03/05/2012
NY Times: “Limited military talks between China and the United States — an arena in which the two sides view each other with mounting unease — open here on Wednesday as a prelude to a wider-ranging economic and strategic dialogue between Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner and their Chinese counterparts.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner listen as President Barack Obama addresses the opening session of the first U.S.-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center in Washington on July 27, 2009. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Military talks are a prelude to an economic and strategic dialogue. China is increasingly suspicious of what it views as stepped-up spying by American planes and ships along its coast, and the United States is disquieted by China’s growing array of weaponry, analysts on both sides say. The two nations have been unable to agree on a serious agenda for military talks despite an escalation of tensions as China presses territorial claims in the East and South China Seas and the United States fortifies longstanding alliances from Australia to the Philippines.
The meetings, known as the Strategic and Economic Dialogue, will be limited to a one-day session on Wednesday that will cover two subjects, cyberwarfare and maritime issues, Obama administration officials said.”
via Unease Mounting, China and U.S. to Open Military Talks – NYTimes.com.
Posted in China alert, Defence, Diplomacy, GeoPolitics, Military |
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01/05/2012
The Hindu: “Japan on Monday asked India to sign the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty NPT even as the two sides decided to reopen talks on a bilateral civil nuclear agreement.
During the sixth Foreign Minister-level strategic dialogue here, the two sides agreed to prepare a master plan for the industrial development of south India, especially areas around Chennai and Bangalore, and accelerate talks on export of rare earths to Japan.
Another decision was to extend their dialogue to a code of conduct in outer space, cyber security and maritime issues, including security and freedom of navigation in the South China Sea. The talks also covered Japanese investment in high speed trains, the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor and the Dedicated Freight Corridor. While agreeing to step up interaction between the Coast Guards, India and Japan decided to hold their first-ever maritime exercises towards the middle of the year.”
via The Hindu : News / National : Sign nuclear non-proliferation treaty, Japan tells India.
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30/04/2012
New York Times: “… The (joint US-Philippines military) exercises included mock beach invasions along coastlines facing China, whose military buildup and territorial claims in the South China Sea have alarmed some of its neighbors and jumpstarted the United States’ military “pivot” to the region.
That American policy, which will include sending more troops and ships to the region, appears to have picked up speed in recent weeks. On Thursday, Japan and the United States announced what was effectively a compromise on Okinawa that calls for thousands of Marines to leave for Guam and Hawaii in an attempt to allow others to remain on the strategic Japanese island despite local objections. And on Monday, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and Secretary of Defense Leon E. Panetta will meet their Philippine counterparts in Washington, the highest level meeting after months of talks to expand the American military presence in the Philippines.
Ramping up the number of troops in the Philippines — even if they are rotating in and out from temporary bases — would still be something of a reversal for the nation after Philippine lawmakers years ago forced the closing of American bases, including the shuttering in 1992 of the Subic Bay Naval Station. The base, which had been a cornerstone of the United States’ military presence in Asia, was a casualty of some Filipinos’ sense that the facility served as a painful reminder of decades of American rule.
via Philippines Role May Grow as U.S. Adjusts Asia Strategy – NYTimes.com.
America continues with its strategy to encircle China in the Pacific, with military alliances not only with its traditional allies, Taiwan, Japan and South Korea; but also with Australia, India and the Philippines.
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30/04/2012
Xinhua: “China successfully launched two satellites into space at 4:50 a.m. Beijing Time Monday, the 12th and 13th satellites for its Beidou global navigation and positioning network, the launch center said.
The launch of Long March 3B Rocket, Xichang Satellite Center, China. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
The Beidou-2 satellites, launched from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in the southwestern province of Sichuan, was boosted by a Long March-3B carrier rocket and has entered the scheduled orbit. It is the first time China has launched two navigation satellites with one rocket, and the two satellites will help to improve the accuracy of the Beidou, or Compass system, the center said in a statement. China will launch three more satellites for the Beidou network this year and a global satellite positioning and navigation system will be completed in 2020 with more than 30 orbiters, the statement said. Monday’s mission marked the 160th flight of Chinas Long March series of carrier rockets.”
via China launches two navigation satellites – Xinhua | English.news.cn.
China continues on its path to reduce reliance on Western hi-tech.
Related post: https://chindia-alert.org/2012/04/29/china-plans-national-unified-cpu-architecture/
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28/04/2012
New York Times: “The dramatic nighttime escape of a blind rights lawyer from extralegal house arrest in his village dealt a major embarrassment to the Chinese government and left the United States, which may be sheltering him, with a new diplomatic quandary as it seeks to improve its fraught relationship with Beijing.
The lawyer, Chen Guangcheng, one of the best-known and most politically savvy Chinese dissidents, evaded security forces surrounding his home this week and, aided by an underground network of human rights activists, secretly made his way about 300 miles to Beijing, where he is believed to have found refuge in the American Embassy, according to advocates and Chinese officials. An official in the Chinese Ministry of State Security on Friday said that Mr. Chen had reached the United States Embassy, but American officials would not confirm reports that Mr. Chen had found shelter there.
Mr. Chen’s escape represents a significant public relations challenge for the Chinese government, which has sought to relegate him to obscurity, confining him to his home in the remote village of Dongshigu and surrounding him with plainclothes security guards, even though there are no outstanding legal charges against him.
The case also poses a major new diplomatic test for the United States. In February, the Obama administration was thrust into an internal Chinese political dispute when Wang Lijun, the former top police official from the region of Chongqing, sought refuge in the American Consulate in Chengdu. Mr. Wang revealed details about the killing of a British businessman, setting off a cascade of events that led to the downfall of Bo Xilai, who was the party chief in Chongqing and a member of China’s Politburo. American diplomats said they had determined that Mr. Wang’s case did not involve national security, and he was turned over to Chinese officials, prompting criticism from some in Washington about their handling of the case. Both sides insist Mr. Wang left of his own accord.”
via Chinese Activist Chen Guangcheng Escapes House Arrest in China – NYTimes.com.
Posted in China alert, Diplomacy, Dissident, Freedom, Human rights, Justice, Political asylum |
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27/04/2012
New York Times: “Prime Minister Wen Jiabao said Thursday that China wanted to double trade with the countries of Central and Eastern Europe to $100 billion a year by 2015, and pledged billions in loans to help promote investment in the region.
Mr. Wen made the announcement at a gathering in Warsaw that brought together business and 
political leaders of countries stretching from the Baltics to the Balkans that are eager to do business with China, even as they struggle to overcome stereotypes still held by many in the region who associate the Chinese as makers of inexpensive toys and designer knock-offs.
Infrastructure, high technology and green technology are target areas for growth, Mr. Wen said, announcing that Beijing would set up a $10 billion line of credit to support investment in these specific industries. He also pledged an additional $500 million in funds to be made available to Chinese companies seeking to make first-stage investment in the region.”
via China Wants More Trade With Central and Eastern Europe – NYTimes.com.
China continues to woo everyone. And Mr Wen is making himself very busy in his final year in office.
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https://chindia-alert.org/political-factors/geopolitics-chinese/
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27/04/2012
Li Keqiang, Chinese politician (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
China Daily: “Visit covers Russia, Hungary, Belgium and EU headquarters
Business opportunities will emerge from the economic development of China and Russia and both countries will benefit from increasing prosperity and global influence, Vice-Premier Li Keqiang said on Thursday. “The two countries are in total agreement on this point,” Li said in a Russian newspaper article.
The vice-premier started a 10-day visit on Thursday, to promote trade and investment. He will visit Russia, Hungary, Belgium and EU headquarters in Brussels.”We view each others growth as opportunities because both nations share similar targets,” Li said.”
via Chinas vice-premier starts landmark European mission|Politics|chinadaily.com.cn.
The wooing continues unabated; Premier Wen visits Iceland, Sweden, Germany and Poland, then VP Li visits Russia, Hungary, Belgium and EU.
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27/04/2012
The Hindu: “As negotiations between Maoist- handpicked mediators and those of the Chhattisgarh government resumed on the second day to end the hostage crisis involving abducted Sukma
Flag used by many Communist Parties. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Collector Alex Paul Menon, Naxals on Friday made fresh demands for the release of nine of their jailed leaders. Chief Minister Raman Singh’s Principal Secretary N. Brijendra Kumar on Friday told PTI that the state government has received a fax from Naxals, demanding the release of a total of 17 Maoists.
Earlier, they had demanded release of eight of their comrades including two women besides asking the government to halt the anti-Maoist offensive “Operation Green Hunt” and sending security forces in Bastar to barracks. Meanwhile, official sources said that day two of mediators’ talks to secure the safe and early freedom of the 32-year-old IAS officer, resumed at the Pahuna guest house here, after Thursday’s negotiations, remained inconclusive.”
via The Hindu : News / National : Negotiations resume; Maoists make fresh demands.
As The Maoists have released the Italian hostages and the legislator in Orissa, signs are hopeful for the situation in Chhattisgarh, though the leadership may not be united.
Posted in Dissident, Ethnic clash, Freedom, Human rights, India alert, Inequalities, Justice |
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27/04/2012
New York Tines: “When China suddenly began cutting back its purchases of oil from Iran in the last month, officials in the Obama administration were guardedly optimistic, seeing the move as the latest in a string of encouraging signs from Beijing on sensitive security issues like Syria and North Korea, as well as on politically fraught economic issues like China’s exchange rate.
As with so many signals from Beijing, though, its underlying motives for reducing its imports of Iranian oil remain a mystery: Are the Chinese embracing Western sanctions? Or, as some experts suspect, are they trying to extract a better price from one of their main suppliers of crude? The answer is probably a bit of both, according to senior administration officials who acknowledge that they do not know for certain. But for the White House, which has labored to build a more constructive relationship with China, Beijing’s motives may matter less than the general direction in which it appears to be moving.”
via U.S. Is Seeing Positive Signs From Chinese – NYTimes.com.
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26/04/2012
Times of India: “Maoists on Thursday freed Laxmipur legislator Jhina Hikaka in Odishas Koraput district, over 500 km from the state capital, after holding him hostage for 33 days. This brought to an end the twin hostage crisis that had rocked the eastern state in March.
Map of India showing location of Orissa (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
At around 10: 30 am, Hikaka was received by wife Kaushalya along with Koraput-based lawyer Nihar Ranjan Patnaik besides hordes of media persons at Balipeta village in Narayanpatna block, which has a strong presence of Maoists and its frontal organization Chasi Muliya Adivaasi Sangh CMAS.
Earlier, Maoists had released Italian nationals Claudio Colangelo and Bosusco Paolo on March 25 and April 12 respectively after kidnapping them from the Kandhamal-Ganjam region on March 14. While the Sabyasachi Panda-led Odisha State Organising Committee had taken away the foreigners, the CPI Maoist Andhra-Odisha Border Special Zonal Committee AOBSZC had held the legislator captive.”
via Maoists treated me well, says freed Odisha MLA Jhina Hikaka – The Times of India.
Posted in Ethnic clash, Good news, India alert, Inequalities, Insurgency, unrest |
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