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

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

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

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similar to the previous link, found another video from 2013. posting if not already posted.


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

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Signal to China? Modi extends Japan trip by one day - Sachin Parashar, ToI
If anybody thought Japan had fallen off PM Narendra Modi's radar after he decided to postpone his visit in July, Modi is more than making up for it. In a sign that Japan remains one of the countries closest to his heart, Modi on Sunday decided to extend his visit to Japan starting later this week by a day.

TOI has learnt that Modi will now depart for Tokyo on August 30, not August 31 as the government had earlier announced, and will visit one more city apart from Tokyo. The extension of the visit could send a bold signal to China.

The PM was earlier scheduled to depart for Tokyo on August 31 and return on September 3. With the change in schedule, Modi will now spend four nights in Japan, the maximum by any Indian PM on a bilateral visit in recent times. The move by Modi, who likes to keep his schedule very tight during visits abroad, is certain to please his admirers in Japan, a country he was on outstanding terms with even as Gujarat CM.

Modi is also known to share a great personal rapport with his counterpart Shinzo Abe, who regularly draws comparison with Modi for his nationalist leanings.

Modi, who has been described by some as India's? Shinzo Abe and others as India's Richard Nixon, will do a tough balancing act next month when he hosts Chinese President Xi Jinping, weeks after his meeting with Abe.

While India and Japan look at each other as important partners for ensuring peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region, in the face of growing Chinese assertiveness, Modi is also looking at exploring new opportunities with Beijing at least in the form of greater economic engagement, as he told Chinese Premier Li Keqiang in a telephonic conversation after taking over as PM. Li told Modi then that China wanted a more robust partnership with India.

It may be recalled that Modi's predecessor Manmohan Singh too had decided to extend his visit to Japan at the last moment in 2013. Coming as it did just after a standoff over Chinese incursion into Ladakh which lasted for weeks, top government officials? did not shy away from admitting that Singh's decision was by design and meant to send a signal to Beijing.

Modi is hoping for, as foreign minister Sushma Swaraj put it earlier, a successful and substantive visit to Tokyo. While the negotiations for a civil nuclear cooperation agreement continue to linger on, the government is hoping to conclude a deal for purchase of US-2 amphibian aircraft from Japan which, under Abe, has just eased its almost 50-year-old self-imposed ban on arms export and transfer of defence technology. As reported by the Japanese media, Tokyo may allow India to manufacture parts of the military aircraft to execute the deal.

Japan will also be Modi's most important bilateral visit since taking over as PM. With Gujarat now hailed by Japan as a favourite investment destination, as its ambassador Takeshi Yagi put it recently, Modi has enough goodwill he earned there as the state's CM. He has spoken effusively about his experience of working with Japan and tweeted earlier that he wanted to take relations with Japan to newer heights. Abe continues to maintain that the India-Japan bilateral relationship has more potential that any other similar relationship in the world.
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Re: Managing Chinese Threat (09-08-2014)

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Dalai Lama in talks to return to Tibet, claims Chinese official - Suhasini Haider, The Hindu
China’s government in Tibet claims that the Dalai Lama is in talks with Beijing through “personal envoys”, but the talks are only about the possibility of his return to Tibet.

Wu Yingjie, the Deputy Secretary of the Communist Party Committee for Tibet, told a group of Indian journalists in Lhasa on Sunday that the talks with the Dalai were “ongoing and always smooth, but we are discussing only his future, not Tibet’s.”


Mr. Wu said many Tibetan leaders had chosen to return to Tibet in recent years, giving the example of a senior Lama in Chengdu who returned from Switzerland.

“All Tibetans, including the Dalai Lama and the people around him, can return if they accept Tibet and Taiwan as part of China, and give up ‘splittist’ efforts,” he said.

When asked about the political talks with envoys from Dharamsala, that broke down after nine rounds in 2010, he termed their demands unacceptable. “How can the Dalai Lama demand that China withdraw its army from Tibet?” asked Mr. Wu. “The army is a symbol of our state. Will India agree to withdraw its Army from Arunachal Pradesh?” {So, is China now saying that AP is an inalienable part of India?} he said.

Mr. Wu also rejected the proposal by the Prime Minister of the self-styled “Tibetan government in exile”, Lobsang Sangay, for a larger region to be included in the Tibetan Autonomous Region.
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Re: Managing Chinese Threat (09-08-2014)

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Tibetan official allays India's concerns regarding rail lines - Suhasini Haider, The Hindu
Rejecting concerns in India over the newly-inaugurated 250-kilometre rail-line from Lhasa to Shigatse that runs close to the Indian border in Sikkim, a senior Tibetan official said India, Nepal and China should cooperate on “letting railways cross over borders as they do in Europe.”

Wu Yingjie, a top functionary of the Communist Party of Tibet, was speaking to a group of Indian journalists in Lhasa. Responding to a question from The Hindu , he said, “Rest assured however many railway lines China builds, it will abide by the Panchsheel principles of coexistence.”{Does he know that in India we associate Panchsheel with backstabbing?}

India has twin worries over the new constructions in Tibet, which will run close to Sikkim on the western line to Shigatse, and on the eastern line to Nyngchi, close to the Arunachal border, which are due to be completed by 2016. To begin with, the high-speed trains will facilitate quicker movement of military personnel and hardware to the Chinese side compared to India’s abilities at its border. Also, the Nepal government had asked for the Shigatse line to be extended to Kathmandu to ease travel from Nepal, Mr. Wu revealed.

Mega infra mission

The rail lines are part of China’s mission to build infrastructure on a large-scale in Tibet by 2020, indenting for 1,300 km of railway tracks, 1,10,000 km of roadways and several airports, with an investment of more than $13 billion in the last two decades.

Environmentalists have pointed out that the barrelling of tunnels through mountains will lead to soil erosion and have other ecological impact as well. Tibet’s Director General of Environmental Protection Jiang Bai, however, has said the construction process goes through “strict” environmental checks. “In the past too, if we are advised against disturbing one part of a mountain, we take a detour,” he said
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Re: Managing Chinese Threat (09-08-2014)

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rpGBXlbw1Co

China Just Won the South China Sea | China Uncensored
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Re: Managing Chinese Threat (09-08-2014)

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Chinese ships log 20th intrusion into Senkaku waters this year - Japan Times
Four China Coast Guard vessels intruded into Japanese territorial waters Sunday morning near the disputed Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea, the Japan Coast Guard said.

It was the 20th intrusion by Chinese government ships this year and the first since Aug. 12.

The vessels, identified as the Haijing 2102, 2113, 2146 and 2305, had been in a contiguous zone just outside the territorial waters, the coast guard said, adding that its patrol vessels had been warning them to leave.

The four ships crossed into Japanese waters northwest of Uotsurijima, one of the Japanese-administered islets, around 10 a.m., according to the Coast Guard’s 11th regional headquarters in Naha, the capital of Okinawa Prefecture.
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Re: Managing Chinese Threat (09-08-2014)

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X-post from ASEAN thread
India & Vietnam to deepen cooperation in defence & oil - PTI, ET
India and Vietnam today agreed to deepen cooperation in defence and oil sectors among others as External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj reviewed the entire gamut of bilateral ties with the strategically-important country.

Putting into play the "Act East Policy" of the Narendra Modi government, Swaraj held meetings with her Vietnamese counterpart Pham Binh Minh and Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung during which a number of key bilateral and regional issues were discussed.

Vietnam, which is involved in a tussle with China over the South China Sea, also gave a presentation to her on their point of view over this issue.

Giving details of Swaraj's visit here, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin said this was her third visit to an ASEAN country this month. She had earlier visited Myanmar and Singapore.

"She has said it is not enough to Look East but Act East. This is Act East in action. We began with the focus on neighbourhood and this has now moved on with focus on ASEAN. Our Prime Minister is going to Japan, so it further moves eastwards," he said.

Asked if the issue of defence cooperation was discussed during her meetings, he said both countries reviewed the entire gamut of the ongoing defence cooperation as it is "an important area of our strategic partnership".

The two sides also discussed Indian investments in Vietnam's oil sector.

"External Affairs Minister mentioned that India is already engaged and is committed to continue cooperation with Vietnam and also is looking to expand its cooperation with Vietnam in this sector," Akbaruddin said.

He added that both sides also discussed "briefly" the five oil blocks which Vietnam had offered to India during the visit of Secretary General of Vietnamese Communist party Nguyen Phu Trong, last November.

"OVL ( ONGC Videsh Limited) is looking at them in terms of their feasibility and is in touch to see how to proceed further," he said.


The visit to Vietnam comes just days after Hanoi renewed India's lease of two oil blocks in South China Sea for another year, a move that could rile China.

China and Vietnam have an acrimonious relationship due to their standoff over the South China Sea, a huge source of hydrocarbons.

Due to its estranged ties with China, Vietnam is looking at India for a deeper defence cooperation which includes possible procurement of weaponry besides training especially that of the Navy.
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Re: Managing Chinese Threat (09-08-2014)

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Anti-China atmosphere easing in India since Modi took over: Chinese Report - PTI, ET
Anti-China atmosphere in India is easing since Prime Minister Narendra Modi took over and bilateral ties have "rosy prospects" in view of Chinese President Xi Jinping's forthcoming state visit to the country, an article in the official media here said today.

"Modi has been an old friend of China for many years. There has been an anti-China atmosphere among India's public opinion since 1962. However, such a sentiment has been mitigated since Modi assumed office," said an article titled 'China, India should make endeavours toward their shared destiny' in the state-run Global Times.

"Of course, more time is needed to eliminate such a mentality. The two governments and peoples should spare no effort to improve bilateral relations," said the article by Tan Zhong, a Chinese scholar on Indian affairs based in the US.

"His (Modi's) guiding principle toward China is peace, friendship, cooperation and communication. With Chinese President Xi Jinping's state visit to India drawing near, the Beijing-New Delhi relationship has rosy prospects," it said.

Highlighting Modi's plans to rejuvenate India's economy and remove all the barriers to facilitate economic development, the article said India and China should build on community of shared destiny.

"Such a community, with a population of 2.5 billion, will be of remarkable significance and play an important role in shaping the new global order," the article said.

Modi is unwilling to adopt major changes to the foreign policies of the previous government, it said.

China has envisioned a Silk Road economic belt and the 21st century maritime Silk Road, which will be the theme during Xi's India trip," the article said.

Xi's visit is expected to take place in the third week of next month though the schedule is yet to be announced.

The Qinghai-Tibet railway stretching from Lhasa to Shigatse has already been opened to traffic, the article said pointing to the launch of the new railway project in Tibet which comes close to the Indian border near Sikkim.

"All these are laying a solid foundation for the construction of a Sino-Indian community of shared destiny. The Silk Road in history started from China and India and then extended to Europe. And Buddhism was spread to China through this road," it said.

"It is high time that the two countries make concerted efforts to create a community of shared destiny," it added.
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Re: Managing Chinese Threat (09-08-2014)

Post by Jarita »

Mods this is a thin line so please feel free to remove.
A person with Chinese establishment who defected to the west told me that a thapad maar Indian historian and her family were very close to Chinese establishment. This person had even visited her home several times.
This guy was from ruling families that moved out of china after cultural revolution. However this guy was cooped by the Chinese government.
It was a very strange conversation,
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Re: Managing Chinese Threat (09-08-2014)

Post by UlanBatori »

India has twin worries over the new constructions in Tibet, which will run close to Sikkim on the western line to Shigatse, and on the eastern line to Nyngchi, close to the Arunachal border, which are due to be completed by 2016. To begin with, the high-speed trains will facilitate quicker movement of military personnel and hardware to the Chinese side compared to India’s abilities at its border. Also, the Nepal government had asked for the Shigatse line to be extended to Kathmandu to ease travel from Nepal, Mr. Wu revealed.
The time has come to put GOI's feet to the fire on Himalayan infrastructure. The recent revelation where the GOI had been refusing to correct India's own maps to include Indian territory mistakenly marked as Chinese (see Nalapat's recent article) shows how totally asinine is the neglect in Dilli of the interests of Indian citizens living close to the borders.

Other than :(( :(( about other countries building infrastructure close to the borders, what is India doing? The trek to Himalayan centers of worship such as Badrinath and Kedarnath temples is a shameful annual disaster. There is no decent infrastructure for Indians to even visit the Himalayas, let alone for those who live there.

Kudos to the Chinese: they are actually showing that hard work pays off. Yes, their rail lines threaten India by making it so easy for them to project force at points where India would take months to get people.

OTOH, I STILL I mean STILL!!!! read reports where the Indian soldiers on the frontlines have to go and try to buy warm clothes and shoes themselves, because the GOI doesn't give a pakistan about them. The Babus responsible for this neglect while they (Babus and Mantris) jet around the world, should be lined up and shot. Or just left there for a month or so in winter.
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Re: Managing Chinese Threat (09-08-2014)

Post by Prem »

UlanBatori wrote:
I

OTOH, I STILL I mean STILL!!!! read reports where the Indian soldiers on the frontlines have to go and try to buy warm clothes and shoes themselves, because the GOI doesn't give a pakistan about them. The Babus responsible for this neglect while they (Babus and Mantris) jet around the world, should be lined up and shot. Or just left there for a month or so in winter.
Babbus are busy finding way to deny pension benefits to injured soldiers , filling appeal after appeal to the courts to deny the benefits due to them.
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Re: Managing Chinese Threat (09-08-2014)

Post by vijaykarthik »

NDTV link to the possibility of India exploring 5 oil blocks in SCS: http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/india ... 1408991937
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Re: Managing Chinese Threat (09-08-2014)

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X-post from ASEAN thread

Key pacts to be signed during President Pranab Mukherjee's Visit to Vietnam - PTI, ET
India and Vietnam are likely to sign key agreements in the field of defence, trade and culture during the visit of President Pranab Mukherjee to this strategically-important country next month.

While India has decided to ramp up its engagement with Vietnam in the oil sector and deepen defence ties, Hanoi wants it to do more especially in maintaining freedom of navigation, maritime safety and security in the disputed South China Sea.

Due to its estranged ties with China, Vietnam is looking at India for a deeper defence cooperation which includes possible procurement of weaponry besides training especially that of the Navy.

India has been a major ally for Vietnam in the region and there is a working synergy between the armed forces of the two countries.

Vietnam is also looking at buying BrahMos missiles which is jointly manufactured by Russia and India. Vietnam is said to have requested India for submarine training and for conversion training for conversion training for its pilots to fly Sukhoi-30 aircrafts.

Southeast Asian and Latin American countries have shown interest in acquiring the 290km range weapon system and it is possible to export the missile to certain friendly nations.

Defence Ministry sources in Delhi had said that Vietnam and Indonesia in South East Asia and Venezuela in Latin America have expressed willingness to procure the missile.

However, sources maintain that Indian defence cooperation is currently focussed on providing human resource development for the Vietnamese military including language learning and other training modules. They admitted that various other proposals are under different stages of discussion.

Another key area for cooperation is the oil sector. In a move that could rile China, which has publicly asked New Delhi to stay off from the resource-rich South China Sea, India is assessing whether to explore in five new blocks that have been offered by Vietnam.

Indian diplomats remained tight-lipped about the kind of agreements that would be signed during Mukherjee's visit in middle of next month.

India's envoy to Vietnam Preeti Saran did throw some light on the possible agreements in an interview to a local media network.

"We are holding discussions on the cooperation between Jet Airways and Vietnam Airlines, TATA and Vietnamese partners, on the issue relating to the petroleum exploration activities. These are very important sectors.

"Moreover, we are discussing on the restoration of Cham relics in My Son. We have no information yet of the outcome of the discussion. However, the visit of the Foreign Minister is the premise for the signing of important agreements during the upcoming high level meeting in September," she told local media network.


India and Vietnam, which already have inked agreements for sharing information in criminal offences, extradition of prisoners and transfer of sentenced people, are also looking at cooperation in tackling cyber crime,

India had also made Hanoi the offer of USD 100 million line of credit for the purchase of four offshore Patrol Vessels.

Indian Navy ships recently made a port call in Vietnam on their way back from India-US-Japan trilateral exercise off the coast of Japan.
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Re: Managing Chinese Threat (09-08-2014)

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Taiwan says Chinese Patrol aircraft entered its space - Straits Times
TAIPEI (AFP) - Taiwan's air force scrambled fighter jets to track two Chinese Y-8 maritime patrol aircraft which intruded into the island's airspace, a senior air force officer said on Tuesday.

One plane entered Taiwan's ADIZ (air defence identification zone) at 8:33am on Monday and another at 2:31 pm, en route to a disputed area in the South China Sea.

The planes had taken off from the mainland's southeastern province of Guangdong. Taiwan scrambled Mirage 2000-5s and Indigenous Defence Fighters.

"We followed them closely to make sure they left our ADIZ," Air Force Major General Hsiung Hou-chi told reporters, declining to say how many fighters were mobilised in the two missions.
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Re: Managing Chinese Threat (09-08-2014)

Post by RoyG »

The chinese are emboldened now that the US is withdrawing from the middle east. The inability of the US to effectively counter the russian moves in ukraine is also giving them elbow room. All future sino-west conflicts will be fought jointly by russia and china. If russia can wean japan away from the US sphere of influence with oil and gas, it will be a huge boon for the sco.
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Re: Managing Chinese Threat (09-08-2014)

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X-posted from Japan thread

Modi deplores expansionist tendency of some countries
Prime Minister Narendra Modi today deplored the "expansionist" tendency among some countries which "encroach" upon seas of others, in oblique comments against China which is having a maritime dispute with Japan.

"The whole world accepts that the 21st century will belong to Asia. But I have a question. How should the 21st century be? We have to give an answer to this. It will depend on how deep and progressive our relationship (between India and Japan) is," he said addressing business leaders of India and Japan here.

"We have to decide if we want to have 'vikas vaad' (development) or 'vistar vaad' (expansionism) which leads to disintegration. Those who follow the path of Buddha and have faith on 'vikas vaad', they develop. But we see, those having ideas of the 18th century, engage in encroachments and enter seas (of others)," he said.

He did not name any country but the comments may be seen as targeting China which is engaged in territorial disputes with a number of its neighbours, including India, Japan and some others including Vietnam.

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

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China reacts guardedly to Modi's expansionist remark
China today reacted guardedly to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's remarks of "expansionist" tendency among some countries, saying it is not clear what was he referring to and recalled his earlier comments that India and China are strategic partners.

"We have noted relevant information about Prime Minister Modi's visit to Japan. You just mentioned comments made by him I don't know what is he referring to," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang told a media briefing here when asked about Modi's remarks made during his ongoing visit to Japan.

"But I can answer the question by quoting his (Modi's) words. He said China and India are strategic partners for common development. Good neighbourliness and cooperation between the two counties is of great significance to the prosperity of the whole world and all mankind," Qin recalled Prime Minister Modi's comments made on an earlier occasion.

Asked how China sees Modi's visit to Japan ahead of Chinese President Xi Jinping's proposed visit New Delhi expected to be in the third week of this month, Qin said "I want to stress that China and India are major countries. We both advocate and practice the five principles of peaceful coexistence."

"With regard to Xi's visit to India, during BRICS summit, President Xi had a good meeting with Prime Minister Modi," he said, adding that the two leaders agreed that Xi should visit India in the neat future.

"The two sides are in close communication on the relevant issue," he said.
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Re: Managing Chinese Threat (09-08-2014)

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[quote="SSridhar"]X-posted from Japan thread

Modi deplores expansionist tendency of some countries
[quote]Prime Minister Narendra Modi today deplored the "expansionist" tendency among some countries which "encroach" upon seas of others, in oblique comments against China which is having a maritime dispute with Japan.

"The whole world accepts that the 21st century will belong to Asia. But I have a question. How should the 21st century be? We have to give an answer to this. It will depend on how deep and progressive our relationship (between India and Japan) is," he said addressing business leaders of India and Japan here.

"We have to decide if we want to have 'vikas vaad' (development) or 'vistar vaad' (expansionism) which leads to disintegration. Those who follow the path of Buddha and have faith on 'vikas vaad', they develop. But we see, those having ideas of the 18th century, engage in encroachments and enter seas (of others)," he said.

He did not name any country but the comments may be seen as targeting China which is engaged in territorial disputes with a number of its neighbours, including India, Japan and some others including Vietnam.


Sridharji,
I will read it as a great statement by great statesman that we have been controlled and exploited by west for two centuries. We have resource and manpower to bring control back to us but that wont be possible if we bicker among ourselves. So stop this bullying around and come together and make it an asian century.
I dont read it as targeting China but showing light to Chinese "united we stand".
I am sure there will a lot of thaw in relationship when chinese premier visit India next month.

I am utterly disgusted with media pimps who are trying to spin Modi's word as confrontational, instead of working for Indian interest they are repeating their western masters words.
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Re: Managing Chinese Threat (09-08-2014)

Post by manjgu »

recently got a lift in a army convoy from north pullu till leh city... the ASC driver said the road infra has improved significantly but is still poor on the chinese side.. only in sikkim was the road infra fairly good.. was happy with the new trucks..and said it was a big big improvement over shaktiman ( which he said was a f...ed up truck). he said chinese have built good infra on their side..
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Re: Managing Chinese Threat (09-08-2014)

Post by vijaykarthik »

Calling out for SSridhar's help on a question that I am currently tracking:

Will you have any idea of China looking at extending its ADIZ either on the South or the East China Sea? Do let me know if you can. thanks
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Re: Managing Chinese Threat (09-08-2014)

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vijaykarthik, PRC is expected to establish a new ADIZ in SCS by 2015. It is a question of when and not if. How much airspace will it cover would be interesting to watch because PRC claims 90% of it.
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Re: Managing Chinese Threat (09-08-2014)

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China piqued by Modi-Abe bonhomie.

India-Japan ties will only bring psychological comfort to both nations: China - Amit Baruah, The Hindu
“The increasing intimacy between Tokyo and New Delhi will bring at most psychological comfort to the two countries,” China’s State-run Global Times newspaper said in an editorial on Tuesday.

On the “blossoming personal friendship” between Narendra Modi and his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe, the paper said China-India relations denoted much more than that.

“Abe’s harangue on the Indo-Pacific concept makes Indians comfortable. It is South Asia where India has to make its presence felt… Sino-Indian ties can in no way be counterbalanced by Japan-Indian friendship,” the editorial said. While mentioning that Mr. Modi had not named China in his remarks in Japan, the paper referred to Japanese and Western public opinion that the comments were directed at China.
So, China is claiming that India is not yet even a 'South Asia' power let alone a challenger to China. PRC is also issuing a veiled warning that the India-Japan combination is a no match for the Chinese and both these nations cannot hope to challenge that. It is also indirectly accepting that the 'vistar vaad' reference was to China.
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Re: Managing Chinese Threat (09-08-2014)

Post by TSJones »

If China is buying the S-400 then so should India.
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Re: Managing Chinese Threat (09-08-2014)

Post by member_28714 »

It is shameful that Xi's visit to India is part of a three leg trip - India, Pakistan and SL. Why did MEA agree to this? When Modi visits China hopefully this is reciprocated. A stopover at Vietnam followed by China and a quickie with Abe in Tokyo will be nice.
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Re: Managing Chinese Threat (09-08-2014)

Post by SSridhar »

^ +1. Absolutely. Time has come for India to demand different treatment than so far has been meted out (and meekly accepted too) or else there is no need for these visitors to come calling.

This Chinese behaviour ties in with its claim that India is not even a dominant player in 'South Asia'.
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Re: Managing Chinese Threat (09-08-2014)

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Dalai Lama cancels South Africa trip amid visa row - The Hindu
The Dalai Lama has cancelled a trip to South Africa for a summit of Nobel peace laureates, an aide said on Thursday, reporting that Pretoria had denied him a visa in a bid to avoid angering China.

The government “conveyed by phone to me they will not be able to grant the visa for the reason that it would disturb relations between China and South Africa,” Nangsa Choedon told AFP.

The apparent refusal for Tibet’s exiled spiritual leader, which would be the third in five years, could provoke a boycott of the 14th annual peace summit, said a spokesman for South African laureate and former archbishop Desmond Tutu.

“I have heard that if the Dalai Lama is not allowed into the country, other invited guests have said they will not come,” Roger Friedman said.

South Africa’s Foreign Ministry said that it had received written confirmation from the Dalai Lama’s office in India “indicating that His Holiness has cancelled his planned visit to South Africa”.

Earlier on Thursday, the government said it was still considering his visa application.

Two years ago, the country’s top court found that the government had acted unlawfully by dragging its heels on a visa application by the Tibetan until it was too late.

China, which accuses the Dalai Lama of covertly campaigning for Tibet’s independence, regularly uses its economic and political clout to put pressure on governments around the world to limit contact with him.

China is South Africa’s biggest single trading partner, with two-way trade worth $21 billion in 2012. The Nobel summit in Cape Town on October 13-15 is backed by foundations representing four South African peace laureates — Archbishop Tutu, Nelson Mandela, FW de Klerk and Albert Luthuli.

Along with the surviving South Africans — Archbishop Tutu and Mr. de Klerk — the organisers say 13 individuals and eight organisations had confirmed that they would attend the summit, including former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev. — AFP
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Re: Managing Chinese Threat (09-08-2014)

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

Post by Prem »

http://thediplomat.com/2014/09/rebalanc ... lomat+RSS)
Rebalancing India’s Maritime Posture in the Indo-Pacific
Following Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s successful visit to Japan, New Delhi and Tokyo have upgraded their relationship to a “Special Strategic and Global Partnership.” For India, the visit has, indeed, been quite “special.” With Japan committing to increase its investment in India’s economy and formally declaring its intention to transfer equipment technology to the Indian defense sector, the takeaways for New Delhi have been substantial. An agreement to accelerate talks on the possible sale of the US-2 amphibious aircraft is poised to make the Indian Navy the beneficiary of Japan’s first overseas military sale in nearly 50 years.The deepening of defense relations has also raised hopes of a stronger maritime partnership. If the media reports of the various interactions and press-briefings at Tokyo are anything to go by, India and Japan could soon be in a strategic maritime embrace. Both countries reportedly committed themselves to increasing their maritime interaction and reaffirmed support for the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force’s continued participation in the annual Indo-U.S. MALABAR maritime exercises. In a veiled mention of China, Modi even spoke of “expansionism” and “maritime encroachment” – issues that resonate with the Japanese masses – even as he recognized India’s “shared interest” with Japan in ensuring common maritime security.Yet, expectations that the two countries’ maritime forces will be patrolling the sea lanes of the Pacific together are unlikely to be fulfilled any time soon – ironically, because of the very symbolism of deeper strategic cooperation that promises to give each side a broader security role.The paradox is reflected in recent maritime discussions in India. Following last month’s commissioning of two indigenous warships – Kolkata and Kamorta – most commentary in the Indian media focused on the Indian Navy’s role as “protector” of India’s economic interests in the Indian Ocean. The generous references to the navy’s contribution in ensuring the safety of maritime trade and the protection of India’s offshore energy interests, seemed driven by a deep concern for the security of the sea-lines of communication (SLOCs) in the IOR.
The growing emphasis on the Indian Navy’s economic-security role, though well-intentioned, appeared to detract from the Navy’s larger role in defending India’s strategic equities in the Indo-Pacific region. A navy is, after all, a military arm primarily meant for use in traditional conflict scenarios involving a clash of broader strategic interests. By first principles, it is a weapon of defense in situations where the nation’s strategic stakes are threatened by a rival maritime power.The proponents of the Indian Navy’s economic role are buoyed by views expressed on the subject by Narendra Modi himself. As he commissioned INS Kolkata a few days ago, Modi stressed the Navy’s role in securing the sea lanes, drawing attention to the “inextricable connection between maritime power and national growth story” and “the Indian navy’s potential to inspire confidence among those involved in maritime trade.” His observations, though legitimate from an economic-security perspective, highlight a deeper reality: popularly elected governments today increasingly look upon maritime forces to protect national economic interests, sometimes at the cost of other strategic functions. Having been elected into office on a plank of economic renewal, the NDA government too is likely to pursue a maritime policy aimed at supporting domestic growth. As a corollary – and regardless of the political warmth between India and Japan – New Delhi will not do anything to antagonize Beijing. If anything, its maritime policy will be built around the twin principles of strategic risk avoidance, and robust multilateral engagement.This, interestingly, marks a curious continuity with the previous UPA government’s approach to maritime security, which largely restricted the Indian navy to cooperative endeavors in the Indian Ocean. New Delhi’s central argument, for some time, has been that the Indian Ocean and Pacific are two strategically diverse theaters and that any conceptual framework that treats them as a single coherent strategic space is fundamentally flawed. A majority of India’s policy elite believe that the principal threats in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) are of the irregular kind and must be dealt through a process of region-wide consensus building and multilateral collaboration. The Pacific, on the other hand, is seen as a “strategic swamp” – a domain of political dissonances and an intractable conflict, which hasn’t been able to extricate itself from the morass of military brinkmanship, diplomatic posturing, and alliance politics.Unfortunately, this line of reasoning doesn’t hold up to scrutiny in a larger strategic context – especially if one were to consider the real reason why the Indian Ocean lacks a strategic dialectic. One doesn’t need deep nautical insight to detect that the Indian Ocean Region’s (IOR) relatively peaceful status is mainly a result of India’s prominent maritime status in the region. Not only is the Indian Navy the most powerful in South Asia, it is also a principal security provider in the central Indian Ocean. With no real challenge to its strategic primacy in the IOR, it has had the luxury of focusing on humanitarian relief and irregular threats.
India cannot, however, be assured that the strategic scenario that exists in the Indian Ocean today will remain unchanged in the future. China’s economic interests in the region have been growing rapidly. In time, as the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLA-N) gears up for a larger role in the IOR, India’s policy elite are bound to come up against an acute security dilemma: cooperate with China on Beijing’s terms, or prepare to take on its superior naval might in the Indian Ocean region. In the event, there are no guarantees that the Indian Ocean’s future strategic dynamic would be any less adversarial than the one that attends the Pacific today.While there is no imminent threat to India’s Indian Ocean stakes presently, the situation could change dramatically once the PLA-N succeeds in establishing a more durable presence in the region. The Maritime Silk Route (MSR), which Beijing is actively promoting, heralds the beginning of that process. From developing maritime infrastructure in Gwadar, Hambantota and Chittagong in South Asia, to building and revitalizing port facilities in Mombasa, Dar-e-Salam and Bagamoyo on the East Coast of Africa, Beijing appears intent on creating a Chinese trade-corridor in the Indian Ocean.The latest to join the list of Chinese port development projects is the Kenyan port city of Lamu. A Chinese firm recently signed a nearly $500 million deal to construct three berths at Lamu. The project is part of the Kenya-South Sudan-Ethiopia Transport, or LAPSSET corridor, with a potentially defining role in the Africa-section of the MSR. Maritime watchers worry that at some stage China’s expanding naval footprint in the Indian Ocean would come into conflict with India’s sphere of strategic influence, triggering a chain of events that could eventually lead a larger strategic confrontation.
For the moment, India is rightly wary of countervailing China’s maritime power in the Indo-Pacific. New Delhi neither has the naval capability at its disposal, nor the political capital to resist China’s broader nautical endeavors in maritime-Asia. But it needs to search for an answer to end its strategic predicament. For one thing, in the larger contest for regional dominance, New Delhi will need the Indian Navy to deliver on its principal mandate of defending national stakes by remedying power asymmetries that undermine regional stability. For this, it must consider playing the role of a gentle “stabilizer” in the Indo-Pacific.As opposed to an active China containment strategy, a stabilizing role would only entail a discreet commitment by New Delhi to oppose any unilateral military means that could potentially cause conflict. As a corollary, India would need to increase its involvement in political discussions concerning maritime security in the Pacific. This would mean taking active part in the deliberations of the ARF, the East Asia Summit, ADMM plus and the Expanded ASEAN Maritime Forum (EAMF). It also implies India would need to articulate its stand on maritime security matters clearly in forums such as the Shangri-La dialogue. As a supporting strategy, New Delhi will have to reinvigorate its trilateral diplomacy in the Indo-Pacific. Tripartite discussions have a unique quality of conferring legitimacy and sense of urgency to shared security concerns; India would need to leverage this feature to its advantage.While the Indian Navy has participated in a series of engagements in the Pacific recently – including an interaction with the PLA-N at Qingdao, the U.S.-led Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercises, and the U.S.-India MALABAR exercises (also joined by Japan this year) – it has tended to treat all its maritime engagements as isolated and unconnected events, thereby hindering the creation of a coherent strategic picture. With all emerging narratives canceling each other out, no clear strategic message has been effectively conveyed to any of its partners.The Navy’s operational managers will know well that in the absence of a cogent and considered strategy of graded engagement, all maritime cooperation is a largely pointless endeavor. While the Indian Navy is entitled to engage with all its strategic partners, the need for the “balance of narrative” to point in a single direction is acute.Far from translating into an anti-China coalition, a comprehensive maritime partnership with Japan has the potential to provide substantive security in the broader Indo-Pacific. After the re-interpretation of Article 9 of its Constitution in July this year, Japan is well placed to be a potent military partner. More importantly, a maritime relationship with Japan will provide the Indian Navy with the opportunity to redefine its strategic posture in the Indo-Pacific.Ultimately, if India needs its navy to play a defining role in safeguarding national equities, it must not only be a “protector” of SLOCs in the Indian Ocean but also a “defender” of its strategic stakes. The Indian Navy could play an instrumental part in maintaining a stable geopolitical equilibrium, but the strategic messaging for that will need to be as effectively directed, as it is well-honed.
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Re: Managing Chinese Threat (09-08-2014)

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Shinzo Abe becomes first Japanese PM to visit Sri Lanka in 24 years - ToI
Shinzo Abe on Sunday became the first Japanese prime minister to visit Sri Lanka in 24 years, on the second leg of a South Asian tour that sought to assert Tokyo's interest in a region where it has ceded influence to China.

Abe was greeted by Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa at Colombo's international airport, where a new passenger terminal will be built with the help of a $330 million Japanese development loan.

The two leaders struck "a new partnership between maritime countries" that reflects Japan's interest in keeping open shipping lanes that supply oil and liquefied natural gas from the Middle East to feed its energy-dependent economy.

"The president and I shared the view on building friendly ties and partnership between the two maritime countries," Abe said after the meeting.

Asian great-power diplomacy has stirred into life since the rise to power of Indian nationalist Narendra Modi, who announced his intent to play an active role on the world stage by inviting regional leaders to his inauguration in May.

Abe comes to India's backyard after hosting Modi for summit talks that yielded a Japanese pledge to invest $34 billion in India and launched a "special, strategic global partnership" to deepen security cooperation.

The Japanese premier pre-empts Chinese President Xi Jinping, who travels to India and Sri Lanka later this month.

"They (the Japanese) are aware that we are beholden to China's influence in many ways, so they would like to counter that," Nanda Godaga, a retired Sri Lankan diplomat who follows Japanese foreign policy, said before Abe's visit.

China has financed the construction of a $500 million port terminal for Colombo as part of efforts to build a '21st-century maritime silk road', but Tokyo plays down any notion that Asia's two largest economies are entering a geopolitical contest.

"We are not going to become a big superpower ... we have a lot of investment in China," Abe's spokesman, Kenko Sone, told a briefing in the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka on Sunday morning.

"We have some difficulties with them but we prefer to solve those issues through discussions."

In Bangladesh on Saturday, Abe followed up on commitments for Japanese business to invest 600 billion yen ($5.7 billion) in infrastructure projects, and won Dhaka's support for Tokyo's bid for a temporary seat on the United Nations Security Council.
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Re: Managing Chinese Threat (09-08-2014)

Post by vijaykarthik »

SSridhar wrote:vijaykarthik, PRC is expected to establish a new ADIZ in SCS by 2015. It is a question of when and not if. How much airspace will it cover would be interesting to watch because PRC claims 90% of it.
thanks! I have just about come to the same conclusion. (The qn that I am tracking is tricky though coz it is looking at a time period of mid of 2015). Anyway, good that you gave me good information.
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Re: Managing Chinese Threat (09-08-2014)

Post by Prem »

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/region/07- ... -asia-tour
Japan’s Abe steals a march on China with South Asia tour
DHAKA/COLOMBO: Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe flew to Bangladesh on Saturday for a two-stop tour of South Asia as the globe-trotting leader asserts Tokyo’s interest in a region where it has ceded influence to China.Abe becomes the first Japanese prime minister to visit Bangladesh in 14 years and on Sunday will be the first to travel to Sri Lanka in nearly a quarter of a century.Asian great-power diplomacy has stirred to life since the rise to power of Indian nationalist Narendra Modi, who announced his intent to play an active role on the world stage by inviting regional leaders to his inauguration in May.Abe comes to India’s backyard after hosting Modi for summit talks that yielded a Japanese pledge to invest $34 billion (20.82 billion pounds) in India and launched a “special, strategic global partnership” to deepen security cooperation.The Japanese premier pre-empts Chinese President Xi Jinping, who travels to India and Sri Lanka later this month.“Prime Minister Modi is weaving a complex tapestry of relations with Asia,” said Dayan Jayatilake, a political scientist, author and former Sri Lankan diplomat.From economic parity in 1980, China’s growth has outstripped India’s fourfold and Beijing has sought to recycle some of its vast export surpluses into foreign investments in resources and infrastructure in South Asia to feed its industrial machine.
That rising economic presence in the Indian Ocean region has stoked concerns in New Delhi that China is creating a ‘string of pearls’ that surrounds India and poses a threat to its security.
In addition to reaching out to Abe, Modi this week welcomed Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott for the first solo visit by a foreign leader since his election, signing a deal for the supply of uranium for nuclear power generation in India.Although Modi seeks pragmatic economic engagement with China, in Tokyo he criticised countries with an “expansionist” mindset, a coded jibe against Beijing’s assertive behaviour in Southeast Asia.Modi “has a new equation with China, which is reciprocated by the Chinese leadership based on economic pragmatism,” said Jayatilake, “but he is also seeking closer ties with Japan and Australia in the Asia-Pacific region.“So we can discern multi-tiered Asian architecture in the new foreign policy of Prime Minister Modi.”For Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, the increased attention of the region’s largest economies creates the opportunity to attract much-needed inward investment and promote exports.Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina visited Tokyo in May and Abe’s return visit should bring progress on Japan’s commitment to invest 600 billion yen (3.5 billion pounds) over the next four to five years. “The Japan visit can...help Bangladesh leverage its geographic position between China and Japan,” venture capitalist Ifty Islam wrote in Bangladesh’ Daily Star newspaper this week.For Japan, which has to import most of its energy, the Indian Ocean is a critical sea passage for supplies of oil and liquefied natural gas from the Middle East.
Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa will welcome the attention of Japan as a donor and investor and as a counterweight to China, which financed a $500 million port terminal in Colombo that was opened last year.“They (the Japanese) are aware that we are beholden to China’s influence (Thanks UPIdoits) in many ways, so they would like to counter that,” said Nanda Godaga, a retired Sri Lankan diplomat who follows Japanese foreign policy.
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Re: Managing Chinese Threat (09-08-2014)

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India talks tough on one-China policy, says reaffirm one-India policy first - Indrani Bagchi, ToI
India on Monday took a tough line ahead of Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to India later this month. "For India to agree to a one-China policy, China should reaffirm a one-India policy," external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj said.

"When they raised with us the issue of Tibet and Taiwan, we shared their sensitivities. So, we want they should understand and appreciate our sensitivities regarding Arunachal Pradesh," the minister said.{Why did she leave out the rest of NE & J&K? }

India has refused to endorse the "one-China" policy since 2010, removing it from a joint statement during the visit of former premier Wen Jiabao to New Delhi.

Describing the India-China relationship as being "very good" but one of "competition and cooperation", Swaraj promised the forthcoming visit by Xi Jinping to India would be "substantial and solid".

She played down Modi's remarks in Japan which were believed to be aimed at China, saying those were actually not aimed at anyone. This was an attempt to gloss over a remark which must have rankled in China while making Modi's Japanese hosts happy. Swaraj said, "He never referred to any specific country. It was media's guess. He spoke about 18th century expansionism." Addressing Japanese businessmen, PM had taken a swipe at China, albeit without naming the country. "There are 18th-century-style ways and thinking that involve expanding (geographically) by taking away the land of another nation and going into seas," he had said.

Swaraj said she was headed to Afghanistan in the next couple of days. Later this month, she said, India and Bangladesh would discuss the land boundary agreement and Teesta water sharing pact at the forthcoming joint consultative commission (JCC) meeting on September 20. "The Land Boundary Agreement was already introduced in Rajya Sabha and referred to the select committee. The select committee has been reconstituted now. Political consultations are under way," she said.

However, Swaraj was caught off-guard while fielding a question on the prospect of Scotland's independence. It was clear that she had not been briefed by her officials that there was a definite possibility of Scotland breaking away from Britain. Swaraj reacted incredulously when asked how India viewed the prospect of the possible break-up of UK. After gathering her thoughts, she said India would go with what Scotland wanted.
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Re: Managing Chinese Threat (09-08-2014)

Post by vijaykarthik »

^^ brilliant, all for it. If they need us to recognize Tibet as part of china, well, man up and recognize Arunachal Pradesh and all 'recognized Indian territory' AS Indian territory.

Well, what about Aksai Chin and the rest of China occupied Kashmir while we are at it? [More: If china can shamelessly talk about the 16/18th century records to talk of the 9-dash line, how about the fight for the territory we ceded during the Chinese war too?]
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Re: Managing Chinese Threat (09-08-2014)

Post by vinod »

China making islands in south-china sea
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/special/2014/ ... index.html
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Re: Managing Chinese Threat (09-08-2014)

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We have to appreciate Abe's single-minded focus on China. However, Sri Lanka is Indian backyard and while Japan is a friendly nation, we should not allow ourselves to be edged out in the turf battle between China and Japan.

Abe - Rajapakse agree on plan to boost maritime security - Japan Times
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa agreed Sunday to strengthen cooperation on maritime security at a time when China is expanding its influence in the Indian Ocean country.

According to a joint statement issued after their meeting in Colombo, the two leaders agreed to launch intergovernmental talks on marine pollution and environmental protection, while Abe announced that Japan will study the provision of patrol ships to Sri Lanka so that the island country can boost its security capabilities.

Sri Lanka has geographical importance for Japan as imports of oil from the Middle East are transported via the Indian Ocean. Abe’s visit to the country is the first by an incumbent Japanese prime minister in 24 years.

The two leaders also agreed to promote cooperation between Japan’s Maritime Self-Defense Force and the Sri Lanka Navy.

“Our two countries, as maritime nations, recognize the importance of ensuring maritime cooperation and security,” Rajapaksa said after the meeting.

“I am pleased to note the close interaction between the defense establishments of our countries on this aspect.”

Rajapaksa also asked for more Japanese investment to build ports and harbors in the island nation, a statement from his office said. China currently dominates in this area after it finished construction of a $500 million deep-sea port in the capital, Colombo, last year.

China is increasingly asserting its influence in the Indian Ocean, with Sri Lanka a midway point on one of the world’s busiest international shipping lanes.

China also built another port in 2010 in the island’s south, sparking fears Beijing was building a ring of influence around traditional regional superpower and rival India.

After talks with Rajapaksa, Abe addressed a business forum attended by heads of several major Japanese companies and stressed his intention to increase maritime cooperation with the island.

“It is my intention to increase cooperation (with Sri Lanka) in the maritime area for open and safe seas,” he said.

Abe visited a Buddhist temple just outside Colombo on Monday before leaving the island, which was visited by his grandfather, former Prime Minister Nobusuke Kishi, in 1957.

Abe’s Sri Lanka tour follows Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s trip to Tokyo this month during which the two countries, which both have prickly relations with giant neighbor China, declared they will raise ties to a “new level.”

Relations between Japan and China are currently mired in a bitter dispute over the disputed Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea.

During Sunday’s meeting, Abe urged Sri Lanka to increase reconciliation with the island’s ethnic Tamil minority following the end of the decades-long separatist conflict.

“The president and I also reconfirmed the importance of Sri Lanka’s national reconciliation after the conflict and engagement with the international community,” Abe said in a brief statement following the talks.

Sri Lanka has been under intense international pressure over war crimes allegedly committed by the military against Tamils during the war.

The U.N. rights body in March ordered an international panel to investigate charges that Sri Lanka’s security forces killed at least 40,000 Tamil civilians in the final months of the conflict.

Before arriving, Abe said in a local newspaper interview that he hopes Sri Lanka can achieve “true national reconciliation” by addressing war crimes issues.

Japan is Sri Lanka’s largest single donor of foreign aid and remained neutral at the U.N. Human Rights Council meeting in March when the body ordered an investigation into Sri Lanka’s alleged war crimes.

On Sunday, Rajapaksa met Abe at Colombo international airport, whose expansion Japan is funding through a $330 million loan.

Abe announced Japan is helping Sri Lanka set up a new digital television broadcast system, and pledged support for upgrading the island’s domestic road transport sector.

On Saturday, during his visit to Bangladesh, Abe won Dhaka’s support for Tokyo’s bid for a nonpermanent seat on the U.N. Security Council.

Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said Dhaka will withdraw its candidacy in favor of Tokyo in view of Japan’s “continued and strong support in Bangladesh’s development process.”

Abe’s visits to Bangladesh and Sri Lanka bring to 49 the number of countries he has visited since taking office in December 2012 — the most for any Japanese prime minister.
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Post by member_28705 »

I want to understand Arunachal controversy better.

Gurus, am here to learn. My knowledge regarding Arunachal Pradesh border dispute is rather limited, as presented below. Please do fill any gaps in my understanding. But before I present my understanding - I wish to state that I believe in a One India policy. I believe that Arunachal is an integral part of India.

This was supposed to be between British India, China and Tibet. Features of the Accord:
Inner Tibet was to be under Chinese Control. Outer Tibet was supposed to be ‘sovereign’. The border between Outer Tibet and India was called McMahon Line.
Some parts of the-then Tibet like Tawang and Arunachal Pradesh were ceded to India.
China almost signed, but didn’t sign. Even Britain did not recognize this treaty for several years. Arunachal Pradesh and Tawang figured in SoI map after several years.
1949 - India recognized Mao as leader of China.
1959 – China annexed Tibet. Dalai Lama fled to India. ‘Inner Tibet’ got assimilated into China. And ‘Outer Tibet’ got renamed as ‘Tibet Autonomous Region’.
Problem for India today : Arunachal Pradesh and Tawang were ceded to India as a part of Shimla Accord; but China never signed the accord. Therefore, they claim Tawang and Arunachal as part of Tibet and hence China.

P.S. I think Nehru should have made recognizing Tibet as part of China, contingent to China recognising Aksai Chin and Arunachal pradesh as integral parts of India and signed agreements to that effect. Am I wrong in thinking so?
P.S.2 I also believe that Homi Bhabha wanted to develop an Anu-bam before 1960s itself, but Nehru wasn't interested in developing until after 1962. I believe that Nehru must have listened to Bhabha and gotten an Atom bomb tested before 1959.
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Re: Managing Chinese Threat (09-08-2014)

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http://www.newsroompost.com/china-will- ... -minister/
China will never encircle India: Minister
Beijing, Sept 9: “China will never “encircle India” and an “acceptable solution” to the boundary issue will be found by both sides,” a senior Chinese minister said today.“There is a special mechanism in place to resolve the border issues and the governments and the military establishments of the two countries are in close interaction and there has been peace and tranquility on our borders. We will find an acceptable solution to the issue,” Assistant Chinese Foreign Minister Liu Jianchao said.Liu, while answering a question at a briefing on Xi’s visit to India, Sri Lanka and Maldives, said that China had not and would never “encircle India”.China has been developing strategic port facilities in Pakistan, Bangladesh and Myanmar, and it is planning to build railroad lines in Nepal.Analysts say through these initiatives, China is expanding its sphere of regional influence by surrounding India with a ‘string of pearls’ that could eventually undermine India’s pre-eminence.
Liu said that China wanted to work together with India with mutual political trust and achieve greater development.On the economic front, Xi’s visit would focus discussions on upgradation of existing railway lines in India besides developing a network of high speed rail, he said.“Also the two countries are interested in nuclear energy cooperation, but they will act in accordance with the international rules and interest and demands of each other,” Liu said.Responding to a question on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Japan, he said, “China adopts a positive attitude to reaching-out to Japan by India and hopes that any such process is conducive to growth of China-India relationship.”Xi’s visit to India and other South Asian countries will have a significant and profound impact on bilateral ties, Liu said.The development of China and India will not only benefit the two peoples but Asia and the world, he said.During his India tour, Xi will meet President Pranab Mukherjee, hold talks with Prime Minister Modi and meet other Indian leaders.Xi will also give a speech in New Delhi on China-India relations and China’s South Asia policy while extensively interacting with Indian people from all walks of life.Liu said Xi’s visit to the Maldives will be the first ever visit by China’s head of state since the two countries established diplomatic links 42 years ago.He said this visit is of “epoch-making significance” for China-Maldives ties.During Xi’s visit to Sri Lanka, he will hold talks with President Mahinda Rajapaksa and plan the future growth of bilateral relations, Liu said.
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Re: Managing Chinese Threat (09-08-2014)

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China-India Ties Poised for an 'Orbital Jump': Doval - Atul Aneja, The Hindu
India on Tuesday raised hopes of resolving the border dispute with China with visiting National Security Adviser Ajit Doval asserting that the strong leadership in New Delhi and Beijing were capable of achieving a breakthrough.

On a visit here ahead of President Xi Jinping’s maiden trip to New Delhi, Mr. Doval told the Indian media that ties between the two nations were poised for an “orbital jump.”

Mr. Xi starts his visit from Ahmedabad on September 17 and will reach New Delhi that evening, officials said.

Mr. Doval said Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Mr. Xi “are two powerful and very popular, very decisive leaders.” “Whether it opens possibilities [of resolving the border dispute], yes. Whether it leads to solutions, nobody can be sure because that does not necessarily mean that it is only dependent on single factor,” he said. Mr. Doval, whose mission to Beijing was to finalise preparations for the President’s visit, made these observations following talks with Mr. Xi, State Councillor Yang Jiechi and Foreign Minister Wang Yi. The Chinese leadership interpreted Mr. Doval’s visit as a statement of New Delhi’s intent to consolidate ties. President Xi, who received Mr. Doval in the afternoon, said the NSA’s visit “sends a positive signal to the outside world and I appreciate that.” Mr. Xi recalled the “great conversation” he had with Mr. Modi during the BRICS summit in Brazil.
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Re: Managing Chinese Threat (09-08-2014)

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Xi’s visit will mark a new era in bilateral ties: Beijing - Atul Aneja, The Hindu
China has stated its intent to substantially elevate its ties during the upcoming visit of President Xi Jinping to India, disallowing differences in perception on the border issue to cloud a growing relationship of significance. {The problem here is that it is India which should take offence to the Chinese assertions about the border, its frequent and deep incursions by the PLA and China is taking a high moral ground to pull the rug from under India's feet !!}

Liu Jianchao, Assistant Foreign Minister, told visiting Indian journalists that President Xi’s visit next week would mark the beginning of “another era” in Sino-Indian ties, embedded with strong “strategic” resonance.

Chinese analysts are of the view that the United States’ Pivot to Asia — broadly seen as a China containment doctrine — has, in response, triggered greater possibilities for stronger partnerships between Beijing and some of the regional heavyweights, including Russia and India. “Imagine the contribution it would make to human civilisation if China and India began to work together for the development and progress of 2.5 billion people,” observed Mr. Liu {Don't be deceived such pious words. We have heard these before and seen the results too.} . In response to a question, he said Beijing was open to exploring the possibility with Moscow of linking India with the $400 billion mega energy tie up that China had recently signed with Russia.

Hectic preparations are under way for the Chinese President’s visit, which will take him first to Ahmedabad, prior to his departure to New Delhi, on the same day. Ajit Doval, National Security Adviser to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, called on President Xi on Tuesday, after concluding a meeting on Monday with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. Xinhua quoted Mr. Wang as saying that China was ready to cooperate with India in handling the border issue. Mr. Doval stressed that it was time India and China sent a clear signal to the world that the phase of Sino-Indian animosity was behind them.

The Chinese have taken Mr. Modi’s high-profile visit to Japan in their stride, assured that it would not cast a shadow on Mr. Xi’s much anticipated “historic visit” to India. International cooperation, Mr. Liu observed, was not a “zero sum game,” adding that China was confident of competing with Tokyo for economic projects in India. India and China were also exploring joint forays in railways and setting up industrial parks in Maharashtra and Gujarat, with the Chinese investment exceeding $5 billion. Mr. Liu said China was looking at possible participation in upgrading India’s existing railway network, building railway stations and establishing a railway academy for training personnel :eek: .
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