Kuala Lumpur | CHINDIA ALERT: You'll be living in their world, very soon

16/06/2016

India Makes It Easier for Local Airlines to Fly Overseas – India Real Time – WSJ

India’s federal government on Wednesday relaxed the criteria for domestic airlines to fly overseas as part of a new civil-aviation policy aimed at driving growth in the sector.

Local carriers will no longer be restricted by the number of years they have operated domestically to fly abroad, Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju said.

Until now, they were required to complete five years of domestic service and have at least 20 planes in operation before being permitted to fly overseas. The government scrapped the time requirement but carriers must still reach the same criterion for planes or deploy 20% of their fleet on domestic routes.

Newer carriers such AirAsia India Pvt.—the local joint venture of Malaysia-based AirAsia Bhd.—and Vistara—the Indian airline venture of Singapore Airlines Ltd., have been pushing for a relaxation of the rules.

The new National Civil Aviation Policy was welcomed by Amar Abrol, CEO of AirAsia India, which started operating in India in June 2014. “The NCAP gives us clear direction to ramp up our operations in India and grow our business in the domestic segment before we scale our operations to fly international,” he said in a statement.

Both AirAsia and Vistara will need to increase their fleets significantly to qualify for starting international flights. AirAsia now has six planes and Vistara has 11.

Source: India Makes It Easier for Local Airlines to Fly Overseas – India Real Time – WSJ

Posted in aviation, Economics, India alert | 1 Comment »

Tags: Boeing, CSC, Economic growth, Hewlett-Packard, Holoprosencephaly, International Civil Aviation Organization, Joint venture, Kuala Lumpur, Meg Whitman

07/08/2015

China’s Unsinkable Aircraft Carriers – China Real Time Report – WSJ

What should the U.S. do about China’s increased assertiveness in the South China Sea? As the Brookings Institution’s Michael O’Hanlon writes:

Beijing claims almost the whole sea—land formations, seabeds and open waters alike—and of late has been literally creating new facts on the ground, constructing 2,000 acres of artificial islands where only shoals or sand bars once existed. Beijing now says those efforts are nearly complete but acknowledges plans to place military assets on the islands, some of which may include substantial airfields.

Washington is deeply concerned and should continue pushing back against any Chinese enforcement of its “nine-dash line” claim to 85% of the region’s map. But the U.S. can’t stop China from building or modestly militarizing its new islands, nor should it try. Even if it rattles nerves from Tokyo to Manila, Hanoi and Washington, Beijing’s campaign is little more than an asymmetric way of establishing regional military presence—and one that even mimics American behavior over the years.

via China’s Unsinkable Aircraft Carriers – China Real Time Report – WSJ.

Posted in China alert, Military, Politics | 1 Comment »

Tags: artificial islands, Beijing, China, John Kerry, Kuala Lumpur, Land reclamation, Michael O’Hanlon, Sea lane, South China Sea, South East Asia, Territorial dispute

12/01/2015

“High-speed train tribe” grows with China’s expanding rail network – Xinhua | English.news.cn

China’s expanding high-speed train network and soaring property prices in big cities have seen the birth of the “high-speed train tribe,” a new set of commuters who travel to and from work by bullet train.

Starting Monday, Beijing will be connected to Yanjiao Town in neighboring Hebei Province via three bullet trains during morning and evening rush hours. The new trains are a high-speed alternative for white-collar workers in the town who are used to suffering on slow, cramped buses on their way to the capital city.

The trains, coded D9022, D9023 and D9024, will help Yanjiao commuters reach Beijing in only half an hour, much shorter than buses, which typically take an hour.

Yanjiao, only 30 kilometers away, has been dubbed the “town of sleep” because its residents often work in Beijing and return to sleep there at night. The town has 600,000 residents, a majority of whom work in Beijing.

The new rail routes came as welcome news to commuters in Yanjiao, many of whom said they will finally be spared the trouble of being crammed on overloaded buses. By 9 p.m. Sunday, all Monday morning train tickets to Beijing had been sold out, according to official statistics.

But the public remains divided on the issue.

via “High-speed train tribe” grows with China’s expanding rail network – Xinhua | English.news.cn.

Posted in China alert, commuting, Economics, railway | Leave a Comment »

Tags: Almaty, Beijing, bullet train, bullet trains, China, Hebei, International Olympic Committee, Kuala Lumpur, Lausanne, Liu Peng, Plant, train tickets, Zhangjiakou

12/03/2014

China tries a new role in the missing plane saga—Asia’s policeman – Quartz

In the aftermath of the March 8 disappearance of a Malaysia Airlines plane with 239 people on board, 153 of them Chinese nationals, Beijing is flexing its muscles. The Chinese government has dispatched two warships, 10 satellites, over 50 marines to the South China Sea, and—although the Malaysian government didn’t formally invite them—a 13-member delegation to advise search and rescue efforts from Kuala Lumpur.

The assertive response marks a new stage in China’s ascension as a regional superpower, a role the country hasn’t fully embraced despite its expanding military and trade power in East Asia. While China has made claims over disputed territory (in the air, the sea, and in passports), it has rarely deployed its military and officials in such a public way.

On March 10, Chinese officials said they had “a responsibility to demand and urge the Malaysia side to step up search efforts…and provide relevant information to China correctly and in a timely manner.” In response, the Malaysian government re-issued its pledge to fly Chinese relatives of the passengers on board to Malaysia.

China’s show of strength may simply be an effort to show angry Chinese families that their government is actively pushing for answers and participating in, if not leading, search operations. Chinese officials have already been pelted with water bottles thrown by the frustrated relatives of passengers. But the crisis is also an occasion for Beijing to continue what has been a decade-long expansion (pdf) of militarily and diplomatic engagement in Southeast Asia, a region that’s traditionally been part of the United States’ realm of influence.

Some observers have hailed the last few days of cooperation between the countries more accustomed to arguing over islands and shoals as a hopeful sign for future negotiations. But it’s not likely that China’s stance toward its neighbors has softened much over that time.

Just last week, Chinese officials said that peace in the region could only be “maintained by strength.” Part of that strength, it seems, involves an aggressive Chinese response when disaster strikes.

via China tries a new role in the missing plane saga—Asia’s policeman – Quartz.

Posted in Chindia Alert, GeoPolitics, Politics | Leave a Comment »

Tags: Beijing, China, chinese government, East Asia, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Malaysia Airline, Malaysia Airlines, Malaysian government, South China Sea, United States

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Chindia Alert: You’ll be Living in their World Very Soon

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India Makes It Easier for Local Airlines to Fly Overseas – India Real Time – WSJ

China’s Unsinkable Aircraft Carriers – China Real Time Report – WSJ

“High-speed train tribe” grows with China’s expanding rail network – Xinhua | English.news.cn

China tries a new role in the missing plane saga—Asia’s policeman – Quartz

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