What's the original source of this news (skimmed it but could not find it)?NRao wrote:China unleashes new weapon towards western border as India tensions escalate
CHINA has introduced a new howitzer weapon to its western borders following a fatal military clash with India in the Himalayas earlier this month.
A bit sensational - that news source is from the UK after all.abhik wrote:What's the original source of this news (skimmed it but could not find it)?
Its weird that they did not deploy earlier, maybe they felt they could take on the IA without fielding their tier-1 systems and are now re-evaluating?
I think the unpredictability of our response is very important. The bully psyche works well with predictability but goes completely disarrayed when the opponent is unpredictable and sometimes even irrational. One of the biggest weaknesses in our system is the IFS babus who would like to go by the book all the time.Asked if the Government had worked out the implications of a military conflict given the number of variables and unknowns that this could entail, he said: “The view in the Government is that if you start thinking of consequences, you will not be able to move forward.”
The tendency of having best in class, best engineered solution etc. has cost us dearly. Get something that works relatively well and acts as a deterrence. The mindset has to change. Deployment of THAAD in South Korea made China raging like a mad bull.ChanakyaM wrote:A simple compare of THAAD and S400 shows the deficiencies of THAAD, so what additional help do we expect by trying to deploy THAAD?(if the amrikans give it to us).idan wrote:American THAAD is still in Israel. In all likelihood we can see a THAAD in action in Ladakh and that will be a strong message to the dilly-dallying Russians
Since we had just 1 division in eastern Ladakh, if this is true, there would be a new division sent to cover the area from the Southern bank ofpankajs wrote:Difficult to verify ..
https://twitter.com/TheWolfpackIN/statu ... 1278247936Indian army has deployed an entire division in the DBO-Depsang area along with armour and artillery units (incl. M777A2 ultra light howitzers) to counter China's 4th Mechanized Division deployed across the LAC opposite this sector.
India has made significant investments in the S-400 system. The IAF wants the system and with Rajnath Singh's visit to Moscow, the system is coming sooner than the original 2021-end delivery date. To evaluate another system and have that system tie in to the existing air defence network will take time and money, neither of which India has right now.idan wrote:The tendency of having best in class, best engineered solution etc. has cost us dearly. Get something that works relatively well and acts as a deterrence. The mindset has to change. Deployment of THAAD in South Korea made China raging like a mad bull.ChanakyaM wrote:A simple compare of THAAD and S400 shows the deficiencies of THAAD, so what additional help do we expect by trying to deploy THAAD?(if the amrikans give it to us).
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-chin ... SKBN2350XA
Why cant the Russians provide one of their new S400s that's been deployed already, why wait for one to get manufactured ?Rakesh wrote:India has made significant investments in the S-400 system. The IAF wants the system and with Rajnath Singh's visit to Moscow, the system is coming sooner than the original 2021-end delivery date. To evaluate another system and have that system tie in to the existing air defence network will take time and money, neither of which India has right now.idan wrote: The tendency of having best in class, best engineered solution etc. has cost us dearly. Get something that works relatively well and acts as a deterrence. The mindset has to change. Deployment of THAAD in South Korea made China raging like a mad bull.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-chin ... SKBN2350XA
Someone recently said that Indian S-400s are customized for India. What the level of customization is, is anyone's guess and should not be out in the public domain anyway. I doubt we can just take an operational Russian system and do a plug-and-play on it. That will not work and would render the system ineffective. And that is assuming the Russians are willing to have a gap in their air defence system to accommodate India.kit wrote:Why cant the Russians provide one of their new S400s that's been deployed already, why wait for one to get manufactured ?
I would be reeeealy impressed with Rajnath if he could convince the Russians to part with their non-export version. Maybe the Russians could remove non-export parts as they fly the S400 to India.kit wrote:Why cant the Russians provide one of their new S400s that's been deployed already, why wait for one to get manufactured ?
They are prepping for option #1 it looks like. Jai Hind!KL Dubey wrote:Great news. Goremint is moving quickly...the TikTok account of Mygov.in has also been deleted at the same time.sanjayc wrote:59 Chinese apps banned in India including Tik Tok
https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/c ... 2020-06-29
Here's the full list...WeChat is also banned.
My bet would be on David's sling.nash wrote:Which Israeli ADS will it be? Iron Dome or David's sling or Arrow?https://m.economictimes.com/news/defenc ... Eb_rJRtduM
France has promised to deliver additional Rafale jets next month, an in-service Israeli air defence system is expected soon, precision artillery rounds will be sent by the US, and Russia will make early deliveries of ammunition and weapons worth $1 billion.
this looks to be interesting. cant wait for the address..Mukesh.Kumar wrote:The Prime Minister will be addressing the nation tomorrow at 1600 IST.
https://www.businessinsider.in/india/ne ... 696511.cms
Wonder what gives.
New Delhi: A third round of talks will be held between commanders of the Indian and Chinese armies tomorrow -- two weeks after the clash at Ladakh's Galwan Valley in which 20 soldiers were killed in action -- government sources have said. The Lieutenant-General-level talks will be focussed on reducing tension at the Line of Actual Control – the de facto border between India and China.
In the last round of talks on June 22 at Moldo, which is on the Chinese side of the Line of Actual Control -- the commanders had agreed to step back from the confrontation along a disputed stretch of border.
Gem.China's government-backed media Global Times on Monday reported that Chinese experts had the capacity to provide specialist pesticides to India to fight the locust attack in the country, but they would only provide them if the Indian side 'asked for it'. The Chinese mouthpiece also stated that India must 'create conditions' in order to receive aid from China.
China and India have developed close economic ties in the past years, with both sides maintaining comparative advantages in certain sectors like auto manufacturing, telecommunications and pharmaceuticals. Highly dependent on Chinese supplies, many Indian industries cannot afford an irrational boycott of Chinese components. It would take India years of huge efforts to find a substitute, either by shoring up its own industries or luring investment from other countries.
Although the two countries have seen expanding economic cooperation in previous years, India has also complained of its trade deficit with China. Rather than asking China to narrow the deficit, it is more critical for India to reflect on its own industrial competitiveness as global trade is related with the rule of comparative advantages.
With a large population and unfavorable medical system, it is critical for the country to first contain the viral spread in order to resume economic growth, and to cool down its nationalism and devise wise and rational strategies based on economic principles, rather than allowing its economic policy to be kidnapped by wild nationalism.
Despite suffering multiple casualties in a violent faceoff with India in the Galwan Valley area, China has still not disclosed how many of its soldiers were killed in the incident.
This decision of the Chinese Communist Party has upset Chinese families who lost their loved ones in the incident, US-based Breitbart News has reported.
According to Breitbart, the Chinese government is struggling to silence the families of soldiers who are using Weibo and other platforms to vent their anger and frustration.
Japan has laid out plans to strengthen collaboration with India, Australia and ASEAN nations while China continues to make headlines for its increasing hostile presence in the East China Sea attracting conflict with Tokyo.
In an attempt to advance regional strategy with the US, India and Australia, Japan’s Ministry of Defence has intended to establish a new team solely responsible for the Indo-Pacific affairs.
It is reported that the change expected to be implemented by next month will also see the ministry assigning another international affairs officer to its Bureau of Defence Policy, which will eventually double its staff for coordination with countries other than the US.
The primary focus of the new official in the bureau’s International Policy Division will be to focus on cooperation with quasi-allies India and Australia, as well as Southeast Asian nations. It is also reported that the U.S. has also been looking speed-up country’s cooperation with the Quad that involves Australia, India and Japan.
In the past 2 months, Japan’s defence minister Taro Kono called on the respective counterparts in India, Southeast Asian nations and other nations that all along the Indian Ocean sea lanes to garner support against China’s alleged presence.
As reported by EurAsian Times previously, Japanese coastguards had recently announced that Chinese government ships had been spotted in the waters near the Senakaku/Diaoyu Islands every day since mid-April.
The conflict on the uninhabited disputed islands has been brewing for decades and could see the involvement of the US due to its mutual defence treaty with Japan. Japan’s media notes that the organizational expansion by the Ministry showcases the importance that Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s government pays to the “Free and Open Indo-Pacific Strategy”.
The US-China rivalry
The Free and Open Indo-Pacific strategy often viewed as a counter to China’s Belt and Road Initiative was launched by the Japanese PM at the Sixth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD) in 2016. However, China’s trillion-dollar BRI stands much higher than Japan’s Free and Open Indo-Pacific strategy.
The U.S. also a partner in the strategy is perceived by international experts as a counter to Beijing’s increasing global influence on trade and technology.
“The accumulation of economic power and digital influence is the greatest concern in the next decade because it gives Beijing new tools as a revisionist power to try to coerce their neighbours and rewrite the order. It could impact the balance of national security,” tells Eric Sayers, former special assistant to the commander of U.S. Pacific Command (PACOM).
Experts speculate that since the U.S. does not hold much experience in investing in Southeast Asia and the Pacific nations due to which it relies on allies like Japan. To rate and certify infrastructure plans in the Asia-Pacific, the United States, Japan and Australia also established the Blue Dot Network (BDN) in November 2019.
U.S. President Donald Trump said that the BDN was “a major initiative to ensure countries around the world have access to private sector-led, sustainable and trustworthy options for high-quality infrastructure development.”
*** Experts believe that among the four types of Chinese apps — economic apps, vanity apps, nuisance apps and ones used for Chinese propaganda — at least three can be pushed out of the market.
*** They believe that for India to gain leverage, banning Chinese apps will be more favourable for the Indian economy than banning physical goods.
*** According to Blaise Fernandes, director at Mumbai-based thinktank Gateway House, the Indian government is within its rights to ban apps that spread misinformation under Section 69A of the IT Act 2000.
The Indian app economy is valuable to China with more than 800 million smartphone users eager and willing to lap up content on their devices. Experts believe instead of boycotting physical goods — which would adversely impact India’s economy as well — focusing on the virtual and technology sector would yield better results. Especially, when it comes to apps.
Blaise Fernandes, director with Mumbai-based thinktank Gateway House, explains that there are essentially four types of Chinese apps functioning in India — apps with economic viability, vanity apps, apps with nuisance value and, finally, those used to push Chinese propaganda.
Apart from apps with an economic edge — like payments apps that attract investment and provide employment— others can be done away with without any repercussion for India while also having a heavy impact on the valuations of Chinese companies.
“Ideally, an economic boycott should be such that it has a disproportionate effect on the other side, so rather than stopping the purchase of plastic toys or drugs from China, we should aiming for higher-value industries and that’s where the technology and virtual sector comes in,” explained Amit Bhandari from Gateway House.
Vanity apps that hold value for Chinese companies
“Baidu, Alibaba and Tencent are part of the digital ‘Silk Route’ of China… Any disruption in the Indian market is going to have an impact on the valuations of these companies,” said Fernandes. He explained that if vanity apps disappear from the Indian market then the daily lives of Indians are not going to bear an impact.
Citing the example of TikTok, he said that 30% of the app’s users are Indian and 10% of its revenue comes from India.
Blocking apps in the interest of national security
The second category of apps that can disappear is nuisance apps — apps used to create disharmony and misinformation. Blaise believes that the government is well within its rights to use Section 68A of the IT Act 2000 to block such apps from the market.
In light of the India-China skirmish along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), gives the Indian government to block access to apps by the public in the “interest of sovereignty and integrity of India, defence of India, security of the state, friendly relations with foreign states or public order for preventing incitement.”
These apps can be banned immediately on the grounds of causing mayhem, spreading misinformation or rumours, and laying on sectoral violence.
Chinese propaganda machines
The final category of apps that don’t serve Indian interests is those that have investments from the Chinese government.
“There’s very distinction between the Chinese government and Chinese companies,” he explained. Even the US has classified a number of Chinese television stations, like People’s Daily etc, as Chinese propaganda machines and not as media companies.
Rather than boycotting physical goods — which would also be harmful to the Indian economy — boycotting virtual goods would give India a bigger advantage on the global stage. Anything India does to the app economy will have an impact on the valuation of Chinese companies worldwide.
China’s land grab exercise is not limited to its attempt at altering the status quo in East China Sea, South China Sea and with India but with the Himalayan Kingdom of Bhutan too. According to reports coming from Washington DC, China raised a new, non-existent dispute with Bhutan at a virtual meeting of the Global Environment Facility (GEF) held as recently as June 2-3. The Council was meeting to decide on funding for various environmental projects across the world. One of the projects seeking funds was the Sakteng Wildlife Sanctuary (SWS) in eastern Bhutan’s Trashigang district bordering India (Arunachal Pradesh) and China (see map).
As the SWS request came up for discussion, sources said, the Chinese member of the GEF Council raised objections against the proposal contending that the sanctuary was located in a disputed area between Bhutan and China. The objection came as a shock to the Council meeting but the GEF Secretariat immediately rebutted the Chinese contention pointing out that the SWS was located within the sovereign territory of Bhutan, the sources added.
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can we stay in the realm of the real world to some extent at least? USA is not going to put their troops between India and China. India wouldn't want US troop deployment on its soil.mahadevbhu wrote:1. How far is that from actually having some US Army regiments land in New Delhi and actually be taken straight to ladakh to the China border to join hands in a border fight?sajaym wrote:
This gives me the hope that in case our C-17s/C-130s/Apaches/Chinooks suffer extraordinary attrition in a war with the Chinks, U.S. may (just may be) replace them from 'in-service' stocks.
2. Is it possible to get a few US Army troops to "observe" or have an exercise or two with the US Army in those areas at this time?
3. US, Russia, Israel, France - we get sigint, humint and weapons purchases for cold, hard cash from them. With whom can we expect a "pincer" movement, like the Chinis can expect the Pakis to do in their aid? None, at the moment - we did see the 3 aircraft carriers in the South China Sea in order to send the Chini's a signal, but will they do a shock&awe on Shanghai, if push comes to shove? But it was heartening to see some sort of a coordinated action by Japan and the US in their spheres respectively in support of India, it sent the right signals. However, them coming to our aid in case of an all-out war is not clear at the moment.
4. The US wants India to give the Chini's a bloody nose. They have a clown as president with not much sense of strategy - in fact he was asking Xi Jinping to buy corn from his voters so that they would re-elect him. If WW3 is going to be breaking out soon - conditions are there - strong leaders all around the world, a great depression in the world economy, a WW broke out this time the last century when these conditions were met.
"We have reports that malware and Trojan horse can be installed which can be activated remotely to bring down the power sector and the economy," Singh said. "So we have decided, because it is a sensitive sector, whatever equipment is made in India, we will purchase them. And those that are not made in India, we will import but check thoroughly to rule out the presence of any malware or Trojan horse."
