Lanka realised that the Colombo port city project was a Chinese rip-off. Likewise, in Myanmar, there is growing resistance to Chinese involvement in mining precious stones and its callous disregard for environmental considerations in huge projects such as the proposed Myitsone dam.

Healthy scepticism about Chinese offers of aid is also evident in Bangladesh. During the recent visit of Jinping to Bangladesh, China agreed to ‘aid’ 22 projects amidst calls for careful scrutiny of repayment liabilities.

Pakistan received Chinese financing worth $135 billion between 2001 and 2014. It is now scheduled to receive $46 billion in financial assistance for its much-touted One Belt One Road project linking China’s Xinjiang province with Gwadar port in Baluchistan. This project has become controversial because it primarily benefits only the dominant Punjab province. It has evoked criticism in the provinces of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Baluchistan.

The Baluchis are already not too pleased by the way that their province has received virtually no benefits/royalty from the exploration of gold, silver and copper from the Aynak mine in Chagai hills where Pakistan’s nuclear tests were carried out. Moreover, while the Chinese would evidently like the Pakistan army to take over providing of facilities and security for the project, the Nawaz Sharif government does not relish the idea. Also, the IMF has made it clear that the project, in the coming years, will create new problems on debt repayment and current account deficit, given the way repayment liabilities are structured.

Time to firm up

Despite all these factors, India has to recognise that whether in Sri Lanka, Bangladesh or Nepal, the essential political thrust of Chinese economic support is to prop up regimes that are given to being anti-Indian. It is noteworthy that when Jinping was in Dhaka, he met Begum Khaleda Zia (who avoided calling on President Pranab Mukherjee) and even proposed party-to-party links, between the Communist Party of China and the Bangladesh Nationalist Party. (China recognised Bangladesh in 1976, a year after Sheikh Mujibur Rehman was assassinated.)

It is evident that India does not have the resources to quantitatively match Chinese assistance even to its South Asian neighbour. But, we need to recognise our relative strengths and weaknesses and firm up our assistance programmes accordingly. We also need to carefully study the strengths and weaknesses of Chinese aid programmes. The agenda of the tripartite India-US-Japan dialogue should be expanded to discuss how best this grouping could pool its resources to meet the challenges posed by the growing economic clout of China. Japan and the US can, in turn, carry out a similar exercise with their OECD partners. Given the Chinese hostility, it is imperative for New Delhi to devise a comprehensive strategy to protect and promote its interests across its Indian Ocean neighbourhood and indeed across the entire Indo-Pacific region.

The writer is a former High Commissioner to Pakistan

[SSridhar]

Chinese Army makes incursion into Demchok area of Leh district - Vijaita Singh, The Hindu

The Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) has been engaged in a face-off with the China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) along the Line of Actual Control in Leh district’s Demchok area since Wednesday afternoon, a top government official told The Hindu.

The official said the PLA has come close to the Indian "side" of the LAC and have refused to go back.

It is learnt that some civilian project is going on in the area and China has objected to it.

The face-off comes days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi celebrated Diwali with ITBP jawans at Mana in Uttarakhand, the last village on the Indian territory along the border with China.

“They came on Wednesday afternoon and stayed till night. They returned and came back this morning again. Its an eyeball-to-eyeball situation there,” said the official.

This is the first time since the 2014 incident when the Chinese Army came deep inside the Indian territory in Demchok to protest an ongoing irrigation project.

When contacted, Leh's deputy commissioner Prasanna Ramaswamy G. refused to comment on the incursion.

In April this year, residents of Demchok village demanded resettlement due to continued objections by China on laying a drinking water pipeline linking a hot spring to their village.

The ITBP has asked for a flag meeting with their Chinese counterparts.

India and China share over a 4,000 km disputed and unsettled boundary running from Jammu and Kashmir to Arunachal Pradesh.

[SSridhar]

The Chinese have been peering into the Demchok area and trying to stop any activity there. China objected to a shed being constructed by the J&K government at Demchok in Ladakh and GoI asked J&K government to stop all construction activities in November 2010. This led to a stoppage of all rural development projects such as house and road construction here. Now, this irrigation canal work has been stopped.

[Paul]

This kind of response from PLA was long overdue. We invited US Amby and the Dalai Lama to Tawang. Surely we knew there would be a riposte coming from them.

[GShankar]

But shouldn't we be waiting for them with water canons to play off-season holi? May be next time..

[IndraD]

The Indian Air Force (IAF) on Thursday successfully landed a C-17 Globemaster transport aircraft at the Mechuka Advanced Landing Ground (ALG) in Arunachal Pradesh.

[SSridhar]

Indian, Chinese NSAs meet in Hyderabad, discuss bilateral ties - PTI

National Security Advisor Ajit Doval today met his Chinese counterpart Yang Jiechi here to discuss measures to improve bilateral ties strained by differences over a host of issues, including Beijing blocking India's NSG bid and a UN ban on JeM chief Masood Azhar.

The meeting at the Taj Falaknuma Palace comes two days after Chinese and Indian troops were locked in a stand-off at the icy heights of Ladakh division after People's Liberation Army (PLA) personnel entered an area where an irrigation canal was being built under the MNREGA scheme and stopped civilian work.

Both sides decided to hold this meeting days before the incident in Demchok sector, located 250 km east of Leh, where the work for linking a village with 'Hot Spring' was being undertaken under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MNREGA).

There was no official word on the meeting.

Doval and Yang who are the designated Special Representatives of the India-China boundary talks, also periodically meet to discuss the whole gamut of the Sino-Indian relations.

Besides blocking India's admission into the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG), China had put a second technical hold on India's move to bring about a UN ban on Jaish-e-Mohmmed chief Azhar. Also India has been protesting over the USD 46 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) which is being laid through the Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).

While India is concerned over the Pakistan factor creeping into India-China relations making the bilateral ties more complex, China too is airing its apprehensions over the movement to boycott Chinese goods in India as well the visit of US Ambassador to New Delhi, Richard Verma, to Arunachal Pradesh, which it considers as Southern Tibet and India's permission to the Dalai Lama to visit the area.

Chinese officials say Beijing is apprehensive about India moving closer to US and Japan broadening its strategic and defence ties with both the countries. {Then what about the Chinese supply to Pakistan of nuclear weapons, delivery systems, positioning information, 'pearl of strings', opposition to India joining NSG, APEC, ASEAN etc, support for terrorism against India in UNSC, FATF etc? the list is long.}

[SSridhar]

China says no 'unilateral action' to change status quo of LAC - PTI

China today said actions should not be taken by either side that may "unilaterally change" the status quo of the Line of Actual Control (LAC) as it refuted reports that its troops crossed over to the Indian side in Demchok area in Ladakh region to stop the work of a canal.

"I can tell you that the Chinese border troops have been operating on the Chinese side of the LAC. Although the China-India boundary is yet to be delimited the two countries have reached many consensus and agreements on safeguarding peace and stability of the border area," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying told a media briefing here.

It was reported that Chinese and Indian troops are locked in a stand-off at the icy heights of Ladakh division since Wednesday after People's Liberation Army (PLA) personnel entered an area where an irrigation canal was being built under the MNREGA scheme and stopped the civilian work.

"This issue is once again published by the Indian media outlets," Hua said while replying to a question over the stand off between Indian and China troops in Demchok.

Apparently referring to the canal work, Hua said, "either side shall not take action that may unilaterally change the statues quo of LAC."

Referring to the talks between both the sides to resolve the issue, she said, "currently the two countries have an effective communication through series of mechanisms. We believe that we can maintain peace and tranquility of the border area".

Around 55 Chinese troops arrived at the scene in Demchok sector, located 250 km east of Leh, and halted the work in an aggressive manner, prompting the army and Indo-Tibetan Border Police personnel to rush to the spot and stop the high-handedness of Chinese troops at the site where the work for linking a village with 'Hot spring' was being undertaken.

The LAC stretches up to 3,488-km long.

While China says the border dispute covers Arunachal Pradesh, which it claims as Southern Tibet, India asserts that the dispute covered Aksai Chin area which was occupied by China during the 1962 war.

[IndraD]

Chinese officials say Beijing is apprehensive about India moving closer to US and Japan broadening its strategic and defence ties with both the countries. {Then what about the Chinese supply to Pakistan of nuclear weapons, delivery systems, positioning information, 'pearl of strings', opposition to India joining NSG, APEC, ASEAN etc, support for terrorism against India in UNSC, FATF etc? the list is long.}

how to tackle this sir!

[Rudradev]

What generally happens in these cases of incursions?

Does the PLA eventually leave the Indian territory they occupied, or do we accept their presence on another few sq km as permanent, thus allowing incremental landgrabs by the Chinese at will in the long run?

If the PLA does leave, is India cowed into putting up with the PLA's demands after their departure (such as abandoning public works undertaken for the benefit of Indian citizens in border areas?)

If neither of the above; then what does PLA gain by undertaking an incursion? Other than, perhaps, testing readiness on our side.

How do these things usually pan out... I'm not sure I have a clear picture. The media usually blows up the story of the initial incursion but (not surprising given the state of "responsible" journalism in India) there is almost never any follow-up to any specific incident.

[Peregrine]

China not against India's entry in NSG: Envoy

KOLKATA: China on Friday sought to dispel the view that it was against India's entry into the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG).

"The notion that China is against India's entry into NSG is not right. India and China are working together in this regard," Consul General of China in Kolkata, Zhanwu Ma said.

"Entry of any country into the Nuclear Suppliers Group needs certain procedures which are to be followed. It is not that simple," Ma told reporters here.

Asked about China's stand on Indo-Pak relations, he said his country was neutral.

"China is very friendly towards India. Some people do not seem to believe so. Of course, we have differences. But the shared interests outweigh the differences," the Chinese Consul General said, adding the business relations between the two countries were mutually beneficial.

"So far India's relation with Pakistan is concerned, China's position is neutral. India and Pakistan should settle the impasse via negotiations only," he added.
Cheers

[SSridhar]

how to tackle this

As in the case of Pakistan, so in the case of China, it must be first realized and then internalized that China is our *ENEMY*. It is not enough if this happens *ONLY* among GoI or the military. All political parties must be in sync. Then, it must flow down the pyramid. Unfortunately, this has not happened. Actions will naturally flow afterwards.

[SSridhar]

China not against India's entry in NSG: Envoy

KOLKATA: China on Friday sought to dispel the view that it was against India's entry into the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG).

"The notion that China is against India's entry into NSG is not right. India and China are working together in this regard," Consul General of China in Kolkata, Zhanwu Ma said.

"Entry of any country into the Nuclear Suppliers Group needs certain procedures which are to be followed. It is not that simple," Ma told reporters here.

Humbug & duplicitous.

China keeps speaking in those dovey terms to buy the complacence of gullible people. There is a huge Huan Tsuang (old spelling) programme in Kolkatta going on now. China wants to do a charm-offensive. We must remain alert while watching the fun.

[SSridhar]

India, China agree to maintain high-level exchanges - PTI

This simply means that the talks are, as usual, deadlocked over several issues.

India and China have agreed to maintain the pace of their high-level exchanges in counter- terrorism and other fields after "friendly and open" discussions {which means that India was very candid and forthright, as it always has been including during MMS' days} between their National Security Advisors.

NSA Ajit Doval and his Chinese counterpart Yang Jiechi, State Councilor, concluded their discussions in Hyderabad yesterday in a "friendly, open and cordial environment", it was officially stated here today.

Ministry of External Affairs said their discussions covered a wide agenda spanning bilateral, regional and international issues of mutual interest. It was Yang's third visit to India in the last two months.

"The two sides agreed to maintain the pace of high-level exchanges in political, economic, defence and counter- terrorism fields.

"They also agreed that the forthcoming high-level engagement in counter-terrorism is yet another manifestation of growing convergence of views of two countries on this pressing challenge facing international community" {which is diplomatese to say that China did not budge an inch on the issue of Masood Azhar and India will make one more attempt in the counter-terrorism meeting} , it said.

However, there was no official confirmation on whether the two sides discussed contentious issues such as China blocking India's entry into Nuclear Suppliers Group as also stopping Indian efforts to get JeM chief and Pathankot mastermind Masood Azhar getting banned by the UN.

NSA Doval and State Councillor Yang, who are also the Special Representatives on the Boundary Question of India and China respectively, agreed to hold the 20th Round of Special Representatives Talks on the Boundary Question in India next year.

Doval and Yang also agreed that their consultations during which they exchanged views on various important and pressing bilateral issues have helped to enhance mutual understanding and will contribute to greater mutual trust.

They agreed to continue such consultations in future.

The two sides also appreciated that 2016 is an important year for bilateral engagement {during which the the relationship went down the hill inexorably} with President Xi Jinping's visit to India for BRICS Summit and PM Narendra Modi's visit to China for G-20 Summit being the major highlights of high level exchanges.

[SSridhar]

Unfazed by Chinese troops' 'sit-in', Army engineers finish canal work in Ladakh - PTI

Unfazed by the ' sit-in+ ' by the Chinese border guards at Demchok in Ladakh that led to a face-off with Indian troops earlier this week, Army engineers have finished the work for laying a water pipeline for irrigation purpose for local villagers in Ladakh division.

China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) troops had entered the area near the Line of Actual Control (LAC) and stopped the construction work. The Chinese troops took positions on the perceived LAC and demanded that work be stopped as both sides need to seek permission before undertaking any such activity. This claim was disputed by the Indian side which said that the terms of the agreement between the two countries state that information about construction needs to be shared only if meant for defence purposes.

The sources said that while the face-off between the two sides continued for three days ending Saturday evening, the Army engineers, ignored the warnings by PAPF personnel and continued laying pipeline for nearly a kilometre for irrigation purpose of the villagers in Demchok, located 250km east of Leh.

According to the sources, the formula of 'active patrolling' adopted by the ITBP and Army ever since 2013 fortnight long stand-off near Daulat Beig Oldie has been reaping rich dividends and Chinese have been cautious in carrying out incursion especially in Ladakh sector.

This time also, the sources said, army and ITBP personnel did not allow the PAPF guards to erect the hut and they were forced to take the material back to their base camp located a kilometre away at Demqog from the place of face-off.

The fresh incident had erupted on November 2 when Chinese troops took positions on the LAC and demanded that work be stopped as either side needs to take permission from each other before undertaking any construction work, a claim disputed by the India which says that as per the agreement between the two countries, information about construction needed to be shared only if it was meant for defence purposes.

Both sides pulled out banners and have been stationed on the ground, the sources said, adding the Army and ITBP troopers were not allowing the Chinese "to move an inch" ahead despite the PLA claiming that the area belonged to China.

The area had witnessed a similar incident in 2014 after it was decided to construct a small irrigation canal at Nilung Nalla under the MNREGA scheme which had been a sore point with the Chinese.

The PLA had mobilised villagers from Tashigong to pitch Rebos (tents) at Charding-Ninglung Nallah (CNN) Track Junction to protest Indian action.

[Ashokk]

NSG payback? India tries to take on China over South China Sea

NEW DELHI: Sino-Indian ties have taken a hit with China blocking India's entry into the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) and also preventing the UN from sanctioning JeM chief Masood Azhar, but India seems to have finally decided it's payback time.

India proposed to Singapore last month that the two countries make a specific mention in a joint statement of the international tribunal order in July dismissing China's "historical" rights as claimed by Beijing over almost all of South China Sea waters, top sources said. While India's proposal, made in the run up to the visit by Singapore PM Lee Hsien Loong, was eventually shot down by Singapore, it indicates a resolve to forcefully articulate China's non-compliance with international law even as Beijing throws cold water on India's NSG bid citing New Delhi's refusal to sign the NPT.

Singapore is not a claimant state in South China Sea and has avoided taking sides in territorial disputes which involve, apart from China, Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines and Brunei. That is why Singapore struck down India's proposal as it did not want to go into the specifics by mentioning the tribunal ruling. India is now discussing including an acknowledgement of the tribunal ruling, which China dismissed as naturally null and void, in a joint statement with Japan which will be issued after the meeting next week between PM Narendra Modi and his counterpart Shinzo Abe.

India seems to want the joint statement with Vietnam, issued after Modi's visit to Hanoi in September, to serve as a template for similar documents with countries in the region.

The document with Vietnam was unique because apart from the usual references to freedom of navigation and over flight, and respect for international law, it also noted "the award issued on July 12 2016 of the arbitral tribunal constituted under the Annex VII to the 1982 UN Convention on the Laws of Sea (UNCLOS)".

In a first, Japan officially told TOI recently (as reported on October 24) that it was encouraging India to speak its mind on South China Sea dispute.

Japan is growing increasingly wary of China's assertiveness in East China Sea where Beijing is challenging Japan's sovereignty over Senkaku (China calls these Diaoyu) islands.

After TOI first reported on September 11 this year that Japan was willing to reduce the price of US-2i aircraft to revive the negotiations with India, China responded by saying that such a move would be "disgraceful" if it was aimed at applying pressure on China over issues related to South China Sea.

[SSridhar]

^ The joint statement with Japan should be interesting.

[SSridhar]

Sri Lanka to summon Chinese envoy over controversial remarks -Meera Srinivasan, The Hindu

Sri Lanka’s Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera will meet China’s Ambassador to place on record Colombo’s “displeasure” at the latter’s recent remarks. A reliable Foreign Ministry source told The Hindu on Sunday: “We are trying to schedule a meeting.”

At a press conference last week, the Chinese Ambassador Yi Xianliang, had criticised Sri Lankan Finance Minister Ravi Karunanayake’s remarks on Chinese loans being “expensive”, and asked why Colombo sought more loans if that was the case.

Chinese projects

Apparently taking objection, Mr. Karunanayake responded , saying: “I am the Sri Lankan Foreign Minister, not the Chinese Foreign Minister.” He told reporters in Colombo: “If he says they have not given loans with an interest over 2%, fine — we have to pay only 2 % then.”

Following the January 2015 presidential polls, Colombo’s equation with Beijing changed considerably, with newly-elected President Maithripala Sirisena vowing to investigate corruption allegations related to Chinese-aided projects initiated by the previous Mahinda Rajapaksa administration. At the same time, Colombo enhanced its ties with New Delhi, which had been concerned about the perceived ‘pro-China tilt’ of Mr. Rajapaksa.

After going back and forth on the $1.4 billion port city project, inaugurated by Chinese President Xi Jinping in September 2014, Colombo has now agreed to proceed with it after revising its agreement with Beijing, tweaking some conditions.

Even as the Colombo-Beijing ties seem to be getting back on track, Ambassador Xi’s recent remarks have shocked Sri Lankan officials, and surprised many in the diplomatic community here, who found the comments “uncharacteristic” of Chinese diplomacy.

The widely-read Sunday Times newspaper quoted a senior Foreign Ministry source as saying: “If Ambassador Xi had any complaint on behalf of himself or his Government, the accepted norm is to make representations to the appropriate source. That is the Foreign Ministry. His conduct is highly unprofessional and does not in any way foster good relations between Sri Lanka and China.”

[ShauryaT]

Ahead of Nuke Club NSG Meet, China Refuses To Budge On India

"This Friday in Vienna, a plenary session of the NSG will be held. Our position is subject to no change as of date," Lu Kang, Spokesman of the Chinese Foreign Ministry, told reporters today.

[ramana]

SSridhar, I think China is implementing British navy strategy of naval stations in the oceans.
it worked for a while for Britain and so will it for China.

But unsustainable in long run.

[Paul]

Google for "5 Keys that lock up the world" + Admiral Fisher!

Question is: What will be PLAN's keys?

[Prem]

Russia-Japan stand on brink of peace
http://tacticalinvestor.com/russia-japa ... ink-peace/

Moscow and Tokyo have repeatedly tried to cure this hangover from the 1940s only to be stifled by a territorial dispute that began more than a century ago. Today, rumors surfaced yet again that the two countries are on the brink of peace.Nikkei, the Japanese daily, reported that leaders from Japan and Russia were discussing an enhanced version of a phased transfer of ownership of the territory in question, the Kuril Islands. Kyodo, another prominent Japanese news agency, claimed that the potential agreement would be a bit more convoluted, according to Stratfor.Then ownership transferred back to Russia after Japan's defeat in World War II. The Soviets expelled all Japanese citizens from the islands and installed their own military and population to settle its claimTensions have only escalated since, much to the detriment of bilateral trade.Perhaps this is why Russian President Vladimir Putin and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe have tried to restore relations. Both leaders see opportunity in cooperation Russia, rich with energy but starved of foreign investment, is an ideal partner for Japan, hungry as it is for energy with money to burn.Trade between the two countries has quadrupled since 2006, reaching a record-high $34.8 billion in 2013.
Seductive though the economic reasons for peace may be, Japan and Russia also have ulterior, strategic motives. Japan wants to secure its northern flank so it can fully focus on growing aggressions in the East China Sea and South China Sea Russia would also like stronger ties with Japan in order to have more leverage in its relations with other Asia-Pacific nations such as China and South Korea, but it is also keen to drive a wedge between Washington and Tokyo ndash a key component in the US alliance network.The crisis in Ukraine, which began in 2014, brought these strategic visions to a halt. The West imposed sanctions on Russia over its involvement in the conflict, and Japan joined the fray.Any hope of a peace deal was dashed and, to make matters worse, bilateral trade plummeted by more than 33 percent the following year after oil prices fell and Russia's economy declined.The desire for peace, however, has proved resilient.In early 2016, Abe expressed a renewed enthusiasm for a rapprochement with Russia as the Ukrainian crisis seemed to stall and as some Europeans began to consider easing sanctions. Russia too has a renewed interest in moving forward.The country wants to show it is not entirely isolated by world powers and that it is still an attractive investment destination. To that end, Russia and Japan have discussed a variety of investment projects over the past few months, and Japanese firms are on the short list of Moscow's preferred recipients of stakes in its oil firm, Rosneft.
Russia has also intimated that progress on the deal would require Japan to lift its sanctions and, in doing so, break ranks with the West. Until recently, Abe may have been more willing to concede.The prime minister has been bucking Washington's pressure over Russia all year US President Barack Obama warned Abe not to visit Russia for a summit with Putin in May, but he did anyway.The other major player to consider is China, which has a complex relationship with its two powerful neighbors. Because warm relations between the two threatens Chinese interests, Beijing tends to play Moscow and Tokyo off each other, and it has no reason to abandon that strategy just yet.Just as harmful to its interests, however, is Japan's alliance with the United States, so Beijing may view a Russo-Japanese detente as a way to add some distance between Tokyo and its powerful US ally.Russia and Japan see the benefit of bridging the gap between them But that's no easy feat, considering the gap is filled with more than a century of hostility.

[ShauryaT]

SSridhar, I think China is implementing British navy strategy of naval stations in the oceans.
it worked for a while for Britain and so will it for China.

But unsustainable in long run.

The British were stretched and never anticipated an attack on its assets east of India. Its garrisons in Singapore, Hong Kong, Malaysia were too thinly protected. At about the time of pearl harbor, what is not widely known was there were simultaneous attacks at these garrisons, wiping away these small forces. The response to this was by primarily using men and materials from India. Till then Indian forces were locked in west asia & N. Africa.

The point, yes it can work for a while. The Americans have gone a step further by building up its alliance structures as supplemental forces to their assets.

The IN - simply has not pushed for these stations, primarily due to myopia and budgetary constraints. If China can build alliance strength (Pakistan) at these stations or say with Burma or if they flip Thailand like they have attempted with Philippines, they can last. China's big issue is the presence of US. India should not bank on it. Leverage it for all you can but critical to build our own assets. At one time Singapore had offered stationing Indian troops there. We are wasting our opportunities at hand in Vietnam, Seychelles and the African coast.

Anyone who works in MoD should have required reading of how the British used India as the lynchpin to control West, East & SE Asia. I hope at the very least it becomes part of officers courses before they take command.

[SSridhar]

SSridhar, I think China is implementing British navy strategy of naval stations in the oceans.
it worked for a while for Britain and so will it for China.

But unsustainable in long run.

ramana, I am not sure if they are as much following the British strategy. However, Alfred Thayer Mahan, 18th century's greatest naval strategist, says, " . . . naval strategy may gain its most decisive victories by occupying in a country, either by purchase or treaty, excellent positions [during peaceful times] which would perhaps hardly be got by war."

Apparently, Mahan is venerated in Chinese strategic circles. It is not surprising because China is a manufactuing economy unlike India which is mostly a service-based economy. China has the need therefore to preserve its SLOCs both for its exported merchandize and imported energy products and also handle the various chokepoints that can cause it a great damage (from Malacca Straits to Strait of Hormuz & Bab-el-Mandeb). China’s IOR strategy is also dictated by the presence of other navies in the region, especially the US and India.

Yes, I agree with you that the Chinese strategy is unsustainable in the long run due to various reasons. Sometimes, one wonders if Chinese policies are sustainable at all, like over-exploitation of the natural wealth of other countries, unfriendly relationship with practically every nation in Asia etc.

[SSridhar]

How successful is China’s economic rebalancing? - CP Chandrasekhar & Jayati Ghosh, Business Line

Over the past decade, there has been much talk of global imbalances, and of the need to correct them in an orderly way. But perhaps these imbalances are already moving towards some correction. The biggest sources of the imbalances were the large external deficits of the US economy, which have been reducing for several years now. But one counterpart of that deficit was large external surpluses in China, which were also associated with extremely rapid GDP growth.

China’s blistering pace of economic growth over the past three decades has certainly transformed both China and the global economy, but there are now clear signs that the pace is slowing.



Chart 1 shows that quarterly rates of GDP growth (relative to the same period the previous year) have reduced to around 7 per cent or even slightly less in the past year, compared to rates higher than 10 per cent in several quarters in the period after the Global Financial Crisis. Despite the reduction, these are still high rates of growth.

It is certainly the case that the kind of accelerated expansion of economic activity that China showed especially from the turn of this century would be hard if not impossible for any economy to sustain. In China’s case, this growth was driven by extraordinarily high rates of investment, in the range of 45 per cent of GDP (and sometimes even more), which have also been historically unprecedented. Since savings rates were (amazingly) even higher, the associated current account surpluses allowed for the accumulation of huge foreign exchange reserves, at one point crossing $4 trillion in value.

Debt all the way

China responded to the Great Recession from 2008 onwards with a stimulus package that put even more emphasis on investment, and relied on ever-rising levels of debt in all major sections of the economy. Previous editions of MacroScan have highlighted this issue, and the concern that ever more debt is now required to generate smaller increases in income.

There have also been concerns about whether this current focus on investment — especially in housing and other construction — would be successful in moving the economy towards a more consumption-led (and more sustainable) economic trajectory in future.

This is obviously an ongoing process, but an examination of the composition of the growth in economic activity since 2009 suggest that in fact it has been quite diversified. As Chart 2 suggests, industry (including manufacturing as well as infrastructure and utilities) has accounted for a healthy 28 per cent of the growth. And FIRE (finance, insurance and real estate) has accounted for only 18 per cent of the expansion.



What is more, this period has been marked by continuous increases in wages. Chart 3 indicates that workers’ real wages have risen quite sharply, reinforcing the argument that many have made about China reaching the Lewisian turning point after which the presence of large amounts of surplus labour no longer prevents real wages from rising with aggregate economic expansion. Of course, wage increases also reflect political economy considerations and the relative power of workers vis-à-vis employers, which is also critically affected by government policies. (The Chinese experience is very different from the Indian case; in India, real wages have actually fallen recently even as GDP growth is estimated to be well over 7 per cent.)

Chart 3 admittedly shows the real wage index only for urban employees with the state or state-owned or collective enterprises and other non-private employment, so it may not reflect the conditions of the labour market for other workers in private units or those who are self-employed. But the index of real earnings of migrant workers (currently estimated to number around 176 million, largely from rural to urban areas) also shows very buoyant growth over this period.



From this perspective, it appears that the deceleration of growth may be part of the desirable rebalancing of the economy towards one based on employment and wage growth, thereby generating consumption-led rather than investment-led growth over time, and reducing the extremely heavy dependence on the external economy that had marked the previous expansion. But some caveats are necessary.

First, much of the recent expansion has been driven by rapid accumulation of debts that may well become unsustainable and certainly will require careful management in the immediate future. Second, since many of these debts were taken on for the purchase of housing and real estate, what happens in these markets is going to be very significant.

Third, while the importance of exports is diminishing, they still remain significant, and the continuing slowdown in the global economy and in world trade will definitely have adverse effects on export-oriented enterprises and the large number of workers they employ. Fourth, all this ignores another serious threat to the Chinese growth process: the rowing environmental pressures, particularly resulting from pollution and degradation of natural resources, that are now affecting both production and the quality of life.

Trade surplus

There is a further issue that is of great relevance for the rest of the world. While some significant changes are certainly under way in China, thus far they do not point to a rebalancing, at least in terms of the external account. Indeed, the trade surpluses generated by China show no signs of diminution, and have even increased in the recent past.



Chart 4 shows quarterly trade indicators from the first quarter of 2014, and it is evident that while exports over all have not grown and have declined over the past year, imports have declined even faster. From January to September this year, exports fell 7.5 per cent but imports fell even more, 8.2 per cent. Over a two year period, the picture is even worse. Since their peaks in the last quarter of 2014, exports have fallen by 15.8 per cent in the most recent quarter, but imports have declined by as much as 22.6 per cent. So, far from reducing, the trade surpluses have been rising again — but this time because of import compression rather than export expansion.

This is obviously bad news for China’s trading partners, and particularly for those in developing Asia. China is no longer a source of positive stimulus either for the global economy or for the Asian region, at least in trade terms. And that is going to have severe consequences that are still not factored in by most analysts.

[SSridhar]

China policy will be key to India’s interests - Suhasini Haider, The Hindu

The election of Donald Trump as U.S. President could be positive news for India on a bilateral level, but it is his administration’s China policy that will be key to India’s interests, say foreign policy watchers here.[New Delhi]

“The positive thing is there is a long-standing bipartisan consensus on good relations and strengthening strategic partnership with India,” said former Chairperson of the National Security Advisory Board Shyam Saran, adding that there had been little “negativity” between the Indian government and the Trump campaign. Prime Minister Narendra Modi was among the first world leaders to tweet his greetings to the U.S. President-elect shortly after he made his victory speech, and Mr. Trump famously said “I love Hindu,” referring to Indians at a campaign rally last month.

In contrast to India ties, Mr. Trump has made it clear that he sees Pakistan’s “semi-unstable” state, radical Islamists and nuclear weapons as a major problem. In April this year, at a townhall meeting in Indianapolis, Mr. Trump had said: “The problem with Pakistan, where they have nuclear weapons, is a real problem.”

“At the same time, if you look at India and some of the others, maybe they’ll be helping us out, because we’re going to look at it,” he added, indicating a triangular relationship between the three countries, that New Delhi has so far sought to avoid.

However, some suggest that India may be more affected by Mr. Trump’s foreign policy shifts on China, Russia and West Asia.

“The U.S.-China relationship will have the most decisive bearing on geopolitics,” says Mr. Saran, who previously served in Beijing. In his vision statement on trade policies, Mr. Trump has said he will withdraw from the yet-to-be ratified Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) with Asian countries, and would direct the U.S. Treasury to label China a “currency manipulator”, even accusing Chinese policies of “raping” the U.S. on several occasions. Mr. Saran said the comments had the potential of souring relations between them, and proving better news for India which is a market competitor to China.

[SSridhar]

India, China to exchange info on fake currency - The Hindu

India and China have agreed to open a 24x7 hotline to exchange information on fake currency notes. A key Chinese leader Meng Jianzhu, who was on a day-long visit here, on Wednesday held talks with Home Minister Rajnath Singh.

Mr. Singh asked Beijing to clamp down on Pakistan’s nefarious designs to smuggle fake Indian currency into India through China while referring to the recent arrest of a Pakistani national in Guangzhou with fake Indian currency.

Mr. Jianzhu, Secretary of the Central Political and Legal Affairs Commission of the Communist Party of China also met Prime Minister Narendra Modi.{By protocol, such meetings should not be allowed. The visitor is not high enough in the hierarchy to be offered this opportunity}

“Raising India’s concerns on terrorism, the Home Minister appealed the Chinese leader to support the international community’s efforts to designate as a dreaded terrorist the leader of the Jaish-e-Mohammed, a terrorist group already designated under the U.N. Resolution 1267. Underlining that Pakistan was patronising and financing terrorist groups, Mr. Singh said that leaders of terrorist groups including JeM leader Masood Azhar, Lashkar-eTaiba leader Hafiz Saeed and Hizbul Mujahideen leader Salahuddin roam freely in Pakistan and preach terrorism,” a Home Ministry statement said.

“Even the Tehreek-e-Taliban and Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, blamed for terrorist attacks inside Pakistan, were financed by the ISI, he said.

[SSridhar]

FICN pushing into India through China has been happening [at least] since c. 2013 when the first such incident came to light. The consignment came from the Xinjiang province in June 2013 and sent through a courier service.

[prashanth]

China's state-run media in shock over Donald Trump win

For a long time, most people believed Clinton was likely to win and Trump's crazy election campaign would end at any time," an editorial in the Beijing-run Global Times said. "...neither the US nor the world is ready for his presidency, "it added.
If someone like Donald Trump, "known for being a blowhard and an egomaniac", can be elected President, "there is something wrong" with the US, Global Times's editorial said.

Oh yeah. World's oldest democracy is crazy but China's totalitarian tyranny is perfectly normal. Looks like Global Times is the biggest 50 center.

"The future of the China-US relationship and Russia-US ties will have a strong effect on the overall international community. Trump campaigned heavily for a focused return to US economic interests, something that might turn Sino-US relations from a geopolitical rivalry to an economic conflict," Global Times said.

Looks like the Chinese government is already worried about 'economic conflict'. Rightly so. Export and economy is their core strength. South China sea issue is picnic in comparison if US policies cause economical damage in China.

Either way, the Beijing-run mouthpiece warned that, "China needs to safeguard its interests with its own strength. If Trump wants to target bilateral trade , he should first weigh the consequences of China's countermeasures."

Isn't this eerily similar to the n blakmail pak uses against India to act against our interests. Birds of same feather....

[Austin]

Chinese and US economy are too interdependent for them to cause any harm to each other , Obama came in with the same mantra on China but realised that he could do precious little , Even for the so called currency manipulation part on part of China and since then two way trade has only grown.

[SSridhar]

South China Sea Indo-China Sea (ICS): China asks India, Japan to respect neighbours' 'concerns' - PTI

As Prime Minister Narendra Modi set off on a key visit to Japan, China on Thursday said that while it has no issues in New Delhi and Tokyo developing normal relations, they should respect "legitimate concerns" of neighbours.

"Regarding what might be discussed by the two leaders, we note that Prime Minister Modi will kick off his visit to Japan. We have no problem with our neighbours developing normal relations," Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang told media briefing here replying to a question.

"We hope that when they develop their relationships, they can respect legitimate concerns of their neighbours and contribute to regional peace and stability," he said.

He declined to comment on reports that India will buy US-2 ShinMaywa amphibious aircraft from Japan, saying it is mere speculation.

In September, Chinese foreign ministry reacted angrily to reports that Japan plans to sell weapons to India at a cheaper prices saying that such a move is disgraceful.

"We hold no objection to normal state to state cooperation including defence cooperation," Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying told media briefing on September 13.

"But if the report is true that if someone is making unrighteous move then this is very disgraceful," she said while replying to a question about media reports that Japan plans to cut prices to sell 12 ShinMaywa US-2 amphibious aircraft designed for air-sea rescue in a $1.6 billion deal.

Chinese official media warned that India may suffer "great losses" in bilateral trade if it joins Japan to ask China to abide by the international tribunal's ruling quashing Beijing's claims over the South China Sea (SCS) Indo-China Sea (ICS)

"India should beware of the possibility that by becoming embroiled in the disputes, it might end up being a pawn of the US and suffer great losses, especially in terms of business and trade, from China," an op-ed article in state-run Global Times said yesterday.

Citing Indian media reports that India is seeking support from Tokyo during Modi's visit to Japan next week to issue a joint statement asking China abide by the July ruling of the tribunal on the SCS ICS, the article said "India and China should put more efforts into resolving problems like the imbalance of their trade ties".

"India won't benefit much by balancing China through Japan. It will only lead to more mistrust between New Delhi and Beijing," it said.

[Bart S]

The Global Times articles seem to have Paki levels of delusion, stupidity and sense of entitlement. Kind of unmasks the carefully built up facade of a wise and mature Sun-Tzu reading Han who stays one step ahead of others.