Neutering & Defanging Chinese Threat (15-11-2017)

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Re: Neutering & Defanging Chinese Threat (15-11-2017)

Post by SSridhar »

China tightening its grip on Indian Ocean - G.Parthasarathy, Business Line
India remained focussed during the past year on tensions arising from the Pulwama massacre and the retaliatory Balakot Air Strike by Indian Air Force. China has, meanwhile, moved ahead to strengthen its maritime ties with countries across the Indian Ocean. Beijing has augmented its naval strength, with expansion of its submarine fleet and aircraft carriers. Its aim is clearly to strengthen its overall presence in the Indian Ocean.

It is enhancing the capacity of its Djibouti Naval base, on the shores of East Africa, to dock an aircraft carrier there, after launching its second aircraft carrier on December 17. China is set to acquire another five or six aircraft carriers, each capable of carrying up to 36 fighter aircraft. It is also fast augmenting its submarine fleet. These acquisitions will give China the capacity to intervene militarily across the Indian Ocean, in the coming years.

China also displayed its military power in the western Indian Ocean, holding joint naval exercises with its partners last year. China, Russia and Iran held an unprecedented four-day joint naval exercise in the Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Oman. This followed a meeting between the Presidents of the three countries, Xi Jinping, Vladimir Putin and Hassan Rouhani in Beijing, on June 14, 2019.

The joint naval exercises commenced in the Iranian Port of Chahbahar, which is being expanded by India, for access to landlocked Afghanistan and Central Asia.
Given the recent American sanctions imposed by the Trump Administration on Iran, India, which was once one of the largest importers of Iranian oil, has been forced to end oil imports from Iran. Russia has, however, continued its economic ties with Iran, while China is carefully continuing its economic cooperation with Iran, including limited oil imports.

China-Pakistan joint exercise

Pakistan and China had a major joint exercise, which commenced in the new year, with the exercise titled as ‘Sea Gardens 2020’. China claimed that the exercise was meant to consolidate their “all weather strategic partnership”. The exercise included frigates, destroyers, fast attack crafts, along with what were titled as “air and sub-surface assets.”

Marines and special forces from both countries also participated. Earlier, last year, China announced that it was building four of its “most advanced naval ships” for its “all weather ally,” Pakistan. China also announced that the ships were being equipped with weapons systems for anti-ship, anti-submarine and air-defence equipment to “maintain peace, stability and the balance of power in the Indian Ocean Region”. The world is being told that China would ensure that its “all-weather friend” Pakistan would be used by it, to counter India’s naval power in the Indian Ocean.

While India’s west coast faces direct threats from a Pakistan-China Maritime Alliance, the problems posed by China would be easier to deal with diplomatically, by recognising that China itself has serious maritime disputes, all across its eastern shores. These disputes are with countries ranging from Japan and South Korea in the North, to the Philippines, Malaysia and Brunei, across its southern shores.

Beijing has blatantly flouted the verdict of an international tribunal, which rejected its claims, on its maritime boundaries with the Philippines. It maintains a continuing military presence in violation of international law, in what is internationally recognised as the Philippines’ territory. There have also been continuing tensions between China and Vietnam over their maritime boundaries. China appears prepared to use force in the event of Vietnamese actions, which challenge what Beijing unilaterally considers, as being part of its territorial waters.

Confrontation with Indonesia


China also sparked a major confrontation recently with Indonesia, by providing military escorts to its fishing vessels, in areas it claims, close to Indonesia’s Natuna Island. After protesting formally to China, Indonesia’s President Joko Widodo dispatched warships to the Natuna Island, with F-16 fighters providing cover. He, thereafter, visited the Island, personally.

While both Indonesia and China will try to prevent the face-off turning into a confrontation, their differences on their maritime borders will remain a source of tensions. Chinese vessels have reportedly pulled back from Indonesia’s maritime boundaries, after the assertive moves by President Jokowi. There is, however, nothing to indicate that China will not pursue its maritime boundary claims on Indonesia. India is quietly expanding maritime cooperation with Indonesia.

President Xi Jinping’s recent visit to Myanmar was primarily to finalise agreements on a large number of economic projects, some of which could eventually lead Myanmar, into a Chinese debt trap. This, in turn, could secure China access to and control of a port in the Bay of Bengal, as it has done, in the case of the Hambantota Port, in Sri Lanka. Faced with western economic sanctions and an international rap on the knuckles, because of the Rohingya issue, Myanmar had little choice but to accept Chinese proposals for construction of the Kyaukphyu Port, located in the Bay of Bengal.

The Myanmar government has been attempting to reduce the size and costs of large Chinese projects, which could well end up as white elephants. The most important of these projects, involves Chinese investments of $7.3 billion for construction of the Bay of Bengal Port of Kyaukphyu and $2.7 billion, for an industrial park near the port. There were also discussions on agreements envisaging Chinese investments in building a transport corridor, linking China’s landlocked Yunnan Province, to the Kyaukphyu Port. China is evidently planning to use its economic leverage with Myanmar, to secure military access to the port of Kyaukphyu.

Quad exercise

New Delhi, meanwhile, appears to have decided to activate the “Quad”, comprising the US, Japan, Australia and India, for enhancing the security of the Indo-Pacific region, with moves to balance the power a growingly assertive China, across the sea-lanes of the Indian Ocean. China is obviously concerned that active diplomacy by the “Quad”, together with countries like Indonesia and Vietnam, could counter its moves to seek control of the sea lanes of the Indian Ocean.

A substantial portion of the world’s seaborne movement of oil and gas, traverses through these sea lanes. The move to activate the “Quad” marks a significant milestone in India’s foreign policy. We have realised that China is determined to squeeze us regionally on Jammu and Kashmir, using its “all-weather friend”, Pakistan. Balancing growing Chinese power becomes a crucial need. Activating the “Quad” and making common cause with countries like Indonesia and Vietnam, appear to be the first steps in this direction.

The writer is a former High Commissioner to Pakistan
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Re: Neutering & Defanging Chinese Threat (15-11-2017)

Post by g.sarkar »

https://www.rediff.com/news/report/indi ... 200217.htm
India deployed P-8I jets to track Chinese troops during Doklam face-off
Source: PTI - Edited By: Hemant WajeFebruary 17, 2020
Indian Navy's Poseidon 8I anti-submarine warfare aircraft was deployed to carry out surveillance on movement of Chinese troops during the 73-day-long standoff between India and China in mountainous Doklam.
Chief of Defence Staff Gen Bipin Rawat confirmed the use of the naval aircraft while talking about the need for bringing in tri-services synergy in dealing with national security challenges.
"The P-8I aircraft of Indian Navy was deployed in Doklam (during the face-off)," Gen Rawat told a group of journalists. Troops of India and China were locked in a standoff in Doklam from June 16, 2017 after the Indian side stopped the building of a road in the disputed area by the Chinese Army.
The face-off triggered fears of a war between the two neighbours. The standoff ended on August 28, 2017 after over 10 rounds of talks between diplomats of the two sides.
.....
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Re: Neutering & Defanging Chinese Threat (15-11-2017)

Post by chanakyaa »

U.S. mulls cutting Huawei off from global chip suppliers, with TSMC in crosshairs
administration is considering changing U.S. regulations to allow it to block shipments of chips to Huawei Technologies from companies such as Taiwan’s TSMC...
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Neutering & Defanging Chinese Threat (15-11-2017)

Post by Peregrine »

X Posted on the Terroristan Thread

Ship from China with missile equipment for Pak at Guj port? – TNN

AHMEDABAD: Central and state security agencies accompanied by experts from the Defence Research & Development Organisation have launched a detailed probe into a Hong Kong-flagged ship detained by the customs department at Kandla port on February 3.

The vessel “Da Cui Yun” had started its journey from Jiangyin port in China on January 17 and was destined for Port Qasim in Karachi with cargo that included some equipment used in the manufacture of missiles, according to some Indian and foreign media reports.

The ship, a general cargo vessel built in 2011, has 22 crew on board and has been moored at jetty 15 at Kandla port. Sources in Kandla Port said the vessel had called there to either load or unload some cargo but was detained after customs found something suspicious. It is also learnt that customs had an intelligence tip-off regarding suspicious goods on the vessel.

The ship was reportedly carrying autoclave, a pressure chamber weighing thousands of tonnes which is used in the launching of missiles.

Note : This is the SECOND TIME that Defence Equipment has be apprehended in a Gujrat Port. The last time it was in Mundra.

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Re: Neutering & Defanging Chinese Threat (15-11-2017)

Post by VKumar »

Cannot weigh thousands of tonnes
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Re: Neutering & Defanging Chinese Threat (15-11-2017)

Post by yensoy »

VKumar wrote:Cannot weigh thousands of tonnes
Poor reporting/choice of words, I assume it refers to the pressure of the autoclave, see for instance http://www.didionsmech.com/blog/underst ... utoclaves/
When the heating process is at full pressure, the force upon the door is more than 1,000 tons.
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Re: Neutering & Defanging Chinese Threat (15-11-2017)

Post by Kati »

U.S. imposes new rules on state-owned Chinese media over propaganda concerns

By Jonathan Landay

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Trump administration said on Tuesday said it will begin treating five major Chinese state-run media entities with U.S. operations the same as foreign embassies, requiring them to register their employees and U.S. properties with the State Department.

Two senior state department officials said the decision was made because China has been tightening state control over its media and President Xi Jinping has made more aggressive use of them to spread pro-Beijing propaganda.

“The control over both the content and editorial control have only strengthened over the course of Xi Jinping’s term in power,” said one official. “These guys are in fact arms of the CCP’s (Chinese Community Party’s) propaganda apparatus.”

The State Department informed the five entities of its decision by letter on Tuesday, the official said. The Chinese embassy did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Beijing's control of China's state-owned media has become "more and more draconian," the second official said.

Both officials spoke to reporters on condition of anonymity.

Tensions between the two superpowers have escalated since President Donald Trump came to office three years ago, with disputes ranging from trade tariffs to accusations of Chinese spying in the United States and to U.S. support for Taiwan.

Tuesday's decision, the officials said, is not linked to any recent developments in Sino-U.S. relations and has been under consideration for some time.

The new determination is being applied to the Xinhua News Agency, China Global Television Network, China Radio International, China Daily Distribution Corp. and Hai Tian Development USA, Inc., the officials said.

China Daily is an English-language newspaper published by the Chinese Communist Party. Hai Tian Development USA distributes the People’s Daily, the official newspaper of the party’s Central Committee.

The five entities’ U.S. operations will have to disclose their personnel rosters and hiring and firing decisions and register properties in the United States that they rent or own with the State Department, the officials said.

They also will have to seek advanced approval before they lease or purchase new U.S. properties, they said.

One official said that the disclosures would help the State Department better understand how the entities operate in the United States.

Asked if there are concerns that Beijing will retaliate against Western media based in China, one official noted that foreign news outlets there already work under strict rules and that the new disclosure rules impose no restrictions on the five state-owned Chinese entities’ U.S. operations.

“These guys operate in a far more liberal environment here in the United States than any foreign press enjoy in the People’s Republic of China," the official said.



(Reporting by Jonathan Landay; Editing by Mary Milliken, David Gregorio and Sonya Hepinstall)
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Re: Neutering & Defanging Chinese Threat (15-11-2017)

Post by Kati »

Harvard Professor's Arrest Raises Questions About Scientific Openness

https://www.npr.org/2020/02/14/80612841 ... c-openness

China apologist NPR is trying to cast doubts ..... (may be NPR gets Panda funding through intermediaries).
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Re: Neutering & Defanging Chinese Threat (15-11-2017)

Post by ArjunPandit »

at least the russians were not cry babies when competing against US...and i dont think they resorted to such massive espionage...
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Re: Neutering & Defanging Chinese Threat (15-11-2017)

Post by Kati »

ArjunPandit wrote:at least the russians were not cry babies when competing against US...and i dont think they resorted to such massive espionage...
One needs to read the book Tiger Trap to understand China's mode of espionage. .... They resort to massive "grain level info collection"
by employing a huge army of info collectors, and then piece together to construct the whole picture.
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Re: Neutering & Defanging Chinese Threat (15-11-2017)

Post by ArjunPandit »

I am honestly very disappointed by the chinese during this episode on their behaviour with india and themselves..they played games in giving credit during this crisis and then didnt forget to do the usual commenting on Amit Shah's trip to AP..their civilizational culture narrative lays open..in the end they are just richer, smarter and disciplined pakis
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Re: Neutering & Defanging Chinese Threat (15-11-2017)

Post by Kati »

Calpers Top Money Man Is Swept Up in Chinese Espionage Fears


John Gittelsohn, Sridhar Natarajan and Jenny Leonard

https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/calp ... 00780.html

(Bloomberg) -- It was the kind of warning familiar to Fox viewers in the Trump era: An immigrant posed a danger to U.S. security.

Only this time, the purported threat wasn’t part of an “invasion” from Mexico or Guatemala -- he controls the fate of the retirement investments of millions of people in California.

His name is Ben Meng. And there was his face, imposed over a waving American flag, as Tucker Carlson, the network’s conservative 8 p.m. host, listened to grave warnings about just where Meng’s loyalties might lie.

Suddenly Meng, a U.S. citizen who’d grown up in China, has been swept up in the debate over immigration, national security and the politics of who gets to be a “real American.” Last week, a Republican lawmaker took to the prime-time TV show and accused the man who oversees California’s $400 billion state pension fund of being a tool for the Chinese government, funneling American money into Chinese hands.

Now, Calpers is fighting back and rallying some of Wall Street’s biggest names to quell the charge. Even in a time of heightened scrutiny over U.S. investments in China, the targeting of Meng, they say, goes too far.

“This type of attack on an accomplished American citizen is unwarranted,” said Stephen Schwarzman, chief executive officer of private equity firm Blackstone, which invests money on behalf of Calpers. “Ben is a talented investor who has done a tremendous job for the pensioners.”

In 2018, when Meng was named chief investment officer of Calpers, his experience in China was touted as an asset. Now, Indiana Congressman Jim Banks is using that same background as reason to investigate Meng’s allegiance and win backing for a crackdown on government workers’ dollars flowing into Chinese companies.

The explosive allegations center around a three-year stint that Meng did from 2015 helping oversee China’s $3 trillion in currency reserves. During that time, he was deputy CIO of the State Administration of Foreign Exchange, or SAFE.

Meng was hired for his job at the Chinese fund via a government recruitment plan known as the Thousand Talents Program. That, according to Banks, likely includes a lifelong mission to support Chinese authorities.

Banks called for Meng to be fired and said Calpers’s investments in Chinese companies -- which amount to roughly 1% of assets and is done by passively tracking indexes -- must be investigated because of what the lawmaker alleges are Meng’s “cozy relationship” with the Chinese communist party.

Meng, 50, took exception to Banks’s claims and said his connections with Thousand Talents ended when he left the SAFE two years ago.

‘Proud American’

“SAFE used the Thousand Talents Program to be able to hire U.S. contractors,” he said in a statement. “I was associated with the program through my employment with SAFE. Any connection to the program ended when I left. I am a proud American citizen.”

Meng also countered the claim he steered Calpers to support China’s military or repression of human rights. The fund excludes companies banned by the U.S. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control.

“Calpers has public equity investments in 50 countries, and the method of investing in them has not changed at all since I came back,” he said. “We’re an index investor and it’s been that way for many years. The index provider determines what equities to hold, not Calpers.”

Some of the leading lights in finance have come to his defense.

Oaktree Capital Founder Howard Marks, who has known Meng for a decade and also counts Calpers as one of its clients, said he was particularly outraged when he saw Banks attack Meng on Fox.

“It goes against American values to impugn someone’s character on the basis of their family’s national origin,” Marks said.

Fighting Chinese espionage and unfair trade practices is a valid pursuit, but dragging a Chinese American into the fray is unfair, according to Niall Ferguson, a friend of Meng’s and fellow at the Hoover Institution. Early last year, Ferguson reached out to Meng to warn him that rising trade tensions could be a problem for people like him.

“If this turns into an opportunity for people to have a go at a Chinese-born U.S. citizen, then I’m opposed to it,” he said. “People like Ben are the people we don’t want to alienate.”

Calpers dispatched Meng’s top deputy, Dan Bienvenue, to Washington to meet with Banks and followed up with a Feb. 20 letter from CEO Marcie Frost. She noted that Calpers is one of many public pensions that use index-tracking strategies. One of those happens to be the Indiana Public Retirement System. Banks’s most recent public disclosures showed some of his own assets were held in the pension, which invests in index funds that own the same Chinese companies he has criticized.

Those explanations have done little to placate Banks or his Republican allies on Capitol Hill. Arkansas Senator Tom Cotton -- one of the leading China hawks in Congress -- and Wyoming representative Liz Cheney have expressed support for Banks’s inquiry into Calpers and Meng’s ties to the Chinese government.

The heightened scrutiny comes on the heels of growing tensions between the U.S. and China. In addition to a simmering trade war, the Trump administration has been exploring possible restrictions on investments into China, with a particular focus on those made by U.S. government retirement funds. Legislation to block certain investments to China was introduced in the House and Senate last year.

Singled Out

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo singled out Calpers in a Feb. 8 speech warning about China’s campaign against U.S. national interests.

“The largest public pension fund in the country is invested in companies that supply the People’s Liberation Army that puts our soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines at risk,” Pompeo said.

Of course, concerns about China’s growing geopolitical ambitions and its efforts to undermine U.S. national security, are real. And there’s bipartisan support for greater scrutiny of TTP, developed by the Chinese government to recruit overseas researchers to apply their skills locally.

China published the names of TTP recruits online until September 2018, when a Chinese American engineer (and TTP participant) working for General Electric was arrested for allegedly stealing tech secrets from the company. Last month, Charles Lieber, a leading Harvard nanoscientist, was charged with lying about his work with the program.

Plus, there’s an argument to be made that passive investors need to be more mindful of where they put their money.

“State public employee pension systems should be especially alert to higher risk Chinese and Russian corporate human rights and national security abusers in their investment portfolios, including those embedded in popular indexes and associated ETFs,” said Roger Robinson, CEO of risk consultancy RWR Advisory, who has been pushing for such an action for at least three decades.

Nevertheless, Robert Daly of the Kissinger Institute on China and the U.S. said those concerns don’t justify the blowback that Meng is getting now, even if he was involved with TTP at the time.

“Unless there is evidence that he has committed illegal acts, I don’t see any reason to place him under suspicion,” he said.

(Updates to say Calpers invests with Blackstone and Oaktree in 6th and 16th paragraphs. Adds in ‘Proud American’ section that Indiana’s public pension invests in index funds that own some of the same Chinese companies Congressman Jim Banks has criticized.)

To contact the reporters on this story: John Gittelsohn in Los Angeles at johngitt@bloomberg.net;Sridhar Natarajan in New York at snatarajan15@bloomberg.net;Jenny Leonard in Washington at jleonard67@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Michael J. Moore at mmoore55@bloomberg.net, ;David Gillen at dgillen3@bloomberg.net, Michael Tsang, David Scheer
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Re: Neutering & Defanging Chinese Threat (15-11-2017)

Post by Kati »

We Need to Defend America's Research and Science From Foreign Spying
Seth Moulton
TimeFebruary 27, 2020, 6:00 AM CST
We Need to Defend America's Research and Science From Foreign Spying
We Need to Defend America's Research and Science From Foreign Spying
As a Harvard physics student, I got to learn from some of the smartest minds on earth. My professors were also good people, and the department has a proud history both of great discovery and great service. Harvard physicists helped America win World War II, and then establish the ethical code around nuclear physics that helped keep the peace in the Cold War to follow.

Coming from that proud tradition, I was floored to learn that the head of Harvard’s chemistry department was getting paid secretly by the Thousand Talents Program. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP)—the same government that stifles dissent, kills and imprisons its own people, and is working to make the world safe for authoritarianism—plays a major role in administering the program.

Dr. Charles Lieber was arrested and charged with lying to the U.S. government about accepting from China $50,000 a month plus $150,000 per year for “living and personal expenses.” We don’t know yet exactly how his work advanced the CCP’s interests, but anyone who thinks China is anything less than America’s biggest economic and national security threat for the next fifty years is out to lunch.

This is serious stuff, dangerous business, and Dr. Lieber is not alone. The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Boston made two other arrests the same week. Yanqing Ye lied on her visa application, omitting that she’s a lieutenant in China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA). According to the Department of Justice, she “accessed U.S. military websites, researched U.S. military projects and compiled information for the PLA” in addition to sharing technology to “decipher data for military applications.”

The third, Zaosong Zheng, tried to smuggle biological research vials back to China in his luggage.

These arrests won’t be the last. China has an all-out government effort to infiltrate our national security and educational institutions. The classified picture, which I see regularly as a member of the House Armed Services Committee, is even worse.

We need a better way to detect who’s working for China and other adversarial governments. Following these arrests, I introduced the Foreign Influence Registration Modernization Act, or The FIRM Act for short.

Congress wrote the original version of this law in 1938 to counter the rise of fascism in America as foreign operatives were spreading disinformation and propaganda. It’s an old law, but the name might sound familiar because Michael Flynn and Paul Manafort, associates of President Trump, recently pleaded guilty for failing to register their work on behalf of foreign nations with the U.S. government.

The law has served us well but is in serious need of an update. Currently, tour bus operators must register as foreign agents, but scientists paid by the CCP to complete work in America do not unless they’re working directly for a government agency like the Defense Department. The paper registration process is also cumbersome; it needs to be digitized, and the requirements narrowed to the new set of genuine threats facing our country.

Some scholars and universities are concerned that the law might be used for political purposes, discouraging foreign partnerships that are important for the advancement of science. But all we’re saying is that researchers doing China’s work, sometimes at serious risk to our national security, should have to register as consultants already do. We aim to make the process simple and efficient.

We wrote the bill to be as narrowly focused on this problem as possible. It only requires registration for people receiving funds from a government designated by the U.S. State Department to be human rights abuser. Collaborations with most countries won’t be affected at all, and we’ll be able to focus necessary and responsible national security oversight on real threats, namely China and Russia.

We should encourage collaboration among scientists and nations around the world. We just need to ensure authoritarian governments like the Chinese Communist Party aren’t able to steal our scientists and our secrets. The stakes are too high.
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Re: Neutering & Defanging Chinese Threat (15-11-2017)

Post by Kati »

University of Tennessee professor charged with hiding connection to Chinese university

Travis Dorman, KnoxvillePublished 5:21 p.m. ET Feb. 27, 2020 | Updated 11:02 p.m. ET Feb. 27, 2020

A researcher at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville was arrested Thursday on federal charges he defrauded the National Aeronautics and Space Administration by hiding his dual employment with a Chinese university, authorities said.

Anming Hu, an associate professor in UT's Department of Mechanical, Aerospace and Biomedical Engineering, faces three counts of wire fraud and three counts of making false statements, according to a news release from the U.S. Department of Justice.

A federal law, enacted in 2011, prohibits NASA from using appropriated funds on projects in collaboration with Chinese companies or universities.

Hu stands accused of forcing a violation of that law by lying to UT and omitting information about his affiliation with a university run by the Chinese government. He caused UT to falsely certify to NASA that it was in compliance with the law, prosecutors allege.

Anming Hu
Anming Hu (Photo: Provided / UTK)

Hu was suspended by UT on Thursday and may face termination.

Hu moved to Knoxville from Canada after being hired by UT in November 2013. In the resumé he submitted with his application, Hu failed to mention he worked at the Beijing University of Technology's Institute of Laser Engineering, according to a federal indictment. He also didn't disclose the position when he applied for tenure.

In the years after being hired at UT, Hu continued his work with the Beijing university, which listed him as a professor on its website. Between March 2015 and January 2020, the indictment states, Hu was listed as an author or co-author on at least six published researched papers that identified him as being affiliated with the Beijing university. Between September 2015 and December 2018, he was identified as the inventor on 12 patent applications filed in China.

Hu also supervised graduate students in the Institute of Laser Engineering, worked on projects sponsored by the Chinese government and remotely oversaw the operation of a lab in Beijing.

"My group there is focusing on super-resolution nano manufacturing and printable electronics," Hu wrote in an email to a U.S. professor in 2017.

Meanwhile, Hu repeatedly lied on forms he filled out for UT, prosecutors allege, checking "no" when asked, "Are you an officer, director, board member, trustee, or employee of any organization or business entity ... other than the university?"

n 2016, Hu prepared a proposal to work on a NASA-funded project and was informed by a UT employee of the funding restrictions surrounding Chinese companies and universities.

Still, Hu continued to seek and receive NASA funds for research projects, the indictment states. Later that year, UT submitted a proposal for Hu called, "Nanobrazing stainless steel containers for breaking the chain-of-contact (BTC) Mars Sample Return Mission," and in 2018, the university submitted one called, "Printed metallic sensors based on 3D printing and laser sintering of nanoinks."

Hu worked on those two projects, for which NASA shelled out $105,000, according to the indictment.

The charges against Hu stem from emails and invoices sent in connection to those projects.

"The University of Tennessee has suspended Associate Professor Anming Hu, who was indicted by federal authorities on felony charges," UT spokesman Owen Driskill wrote in a statement to Knox News on Thursday.

"UT officials have cooperated with federal authorities during the investigation. University leadership is fully committed to adherence to grant procedures and the protection of intellectual property."

Hu appeared in federal court Thursday and was appointed a public defender. A detention hearing has been scheduled for March 3.
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Re: Neutering & Defanging Chinese Threat (15-11-2017)

Post by Paul »

There appears to be a complete blackout of articles or any analysis listing impact of Corona Virus on PRC's economy and defense spending.

At a conservative estimate, this has set PRC's economy by 8-10 years. Please post articles on PRC's economic status and defense spending where you see them.
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Re: Neutering & Defanging Chinese Threat (15-11-2017)

Post by chola »

^^^ Erh, the biggest financial news for the month or so has been the shutdown of the chini economy from the virus.

Maybe less on the effects of the military spending but that is a yearly allotment, you won't see an immediate story saying they've cut their budget. But there had been stories of their MIC being shutdown along with the rest of their economy.

Rest assured that the world knows that the chini economy is in the sh1tter and that Unkil has won its war with Cheen completely.

The high tide of Cheen's challenge might have peaked in 2018 and the Corona virus is likely the final blow to that challenge.
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Re: Neutering & Defanging Chinese Threat (15-11-2017)

Post by SriKumar »

chola wrote:^^^ Erh, the biggest financial news for the month or so has been the shutdown of the chini economy from the virus.
Are there any articles that talk less in generalities and mention atleast a few specifics. Things like the working capacity of factories in Hubei in JAn and Feb 2020 (relative to 2019), or rest of China. Its drop in power consumption in Jan/Feb, or traffic of outgoing goods .e.g containership traffic. Or ramp-ups in production in Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia etc. One would have expected to see several such articles with some specifics but all I have seen are a bit vague...like talking about iPhone production issues in general terms. I've not seen even prices rise or a shortage of any goods last 3 weeks...which means 'situation naarmal', which is unlikely. The first sign of a problem pretty much has been this week's stock market (After the earnings warnings from numerous companies....so did they just find out this week that their supply chains are hit? Stuff went truly south in China on Jan 23rd in a very very public way; companies with a presence in Wuhan, Hubei, and closeby provices would have had some idea). Makes we wonder.

If you can point to any economic/business articles which talk some numbers about what got hit, I am interested. Thanks.
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Re: Neutering & Defanging Chinese Threat (15-11-2017)

Post by yensoy »

Paul wrote:There appears to be a complete blackout of articles or any analysis listing impact of Corona Virus on PRC's economy and defense spending.

At a conservative estimate, this has set PRC's economy by 8-10 years. Please post articles on PRC's economic status and defense spending where you see them.
I don't think it is the case that China GDP growth will now drop to 5.6% (https://www.icis.com/explore/resources/ ... to-5-6-imf) nor do I think economy is set back by 8-10 years. Both are unrealistic extremes.

Fact is that China has been paralyzed for 2 months straight, but it will come out of paralysis once the period ends. The net loss of productivity will be around 2 months worth - Feb & March specifically - January was already in shut down mode for new years. Even during this 2 months, some services ran, obviously.

In a few select industries, there will be costs to pay even beyond this 2 month period. Travel/hospitality specifically. Business and tourism trips to China will plummet for this year, even folks visiting relatives will fall. That is a given. But that is not the entirety of the economy - probably about 10%.

Production at half pace for 2 months is a drop of 1/12 or roughly 8.5%. Another few percentage points due to enduring slowdown in sectors such as travel, for a total slowdown of around 12-16%. But China was all set for growth of 6%, let's say that will actually be 4% at the end of the year. So net downside will be 8% to 12% in my opinion. China will make up the gap in about 2 years, not 8.

What will be more interesting to watch is what happens to the highly leveraged world outside China. (China is also leveraged to the hilt but the Chinese administration has ways to ensure this doesn't come crumbling down)
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Re: Neutering & Defanging Chinese Threat (15-11-2017)

Post by kumarn »

Good analysis yensoy Ji.

What about the effect of parts of supply chain moving out of china? What would be their effect? And once gdp shrinks by 15-20%, do things remain linear? Or will it cause an implosion?
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Re: Neutering & Defanging Chinese Threat (15-11-2017)

Post by yensoy »

Sir, nothing substantial is moving out of China, at least not yet. There has always been a steady stream of relocation to Vietnam - most of that is inconsequential - the Vietnam "factory" can be viewed as a low-cost extension of the Chinese "factory". Components make their way across to Vietnam on truck, get assembled/packed/labelled, and intermediates or finished products sent on their way to the world (including back to China).

Unless an entire supply chain is built from ground up elsewhere in the world, China won't be displaced. This is force majeure situation, so everybody is equally affected and no incentive for any company to diversify sourcing. But there will be some thinking about how to handle critical inputs such as pharmaceutical APIs. One relatively low cost option is to stockpile critical parts for a longer period such as 6 months to tide over any such situations - in many cases that would be cheaper than establishing a second source independent of China.

We have discovered that the world can live without upgrading their TVs, cellphones, computers or cars for a few months. In fact I will argue that it is in the Chinese juggernaut's interest to set up a second source supply chain outside China if they want to keep customers of high elasticity products hooked.

I don't see any social implosion yet since this is a force majeure situation. While we can question certain acts of the leadership, the fact is that they have been quite proactive in bringing things under control. They have enough tools and monetary cushion to tide over this situation. They are master planners, and somewhere down there in their vaults they have a plan of how to manage an economic downturn, and the resources to do so.
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Re: Neutering & Defanging Chinese Threat (15-11-2017)

Post by yensoy »

It may appear that China is unavoidable and unstoppable to world industry, and that gives China a huge leverage over the world.

That is true, it is also the case that the China parts factory works on razor thin margins - in fact negative margins done with some creative money practices. The moment this factory starts operating as ordinary factories following standard rules of finance, it will no longer be lowest cost and the rest of the world could actually compete successfully.

This realization isn't lost on the Chinese, who now want their own brands which can fetch premium prices, as well as provide high-paying jobs in product development, design, marketing and support. But now their brands are competing fiercely against each other and driving down prices - in some sense the inter-province leadership rivalry manifests as rival Chinese brands (each HQ'd in a different province). That isn't going to change as long as the PRC is a GDP driven meritocracy where the path to Beijing takes an aspirant to a provincial leadership role tasked with hitting GDP growth targets at that level.
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Re: Neutering & Defanging Chinese Threat (15-11-2017)

Post by vishvak »

We are yet to make preparations for defending A&N completely all aspects though while Chinese have made structures on remote islands where no Chinese or anyone else lived.
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Re: Neutering & Defanging Chinese Threat (15-11-2017)

Post by chola »

We'll see how well Cheen does relying on an internal market onlee.

But this is a major sea-change. It portends to a much weaker China in the coming years.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/kenrapoza/ ... b907352988
Coronavirus Could Be The End Of China As Global Manufacturing Hub
Kenneth Rapoza

The new coronavirus Covid-19 will end up being the final curtain on China’s nearly 30 year role as the world’s leading manufacturer.

“Using China as a hub...that model died this week, I think,” says Vladimir Signorelli, head of Bretton Woods Research, a macro investment research firm.

China’s economy is getting hit much harder by the coronavirus outbreak than markets currently recognize. Wall Street appeared to be the last to realize this last week. The S&P 500 fell over 8%, the worst performing market of all the big coronavirus infected nations. Even Italy, which has over a thousand cases now, did better last week than the U.S.

China On Hold

On January 23, Beijing ordered the extension of the Lunar New Year holiday, postponing a return to work. The coronavirus was spreading fast in the epicenter province of Hubei and the last thing China wanted was for that to be repeated elsewhere. Travel restrictions and quarantines of nearly 60 million people drove business activity to a standstill.


The most frightening aspect of this crisis is not the short-term economic damage it is causing, but the potential long-lasting disruption to supply chains, Shehzad H. Qazi, the managing director of China Beige Book, wrote in Barron’s on Friday.

Chinese auto manufacturers and chemical plants have reported more closures than other sectors, Qazi wrote. IT workers have not returned to most firms as of last week. Shipping and logistics companies have reported higher closure rates than the national average. “The ripple effects of this severe disruption will be felt through the global auto parts, electronics, and pharmaceutical supply chains for months to come,” he wrote.

...

Mexico replaced China as the U.S. leading trading partner. China overtook Mexico only for a short while.

According to Foley’s 19 page survey report, more than half of the companies that responded have manufacturing outside of the U.S. and 80% who do make in Mexico also have manufacturing elsewhere. Forty-one percent of those operating in Mexico are also in China.

When respondents were asked about whether global trade tensions were causing them to move operations from another country to Mexico, two-thirds said they already had or were planning to do so within a few years. A quarter of those surveyed had already moved operations from another country to Mexico on account of the trade war.

For those considering moving operations, 80% said they will do so within the next two years. They are “doubling down on Mexico”, according to Foley’s report.

Of the companies that recently moved their supply chain, or are planning to do so, some 64% of them said they are moving it to Mexico.

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Re: Neutering & Defanging Chinese Threat (15-11-2017)

Post by nandakumar »

yensoy wrote:It may appear that China is unavoidable and unstoppable to world industry, and that gives China a huge leverage over the world.

That is true, it is also the case that the China parts factory works on razor thin margins - in fact negative margins done with some creative money practices. The moment this factory starts operating as ordinary factories following standard rules of finance, it will no longer be lowest cost and the rest of the world could actually compete successfully.

This realization isn't lost on the Chinese, who now want their own brands which can fetch premium prices, as well as provide high-paying jobs in product development, design, marketing and support. But now their brands are competing fiercely against each other and driving down prices - in some sense the inter-province leadership rivalry manifests as rival Chinese brands (each HQ'd in a different province). That isn't going to change as long as the PRC is a GDP driven meritocracy where the path to Beijing takes an aspirant to a provincial leadership role tasked with hitting GDP growth targets at that level.
I am really curious to know. Is there any consumer product brand that is Chinese and which commands a premium price such as a Toyota car or a Sony television?
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Re: Neutering & Defanging Chinese Threat (15-11-2017)

Post by chola »

nandakumar wrote:
yensoy wrote:It may appear that China is unavoidable and unstoppable to world industry, and that gives China a huge leverage over the world.

That is true, it is also the case that the China parts factory works on razor thin margins - in fact negative margins done with some creative money practices. The moment this factory starts operating as ordinary factories following standard rules of finance, it will no longer be lowest cost and the rest of the world could actually compete successfully.

This realization isn't lost on the Chinese, who now want their own brands which can fetch premium prices, as well as provide high-paying jobs in product development, design, marketing and support. But now their brands are competing fiercely against each other and driving down prices - in some sense the inter-province leadership rivalry manifests as rival Chinese brands (each HQ'd in a different province). That isn't going to change as long as the PRC is a GDP driven meritocracy where the path to Beijing takes an aspirant to a provincial leadership role tasked with hitting GDP growth targets at that level.
I am really curious to know. Is there any consumer product brand that is Chinese and which commands a premium price such as a Toyota car or a Sony television?
No. There are very few medium or even low price brands that is Chinese never mind premium ones. Most of what you see at Walmart are Western labels with contracting in Cheen. The closest to well known chini brands are cellphones such as Huawei, Xiaomi and Oppo. Well known to India perhaps but practically unknown in the US. Trump's tariffs hit mainly American firms with manufacturing in the PRC causing them to scramble to re-orient their supply chains elsewhere which is the intent.

For infrastructure and industrial equipment, things are a little different. There are well known chini firms supplying things like cranes, excavators and metro-cars that most people would never have heard of.
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Re: Neutering & Defanging Chinese Threat (15-11-2017)

Post by SSridhar »

A reset in ties with China on the cards - G.Parthasarathy, Business Line
US President Donald Trump’s visit to India was, amongst other reasons, to give himself a political boost at home. He was preparing to commence his re-election campaign with a successful visit to India — the world’s most populous and diverse democracy. The visit was, in fact, to be showcased in his address to a massive and cheering crowd in Ahmedabad in the largest cricket stadium in the world.

Things, however, did not quite work out the way Trump wanted, as communal tensions were getting out of hand and increasingly violent in Dehi just when he was arriving. He was pilloried on his return to Washington as being insensitive to democratic freedoms and not speaking out against alleged violations against freedom of minorities in India. But Trump did not budge from justifying his visit. He recalled assurances that he received from Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who had stated that he was personally committed to respecting the religious freedoms of all citizens in his country.

Global trade winds

While India and the US are on the same page for a number of international and bilateral issues, economic relations between the two countries have been embittered recently on issues in bilateral trade. While the world led by the US had been celebrating and advocating economic liberalisation, over the past two decades, US public opinion has turned its tide.

During this period, cheap imports, especially from China, increasingly drove American-made products out of the market. The Chinese, meanwhile, made full use of the American naiveté by holding out inducements to American high-tech companies to set up manufacturing units in China. These industries were duly replicated and even improved upon, by the Chinese. The Americans in turn chose to ignore the dangers posed by China’s ingress, till Trump drew attention to the country being ‘ripped off’ by trade arrangements, which not only damaged employment opportunities but also endangered national security.

Trump’s views resonated amongst the middle-class Whites in the US, who felt cheated by the entire process of excessive liberalisation and consequent unemployment. But he did not confine himself to just modifying trade practices with China. He turned against virtually all countries that mattered, including the neighbouring Canada and Mexico, his European allies and large countries like India, which had a trade surplus with the US.

In fact, taking offence at India’s relatively small trade surplus of $24.3 billion in 2016, Trump included it in a large list of countries on which he applied enhanced tariffs on imports of steel and aluminium. He also withdrew tariff reductions for Indian goods, which India was entitled to as a developing country. India responded by enhancing tariffs on a range of American agricultural products.

There are, however, indications that Trump will act soon to roll back some of the measures he has taken against India’s exports, following his discussions in New Delhi. In the case of China, which has a massive trade surplus of $345 billion with the US, it was confronted by massive trade sanctions, which soon compelled the country to agree to import a vast range of US products.

Negotiations have, meanwhile, reached an advanced stage for the construction of six nuclear reactors by Westinghouse (of the US), in Andhra Pradesh, after the company was backed strongly by the Trump administration to enable it to undertake this project. These reactors will supplement the nuclear power reactors installed in Kudankulam, Tamil Nadu, by Russia.

While former President George Bush worked to end global nuclear sanctions against India, imposed after its 1998 nuclear tests, no US company was in a position to supply India the type of nuclear power reactors it needed for over a decade. Moreover, following talks that President Trump held with Indian industrialists in New Delhi, JSW Steel has agreed to invest an additional $500 million for upgrading a newly-acquired steel plant in the US state of Ohio.

Standing up to China

India has fought shy of making common cause with others to deal with China’s actions, which seriously compromise its national security. The most serious of these transgressions include the supply of the know-how, designs and material for Pakistan’s nuclear weapons and missile programmes. In more recent years, China has sought dominance over the entire Indian Ocean region. Beijing has backed governments and political organisations in countries ranging from the Maldives and Sri Lanka to Nepal and Myanmar, which support it in undermining Indian influence.

Worse still, China has in recent months deliberately sought to internationalise the Kashmir issue in organisations like the UN Security Council and the Human Rights Commission.

This policy of virtual Indian subservience in the face of Chinese provocations has now been put aside in a document issued by Trump and Modi entitled Vision and Principles for the United States-India Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership.
The document reaffirms India’s status as a “Major Strategic Partner” of the US. It pledges US support to “the transfer to India of advanced US military technology”. It dwells at length on expanding the US-India cooperation in renewable energy projects.

Geopolitically, it refers to a “close partnership between the United States and India” for the development of a “free, open, peaceful and inclusive Indo-Pacific Region”. Consultations are to be enhanced within the “Indo-Pacific Region, through trilateral Summit meetings (among) United States, India, Japan, meetings between the Foreign and Defence Ministers of India and the United States, and Quadrilateral consultations between the United States, India, Australia-Japan, known as the “Quad”.

India has sought to build bridges of cooperation with China for over three decades now. What India got in return was continuing Chinese hostility and Chinese determination to undermine its influence across the Indian Ocean Region. China will now face an India, more determined to pay it back in its own coin, by joining others who are also facing such pressures from the former.

India will now be more open to joining others to oppose China’s violation of the maritime boundaries of virtually all its neighbours, ranging from Japan and South Korea to Vietnam and Indonesia.
China should, however, be assured that India remains committed to peace and tranquility along its borders, while working for an early settlement of differences on the border issue in accordance with the principles enunciated by the Prime Ministers of the two countries, in 2005.

While Trump is relatively forthcoming about improving his country’s relations with Moscow, his views are not shared by most of his opponents, or even by his supporters. It is important that even as India firms up its new approach to China, it reaches out to Russia to further strengthen bilateral ties and cooperation.

The writer is a former High Commissioner to Pakistan
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Re: Neutering & Defanging Chinese Threat (15-11-2017)

Post by hnair »

SSridhar wrote:A reset in ties with China on the cards - G.Parthasarathy, Business Line

While Trump is relatively forthcoming about improving his country’s relations with Moscow, his views are not shared by most of his opponents, or even by his supporters. It is important that even as India firms up its new approach to China, it reaches out to Russia to further strengthen bilateral ties and cooperation.

The writer is a former High Commissioner to Pakistan
This part is troubling and correct. If we go with incumbent being Republican nominee by default, then none of the other side, the Democrats in the running have shown any interest on Indian concerns on various matters. Infact those who are ignoring completely are the likes of Biden, Bloomberg etc who seem focused more on europe etc, while the approach of the other front runners like Sanders, Warren etc is to use India as a punching bag for scoring points with far-left liberals. India should not be used for scoring cheap points and that had not yet been conveyed clearly
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Re: Neutering & Defanging Chinese Threat (15-11-2017)

Post by Kati »

US Indicts Two Chinese Nationals For Laundering Cryptocurrency Allegedly Stolen In North Korean Hack
Benzinga
Neer Varshney
,Benzinga•March 3, 2020Comment

Two Chinese nationals have been indicted in the District of Columbia on two counts related to operating a money laundering business, the United States Department of Justice announced Monday.

What Happened

The individuals, Tian Yinyin and Li Jiadong, helped convert the cryptocurrency stolen by North Korean hackers in a $250 million alleged exchange desk hack, according to the Justice Department.

The U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control has also sanctioned the two individuals, it said in a separate announcement on Monday.

The accused laundered over $100 million for the North Korean hackers between December 2017 and April 2019, the authorities have alleged. Among other ways, the accused transferred about $1.4 billion worth of Bitcoin (BTC) to Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) gift cards for iTunes, per the Treasury Department.

Why It Matters

The authorities noted that the actions of the Chinese nations put the "security and integrity of the global financial systems at risk" as the cryptocurrency in the hand of North Korea poses a particular threat.

"North Korea continues to attack the growing worldwide ecosystem of virtual currency as a means to bypass the sanctions imposed on it by the United States and the United Nations Security Council," Don Fort, chief of the criminal investigation branch of the Internal Revenue Service, said in a statement.

The Treasury Department noted that the North Korean hackers were said to have attempted to steal as much as $2 billion, according to the United Nations Security Council report. Out of this, $571 million is attributed to theft in cryptocurrencies. "This revenue allows the North Korean regime to continue to invest in its illicit ballistic missile and nuclear programs."

The U.S. government in January indicted an Ethereum developer Virgin Griffith for allegedly sharing his expertise on cryptocurrency and blockchain technology with the North Korean government.

The Justice Department also charged four Chinese military officials in February for their role in the Equifax Inc. (NYSE: EFX) data breach of 2017.

Price Action

Bitcoin (BTC) traded 1.58% higher at $8,794.16 at press time on Tuesday. Other cryptocurrencies, similarly, extended gains, with the exception of Tezos (XTZ), which traded 0.46% lower at $2.71.
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Re: Neutering & Defanging Chinese Threat (15-11-2017)

Post by SSridhar »

When the whole world is avoiding international travel, the Pakistani President visits China (of all places) !! Such is the desperation of both the parties.

India slams China-Pakistan for reference to J&K in joint statement; asks them to respect sovereignty - ToI
India on Tuesday slammed China and Pakistan for reference to Jammu and Kashmir in a joint statement released by them and said it expects other countries not to comment on its internal matters and respect its sovereignty.

The Kashmir issue figured in the talks between Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Pakistani counterpart Arif Alvi in Beijing on Tuesday during which the Chinese side "underscored that it was paying close attention to the current situation".

"Both sides exchanged views on the situation in Jammu and Kashmir. The Pakistan side briefed the Chinese side on the latest developments, including its concerns, position, and current urgent issues," said a joint statement posted on the Chinese foreign ministry website.

Reacting to it, ministry of external affairs spokesperson Raveesh Kumar asserted that the Union territory of Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of India and issues related to it are the country's internal matter.

"We reject the reference to Jammu and Kashmir in the joint statement issued by China and Pakistan after the recent visit of Pakistani President to China," Kumar said.

"We expect other countries including China not to comment on matters that are internal affairs of India and also to respect India's sovereignty and territorial integrity just as India refrains from commenting on internal issues of other countries," he said in response to a query on the issue.

India would like to strongly object to and reiterate its concerns to both China and Pakistan on the projects in so-called illegal 'China Pakistan Economic Corridor', which is in the territory of India that has been illegally occupied by Pakistan since 1947, Kumar said. (This should be reiterated every time and always)

"India is resolutely opposed to any actions by other countries to change the status quo in Pakistan occupied J&K. We call on parties concerned to cease such actions. Such illegal activities will never be accepted by India," he said.
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Re: Neutering & Defanging Chinese Threat (15-11-2017)

Post by chetak »

API ( Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients ) self sufficiency and local manufacturing will be one of the steps every country or regional union will take sooner than later. One of the earliest areas of globalization unwinding.

more are bound to follow

There will be a contraction in globalization before a new wave starts. The future plans will need to factor in a "direct China exposure" as one of the risk factors.

the chinese BRI/OBOR/CPEC will also take a serious hit as affected countries will now start to take a closer look at the "direct China exposure" risk factor.

Cabinet approves Production-linked Incentive Scheme For Bulk Drugs


Image
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Re: Neutering & Defanging Chinese Threat (15-11-2017)

Post by Haresh »

It’s time to practice social and economic distancing from China

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions ... cing-china

Strategic Partnership With China Lies at Root of Iran’s Coronavirus Outbreak

https://www.wsj.com/articles/irans-stra ... 1583940683
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Re: Neutering & Defanging Chinese Threat (15-11-2017)

Post by Haresh »

The coronavirus crisis shows how China has used global systems to get its way

https://www.hongkongfp.com/2020/03/21/c ... balisation
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Re: Neutering & Defanging Chinese Threat (15-11-2017)

Post by SSridhar »

That WeChat reference posted in the Coronavirus thread made me think.

That extract says, " Zhang Xuandong, owner of Haofeng Electronic Technology Co. in Dongguan province says in a WeChat group exclusive for forehead thermometer producers in China which has 178 members, "Produce some fake products and sell them to the US. They (thermometers) should read 36.5 ºC when the actual temperature is 39 ºC. In this way, more and more American people will be infected. Let's see if they still have people left to go to other countries to harm others!" After one member sends three laughing emojis, Zhang continues to say, "Isn't that a great idea? Without using one single solider, we make money, as well as make peace for the world." Another member says, "No, we don't want to make money from Americans. Let them help and rely on themselves."

Do we dismiss this as an insensitive joke or the mindset of some uber nationalist fringe group that should simply be contemptuously ignored?

There have been two theories floating around about COVID & China

1. It was a secret biological-weapons lab in Wuhan that was experimenting with coronavirus when it escaped from the lab
2. The virus has been systematically let loose on an unsuspecting world by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)

While, time will eventually tell whether these were mere conspiracy theories or had some substance, the above extraction from a Chinese WeChat shows the brainwashed mindset of the Chinese people. We cannot simply dismiss this as coming from any fringe group that operates in every country. We cannot reject this as an insensitive joke or a comment either for the following simple reason.

For nearly 3000 years, the Han Chinese have believed in the following:

1. The Heavenly Mandate
2. The idea of Middle Kingdom
3. Single, central leadership

To this heady mixture must be added other catalysts such as Confucianism, 'The Century of Humiliation' and now the unbridled and open ambition of Xi Jinping with timelines set in concrete for achieving various milestones in order to be the sole unipolar leader of the world.

So, what is this 'Heavenly Mandate'?

The idea of Heaven plays a very prominent role in Chinese culture. They believe that they are mandated by the Heaven to rule this world. China is also referred to by various names such as shenzhou (‘Divine Land’) or tianchao (‘Celestial Empire’), all denoting in unmistakable terms that the Chinese are the most privileged because they are Divinely appointed to rule the world. The Kings of various dynasties like Tang, Yuan etc. ruled on behalf of the Heavens and with their mandate. This idea is deeply ingrained in Chinese culture that not even a Godless and rational Communist Party of China (CPC) can remove. The next best thing for CPC is therefore to usurp this idea and the mandate for their benefit.

2. The Idea of Middle Kingdom

The Chinese Emperor, Son of Heaven, ruled everything under the Heaven as Heaven’s representative leading to the concept of the Middle Kingdom – midway between the Heaven and other geographical regions. Thus, was born the tributary system of the Middle Kingdom and the idea of Pax Sinica. The Emperor sent his emissaries to far away tributes on a regular basis to ensure their continued submission. As Western colonialists began foray into and occupy Asia beginning 15th century, the Chinese began to lose their sway and were further weakened in more modern times by Opium Wars, Japanese occupation, their choice of Communism, spat with USSR etc. But, with the foolish and myopic agenda of the US in the 1970s, which befriended the Communist China to decimate the USSR, the Chinese found a lifeline thrown at them to realize their long-cherished ambition to rule the world. They grabbed it with a single-purpose obsession and have reached a stage where they are a threat to the world today. The idea of China being the chosen Middle Kingdom gives them the moral authority to preach to the rest of the world which the latter are expected to accept implicitly.

3. Single Central Leadership

The earliest dynasty to have ruled China (of course not in the present geographical boundaries) was the Shang dynasty roughly 3500 years back. They were succeeded by three other major dynasties Tang, Ming and Qing before the Republicans took over briefly followed by the CPC rule (since 1949). There was a brief period of democracy which was snuffed by the Long March leading to the eventual control of China by the Communist Party of China (CPC). Essentially, this means that the Chinese have had an uninterrupted autocratic rule or central authority for thirty five millennia. This ties in with their ideas of 'Middle Kingdom' and the Emperor (now replaced by the President or Great Leader or Chairman or whatever name by which that single leader is reverentially addressed by the Chinese).

Then, there are other recent 'memories' in the Chinese psyche such as the 'Hundred Years of Humiliation'. After the 1989 Tiananmen Square events, CPC learnt a big lesson which was to infuse the youth with national pride. In any country, the sense of nationhood is created through national movements and historical memories that then crystallize into the concept of a nation-state. The sense of “national identity” is derived from such things as culture, heritage, history, experiences etc. In a centralized, homogenized country such as China under the CPC, it is easier to mould a particular narrative. The Chinese remember the period between mid-1800 to mid-1900 as a painful period of humiliation (known as Century of Humiliation ) when China was bullied by imperialism of various flavours of various countries. In China efforts have been made to embed the humiliation deep into Chinese minds. This ‘collective memory’ permeates all aspects of Chinese governance, especially its foreign policy. The Chinese do not want to be in that situation again.

So, it came as no surprise when Deng Xiaoping announced his famous strategy: Hide your capacity and bide your time, watch calmly, secure your position, keep a low profile etc. etc . A foolish USA transferred high technology to the Chinese, allowed freer access to the Chinese to American labs and universities, colluded with them on all fronts. Now, Xi Jinping has taken this Chinese strategy to the next evolutionary step. He has determined that the time to 'Hide Capacity' was over because the capacity has been built up to challenge the world. His new timelines were announced in the 19th CPC Congress in October 2017. Among other things, President Xi Jinping announced a two-stage plan to complete the PLA's modernisation by 2035, and for it to become a world-class force by 2050. Xi stated that China would then become “a mighty force” that would be an active “constructor of global peace, contributor to the development of global governance, and protector of international order.”

The Chinese of today are not to be confused with those of Tiananmen Square timeframe. The above 'collective memories' permeate all aspects of Chinese governance, especially its foreign policy. This is the biggest differentiator between the democracy-inspired people of Hong Kong and the Humiliation & glory-inspired people of Mainland China, for example, today.
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Re: Neutering & Defanging Chinese Threat (15-11-2017)

Post by Sanju »

My summary on the commentary by Yun Sun from the link by Paulji.

The author has an interesting take:
Despite the asymmetry of their national power — India’s GDP is 20 percent that of China’s — China is disadvantaged by the asymmetry of threat perceptions. Simply put, India sees China as its primary threat while China sees India as a secondary challenge. Beijing’s national security priorities unequivocally lie in the western Pacific. Such asymmetry of security priorities means that India may not yet rival China in national power or in a conventional or nuclear arms race, but its resolve and focus on China are significantly stronger than those of China.
In the event that a conflict is unavoidable, China could mobilize to an overwhelming capacity to achieve a decisive victory on the battlefield — which is why the Sino-Indian border war of 1962 was constantly mentioned during the Doklam standoff.
The author's take is based on the weapons at the disposal of China, however, a war is not only fought with material, the major component being personnel. The Chinese troops haven't fought a real war for over 40 years. Underestimating the Indians will be overwhelmingly in India's favour. India is right in keeping its eye on China as its main threat.

More than anything else, the change in our resolve has shaken the Chinese view of India.
China’s condescension and India’s frustration culminated in the Doklam standoff in the summer of 2017, in which Chinese and Indian troops staged a confrontation for more than two months over China’s road construction in the trijunction area between China, India, and Bhutan. This standoff was a watershed event in China’s policy toward India during recent decades. Although both countries refrained from the use of force, India’s assertiveness forced China to reassess India’s strategic capability and resolve.
The author believes that the change in the relationship between India & China is due to the Americans, rather than anything to do with India.
China’s elevation of relations with India reveals an inconvenient truth: exogenous factors primarily drive China’s rapprochement with India. Had Washington not adopted the Indo-Pacific Strategy and pursued alignment with India, the trajectory of China’s policy toward India would have looked very different.
The ThinkTanks the world over still think in Cold War terms. They believe that India is still in the Nehruvian mold of non-alignment. India is not willing to attach its destiny to any pole, is due to its belief in its manifest destiny, of being its own power centre rather than basking in reflected glory.
This IMHO, is a mistake that will come to bite them in their kumquats (Copyright Chetakji).
Chinese civilian observers and diplomats — former and current — have rather low expectations about India-U.S. cooperation. For them, India and the United States appear to be innately incompatible. In terms of strategic culture, India follows a non-alignment tradition while U.S. global strategy is based on alliances. In terms of strategic goals, India does not seek a total confrontation with China though a confrontation appears to be America’s aim. In terms of partners, India seeks diverse partnerships, including with Russia, a U.S. adversary. In terms of technical compatibility, India has no intention to completely abandon Russian weapons systems, which makes America’s proposed interoperability a challenge in the least. For these Chinese experts, the India-U.S. alignment is tactical — out of expediency — and lacks systematic commitment and binding arrangements. When conflicting calculations arise — and they will arise — the India-U.S. alignment will fall apart.
The Chinese security folks may have a less myopic view, but their reading of the situation sees the US-India relationship in a static form rather than a dynamic form. They believe that India will always be dependent on the US, the Chinese forget their past willfully. In reality, India needs US now, US will need India in the future. The current Pandemic gives a keyhole view of the future of the relationship.
Unlike their counterparts who are more focused on diplomacy and foreign policy, Chinese defense strategists and security experts are concerned about the substance of the growing India-U.S. ties. In their view, Washington is making India offers that India cannot refuse, including but not limited to defense industry cooperation, arms sales, and information and intelligence sharing. Even if India thinks it is maintaining its autonomy, Chinese strategists see India enticed, entangled, and potentially enmeshed in institutionalized cooperative frameworks that it later cannot reject despite its aspiration for autonomy.
In concluding the commentary, the author states,
....In the meantime, China is trying to both stabilize ties with India and prepare for future disruptions.

China and India are both powers with regional hegemonic ambition and potential. Their structural conflict is irreconcilable until the two countries find a mutually agreeable compromise in their regional arrangements. Efforts to address the endogenous frictions — such as the border dispute and trade imbalance — could foreseeably help to facilitate that compromise.
Our enemy resides to our North, the one on the West is an irritant in comparison.
Kati
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Re: Neutering & Defanging Chinese Threat (15-11-2017)

Post by Kati »

Suspected SARS virus and flu samples found in luggage: FBI report describes China's 'biosecurity risk'

https://www.yahoo.com/news/suspected-sa ... 26820.html
sanjaykumar
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Re: Neutering & Defanging Chinese Threat (15-11-2017)

Post by sanjaykumar »

This should be required reading for Indians and westerners. Warning:Not for the easily distressed.

Glimpses of Chinese culture of the heavenly mandate, middle finger etc etc

https://twitter.com/UNNTV1
sanjaykumar
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Re: Neutering & Defanging Chinese Threat (15-11-2017)

Post by sanjaykumar »

After perusing the videos on the treatment of dogs in the above link, see the following. This video makes explicit the contrasting values of Indian and Chinese civilisations.

https://twitter.com/i/status/1244544136746872832
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