Chindia Alert: You’ll be Living in their World Very Soon
aims to alert you to the threats and opportunities that China and India present. China and India require serious attention; case of ‘hidden dragon and crouching tiger’.
Without this attention, governments, businesses and, indeed, individuals may find themselves at a great disadvantage sooner rather than later.
The POSTs (front webpages) are mainly 'cuttings' from reliable sources, updated continuously.
The PAGEs (see Tabs, above) attempt to make the information more meaningful by putting some structure to the information we have researched and assembled since 2006.
Image copyright WEIBO/SCREENSHOTImage caption The female passenger is seen here with her fingers in a V pose, also known as the peace sign
A Chinese pilot has been banned from flying after a photo went viral showing a female passenger in the cockpit.
The photo was taken in January on an Air Guilin flight from Guilin city to Yangzhou city, state media said, but was widely shared this week – causing the airline to take action.
It shows a woman posing in the cockpit with refreshments laid out next to her.
Air Guilin said in a statement the pilot had violated air safety regulations.
‘Thanks to the captain’
The incident took place on 4 January on flight GT1011 from Guilin city to Yangzhou city, according to state media outlet The Global Times.
But it was brought to the airline’s attention on Sunday after screenshots of the alleged passenger’s post started being shared widely on micro-blogging site Weibo.
The post showed the woman making a V sign with her fingers – a popular pose in China – with the photo captioned: “Thanks to the captain. So happy.”
The pilot, who was not named, has been banned from flying for life, though it is unclear if he was fired from all roles by the airline.
Air Guilin said in a statement that he had “violated [regulations] by allowing irrelevant personnel into the cockpit”.
According to the Civil Aviation Administration of China, passengers are not allowed to enter the cockpit without special approval or under “necessary” circumstances.
Other staff members involved in the incident have also been “suspended indefinitely” while further investigations are held.
“Passengers’ safety is always Air Guilin’s priority. We take a zero-tolerance approach against any inappropriate and unprofessional behaviour that might risk the aviation safety,” the Chinese carrier said.
Last year, Chinese carrier Donghai Airlines suspended a pilot for six months and revoked his qualifications as a flight instructor after he allowed his wife to go inside the cockpit.
Rear Admiral Ma Weiming is seen as pioneer of electromagnetic aircraft launch system
Experts say Ma’s full membership of Central Committee shows how important sea power is to China’s strategic planning
An artist’s impression of China’s third aircraft carrier, the Type 002, which will incorporate an electromagnetic aircraft launch system developed by Rear Admiral Ma Weiming and his team. source: Photo: Handout
China’s Communist Party has elevated the senior naval engineer behind the development of a hi-tech launch system for the country’s next aircraft carriers, showing China’s ambition to increase its naval power.
Rear Admiral Ma Weiming, who is seen as the pioneer of China’s electromagnetic aircraft launch system (EMALS), was named as a full member, from alternate member, of the party’s Central Committee at the party plenary meeting which ended on Thursday.
The plenum sessions – attended by more than 300 full and alternate members of the Central Committee – provide an opportunity for the party’s most senior members to discuss and forge consensus on key policy issues.
Rear Admiral Ma Weiming (right) has been elevated to full membership of the Communist Party’s Central Committee. Photo: SCMP
Li Jie, a Beijing-based military specialist, said the move showed China’s ambition to continue expanding its naval military power.
“Ma’s promotion signals that Beijing will devote more resources to developing strategic military hardware like large warships and assault landing ships,” he said.
The EMALS is regarded as a breakthrough for the People’s Liberation Army, as it will enable China’s second home-grown aircraft carrier – known as the Type 002 – to launch larger jets with bigger payloads on longer missions.
The system could result in fuel savings of up to 40 per cent. With a higher launch energy capacity, it will also be more efficient than steam catapults, allowing for improvements in ease of maintenance, increased reliability, and more accurate end-speed control and smoother acceleration.
Why Chinese submarines could soon be quieter than US ones
Ma, who comes from Yangzhou in eastern Jiangsu province, graduated from the PLA Naval University of Engineering in Wuhan in 1987 and earned a PhD in electrical engineering from Beijing’s Tsinghua University in 1996.
A specialist in maritime propulsion, electrical engineering and related fields, he has mentored more than 400 masters and doctoral students at the naval university.
He and his team have often been recognised for their work as greater emphasis has been put on research and development amid the country’s military modernisation.
China’s first home-built carrier will use steam catapults and a ski-jump deck to launch aircraft. Photo: Handout
Ma has twice won the National Science and Technology Progress Award and in 2015 was awarded the science and technology achievement prize by the Hong Kong-based Ho Leung Ho Lee Foundation.
According to news reports, in the 1980s Ma spotted a potential flaw with an electrical component China planned to buy from overseas to use on its submarines that would have made the vessels easier to detect. Though the manufacturer denied any such problem, Ma spent five years tweaking the product so that submarines fitted with the part became harder to spot.
Three catapult launchers spotted in image of China’s new aircraft carrier
Beijing-based military expert Zhou Chenming said Ma’s promotion could be seen as a national endorsement of his work on EMALS.
“Ma was elected as a Central Committee member because the party and the country recognise the strategic importance of his work as China is expanding into a naval power with a huge maritime interest to protect,” he said.
Zhou, however, said Ma’s promotion was made two years ago, but he could not be formally made a full member until a vacancy opened up this year.
NEW YORK, May 11 (Xinhua) — An opera featuring the famous monk Jianzhen of China’s Tang Dynasty (618-907 A.D.) will be presented at New York City’s Lincoln Center next month, according to local theatrical sources.
Based on true history, “Voyage To The East – A Fearless Buddhist Master’s Mission To Japan” told the story of monk Jianzhen, who started sailing to Japan in 742 A.D., but only succeeded in 754 A.D. after five failed attempts. Apart from spreading Buddhism, he also introduced Chinese art, medicine and craftsmanship to Japan, thus becoming a highly respected figure in both nations.
Famous Chinese-American opera singer Tian Haojiang plays Jianzhen in the opera. Tian reportedly has had over 1,400 performances of some 50 roles in all major opera houses worldwide. In order to better depict the role, Tian lived with real monks for some time in Daming Temple of east China’s Yangzhou city, where Jianzhen had stayed before embarking on his journey to Japan.
Produced by China’s Jiangsu Performing Arts Group, the opera’s score is a fusion of modern opera with the original sound of the Japanese koto, the zither, the Chinese guzheng, temple blocks and Buddhist chants.
The opera will be staged on June 22 to 23 at the David H. Koch Theatre of the Lincoln Center.
Image copyright WEIBO/SCREENSHOT
CHINDIA ALERT: You'll be living in their world, very soon 