People’s Liberation Army | CHINDIA ALERT: You'll be living in their world, very soon

26/06/2013

College Grads: The PLA Wants You!

BusinessWeek: “Over the past decade, China has invested significantly in higher education—and roughly quadrupled the number of students graduating college annually, to about 7 million. Unfortunately, demand for diploma-holders in China hasn’t kept pace, and the bleak job prospects of the class of 2013 are a frequent source of lament on Weibo, China’s Twitter. Even the state-run Global Times newspaper, usually known for patriotic boosterism, recently printed a depressing chart suggesting that the number of available new positions for graduates has actually been declining.

Delegates from Chinese People's Liberation Army pose for photos outside the Great Hall of the People

One institution is expanding its efforts to recruit college graduates: the People’s Liberation Army. The Beijing News has reported on a change in hiring policy that took effect on June 24. In addition to increased financial compensation, army recruits who have graduated from universities in Beijing will be eligible for permanent Beijing residence cards, called hukous, after they complete their tours of duty and find other jobs in the city. The sought-after hukou is required to purchase an apartment or send children to school in Beijing—in short, to set down permanent roots in the city. In recent years the government has been allocating fewer new hukous for private employers to grant employees in China’s over-crowded capital.

The PLA is aiming to upgrade the caliber of recruits. “Many of the skills and specialties that the PLA needs can only be obtained by attracting civilian college graduates,” says Andrew Scobell, an expert on China’s military at RAND. While joining the army has long been an appealing option for rural students with limited schooling or career choices, it’s been a hard sell among educated urbanites. “The PLA continues to have a tough time attracting well-educated recruits with skills the military needs,” says Scobell. “These new [hiring] policies underscore this ongoing challenge” and also “take advantage of the opportunities presented by the tougher job market for college graduates.”

Beijing is home to China’s leading universities, including Peking University and Tsinghua University—often dubbed the Harvard and MIT of China, respectively. Whether or not the PLA’s recruitment policy will be extended to students in other cities remains to be seen.

via College Grads: The PLA Wants You! – Businessweek.

Posted in China alert, Economics, PLA, unemployment | 1 Comment »

Tags: army recruits, Beijing, China, diploma holders, liberation army, People's Liberation Army, PLA, Tsinghua University, universities in beijing

03/06/2013

China not disputing Japan sovereignty over Okinawa

Reuters: “China does not dispute Japanese sovereignty over Okinawa and recent comments in Chinese newspapers merely reflects the views of some academics, a senior Chinese military leader said on Sunday.

China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) Deputy Chief of General Staff, Lieutenant General Qi Jianguo, adjusts his headset before speaking at the fourth plenary session of the 12th International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) Asia Security Summit: The Shangri-La Dialogue, in Singapore June 2, 2013. REUTERS/Edgar Su

“China’s position has not changed… Scholars can put forth any idea they want and they do not represent the views of the Chinese government,” the deputy chief of general staff of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army, Lieutenant General Qi Jianguo, told delegates at a security conference in Singapore.

China’s state-owned People’s Daily last month published an article by two academics that said Okinawa was part of an island chain that used to be a vassal of imperial Chinese dynasties before it was annexed by Japan in the 19th century, implicitly asserting Chinese claims over the island.

Okinawa, host to the bulk of up to 50,000 U.S. military personnel in Japan, is the largest island in the Ryukyu chain, which extends south towards Taiwan.

China is already involved in a tense dispute with Japan over the latter’s move last year to nationalise the nearby Senkaku islets, which the Chinese call Diaoyu, which sits astride key shipping lanes and undersea energy resources.

That row has escalated in recent months to the point where both sides have scrambled fighter jets while patrol ships shadow each other in nearby seas, raising worry that an unintended collision or other incident could lead to a broader clash.”

via China not disputing Japan sovereignty over Okinawa | Reuters.

China Continues To Lay Claims To Okinawa (warnewsupdates.blogspot.com)
Chinese general says Okinawa does not belong to Japan (japandailypress.com)
* China mouthpiece claims rights over Okinawa (chindia-alert.org)
Now China Says It Owns Okinawa, Too (businessinsider.com)
People’s Daily hints Beijing may press claim to Okinawa (wantchinatimes.com)
Japan Protests Chinese Report Questioning Sovereignty of Okinawa (voanews.com)

Posted in China alert, Foreign invasion, GeoPolitics, History, Neighbour conflict, Politics, Territorial dispute | Leave a Comment »

Tags: China, Japan, Okinawa, Okinawa Prefecture, People's Liberation Army, Ryukyu Islands, Senkaku Islands

10/05/2013

* Mao Zedong’s granddaughter among China’s richest people

SCMP: “Mao Zedong’s granddaughter has become one of China’s richest people, according to an annual ranking of the nation’s richest 500.

Kong Dongmei, right, granddaughter of the father of Communist China, Mao Zedong

Kong Dongmei, the granddaughter of the founder of the People’s Republic and his third wife He Zizhen, along with her husband Chen Dongsheng have the combined wealth of five billion yuan (HK$6.3 billion), putting them at number 242 in the annual ranking by the Guangdong-based New Fortune magazine.

Their marriage has only become publicly known last year. It was rumoured the couple of 15 years could only marry after Chen divorced his previous wife in 2011.

Chen is the founder of China’s first national auction house Guardian and the country’s fourth largest insurance house Taikang.

“The House of Mao will never engage in business,” Mao’s only known grandson Mao Xinyu, a major general in the People’s Liberation Army, reportedly pledged, perhaps to avoid suspicion of exploiting the illustrious ancestor for personal gain.

Xinyu’s comments came at a time when China was debating the legacy and business ties of disgraced Chongqing Party Secretary Bo Xilai, himself the son of one of the founding fathers of Communist China, Bo Yibo.

Mao Xinyu is Kong’s half-brother. His grandmother Yang Kaihui was Mao’s second wife. Both Kong and Mao Xinyu have written books titled My Grandpa Mao.

In stark contrast to their aristocratic background, the man who topped the list of China’s richest, Zong Qinghou, started his career as a salt harvester in Zhejiang province.

With an estimated wealth of 70 billion yuan, the co-founder of the Wahaha beverages group has 14-times the wealth of the Great Helmsman’s offspring.”

via Mao Zedong’s granddaughter among China’s richest people | South China Morning Post.

Posted in China alert, Economics, Politics | Leave a Comment »

Tags: Chen Dongsheng, China, Communist China, great helmsman, He Zizhen, illustrious ancestor, Mao Xinyu, Mao Zedong, People's Liberation Army, Yang Kaihui, Zong Qinghou

03/05/2013

* Seven key messages from India to China

Let us hope some of these seven messages are heard by Indian policy-makers.

How China may use current crisis to extract big concessions from India (ndtv.com)

Posted in China alert, Chindia Alert, Defence, Diplomacy, Foreign invasion, GeoPolitics, History, India alert, Neighbour conflict, peace keeping, Politics, Territorial dispute, war | Leave a Comment »

Tags: Beijing, China, India, Ladakh, Line of Actual Control, People's Liberation Army, Premier of the People's Republic of China

25/04/2013

* Xi Jinping orders generals and senior PLA officers to serve as privates

SCMP: “Chinese generals and senior officers will have to serve as the lowest-ranking soldiers for at least two weeks under a measure by President Xi Jinping to shake up the military and boost morale.

Xi, as the nation’s commander-in-chief, issued the order over the weekend, which the Ministry of National Defence publicised on its website.

It dictates that officers with the rank of lieutenant-colonel or above must serve as privates – the lowest-ranking soldier – for not less than 15 days. Generals and officers will have to live, eat and serve with junior soldiers during the period.

They need to provide for themselves and pay for their own food. They must not accept any banquet invitation, join any sight-seeing tours, accept gifts or interfere with local affairs

“They need to provide for themselves and pay for their own food. They must not accept any banquet invitation, join any sight-seeing tours, accept gifts or interfere with local affairs,” said the directive, which covers both the People’s Liberation Army and the People’s Armed Police.

Leaders of regiment- and brigade-level units have to serve on the front line once every three years. Division- and army-level commanders must serve once every four years. Top leaders from army headquarters and military districts will do so once every five years.

The measure recalls a similar shake-up launched by Mao Zedong in 1958. Mao at the time famously said all military leaders should serve as foot soldiers for a month every year.

He used the chance to strengthen his control of the military and forced many powerful marshals and generals into retirement or exile.”

via Xi Jinping orders generals and senior PLA officers to serve as privates | South China Morning Post.

PLA generals go for the money, and Xi Jinping raises no objections (worldtribune.com)

Posted in China alert, Defence, Military, Politics | Leave a Comment »

Tags: Beijing, China, chinese generals, liberation army, Mao Zedong, National People's Congress, People's Liberation Army, politics, Xi JinPing

16/04/2013

* China issues white paper on national defense

China Daily: “China on Tuesday issued a white paper on national defense elaborating its new security concept and peacetime employment of armed forces.

Members of the People's Liberation Army guard of honour, 15 April 2013

The document, the eighth of its kind issued by the Chinese government since 1998, says China advocates a new security concept featuring mutual trust, mutual benefit, equality and coordination, and pursues comprehensive security, common security and cooperative security.

“China will never seek hegemony or behave in a hegemonic manner, nor will it engage in military expansion,” the white paper says.

According to the document, China will build a strong national defense and powerful armed forces which are “commensurate with China’s international standing and meet the needs of its security and development interests.”

The paper warns that China still faces multiple and complicated security threats and challenges.

The issues of subsistence and development security and traditional and non-traditional threats to security are interwoven, the document says.

“Therefore China has an arduous task to safeguard its national unification, territorial integrity and development interests,” it says.

The paper elaborates on the country’s diversified employment of the armed forces in peaceful times, saying that it responds to China’s core security needs and aims to maintain peace, contain crises and win wars.

Chinese armed forces are employed to safeguard borders, coastal and territorial air security and they will strengthen combat-readiness and combat-oriented exercises and drills, it says.

And they will readily respond to and resolutely deter any provocative action which undermines China’s sovereignty, security and territorial integrity.

Transparency move

In this paper, the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) for the first time reveals the actual number of army, navy and air force servicemen, designations of its army combined corps and the main missile lineup.

China now has about 850,000 army servicemen in 18 combined corps and additional independent combined operational divisions (brigades), according to the paper.

The combined corps, composed of divisions and brigades, are respectively under seven military area commands.

Currently, the PLA Navy has a total strength of 235,000 officers and men, and commands three fleets — the Beihai Fleet, the Donghai Fleet and the Nanhai Fleet.

The PLA Air Force now has about 398,000 officers and men and an air command in each of the seven military area commands of Shenyang, Beijing, Lanzhou, Jinan, Nanjing, Guangzhou and Chengdu. In addition, it boasts one airborne corps.

The PLA Second Artillery Force, the country’s core force for strategic deterrence, is composed of nuclear and conventional missile forces and operational support units, according to the paper.

It is equipped with a series of “Dong Feng” ballistic missiles and “Chang Jian” cruise missiles.

It also has under its command missile bases, training bases, specialized support units, academies and research institutions.”

via China issues white paper on national defense |Politics |chinadaily.com.cn.

Posted in China alert, Defence, Military, peace keeping, Politics, Territorial dispute, terrorism, Transparency, war | 1 Comment »

Tags: Beijing, China, Military, People's Liberation Army, People's Liberation Army Navy, United States

18/03/2013

* Taiwan to aim missiles at China

News.com.au: “TAIWAN is set to produce 50 medium-range missiles next year that will target military bases in southeast China, a media report says.

Taiwan Missiles

The article on Monday came after former defence minister Michael Tsai revealed in a recently published book that the island successfully created medium-range guided missiles that could be used against rival China back in 2008.

The “Yun Feng” (Cloud Peak) missile has been developed by the state-run Chung-shan Institute of Science and Technology and each has a range of over 1,000 kilometres, said the Taipei-based China Times, citing unnamed military sources.

The missiles will be deployed in the mountains in central Taiwan from next year to aim at military targets, including airports and missile bases, along China’s southeastern coast, the report said.

Taiwan has been researching missiles of this type to counter threats from China after it fired missiles near the island in 1996, according to the report.

It added that the “Yun Feng” project was developed with the help of an unidentified European country.

The defence ministry declined to comment on Monday’s report but it has condemned Tsai’s revelations, saying they could endanger national security.

Taiwanese experts estimate China’s People’s Liberation Army currently has more than 1,600 missiles aimed at the island.

Tensions with China have eased since Ma Ying-jeou became Taiwan’s president in 2008 on a Beijing-friendly platform.

However, China still refuses to renounce the possible use of force against the island in its long-stated goal of re-taking Taiwan, which has ruled itself since the end of a civil war in 1949.

via Taiwan to aim missiles at China | News.com.au.

Posted in China alert, Defence, Military, Politics, Technology | Leave a Comment »

Tags: Beijing, China, Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology, medium range missiles, Missile, People's Liberation Army, politics, Taiwan

07/12/2012

* PLA signs preliminary deal for 24 Russian Su-35 jet fighters

Rare admission that China’s technology may not be up to it.

South China Morning Post: “A preliminary deal for the sale of 24 advanced Russian Su-35 jet fighters to the People’s Liberation Army indicates the technological hurdles China faces in developing its own J-20, especially in terms of engine technology, military analysts say.

Mainland and Russian media reported last month that Beijing might purchase 24 Su-35s, an updated version of the fourth generation Su-27, for US$1.5 billion. The deal was first proposed by Moscow two years ago.

Beijing expressed interest in purchasing only four Su-35s last year, but that was rejected by Moscow, which had originally expected China to buy 48 planes, Moscow’s Vedomosti business daily quoted an official from Russia’s Federal Service for Military and Technical Co-operation as saying.

It also quoted Igor Korotchenko, head of the Russian Defence Ministry’s public council, as saying Moscow also asked Beijing to sign an agreement not to make copies of the Su-35.

A Beijing-based PLA senior colonel, who requested anonymity, said: “We decided to buy the Su-35 because it’s a fact that our home-made engines have failed to measure up to the Russian products.”

He said China was still playing catch-up, despite recent headlines hailing its progress on military modernisation.

“Engines have been the biggest headache and we are still trying to cope with it,” he said. “The purchase of the Su-35s might help our J-20 project, but there are too many deeper problems hiding in our military industrial system that are hindering our research and development.””

via PLA signs preliminary deal for 24 Russian Su-35 jet fighters | South China Morning Post.

MURPHY’S LAW: Russia Kind Of Trusts China Again (strategypage.com)
Here’s The Real Reason Why China May Have Bought A Bunch Of Russian Jets (businessinsider.com)
The mistakes by US defense analysts – Wendell Minnick (chinaherald.net)

Posted in China alert, Military, Politics | Leave a Comment »

Tags: Beijing, China, Moscow, People's Liberation Army, Russia, Soviet Union, Sukhoi Su-35

02/09/2012

* Asian giants seek better ties; China defence minister in India

The Times of India: “A rare visit to India by China’s defence minister should help avoid flare-ups along the border between the nuclear-armed Asian giants at a time when Beijing is grappling with a change of leadership and friction in the South China Sea.

Chinese Minister of National Defense General Liang Guanglie stands on a balcony overlooking the campus of the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, New York, May 10, 2012. REUTERS/Mike Segar

But General Liang Guanglie‘s trip — the first by a Chinese defence minister in eight years — also highlights growing competition between the two emerging powers as they jostle for influence and resources across Asia.

Liang is due to arrive in Mumbai on Sunday afternoon after stopping in Sri Lanka, the island nation off the south coast of India that sits on vital ocean trade routes.

There he sought to play down Indian fears that China is threading a “string of pearls” — or encircling it by financing infrastructure and military strength in neighbours stretching from Pakistan to the Maldives.

“China attaches great importance to its relations with the South Asian nations, and commits itself to forging harmonious co-existence and mutually beneficial and win-win cooperation with them,” he said in speech to Sri Lankan soldiers.

“The PLA’s (People’s Liberation Army) efforts in conducting friendly exchanges and cooperation with its counterparts in the South Asian nations are intended for maintaining regional security and stability and not targeted at any third party.”

As neighbours and emerging superpowers, India and China have a complex relationship. Trade has grown at a dizzying rate but Beijing is wary of India’s close ties to Washington and memories of a border war with China half a century ago are still fresh in New Delhi.

Despite 15 rounds of high level talks to resolve the dispute about where their Himalayan border lies, neither side is close to giving up any territory. Liang is not expected to broach the territorial issue on his trip.

Analysts say Liang’s India tour will demonstrate that Beijing is managing the often twitchy relations with its neighour just ahead of its once-in-a-decade leadership transition.”

via Asian giants seek better ties; China defence minister in India – The Times of India.

Tags: Beijing, China, India, Liang Guanglie, New Delhi, People's Liberation Army, politics

01/08/2012

* Chinese military maintains world peace

Xinhua: “China’s Ministry of National Defense says the Chinese People’s Liberation Army makes an important contribution to maintaining world peace and regional stability.

Speaking at a press conference, spokesman Geng Yansheng says the PLA has established military level relations with over 150 countries and set up defense consultation dialogue mechanisms with defense ministries and armed forces 22 countries.

China has taken part in more than 50 joint exercises with armed forces of over 30 countries. All these have helped PLA boost friendly relations and mutual trust with their counterparts.

Geng Yansheng, Spokesman, Ministry of National Defense, said, “The PLA has actively taken part in the UN peacekeeping program. In total, it has contributed more than 20,000 personnel to conduct 23 UN peace keeping missions. This has made China the largest contributing country among the five permanent members of UN security council. It has successfully completed UN mandated peacekeeping missions, such as cease fire monitoring, conflict resolution, supplying transportation and offering medical support.””

via Chinese military maintains world peace – Xinhua | English.news.cn.

China opposes military intervention in South China Sea: Xinhua (english.kyodonews.jp)
China Deploying “Military Garrison” to South China Sea? (thediplomat.com)
CSIS: Chinese Military Modernization and Force Development (foreignpolicyreview.org)
Japan’s National Defense Report Upsets Neighbors And Warns Of Chinese Military Growth (ibtimes.com)

Posted in China alert, GeoPolitics, Good news, peace keeping, Politics | Leave a Comment »

Tags: China, Peacekeeping, People's Liberation Army, PLA, politics

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

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College Grads: The PLA Wants You!

China not disputing Japan sovereignty over Okinawa

* Mao Zedong’s granddaughter among China’s richest people

* Seven key messages from India to China

* Xi Jinping orders generals and senior PLA officers to serve as privates

* China issues white paper on national defense

* Taiwan to aim missiles at China

* PLA signs preliminary deal for 24 Russian Su-35 jet fighters

* Asian giants seek better ties; China defence minister in India

* Chinese military maintains world peace

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