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

[ramana]

What can toothless Britain dependent on US for strategic weapons offer Japan? Confrontation with China is a strategic issue where tactical is not germane!

SS also China closing South China Sea will make Vietnam landlocked.

Vietnam most effected by this and US makes noises about Philippines!!!

[SSridhar]

What can toothless Britain dependent on US for strategic weapons offer Japan? Confrontation with China is a strategic issue where tactical is not germane!

SS also China closing South China Sea will make Vietnam landlocked.

Vietnam most effected by this and US makes noises about Philippines!!!

ramana, you are right but then, even a third-rate power is better to be part of the emerging alliance !

On the question of Vietnam, I see two reasons. The most important is that the US has the kind of relationship with Philippines which it does not have at all (most likely never have) with Vietnam. Vietnam is left to Russian & our care, I thought. Russia will supply the improved Kilo-class subs & Su-30s and Vietnamese Navy & Air Force would be trained by IN & IAF. Of course, the US is also improving its relationship with Vietnam. Secondly, some of the atolls, shoals where furious Chinese development is happening come under Filippino claim. The Philippines has already filed a complaint with UN's UNCLOS and the hearing is on-going though boycotted by the Chinese.

[KrishnaK]

What can toothless Britain dependent on US for strategic weapons offer Japan? Confrontation with China is a strategic issue where tactical is not germane!

SS also China closing South China Sea will make Vietnam landlocked.

Vietnam most effected by this and US makes noises about Philippines!!!

ramana, you are right but then, even a third-rate power is better to be part of the emerging alliance !

The UK is still a top notch industrial power. Their GDP is roughly the same as Japan's and their S&T capability amongst the best in the world. There's plenty of scope of tactical alliances against China.

[SSridhar]

Relics salvaged from ancient Chinese ship - IANS

More than 14,000 relics have been retrieved from an ancient cargo ship after it was salvaged from a depth of 30 meters below the surface of the South China Sea, Chinese archaeologists have said.

The well-preserved ship dates back to the early Southern Song Dynasty (1127 – 1279). The remains were about 22 meters long and nine meters wide. It was named “Nanhai No. 1” meaning “South China Sea No. 1”.

Now, China will claim that this recovery is further proof that the entire Indo-China Sea beloneged to it because a thousand years back the Chinese ship was named 'South China Sea No 1'. Probably, it was the very first ship ever to ply that sea ! In fact, the Chinese claims to that sea, the shoals, reefs and islands there have been made on such ridiculous 'proof'.

[SSridhar]

China’s new Rocket Force to offset U.S. edge in air and sea - Atul Aneja, The Hindu

The superiority of arch-rival United States in the air and sea may have driven China to revamp its nuclear and conventional missile forces and bring about sweeping changes to its military command and control architecture.

A write-up in China Military Online, the website of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), quoting an in house military expert, points out that the Second Artillery Force (SAF) — the institution that had exercised operational control over the country’s nuclear forces — had been upgraded as the PLA Rocket Force (PRF). Without naming the U.S., Song Zhongping, a former instructor at the PLA Second Artillery Engineering University, says that this is because the " country on the other side of the ocean has a powerful navy and air force and boasts the world's top air and sea supremacy and strongest conventional long-range precision strike and delivery capability”. He acknowledges that in the “short term” China would be unable to “comprehensively compete” with these capabilities.

Consequently, in order to compensate, China has decided to modernise its nuclear deterrent and conventional missiles. The PRF has now been upgraded into a full- fledged new service at par with the Army, Air Force and the Navy. Mr. Song explained that unlike its predecessor, the SAF, which was an independent arm in China’s military system, the emergence of a full-fledged service would imply having “ several arms and special troops” apart from having “academies, research institutes and logistic support system”.

The new service, as it evolves, is expected to deploy its nuclear assets on land, sea and air. Mr. Song pointed out that after incorporating the Navy's strategic nuclear submarine and the Air Force's strategic bomber, the PRF would become the first independent service with land, sea and air nuclear forces in the world, more integrated than the nuclear forces in the U.S., Russia, Britain and France.

The PRF is also expected to separate its nuclear and conventional wings. The nuclear missiles would be responsible for strategic nuclear deterrence, while conventional missiles would be used in the first round of strikes. "In the long term, the PLA Rocket Force may transfer short-range ballistic missiles to the Army to extend its range of strike," observed Mr. Song.

The write-up pointed out that the PRF would have an edge because of deep cuts in Russian and U.S. missile forces that were made under previous arms control agreements. For instance the U.S. and the former Soviet Union had signed an agreement in 1987 to cut their ground-to-ground missiles, with ranges from 500 to 5500km. As a result, America's Pershing II and land-based Tomahawk, and the former

Soviet Union's SS-4, SS-12, SS-20 and SS-23 missiles were all destroyed. Consequently, the U.S. does not possess tactical ballistic missiles or land-based cruise missile in its arsenal. The Russian army has only two types of short-range tactical missiles.

Washington’s allies also do not possess a 360 degree deterrent, illustrated by Britain and France having no land based nuclear missiles.

“As China hasn't signed any agreement of this kind, it has established the world's most complete ballistic missile strike system, including both nuclear and conventional missiles and covering all shooting ranges, with the high-precision medium-range ballistic missile standing out in the world,” the article observed. This is demonstrated by the induction of the DF-26 missiles, show-cased during China’s military parade on September 3 last year. The weapon can deliver both nuclear and conventional warheads, bringing Guam within its 4000 km range as well as aircraft carriers—the core of US military assertion in the Pacific.

[SSridhar]

Chinese initiative for India-centric magazine - The Hindu

In a context of improving relations between the two countries, China-India Dialogue , the first ever India-centric publication in China, is seeking to put renewed focus on issues common between and related to India and China. The idea is to provide a platform for Chinese and Indian commentators to write on politics and economy, and for academics from both countries to communicate and debate with each other on specific themes.

Speaking to The Hindu here, Wen Zhihong, Editorial Director of the monthly, said China-India Dialogue , brought out by the China International Publishing Group (CIPG) based in Beijing, will focus on a monthly theme. The inaugural issue took up Internet connectivity in an inclusive economy as the theme. The next issue would focus on “poverty relief”.

China-India Dialogue would attempt to expand its readership and presence in India, looking for both contributors and partners, and eventually to register as a publication in the country. It also had a website in the works, and would have other multimedia content hosted on it, she said.

Ms. Wen and her colleagues visited The Hindu ’s headquarters in Chennai and gave an overview of the magazine’s plans to the editorial team of The Hindu group of publications. Their visit to India was to interact with media representatives and think-tanks and was arranged by the Chinese embassy.

The CIPG also publishes periodicals including China Pictorial , which comes out in Chinese, English, Russian and Korean.

[member_19686]

The UK is still a top notch industrial power. Their GDP is roughly the same as Japan's and their S&T capability amongst the best in the world. There's plenty of scope of tactical alliances against China.

2,950,039 is roughly the same as 4,602,367?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_c ... _(nominal)

Or are you using some special UK counting method?

[Prem]

Vietnam's Plan to Deter China With Western Jets
http://nationalinterest.org/blog/the-bu ... jets-14893
( Because of China, Russia loose another big customer)

Vietnam is negotiating with American and European manufacturers to purchase new warplanes—including fighters, maritime patrol aircraft and unmanned aircraft. The move comes as part of Hanoi’s strategy to lessen its dependence on Russian hardware and to counter China’s growing power.
According to Reuter’s Siva Govindasamy, Vietnam has been in talks with contractors who build the Saab JAS-39E/F Gripen NG, Eurofighter Typhoon, Lockheed Martin F-16 Fighting Falcon and the Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet. It’s also taken a hard look at Korea’s F/A-50 lightweight fighter—which was developed in cooperation with Lockheed.Assuming Hanoi can reach a deal, Vietnam could buy up to a hundred combat aircraft to replace its antiquated fleet of 144 Mikoyan MiG-21 Fishbeds and thirty-eight Sukhoi Su-22 Fitter strike aircraft. The new aircraft would supplement Vietnam’s existing fleet of Russian-made Flanker air superiority fighters. Hanoi operates about a dozen original model Sukhoi Su-27 Flankers and thirty-two more modern Su-30MK2 Flankers with four more on order. Indeed, Vietnam is known to have held fairly advanced discussions to buy the Typhoon, according to Reuters.But Hanoi needs more than just fighters. Given its maritime disputes with Beijing, Vietnam needs maritime patrol aircraft and surveillance capabilities. The country has been talking to the Swedes about maritime patrol and airborne early warning variants of the Saab 340 or 2000 twin-engine turboprops, according to Reuters.Vietnam has also discussed purchasing a maritime patrol version of the Airbus C-295, Lockheed’s Sea Hercules variant of the C-130 transport and a Boeing offering of a business jet fitted with much of the surveillance suite from the P-8 Poseidon. The Boeing offering would not include anti-submarine warfare capabilities however.Hanoi is also looking for unmanned surveillance aircraft to help patrol its vast shoreline. However, no details are available on exactly what aircraft the country wants to buy. But as tensions with China look to continue unabated, Hanoi is almost certain to explore is options and, in doing so, start moving closer to Washington.

[deejay]

Chinese Marines in excersises:

RT ‏@RT_com now2 hours ago
Snowy Combat: Chinese marines conduct ‘confrontational’ drills (VIDEO) https://youtu.be/P5cah6df9Bw

[youtube]P5cah6df9Bw&feature=youtu.be[/youtube]

[kmkraoind]

US Navy official questions intent of China military advance in Indian Ocean - Economic Times

Admiral Scott Swift, Commander, Pacific Fleet, also pitched for India signing the three contentious defence foundational agreements that Washington is keen on.

Talking about the growing Chinese activities in the Indian Ocean, he wondered why would any country deploy nuclear submarines for anti-piracy operations.

India security agencies are concerned about such activities of the Chinese Navy but China claims the submarines are part of their anti-piracy fleet.

[SSridhar]

Oil rush may spur China rethink on S. China Sea development - Jiang Zongqiang and Kang Lin, Straits Times

In the resource-rich South China Sea, China's main exploitation and exploration efforts have traditionally focused on the northern part, rather than the south. China does not own any oil and gas wells in the much-disputed Spratly waters, and has not gained even a barrel of oil from there.

However, in the central and southern parts of the South China Sea, it has been overshadowed by ambitious Vietnamese oil and gas exploration efforts.

Vietnam has granted oil and gas drilling rights in the Spratly region to international oil giants and signed multilateral drilling contracts with more than 30 countries, including the United States, Japan, Britain and the Netherlands.

Given Vietnam's oil rush in disputed areas of the South China Sea, it is highly likely that China will make conspicuous adjustments to its existing strategies on oil exploitation in the area. It will need to rethink its policy of working with other disputant states to jointly develop resources, for starters.

THE SITUATION SO FAR

Until now, China has adopted a passive stance over Vietnam's oil and gas expansion aspirations in the central and southern parts of the South China Sea. One reason for this is that the Chinese government has been willing to sacrifice economic benefits for peace and stability in the area.

For example, for over two decades, the Chinese government has refrained from forcefully implementing a contract signed with American company Crestone Energy Corporation after oil drilling efforts were obstructed by Vietnam in the early 1990s in the so-called Block Wananbei-21 (also named Block Vanguard Bank-21).

But in recent years, Vietnam's largest national oil company, PetroVietnam, has stepped up exploitation efforts within the much-debated nine-dash line - which, in maps issued by the Chinese government, appears to assert Chinese claims over much of the South China Sea.

As at 2010, it had as many as 68 oil and gas fields, whose annual total crude oil production has exceeded 25 million tonnes , far beyond the expectation of Vietnamese domestic demand.

How might China respond to the Vietnamese efforts?

CHINA'S POSSIBLE RESPONSES

First, China may conduct a comprehensive review of the real effect of its long-held policy of putting aside disputes for joint development and creating a joint multilateral development authority to exploit resources in the disputed areas. The policy was put forward to bridge differences and build confidence through economic cooperation in disputed maritime zones, with the ultimate goal of maintaining regional peace and stability.

But the real effect of this cooperative resource development policy has been far from satisfactory, at least for the time being. One of the few highlights under this policy was the Tripartite Agreement for Joint Marine Seismic Undertaking in the Agreement Area in the South China Sea signed by China, Vietnam and the Philippines in 2005.

However, this also failed to achieve the desired results and came to a halt after the first phase ended.

It is fair to say that the policy has been at a stalemate and stands little hope of making any further progress in the foreseeable future. Therefore, it is rational to expect a more proactive, alternative approach.

Second, China may shift the focus of its oil exploitation efforts from the northern part to the central and southern parts in the South China Sea, which implies more friction with Vietnam, such as the skirmishes of May 2014. That month, China moved a semi-submersible oil platform, the Haiyang Shiyou 981, near the Paracel Islands, a move that raised fierce protests on the Vietnamese side. Vietnam claimed that this violated its territorial claims, while China claimed it was legal as it fell within the surrounding waters of the Paracel Islands under Chinese military control.

The deployment of the Haiyang Shiyou 981 was widely seen as evidence of the southward shift.

At present, China's natural gas fields (like Liwan 3-1, Liuhua 34-2 and Liuhua 29-1) are mainly located in the Pearl River mouth basin, the Yinggehai Basin and other basins in the northern part of the South China Sea.

In recent years, however, China has made tremendous strides in oil and gas exploration technology, which lays the basis for a southward shift. The Haiyang Shiyou 981 ranks among important technological advancements that also include the Haiyang Shiyou 720, a major deep-water seismic geophysical exploration vessel; and the Haiyang Shiyou 201, the world's first deep-water pipe-laying crane vessel.

The Haiyang Shiyou 201 features 3,000m of deep-water pipe-laying, 4,000 tonnes of lifting capacity and dynamic positioning capability. It is also designed to handle gearing tasks.

Third, China may make appropriate adjustment to the assignment of the proportion of profits coming from oil exploitation in the South China Sea.

Since the 1980s, it has signed cooperation contracts with over 40 oil companies from more than 10 nations (including the United States, Britain and France) in which China generally retains 51 per cent of all profits.

However, compared with Vietnam's less than 20 per cent - as in Hong Ngoc Ruby gas field - China's offer is obviously less attractive to international oil giants. Therefore, it is rational to expect China to reduce the share it takes in future international cooperation on oil exploration in the South China Sea.

Vietnamese diplomatic manoeuvring has been increasingly augmented and supported by concrete action to consolidate its control over the Spratly Islands and waters. It is also noteworthy that PetroVietnam's most productive wells are completely within China's nine-dash line.

As to what steps will be taken by the Chinese government to deal with Vietnam's oil rush in disputed areas of the South China Sea, one thing is clear - the answer points to a more proactive approach.


The writers are research fellows with the China National Institute for South China Sea Studies in Haikou, Hainan.

The authors proceeded on the assumption that the nine-dash-boundary is sacrosanct, a statement of truth that is accepted by the rest of the world!

[SSridhar]

Chinese marines' desert operations point to long-range ambitions - Reuters

Days after China passed a new law that for the first time permits its military to venture overseas on counter-terror operations, its marines began exercises in the western deserts of Xinjiang, more than 2,000 kilometres from the nearest ocean.

The continuing drills are an indication, analysts say, that the marines, who have traditionally trained for amphibious assault missions, are being honed into an elite force capable of deploying on land far from mainland China.

China's limited means to respond to threats abroad were highlighted by two incidents in November: when Islamic State executed a Chinese hostage, and the killing of three executives by Islamist militants who attacked a hotel in Mali.

China's new counter-terrorism law, passed in late December, is aimed at protecting its expanding global commercial and diplomatic interests. But China's military commanders are also trying to create a military in the likeness of the world's most dominant power projection force, analysts say.

"They study what the Americans have done very carefully and it's the mirror image effect," said Leszek Buszynski, a visiting fellow at the Australian National University's Strategic and Defence Studies Centre.

The cold weather training will improve the marines' ability to conduct "long-distance mobilization in unfamiliar regions", the deputy chief of staff of the Navy's South Sea fleet Li Xiaoyan said in a ministry of defence statement earlier this month.

During the drills, the marines will travel 5,900 kilometres via air, truck and rail beginning in the southern province of Guangdong, the longest range manoeuvres ever conducted by the force, state media said.

EXPEDITIONARY FORCE

The exercises are the latest in recent years that show the efforts China is making to boost its expeditionary force capabilities. In 2014, the marines conducted their first training in the grasslands of the northern landlocked Inner Mongolia region. At the time, the exercise was seen as unusual for the south China-based force more proficient in beach landings.

Since those drills, the roughly 15,000-strong marine corps, which operates under the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy's South Sea fleet, appears to be settling into a new niche.

"They never really had a major strategic role, as force projection wasn't something the PLA was willing, or able, to think about even ten years ago," said Gary Li, an independent security analyst in Beijing.

With amphibious divisions in the PLA Army also capable of extending China's reach into the South China Sea and Taiwan, Li said the marines are a good fit for a budding Chinese expeditionary force.

"The main advantage of playing around with the marines is that they have a higher concentration of specialists, act well as light infantry, have good esprit de corps, and are nimble enough to be deployed over long distances if needed," he said.

RISING GLOBAL PROFILE

Along with President Xi Jinping's vows to build a more modern military, the global profile of China's armed forces is on the rise.

Already, the South Sea fleet, which is based on the mainland coast near the island of Hainan, has been used on operations far from the South China Sea.

The fleet's vessels have ventured to the Middle East and Mediterranean after deployments on international anti-piracy patrols around the Horn of Africa.

Chinese officials announced in November they were in talks with Djibouti to build permanent "support facilities" to further boost Chinese naval operations, in what would be China's first such off-shore military base.

The African port, sitting on the edge of the Red and Arabian seas, is home to several foreign military bases, including US, French and Japanese naval facilities.

China is also expanding its peacekeeping role, with Xi pledging in September to contribute 8,000 troops for a UN stand-by force that could provide logistical and operational experience the PLA would need to operate farther abroad.

While China has been getting more involved diplomatically in trouble spots like the Middle East, it is adamant that it does not interfere in the affairs of other countries, and is the only permanent member of the UN Security Council which has not taken military action in Syria.

The Defence Ministry said in a fax that the drills were part of "annual planned" exercises.

For now, China's marines are advancing only through the snow fields of Xinjiang, as depicted in state media photographs, still wearing their speckled blue fatigues designed for operations at sea. But that could shift in time.

"China's global security posture is becoming more active," said Zhang Baohui, a mainland security expert at Hong Kong's Lingnan University. "And this seems to fit that policy."

[SSridhar]

India wants constructive border engagement with China: Army Chief Gen Dalbir Singh Suhag - Economic Times

India wants to have constructive engagement with China along the northern borders, Army Chief Gen Dalbir Singh Suhag said today, holding that there has been significant improvement in understanding between the two countries on the boundary front.

Even though intrusions have taken place in the disputed areas along the Line of Actual Control, there has been a significant improvement in understanding between the two countries, he said, addressing the Army Day parade here.

"India wants to have constructive engagement with China along the northern borders," Suhag said.

[member_19686]

The Great Power That Can’t Help Itself
The public humiliation of a young Taiwanese entertainer in South Korea has sparked outrage among the Taiwanese, who retaliated with an even more powerful weapon — their votes -

By J. Michael Cole January 16, 2016

Chou Tzu-yu (周子瑜) isn’t her usual bubbly self in the short video, which has spread like brushfire in social media over the past 24 hours. The Taiwan-born 16-year-old member of the South Korean pop band TWICE has been forced to apologize, on film, for holding a Nationalist flag (symbol for the Republic of China) during a recent filming, and, reading from a script, to “admit” that she is Chinese rather than Taiwanese. Visibly shaken, the young woman doesn’t exactly radiate pride in her avowed Chineseness. In fact, it is clear that the confession, which has drawn many comparisons to videos produced by the Islamic State, was made under duress and under threat by her South Korean agent and Chinese sponsors that her career as an entertainer would be jeopardized should she refuse to humiliate herself on camera.

What is most shocking about the incident (besides the idea that Chinese zealots would force a 16-year-old to go through this) is its timing. As the confession was beginning to spread on the Internet (more than 2.5 million views on YouTube since Jan. 15), millions of Taiwanese were readying to vote for their future president and parliament in the sixth free general election since their country democratized after decades of authoritarian rule. By depicting Chou as a “Taiwanese splittist” for displaying the ROC flag, those responsible for this incident confirmed once again why the majority of Taiwanese want nothing to do with becoming part of the People’s Republic of China.

With their act, the geniuses at Huawei, the Chinese cellphone maker that, after Chou’s “crime” was exposed and sparked “outrage” in hypersensitive China, pressured South Korea’s LG Uplus to cease all cooperation with Chou, have succeeded in offending not only Taiwanese patriots but also many supporters of the Beijing-friendly Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) who take great pride in the ROC. Chou has endorsed Huawei’s Y6 cellphone in the South Korean market. LG Uplus has signed a partnership with Huawei for its LTE network equipment.

Unsurprisingly, President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) of the KMT and James Soong (宋楚瑜), who is running for the presidency as head of the People First Party, have both condemned the attack against Chou and maintain that she has nothing to apologize for. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs also stepped in on Saturday, emphasizing that the ROC is a sovereign, independent country. Meanwhile, the response among supporters of the Democratic Progressive Party presidential candidate, Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), who is widely expected to be elected on Saturday, has been scathing and voluminous.

“This is the final straw. [The] KMT is done tomorrow as this video gets posted all over FB,” one Netizen wrote. “Communist China pig pressured, and directing the ****** dirty China pig 黃安, a poor, jobless, brainless, out-of-dated middle-aged singer did it,” wrote another, referring to Taiwanese singer Huang An, a pro-Beijing entertainer who has made it his “duty” to tip-off the Chinese government about the activities of Taiwanese entertainers and who is believed to have exposed Chou’s “transgression.” Indicatively, the Taiwan-born Huang, who reportedly became a Chinese citizen in 2001, is said to have called upon the pro-unification “ex” gangster Chang An-le (張安樂), a.k.a. White Wolf, to provide him personal protection when he returns to Taiwan during Lunar New Year.

The incident has also competed with, and at times overtaken, reporting on Taiwan’s elections on all major TV channels since Jan. 15.

Once again the bluntness of China’s nationalism has prompted experts to ask who was behind the decision to take such action and, in this particular case, at such a critical time in cross-strait relations. Was it directed by Beijing as part of its strategy to sideline Taiwan, or was it simply the initiative of an overzealous Chinese who, though well intentioned (from the perspective of Chinese nationalism), perhaps did not fully comprehend the consequences of his action?

While it is unlikely that senior Chinese Communist Party officials are behind most of those decisions, they are not entirely blame-free either, as it was the CCP that after all created the monster of strident nationalism that characterizes much of Chinese behavior at home and abroad, even among young Chinese who are receiving a liberal-democratic education in the West (for more on the mechanisms by which the CCP leadership has shaped and exploited nationalism among Chinese from a very early age, I strongly recommend Zheng Wang’s Never Forget National Humiliation: Historical Memory in Chinese Politics and Foreign Relations). Thus, when an ultranationalist feels compelled to put a blameless 16-year-old through a traumatizing struggle session and to threaten her career as an entertainer, the CCP lies not far behind as the mastermind of a nationalism that is becoming increasingly self-defeating and, for the international community, undoubtedly worrying. Although the timing of the Chou case could not have been worse, the attack is not an isolated incident and is very much part of a trend that never ended, not even during the nearly eight years of rapprochement between Taipei and Beijing.

Needless to say, Chou’s management agency, JYP Entertainment Corp, also deserves opprobrium for giving in to Chinese extraterritoriality and subjecting one of its stars to such treatment.

Although the Chou affair is unlikely to have a decisive impact on the elections in Taiwan, many observers have reported being told by Taiwanese that the incident had emboldened them to vote, even if they have to travel to do so. If ever there was a sign of maturity among the Taiwanese, this is it: After the initial flash of anger, they responded to an affront by peacefully casting a vote. In the end, Taiwan wins.

J. Michael Cole is editor in chief of Thinking Taiwan, a senior non-resident fellow at the China Policy Institute, University of Nottingham, and an Associate researcher at the French Center for Research on Contemporary China (CEFC) in Taipei.

http://thinking-taiwan.com/the-great-po ... IV5Vf.dpuf

[SSridhar]

India may ease visa norms for China - Vijaita Singh, The Hindu

India is all set to overhaul its security cooperation agreement with China and further liberalise visa norms for the neighbouring country, a senior government official has told The Hindu.

If the agreement comes through, China will deport Indians accused of terrorist acts and operating in Chinese territory after its agencies conduct an independent probe {Some NE terrorists still stay in Yunnan} , the official said.

To begin with, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed in 2005 between the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Ministry of Public Security, People’s Republic of China, is being revisited to expand its scope, said the official. The MoU was signed for exchange of security-related information to combat terrorism.

“The new agreement will also factor in contemporary global threats like the Islamic State, as many Chinese nationals are also learnt to have joined the extremist outfit, especially those from the Uighur region who are fighting for a separate state,” said the official.

India has been trying to rope in China to corner Pakistan, which according to Indian officials, is involved in supporting terror-related activities in this country.

Information sharing

As per the draft agreement, accessed by The Hindu , India and China will exchange information on terrorist activities, terror groups and their linkages {What about Tibetan exiles in India? China would demand info on them calling them terrorists} and share experience on anti-hijacking, hostage-like situations and coordinate positions on anti-terrorism endeavours at regional and multilateral levels. {China has to prove itself first in the UNSC on Pakistani terrorism}

Indian agencies say that the United Liberation Front of Asom leader, Paresh Baruah, shuttles between China and Myanmar to run his extortion and terror rackets.

[SSridhar]

China growth slows to 25-year low of 6.9% in 2015 - PTI

China’s gross domestic product growth slowed to 6.9 per cent in 2015, official data showed today, the weakest annual rate in a quarter of a century{It is remarkable that China grew at 7% or more for 25 years at a stretch. Hats off to them. How I wish that we can grow at 10% for a decade!} for the world’s second-largest economy, a mounting concern for global investors.

The figure was the slowest in the People’s Republic since the 3.8 percent of 1990, a year after the bloody Tiananmen Square crackdown rocked the country and isolated it internationally.

The performance of China, a major driver of the world economy, is a crucial concern for global investors, and its fourth-quarter growth also slowed to 6.8 per cent, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) said, the softest reading since the global financial crisis.

Both figures matched the median forecasts in an AFP survey of 18 economists.

China’s leaders — who had set a target of “about seven per cent” for GDP growth in 2015 — are looking to transform the country’s economic model away from the investment and exports of the past to one more oriented towards domestic consumer demand.

“The economy is in the process of stabilisation, but it hasn’t stabilised yet,” Liao Qun, chief economist at Citic Bank International in Hong Kong, told AFP.

China’s services sector accounted for 50.5 per cent of GDP in 2015, the NBS said in a statement, the first time it was more than half the economy.
{How much of that growth was due to fall in other sectors?}
The structural transformation was still underway, it added, calling it “a crucial period during which challenges need to be overcome and problems need to be resolved“.

“The task of comprehensively deepening the reform is still heavy,” the body said.

Last year’s growth figure was well below the 7.3 per cent recorded in 2014, and the AFP survey projected it would fall further this year, to 6.7 per cent.

“The situation in 2016 will be more or less the same as in 2015 and China’s economic growth will still face a complicated and volatile international situation,” NBS chief Wang Baoan told reporters.

But while some sectors will see destocking and overcapacity reduction, he pointed to new areas such as online retail and renewable energy cars as still growing fast.

As such, he said, “We think in 2016 China’s economic growth will remain stable. We are confident in that.”

Citic Bank International’s Liao said there was “not much of a possibility” for a further sharp slide this year.

[SSridhar]

To fight China's Andaman and Nicobar forays, India deploys submarine hunters - Rajat Pandit, TNN

With Chinese nuclear and conventional submarines regularly popping up in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR), India has now begun to deploy its latest long-range maritime patrol aircraft as well as spy drones at its forward military base in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

Defence ministry sources on Monday said two of the country's most potent submarine hunters/killers, the naval Poseidon-8I aircraft, are just about to complete their first-ever two-week deployment to the strategically-located Andaman and Nicobar archipelago. "Navy and IAF are also deploying their (Israeli) Searcher-II unmanned aerial vehicles to the islands on a temporary basis," said a source.



India has inducted eight P-8I aircraft, acquired under a $2.1 billion deal inked in January 2009 with US aviation major Boeing, at its INS Rajali naval air station in Arakkonam ( Tamil Nadu). With an operating range of over 1,200 nautical miles and a maximum speed of 907kmph, the radar-packed P-8Is are especially geared to gather intelligence and detect threats in the IOR as "intelligent hawk-eyes".

Armed as they are with deadly Harpoon Block-II missiles, MK-54 lightweight torpedoes, rockets and depth charges, the P-8Is can neutralize enemy submarines and warships if required. "The case for acquisition of another four P-8Is is in the final stages. P-8Is can operate from Port Blair (naval air station INS Utkrosh) to keep tabs on the entire region," said the source.

But while this is a much-needed operational requirement, India's first and only theatre command in the shape of Andaman & Nicobar Command (ANC) continues to suffer from relative neglect despite the Modi government making it a top priority. Much more needs to be done at a faster pace to ensure ANC, with requisite military force-levels and infrastructure, can effectively act as a pivot to counter China's strategic moves in IOR as well as ensure security of sea lanes converging towards the Malacca Strait.

Sources said "not much progress" has been made in the overall plan to have enough infrastructure and maintenance support with more airstrips and jetties in the 572-island cluster, extending over 720km, to eventually deploy a division-level force (around 15,000 troops), a fighter squadron and some major warships there. As of now, amid turf wars among Army, Navy and IAF as well as fund crunches and environmental concerns, ANC has just over an infantry brigade (3,000 soldiers), 20 small warships and patrol vessels, and a few Mi-8 helicopters and Dornier-228 patrol aircraft.

While the existing runways at Campbell Bay in the south, where naval air station INS Baaz is located, and Shibpur in North Andaman are yet to be extended, the airfields at Port Blair and Car Nicobar also need some serious upgrade work. "Similarly, only one of the four proposed operational turn-around bases for warships is so far in place," said a source.

[SSridhar]

China’s new space threat and the justification of US pre-emptive self-defense - Brian Chow, The Space Review

The US has long been avoiding the sensitive issue of pre-emptive self-defense in space, which is exercised before a space attack has actually started. However, facing a new game-changing threat under development in China and Russia, the US must address the issue and let the world know its position now. Bringing the issue up on the eve of pre-emption would be too late and could lead to a war both sides would want to avoid.
China could deter US intervention by demonstrating that its space stalkers could almost simultaneously attack several critical satellites from such a close proximity that the US would not have time to save them—if it waited until the attacks had actually started.

In November 2015, the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission released its 2015 Annual Report to the Congress. It stated that “since 2008, China has tested increasingly complex space proximity capabilities.” It confirmed what it and the Department of Defense have been suggesting, that “China’s recent space activities indicate that it is developing co-orbital antisatellite systems to target U.S. space assets. These systems consist of a satellite armed with a weapon such as an explosive charge, fragmentation device, kinetic energy weapon, laser, radio frequency weapon, jammer, or robotic arm.” It also confirmed that, in July 2013, “once all three were in orbit, the satellite with the robotic arm grappled one of the other satellites, which was acting as a target satellite.” A robotic arm could be used to disable a satellite while producing little space debris.

Space objects capable of close proximity operations and particularly equipped with a robotic arm could pose a game-changing threat. These space objects could be placed in orbit during peacetime. During a crisis, such as China seizing Taiwan or territorial disputes in the South China Sea, these space objects could be maneuvered to tailgate US satellites. China could deter US intervention by demonstrating that its space stalkers could almost simultaneously attack several critical satellites from such a close proximity that the US would not have time to save them—if it waited until the attacks had actually started.

In my DefenseNews commentaries, “Avoiding Space War Needs a New Approach” and “Fund Pre-emptive Self-Defense in Space,” I considered that the US needs the right of pre-emptive self-defense and described programs that should be funded to enable this capability. In this commentary, I explain the most important point: why this pre-emption is justified, not just needed and feasible.

The self-defense doctrine in the US National Security Space Strategy has always been based on Article 51 of the United Nations Charter: “Nothing in the present Charter shall impair the inherent right of individual or collective self-defence if armed attack occurs against a Member of the United Nations.” Legal scholars who are proponents of a restrictive interpretation of “armed attack occurs,” allow self-defense only after attack has started. Other legal scholars take a broad view that the Charter does not “impair the inherent right” embedded in the customary international laws, which allow pre-emptive self-defense if certain conditions are met. Typical conditions were suggested as far back as 1842 by US Secretary of State Daniel Webster in the Caroline case. Subsequently, jurists like Roberto Ago in 1980 came to a similar set of conditions: “necessity,” “proportionality,” and “immediacy.”

Once an adversary realizes that it could not use space stalkers to deter US intervention, it might not pose the threat in the first place, and a space Pearl Harbor could be avoided.

The premise stated in the 2002 US National Security Strategy applies to space as well: “For centuries, international law recognized that nations need not suffer an attack before they can lawfully take action to defend themselves against forces that present an imminent danger of attack.” Pre-emptive self-defense against space stalkers is necessary because US cannot defend with, as Ago stated, “measures not involving the use of armed force.” It is proportional because, as I proposed, the pre-emption is not allowed to go beyond what is needed to disable this attack. It must take place immediately, as the attack is ready and can be imminent.

Pre-emption against space stalkers would comply with the broad view of Article 51. For those insisting on its restrictive interpretation, US should respond that such an interpretation drafted in October 1945 understandably could not anticipate and counter the space stalker threat 70 years later. Article 51 was designed against armed attack that takes time to prepare and gives warning by the massing of soldiers and weapon systems for an attack. The defender would have alternative responses, including the referral of the threat to the United Nations for peaceful resolution. However, in the case of space stalkers, there is no time for referral and no other ways than pre-emption to neutralize the imminent threat.

On the other hand, pre-emptive self-defense would only be allowed when the number of space stalkers exceeds an innocuous threshold number, such as two, three, or four, which should be jointly determined and announced in peacetime by the Department of Defense and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. The number should be so chosen that there is no peaceful reason to tailgate this many satellites at the same time. Thus, the pre-emption against space stalkers numbered above threshold is clearly self-defense, not a pretext for aggression.

Once an adversary realizes that it could not use space stalkers to deter US intervention, it might not pose the threat in the first place, and a space Pearl Harbor could be avoided.

[A_Gupta]

http://www.dnaindia.com/money/report-ha ... it-2168083
Haryana CM eyes big ticket investments on China visit

Aiming to mobilise some big ticket investments, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar will visit China on Thursday during which he will hold talks with the ruling Communist Party officials besides addressing a business roundtable here.

Some MoUs are also expected to be signed during the roundtable as part of the three-day visit by Khattar, who is arriving from Japan after projecting Haryana as a "land of opportunities and enterprise". The Friday roundtable here will witness a participation of a number of top Chinese investors, officials here said.

[SSridhar]

WEF 2016: China has reached point of no return, says top official - Economic Times

China has reached a "point of no return" and the country has to now rely on innovation and reforms rather than depend on investment alone for economic growth, a top official of a Chinese bank said today.

"China has reached the point of no return -- the country needs to deepen reforms to avoid the middle-income trap," Chairman of the Board, Industrial and Commercial Bank of China Jiang Jianqing said at the World Economic Forum (WEF) here.

The comments come at a time when global markets are witnessing volatility amid rising concerns over slowing growth of the Chinese economy.

Jianqing said China can no longer depend on investment and need to rely on innovation and economic reforms to deliver the next wave of economic growth.

"Communication is key, there is a misunderstanding of policy in the new normal," he said while speaking at a session on 'China's Economy: Transitioning not Derailing'.

Participating in the session, IMF chief Christine Lagarde said it needs to be accepted that there would be a certain degree of volatility which is entirely compatible with market-driven principles.

"IMF is forecasting a 6.5 per cent growth rate (for China) in 2016 and we see the transitions as manageable," she added.

For the first time in 25 years, China's economy grew at the slowest pace at 6.9 per cent in 2015, sparking fears over the health of the world's second-largest economy as it embarks on painful reforms.

Goldman Sachs President and COO Gary D Cohn said it is a difficult transition for any country.

"The shift from a capex to an opex economy means that the government has less control of economic growth," he noted.

Despite criticism, China is making a strong progress, domestic consumption has grown from 49 per cent five years ago to 52.5 per cent now, Fang Xinghai, DG, International Economic Department, Office of the Central Leading Group for Financial and Economic Affairs of China, said.

"We have to be patient as it is very difficult to communicate seamlessly with the market," he said, adding that China is learning and the reform strategy is on track.

Bridgewater Associates Chairman and CIO Ray Dalio said that indeed, China is going through a cyclical adjustment which may last 2-3 years.

"A bad year in China is a great year in almost every other country," he said. {But, that has to be capitalized upon. A Chinese downturn does not automatically translate into a good turn for us, for example}

[SSridhar]

Sri Lanka hosts Indian carrier after 3 Chinese ships leave Colombo - ToI

In the ongoing strategic power-play in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR), two frontline Indian warships, including aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya, entered Colombo just after three Chinese warships left the Sri Lankan port on Thursday.

INS Vikramaditya and guided-missile destroyer INS Mysore, under the command of the western fleet commander Rear Admiral Ravneet Singh, will be docked at Colombo till Saturday to further bolster the ongoing military cooperation with the island nation.

The 45,400-tonne INS Vikramaditya, or the refurbished Admiral Gorshkov inducted in November 2013 under a $2.33 billion deal with Russia, is India's largest and most powerful ship. With the 45 MiG-29Ks ordered for another $2 billion to operate from its deck, the carrier is also the costliest single weapon platform India has ever bought.

But there is growing concern in the Indian security establishment over China's growing naval forays into the IOR, including the docking of its submarines in Colombo. India is also belatedly trying to counter China's forging of deep maritime links with Lanka and other countries like Seychelles, Mauritius, Maldives, Bangladesh and Myanmar.

India, however, has also invited Chinese warships for its International Fleet Review (IFR) being held at Visakhapatnam from February 5 to 8. After their Sri Lankan visit, both INS Vikramaditya and INS Mysore will head for Vizag to take part in the IFR. Navy officials said India and Sri Lanka are "close maritime neighbours" with "strong" military and diplomatic ties.

[SSridhar]

China building base in Pakistan would push India towards US: Expert - PTI

Describing Chinese assertiveness in the region as an opportunity for the US, an expert from an advisory group has said that China's move to build a base in Pakistan would bring India more closer to America.

"A more assertive China with expeditionary capability could lead nations in the region to be more receptive to supporting US efforts to shape the security environment, and to US objectives in Asia," said Kristen Gunness, CEO of Vantage Point, a China-focused advocacy group.

"This could specifically be an opportunity to sway those nations that are currently leery of fully supporting US efforts, for example, nations such as Thailand, Malaysia, and India, should China build a base in Pakistan, for example, potentially fall into this category and could be receptive to increased dialogue with the US," Gunness said in his testimony before US-China Economic and Security Review Commission.

"An implication for the US military, PLA expeditionary capabilities allow more opportunity for the US and Chinese militaries to cooperate on regional security issues particularly in the maritime domain where our two navies are well positioned to cooperate on issues such as counterpiracy, counterterrorism...," he argued.

Said Thomas Bickford, senior research scientist, CAN Corporation, said India is one of the countries in the region which is going to have a lot of concerns with the Chinese assertiveness.

"(India is) Very concerned about Chinese submarine operations in Indian Ocean, any connection between Chinese navy activities in Pakistan and in general, anything that might happen maybe maritime element which is to what was normally just a border issue on the land," he said.

"So there's a lot of concerns in India where we would like to respond in a number of ways including more defense spending and possibly seeking the closer relationship with United States in terms of military," Bickford said.

"In terms of implications for relations with our allies and partners, well, clearly, we're going to be asked to do a lot more, you can have that expectation, and things that are really important and you need to think about carefully is what is the priority between China greater commitment and losing flexibility because the more clearer and concise our commitments are, the less flexibility future US leaders might have in the crisis," he said.

Jeffrey L Fieldler, Commissioner of the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission, said both the US and Japan would not sit idle if China indulges in something with India.

"I'm not so sure that Japan and the United States will sit idle by when the Chinese did something serious with India given its position in the world and the need to go to the south the Indian Ocean," he said.

"So, but I don't see any formal alliance arrangement that would just scare everybody. I actually don't think it's possible. So, but short of that, there's a lot of working together that is finally going out and that has never been going on before," Fieldler said.

[SSridhar]

US not asking India and others to take sides in South China Sea issue: Ashton Carter - PTI

The US is not asking countries like India and Vietnam to take sides in the Asia Pacific region, but steps Beijing is taking in the disputed South China Sea are "self-isolating" and driving countries towards America, US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter has said.

"I've been to India, Vietnam recently. We want to have good relations with them and we are not asking people to take sides," Carter said in a panel discussion in Davos on World Economic Forum meeting yesterday.

"I think their position is basically right, which is we want everybody to keep being able to do what they are doing. We don't want to have to pick sides. America doesn't want to have sides either," said the Defense Secretary.

Carter, however, acknowledged that countries in the region are increasingly coming to the US.

"We do know that people are coming to us increasingly. Why is that? It is because China is taking some steps that I think are self-isolating, driving people towards a result that none of us wants," he said, in reference to Chinese measures in the South China Sea.

"I'm not one of those people who believes conflict between the United States and China is inevitable, it's certainly not desirable, I don't think it's likely," he said.

He attributed the rise of China to the peace and stability in the region, which was ensured by the US.

"China's rise is, by the way, not the only rise going on in Asia. India is a rising military power. Japan, if you have noticed, is a rising military power, and there are others who are doing things. Vietnam, Philippines, and so forth," Carter said in response to a question.

"The US point of view is the same one we've had long- standing, which is we welcome that. We've tried to create an environment there, and we were the pivotal factor in making this so, in which over seven decades essentially everybody could follow their own destiny towards prosperity," he said.

And that includes China, he added.

"We never tried to obstruct China's economic rise and the lifting of hundreds of millions of people out of poverty. We've welcomed that. Nor any of these other states we talked about," the Defense Secretary said.

At the same time, he argued, the US does not want to ruin a good thing, which is a system of peace and stability there.

"We are not dividing the region, we don't seek to ask people to take sides," he said.

China is not the only one that's making claims that the US does not agree with, and they are not the only ones that are military outposts. "We oppose all of that. And for our part, we have said everybody, not just China but everybody who is doing that should stop and not militarize," he said.

The US, he asserted, will keep on doing what it has always done - fly, sail and operate everywhere international law permits in the South China Sea.

He said the US is helping other countries that are all coming to US for assistance in maritime security.

[SSridhar]

India to build satellite tracking station in Vietnam that offers eye on China - Reuters

India will set up a satellite tracking and imaging centre in southern Vietnam that will give Hanoi access to pictures from Indian earth observation satellites that cover the region, including China and the South China Sea, officials said.

The move, which could irritate Beijing, deepens ties between India and Vietnam, who both have long-running territorial disputes with China.

While billed as a civilian facility - earth observation satellites have agricultural, scientific and environmental applications - security experts said improved imaging technology meant the pictures could also be used for military purposes.

Hanoi especially has been looking for advanced intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance technologies as tensions rise with China over the disputed South China Sea, they said.

"In military terms, this move could be quite significant," said Collin Koh, a marine security expert at Singapore's S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies. "It looks like a win-win for both sides, filling significant holes for the Vietnamese and expanding the range for the Indians."

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will fund and set up the satellite tracking and data reception centre in Ho Chi Minh City to monitor satellite launches, the officials said. Media put the cost at around $23 million.

India, whose 54-year-old space programme is accelerating, with one satellite launch scheduled every month, has ground stations in the Andaman and Nicobar islands, Brunei, Biak in eastern Indonesia and Mauritius that track its satellites in the initial stages of flight.

The Vietnam facility will bolster those capabilities, said Deviprasad Karnik, an ISRO spokesman.

QUID PRO QUO

But unlike the other overseas stations, the facility will also be equipped to receive images from India's earth observation satellites that Vietnam can use in return for granting India the tracking site, said a government official connected with the space programme.

"This is a sort of quid pro quo which will enable Vietnam to receive IRS (Indian remote sensing) pictures directly, that is, without asking India," said the official, who declined to be identified because he was not authorised to speak to the media.

"Obviously it will include parts of China of interest to Vietnam."

Chinese coastal naval bases, the operations of its coastguard and navy and its new man-made islands in the disputed Spratly archipelago of the South China Sea would be targets of Vietnamese interest, security experts said.

Another official said New Delhi would also have access to the imagery.

India has 11 earth observation satellites in orbit, offering pictures with differing resolutions and areas, the ISRO said.

Officials had no timeframe for when the centre would be operational.

"This is at the beginning stages, we are still in dialogue with Vietnamese authorities," said Karnik.

Vietnam's Foreign Ministry confirmed the project, but provided few other details.

China's Defence Ministry said the proposed tracking station wasn't a military issue. The Chinese Foreign Ministry had no immediate comment.

Vietnam launched its first earth observation satellite in 2013, but Koh said it was not thought to produce particularly high resolution images.

BLURRED LINES

Security experts said Vietnam would likely seek real-time access to images from the satellites as well as training in imagery analysis, a specialised intelligence field.

"The advance of technology means the lines are blurring between civilian and military satellites," said Trevor Hollingsbee, a retired naval intelligence analyst with Britain's Defence Ministry. "In some cases, the imagery from a modern civilian satellite is good enough for military use."

Sophisticated military reconnaissance satellites can be used to capture military signals and communications, as well as detailed photographs of objects on land, capturing detail to less than a metre, Koh and other experts said.

The tracking station will be the first such foreign facility in Vietnam and follows other agreements between Hanoi and New Delhi that have cemented security ties.

India has extended a $100 million credit line for Hanoi to buy patrol boats and is training Vietnamese submariners in India while Hanoi has granted oil exploration blocks to India in waters off Vietnam that are disputed with China.

Under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India has shown a greater willingness to step up security ties with countries such as Vietnam, overriding concerns this would upset China, military officials said.

"You want to engage Vietnam in every sphere. The reason is obvious - China," said retired Indian Air Force group captain Ajay Lele at the New Delhi-based Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses.

Both India and Vietnam are also modernising their militaries in the face of Beijing's growing assertiveness, having separately fought wars with China in past decades.

Australian-based scholar Carl Thayer, who has studied Vietnam's military since the late 1960s, said the satellite tracking facility showed both nations wanted to enhance security ties.

"Their interests are converging over China and the South China Sea," he said.

[SSridhar]

Former Maldives President opposes ‘pro-China’ tilt - Parvathi Menon, The Hindu

Mohamed Nasheed, the former President of the Maldives, on Monday warned his country’s leadership against abandoning traditional allies in the Indian Ocean and building a foreign policy “that would alienate or disturb Indian security and safety.”

Mr. Nasheed, who has been allowed under international pressure to seek treatment here, feared the present ‘pro-China tilt’ would lead to instability in the region.

[SSridhar]

China moves to deepen its footprint in Iran

[A_Gupta]

http://zeenews.india.com/news/world/nat ... 49459.html

An international arbitration case over the disputed South China Sea that has been boycotted by China will "settle once and for all" whether artificial reefs are entitled to territorial waters, Australia's top diplomat said.

Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said the ruling by the tribunal in the Hague in the case brought by the Philippines will be "extremely important" as a statement of international principle.

She said that although Beijing is saying it will not be bound by the ruling, which is expected later this year, the tribunal's decision "will be embraced and upheld by all other nations with claims or interests in the region."

[SSridhar]

In fact, if one looks at the history of these reefs, shoals and islands, one becomes aware that no country had sovereignty over them until the last century. They well and truly belong to humanity. Not only China, but all claimants, are largely wrong in claiming these disputed territories. I hope that the UNCLOS gives a similar verdict.

[SSridhar]

Fresh bid to corner JeM chief Masood Azhar likely - ToI

India could make a fresh bid to tag Jaish-e-Muhammad chief Masood Azhar, the alleged mastermind of the Pathankot attack, as a global terrorist. The move will also serve as a test for China, which had blocked an earlier Indian proposal to this effect at the United Nations Security Council in 2010 at the behest of Pakistan.

The government is considering reviving the request as it feels the current situation - where the evidence points to Jaish's hand in the terror strike, and with Pakistan itself detaining some members of the outfit - will make it difficult for China to oppose India's demand.

Given the strategic interests that bind China and Pakistan, including their militaries, Beijing will find it difficult to go against Pakistan's interests. But at the same time, China has condemned the attack on the Indian airbase, and is having to deal with Islamic extremists radicalised and trained in Pakistan and Afghanistan.

China has expressed concern over links between the East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM) and Pakistani extremists, and though military operations and drone attacks have thinned the ETIM's leadership, the outfit's impact on China's Uighur region, and even urban centres where stabbing attacks have taken place, is worrying.

Previously, China is understood to have raised queries about India providing "insufficient information" relating to Azhar and two other top terror operatives, Abdur Rehman Makki and Azam Cheema of Lashkar-e-Taiba.

This time around, India is preparing the ground against Azhar and his senior lieutenant Rauf Azghar through electronic evidence linking the terrorists who attacked the IAF base with their JeM handlers in Pakistan. The phone numbers and identities have been shared with Pakistan.

[SSridhar]

India is our closest partner, no change in policy: Maldives - T.Ramakrishnan, The Hindu

The present Maldivian government’s China policy does not interfere with or diminish the country’s “special relationship” with India, according to the office of President Abdullah Yameen Abdul Gayoom.

On the observations made by former president Mohamed Nasheed in London on Monday regarding his country's “pro-China” tilt, Ibrahim Hussain Shihab, international spokesperson at the President’s office, told The Hindu over the phone from Male on Tuesday that “our President [Mr. Gayoom] has said this several times: India is our closest partner in terms of diplomatic and political relations.

“We are committed to working together with India to expand the current level of political and economic cooperation relationship to higher level.”

Pointing out that while the President was forging ahead with “a highly ambitious economic agenda that includes developmental and infrastructure undertakings where China is a partner”, Mr. Shihab said: “We would work closely with India in safeguarding the regional safety and security.” He added that his country was always appreciative of the role played by India in protecting the interests of Maldives, both domestically and internationally.

The position of the Maldivian government had been conveyed by Mr. Gayoom in his discussions with Indian leaders and officials on their visit to the Maldives, the latest being S. Jaishankar, India’s foreign secretary, Mr. Shihab added. Mr. Nasheed, who was in jail, was allowed to travel to the U.K. on medical reasons.

[Peregrine]

China steel capacity reduction to cut 400,000 jobs

MANILA: China’s plan to cut its steel production capacity by 100-150 million tonnes will lead to the loss of up to 400,000 jobs, the official Xin­hua news agency reported.

The production cut will lead to the layoff of up to 400,000 workers, Xinhua quoted Li Xinchuang, head of the China Metallurgical Industry Planning and Research Institute, as saying in a report late on Monday.
“Large-scale redundancies in the steel sector could threaten social stability,” Xinhua quoted Li as saying

China’s steel sector, the world’s biggest, has been saddled with excess capacity for years, with some analysts esti­m­ating the surplus at around 300m tonnes, equivalent to three times the annual output of No. 2 producer Japan.

Apart from steel, China’s cabinet also said coal production capacity will be reduced by “a relatively large amo­unt”.

Cheers

[NRao]

Managing Chinese Threat?

China is managing it!!!!!!!!!!!!!

With Corbis Sale, Tiananmen Protest Images Go to Chinese Media Company

Corbis, the photography archive owned by Bill Gates that includes some of the most famous pictures ever made, has sold its image and licensing division to a Chinese company.

The sale gives the new owner, Visual China Group, control over photographs of immense cultural and commercial value — Marilyn Monroe on a subway grate, Rosa Parks on a bus, Jimi Hendrix at Woodstock and Albert Einstein sticking out his tongue.

But it has been the transfer of images from the 1989 crackdown in Tiananmen Square, an event that China’s Communist Party has aggressively blotted out of public view ever since, that has perhaps raised the most alarm.

Xiao Qiang, the founder of China Digital Times, which tracks Chinese media censorship, said the worry was legitimate. “It should not be treated as a surprise if a Chinese media company’s decisions and actions were aligned with the policies and practices of the Chinese government,” he said.

But those involved in the business say there is nothing to worry about. Visual China, which made the purchase through its affiliate Unity Glory International, has also struck a deal with Getty Images, Corbis’s main rival, to distribute the photographs in all countries except China, creating a combined library of more than 200 million images.

The sale gives Visual China Group ownership of iconic photographs. This image from the crackdown in Tiananmen Square in 1989 is included in the archive.

Getty has worked with Visual China for more than a decade to market its own library in China. Craig Peters, Getty’s senior vice president of business development, said he was confident that the company would safeguard the availability of politically sensitive images.

“V.C.G. has no limitations over what we produce or what we represent or what we bring to bear in our markets,” Mr. Peters said. “And that level of editorial discretion and integrity is something that we‘ve maintained and is 100 percent absolutely intact.”

He also pointed out that not all of the images in the archive, including some from the Tiananmen crackdown, belong to Corbis. The rights to some images are held by third parties such as The Associated Press and Reuters.

Visual China said in an emailed statement that it was “fully committed to being a good steward of the Corbis images and will continue to make the archives available globally.”

Corbis, based in Seattle, was founded by Mr. Gates in 1989 under the name Interactive Home Systems with a vision that people would one day decorate their homes with revolving digital displays of artwork. That did not happen, but over the years the company acquired an enormous library of images, most notably the Sygma collection in France and the renowned Bettmann archive.

Corbis has lately struggled against competition from lower-cost rivals like Shutterstock and Fotolia. It said in a statement that Visual China would be “an excellent steward” of the archive. It did not respond to a message seeking further comment.

The sale also includes Corbis’s video and stock photography divisions, but not its product placement, celebrity news or music licensing businesses. The financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

The move by Visual China comes after two other notable acquisitions of media assets by Chinese companies in recent weeks. On Jan. 12, the Dalian Wanda Group, a property and entertainment company, said it was buying Legendary Entertainment, one of Hollywood’s biggest movie production companies, for as much as $3.5 billion.

And in December, the Alibaba Group, the Chinese Internet giant, agreed to buy an influential Hong Kong newspaper, The South China Morning Post, as part of an explicit effort to reshape media coverage of China.

[A_Gupta]

http://blogs.cfr.org/asia/2016/01/27/ch ... go-global/

In the wake of the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster, Chairman of the World Association of Nuclear Operators Laurent Stricker suggested that “overconfidence” could undermine the safety of nuclear power plants. While the Chinese nuclear industry may not necessarily be overconfident, its ambition is undeniable: the country has brought nearly twenty reactors online in the past decade and has around two-hundred proposed or planned in an all-out push to reduce its dependence on fossil fuels. And after twenty-five years of developing nuclear power domestically, Chinese companies are now seeking to export their technology abroad. Whether they can do it safely and sensibly remains an open question.

Second, the Chinese government has disregarded security concerns by providing Pakistan with civilian nuclear technology. Chinese companies have made successive agreements to build at least six reactors there since 2004, even though Pakistan is not a member of the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). China announced its first two deals only after it joined the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG), which prohibits its members from exporting nuclear technology to Pakistan and other nonmembers of the NPT. Under controversial circumstances, it later agreed to more deals that directly conflicted with the NSG mandate. Even if Pakistan’s case is unique, and even if the Chinese reactors do help to ameliorate Pakistan’s dire energy crisis without major security consequences, China’s willingness to circumvent international regulations calls into question its commitment to secure nuclear operations in other places around the world.

[SSridhar]

U.S. warship sails near island claimed by China in S. China Sea - Reuters

A U.S. Navy guided-missile destroyer sailed within 12 nautical miles of an island claimed by China in the South China Sea on Saturday, in an operation the Pentagon said was designed to challenge efforts to restrict freedom of navigation.

Pentagon spokesman Captain Jeff Davis said no ships from China’s military were in the vicinity of the USS Curtis Wilbur when it carried out the operation near Triton Island in the Paracel Islands.

Challenge to 3 claimants

“This operation challenged attempts by the three claimants -- China, Taiwan and Vietnam -- to restrict navigation rights and freedoms,” Captain Davis said.

[DavidD]

U.S. warship sails near island claimed by China in S. China Sea - Reuters

A U.S. Navy guided-missile destroyer sailed within 12 nautical miles of an island claimed by China in the South China Sea on Saturday, in an operation the Pentagon said was designed to challenge efforts to restrict freedom of navigation.

Pentagon spokesman Captain Jeff Davis said no ships from China’s military were in the vicinity of the USS Curtis Wilbur when it carried out the operation near Triton Island in the Paracel Islands.

Challenge to 3 claimants

“This operation challenged attempts by the three claimants -- China, Taiwan and Vietnam -- to restrict navigation rights and freedoms,” Captain Davis said.

Except none of the claimants, not a single one of them around the entire SCS, wants to restrict navigation rights and freedoms. In fact, it is precisely the fear that someone else might enact a blockade on them and restrict their navigation rights and freedoms that they're all vying for these islands. Of course, the irony here is that by doing so they might realize exactly what they're trying to prevent.

[member_29325]

Looks like EU is insinuating itself in the South China Sea. I guess they want to leverage China's necessity for export markets during the oncoming chinese economic crisis. And North Korea tests a Hydrogen bomb that will then proliferate to others, just around the same time...sheer coincidence surely.

link

If, however, the core of the maritime disputes is not an issue of territory, but, as argued above, the rivalry between the US and China, then the question is whether the largely inconsequential role the EU plays, as expressed in these speeches and statements, corresponds to the dimension of its interests in the region. This disengaged attitude might be in order if European interests were taken care of sufficiently by others – the US? Japan? China? – or if Europe was confident that the major actors in the region would eventually arrive at resolutions that do not damage European interests. However, this is not a given.

So EU is unsure someone else is going to do their job and wants to be prepared for conflict or at the very lease "protect EU interests", which at this time aligns more with the Chinese than with the other asian countries. The paper talks of their need to balance interests with other countries, assuming that conflict does not start before EU manages to do that.

This may be related to the EU navies wanting military ports in the Indian Ocean.

[kmkraoind]

Why a Stable Balance of Power in Asia Calls for a Resurgent Japan - Brahma Chellaney in Huffingtonpost

[SSridhar]

China’s Emergence as a Cyber Power - Manish Sharma, IDSA

Cyberspace is increasingly becoming an area of contestation among nation states. Similar to the physical domains of land, sea, air and space, superiority in the cyber domain enables a nation state to exert its cyber power. In recent years, China has invested colossal amounts in building the requisite infrastructure and capabilities of its armed forces as well as governance practices to advance towards ‘informationalisation’. This article seeks to discern the motives, threats, objectives, strategy and intent that drive China to amass cyber power.

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Why Falling stock prices make China Nervous.
http://www.gatewayhouse.in/why-falling- ... a-nervous/

[SSridhar]

India likely to sign defence pact with Brunei - Kallol Bhattacharjee, The Hindu

Vice-President Hamid Ansari, currently on a trip to the Southeast Asian region, is expected to reach a landmark defence agreement with Brunei on Tuesday. Sources tell The Hindu that the agreement will be aimed at starting a new generation of Indian defence cooperation with Brunei, which disputes Chinese claims on the South China Sea.

The defence agreement is being interpreted as a major diplomatic breakthrough since both sides established relations in 1984. Brunei’s current defence responsibilities are handled by the U.K. which supplies soldiers to serve its defence needs. Speaking to media, mid-flight to Brunei, Vice President Hamid Ansari noted that Brunei has been a steady partner of India. The Southeast Asian country has been a key supplier of energy to India.