Japan keeping an eye on China's naval development

The Varyag returns to port in Dalian after its eighth sea trial. (Photo/CNS)

The rise of China as a military power is a key point of concern in Japan's media as the issue of the disputed Diaoyu or Senkaku islands in the East China Sea continues to return to threaten ties between the two, reports Duowei News, an outlet run by overseas Chinese.
Kazuhiko Togo, a retired Japanese diplomat, said on July 4 that war between China and Japan is likely to happen sooner or later, leading to a series of related articles in Japanese media outlets on the modernization and development of the People's Liberation Army.
A detailed report on the Chinese navy was recently published by Ships of the World, a Japanese magazine, which discussed the Varyag, China's first aircraft carrier, as well as the number and specifications of other vessels in the Chinese fleet.
From the Chinese side, the attention brings comparisons with the first Sino-Japanese war from 1894-5, a clash between two relatively new naval powers.

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China vows to fight terrorists in Uighur

disclaimer: image is for illustration purposes only

On the anniversary of major ethnic violence, the top communist official of China's ethnic Uighur region vowed to strike down terrorists and separatists with "iron fists."
Zhang Chunxian, secretary of the Xinjiang committee of the Communist Party of China, said the situation in the northwest Xinjiang Uighur autonomous region is stable.
But the area faces "severe challenges," Zhang said.
"We should leave terrorists no place to hide."
Zhang was overseeing a counter-terrorism drill staged by special forces in the regional capital Urumqi to mark the anniversary of the July 2009 riots, a report by China's national news agency Xinhua said.

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China hacks Taiwan's coast guard

The first batch of Kuang Hua VI missile boats was completed in 2009. (File photo)

Firewall servers at Taiwan's coast guard security department were taken down by hackers in China last month, who gained access to more than 3,000 classified files. National security authorities are concerned that the securities of other government departments could also be at risk, reports our sister newspaper China Times.
The incident was the largest cyber attack the administration has experienced since it was established 11 years ago.
The attack was apparently not an isolated incident. Earlier last month, a notebook testing the strategies of the Kuang Hua VI class missile boat was lost with no explanation after the boat only a few months after the boat began operations. Many members of the public demanded to know why the navy did not pay enough attention to the security breach.
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China Beats Russia on Space Launches

File image.

For the first time in the history of space exploration, China beat Russia on the number of space launches in a given period of time, a rocket engine manufacturer said on Wednesday.
China conducted 10 of the world's total 35 launches in the first six months of 2012, Russia's NPO Energomash said on its website.
Russia was second with nine launches, followed by the United States with eight launches, the report said.
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China leader urges resistance against Western forces

China's top security official has urged the ruling Communist Party to resist Western "attacks" on the country's political and legal systems, in comments timed ahead of a 10-yearly leadership change.
Zhou Yongkang, one of China's top nine rulers and reputedly one of the most hardline, said the Communist Party must repel the "mistaken views" of Western political theorists.
"We will never change in our endeavour to defend the party's leading role and socialism with Chinese characteristics," he wrote in the latest edition of a Communist Party publication, "Qiushi".
"We will resolutely resist the attacks of hostile forces on our nation's political and judicial systems, and we will resolutely resist the influence of mistaken Western political and legal views."

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Spratlys become latest flashpoint in South China Sea

A Vietnamese fishing boat is apprehended by a Chinese fishery administration ship in the waters around the disputed Paracel islands. (Photo/Xinhua)

Following the standoff between China and the Philippines over Scarborough Shoal, the Spratly islands have become the latest flashpoint in the South China Sea with Chinese fishermen being expelled by Vietnamese authorities from their fishing grounds, reports China Economic Weekly, a news service run by the Communist Party mouthpiece People's Daily. The move comes amid renewed assertions of sovereignty by both sides and with Beijing offering oilfields for exploration in zones already under development by Vietnam in partnership with other countries.
Ye Shaoming, a fisherman, said Vietnamese gunboats have been driving Chinese fishermen away from the waters around the Spratlys. "We never knew that we had crossed the border," said Ye, "We only knew that we were still in Chinese territorial waters." For Ye and his colleagues, the waters around the Spratlys are seen as the fishing ground left to them by their ancestors.
"The Vietnamese attacked us with water guns," said Wang Yongguo, another Chinese captain, "If we didn't leave as they told us, they may fire warning shots in the air."
"The only tactic we can use when spotting Vietnamese boats is to run," said Ye. "We never stop because we know more troubles will come if we are caught." Ye's boat and other two Chinese fishing vessels were caught by Vietnamese authorities in 2008, and they together were fined about 100,000 yuan (US$15,800).
While the China Economic Weekly piece claims Chinese fishermen have treated Vietnamese fishermen well in the past, the story from the Vietnamese side may be different. A commentary written by Lien Hoang for Asia Times Online based in Hong Kong said territorial disputes between the two sides have unified public opinion in Vietnam against Chinese aggression. Though the Vietnamese language and culture historically bear strong influence from China, the country's public generally views the conflict as more bullying from a former colonial power — Vietnam had been part of the Chinese empire in antiquity for around 1,000 years.
For both China and Vietnam, the dispute over the South China Sea is not only about fishing but also about resources, as more than 20 billion tons of oil and gas lie are believed to lie beneath the waves. Beijing has recently declared that nine oilfields in the South China Sea which contain 23-30 billion tons of high-quality oil are to opened up by state-owned oil giant China National Offshore Oil for bids from foreign investors. The areas overlap with oilfields claimed by Vietnam, which have been jointly developed for years in partnership with India, Russia and Exxon Mobile.
China last week also announced the establishment of Sansha City, an administrative region set up to oversee the three archipelagos of the Spratlys, Paracels and Macclesfield Bank. Sovereignty over all three is disputed, with other claimants to all or part also including Taiwan, the Philippines, Malaysia and Brunei.
Because of the ongoing disputes, a return of the US Navy to Vietnam's Cam Ranh Bay has become a distinct possibility after Leon Panetta, the US defense secretary, declared that 60% of America's naval power will be deployed to the Asia-Pacific region by 2020. Ironically, given their past conflict, relations between the United States and Vietnam have become closer to counter the growing expansion and influence of China in the region.

Source :http://www.wantchinatimes.com

Indian navy's IT system attacked by Chinese hackers

The nuclear submarine INS Arihant is based at the Eastern Naval Command. (Internet photo)

Sensitive data has been stolen from the computers of India's Eastern Naval Command by Chinese hackers, reports our sister Chinese-language newspaper Want Daily.

Bugs were reportedly planted by the hackers in three computers of the Eastern Naval Command based at Visakhapatnam for passing sensitive information through a Chinese IP address between this January and February.

In addition to serving as a base for the Indian navy's nuclear submarine INS Arihant to undergo its sea trials, the Eastern Naval Command is also responsible for the operations of the Indian navy in the South China Sea, a region where China has ongoing territorial disputes with several of its neighbors, though India is not one of them. A spokesman for the Indian navy stated that the incident has nothing to do with the Arihant, but that the materials stolen by the hackers are related to other projects of the Eastern Naval Command.

A board of inquiry has been set up to investigate six officers over the leak, the second case in which the IT systems of the Indian navy have come under attack this year. Four naval officers from the technical branch were tried by another board of inquiry earlier this year for sharing sensitive information on social networking sites including Facebook.

Source :http://www.wantchinatimes.com

U.S. exempts China, Singapore from sanctions over purchase of Iran oil

The U.S. plans to impose sanctions on financial institutions of countries that deal with Iran's central bank. (File photo)

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The United States on Thursday exempted China and Singapore from sanctions over purchases of oil from Iran, hours before restrictions would have entered into force against their banks.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said in a statement that China and Singapore had “significantly reduced” their crude oil purchases from Iran, joining most major economies in receiving exemptions from the new U.S. law.

Under a law aimed at pressing Iran over its nuclear program, the United States after Thursday will impose sanctions on financial institutions of countries that deal with Iran's central bank, which handles the country's main export.

Clinton credited the threat of sanctions with severely cutting Iran’s crude oil exports and estimated that it cost the country some $8 billion in lost revenue each quarter.

“Their cumulative actions are a clear demonstration to Iran’s government that Iran's continued violation of its international nuclear obligations carries an enormous economic cost,” she said in a statement.

Clinton exempted members of the European Union and Japan in March and on June 11 made the same exceptions for India, Malaysia, South Africa, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Turkey and Taiwan.

But the United States waited until the last minute to exempt China and Singapore, with U.S. officials holding weeks of talks with the two Asian nations on the issue.

Israel and some Western officials fear that Iran is pursuing a nuclear weapon. The clerical regime insists that its sensitive nuclear work is for peaceful purposes.

“I urge Iran to demonstrate its willingness to take concrete steps toward resolving the nuclear issue during the expert-level talks scheduled in Istanbul” on Tuesday, Clinton said in the statement.

“Failure to do so will result in continuing pressure and isolation from the international community,” she said.

 Source :AFP

U.S. exempts China, Singapore from sanctions over purchase of Iran oil

The U.S. plans to impose sanctions on financial institutions of countries that deal with Iran's central bank. (File photo)

inShare

The United States on Thursday exempted China and Singapore from sanctions over purchases of oil from Iran, hours before restrictions would have entered into force against their banks.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said in a statement that China and Singapore had “significantly reduced” their crude oil purchases from Iran, joining most major economies in receiving exemptions from the new U.S. law.

Under a law aimed at pressing Iran over its nuclear program, the United States after Thursday will impose sanctions on financial institutions of countries that deal with Iran's central bank, which handles the country's main export.

Clinton credited the threat of sanctions with severely cutting Iran’s crude oil exports and estimated that it cost the country some $8 billion in lost revenue each quarter.

“Their cumulative actions are a clear demonstration to Iran’s government that Iran's continued violation of its international nuclear obligations carries an enormous economic cost,” she said in a statement.

Clinton exempted members of the European Union and Japan in March and on June 11 made the same exceptions for India, Malaysia, South Africa, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Turkey and Taiwan.

But the United States waited until the last minute to exempt China and Singapore, with U.S. officials holding weeks of talks with the two Asian nations on the issue.

Israel and some Western officials fear that Iran is pursuing a nuclear weapon. The clerical regime insists that its sensitive nuclear work is for peaceful purposes.

“I urge Iran to demonstrate its willingness to take concrete steps toward resolving the nuclear issue during the expert-level talks scheduled in Istanbul” on Tuesday, Clinton said in the statement.

“Failure to do so will result in continuing pressure and isolation from the international community,” she said.

 Source :AFP

United Technologies Fined $75 Million for Military Exports to China

Pratt & Whitney Canada Corp., a Canadian subsidiary of Connecticut-based defense contractor United Technologies, has pleaded guilty to violating the Arms Export Control Act and has settled with the U.S. government for $75 million.
The company admitted June 28 to making false statements in connection with its illegal export to China of U.S. software used in the development of China’s military attack helicopter, the Z-10.
“We accept responsibility for these past violations and we deeply regret they occurred,” United Technologies CEO Louis Chenevert said in a statement. “As a supplier of controlled products and technologies to the Department of Defense and other domestic and international customers, we are committed to conducting business in full compliance with all export laws and regulations.”
Of the settlement money, roughly $20 million will be paid to the Justice Department, with the remaining $55 million going to the State Department. According to the Justice Department, up to $20 million of the payment could be suspended if United Technologies uses it for remedial compliance measures.
“This global settlement will ensure immediate, comprehensive and effective remedial action across the company’s many operating units and subsidiaries,” said Andrew Shapiro, assistant secretary of state for political-military affairs. “It also sends a clear message: Those who willfully violate U.S. arms export control laws will be pursued and punished.”
The United States has prohibited export of all U.S. defense articles to China as a result of the Chinese military’s action to suppress public protests in Tiananmen Square in 1989.
In the meantime, China began building an attack helicopter under the guise of a civilian helicopter program so that it could gain assistance from Western suppliers, according the Justice Department.
Pratt & Whitney decided on its own that it could sell engines for the Chinese Z-10 program without an export license because they were identical to engines the company was already supplying China for a commercial helicopter.
However, engine software, built by another United Technologies subsidiary named Hamilton Sundstrand Corp., had been modified for a military application and therefore was considered a defense article, requiring an export license.
However, Pratt & Whitney decided to export the software to China without a license anyway.
According to court documents, the company knew in 2000 that the Z-10 program’s aim was to develop an attack helicopter and that supplying it with U.S. parts would be illegal. Pratt & Whitney failed to notify its parent company — United Technologies — about the attack helicopter program, according to the Justice Department.
The company’s hope was that work on the attack helicopter would “open the door to a far more lucrative civilian helicopter market in China,” the Justice Department said.
When an investigation was opened in 2006, the company admitted to knowing about the military helicopter program in 2003 or 2004, not in 2000 when it had first become aware.
The Z-10 is now in production and being fielded by the People’s Liberation Army of China.

Source :http://www.defensenews.com

United Technologies Fined $75 Million for Military Exports to China

Pratt & Whitney Canada Corp., a Canadian subsidiary of Connecticut-based defense contractor United Technologies, has pleaded guilty to violating the Arms Export Control Act and has settled with the U.S. government for $75 million.
The company admitted June 28 to making false statements in connection with its illegal export to China of U.S. software used in the development of China’s military attack helicopter, the Z-10.
“We accept responsibility for these past violations and we deeply regret they occurred,” United Technologies CEO Louis Chenevert said in a statement. “As a supplier of controlled products and technologies to the Department of Defense and other domestic and international customers, we are committed to conducting business in full compliance with all export laws and regulations.”
Of the settlement money, roughly $20 million will be paid to the Justice Department, with the remaining $55 million going to the State Department. According to the Justice Department, up to $20 million of the payment could be suspended if United Technologies uses it for remedial compliance measures.
“This global settlement will ensure immediate, comprehensive and effective remedial action across the company’s many operating units and subsidiaries,” said Andrew Shapiro, assistant secretary of state for political-military affairs. “It also sends a clear message: Those who willfully violate U.S. arms export control laws will be pursued and punished.”
The United States has prohibited export of all U.S. defense articles to China as a result of the Chinese military’s action to suppress public protests in Tiananmen Square in 1989.
In the meantime, China began building an attack helicopter under the guise of a civilian helicopter program so that it could gain assistance from Western suppliers, according the Justice Department.
Pratt & Whitney decided on its own that it could sell engines for the Chinese Z-10 program without an export license because they were identical to engines the company was already supplying China for a commercial helicopter.
However, engine software, built by another United Technologies subsidiary named Hamilton Sundstrand Corp., had been modified for a military application and therefore was considered a defense article, requiring an export license.
However, Pratt & Whitney decided to export the software to China without a license anyway.
According to court documents, the company knew in 2000 that the Z-10 program’s aim was to develop an attack helicopter and that supplying it with U.S. parts would be illegal. Pratt & Whitney failed to notify its parent company — United Technologies — about the attack helicopter program, according to the Justice Department.
The company’s hope was that work on the attack helicopter would “open the door to a far more lucrative civilian helicopter market in China,” the Justice Department said.
When an investigation was opened in 2006, the company admitted to knowing about the military helicopter program in 2003 or 2004, not in 2000 when it had first become aware.
The Z-10 is now in production and being fielded by the People’s Liberation Army of China.

Source :http://www.defensenews.com

Two-thirds of Americans see China as a military threat: poll

Chinese soldiers on the training ground. (File photo/Xinhua)

Nearly 70% of Americans consider China's emergence as a military power to be a serious or potential threat, according to the results of a 2012 survey on US-China relations.
The US-China Public Perceptions Opinion Survey 2012, conducted by the Committee of 100, a Chinese-American group focused on addressing issues in Sino-American relations, polled 4,153 people from China and 1,400 people from the US.
The survey found that in the US, 67% of the public, 81% of business leaders and 85% of opinion leaders believed China's growing military power was a serious or potential threat to the US. On the other hand, the proportion of Americans who view China as little or no threat rose from 20% in 2007 to 30% in 2012.
Fifty-eight percent of the Chinese public feel that China will become the world's leading superpower in the future, although two out of every three Chinese people also feel that the US is attempting to prevent this from becoming a reality.
On the current status of US-China relations, around half of the US respondents felt there had been no change since 2007, although the number of people who say it is improving has declined. In China, only business leaders feel that US-China relations are improving.
The American public seems fairly split on whether the US or Chinese government is mostly to blame for worsening relations, although two-thirds of the Chinese public blamed the US government.
The main concern for the Chinese public in 2012 is corruption, followed by jobs and the economy, income inequality and social security, the elderly and poverty. For Chinese opinion leaders, the decline in morality, the Taiwan issue and energy consumption were considered the three biggest issues for concern.
Predictably, both the American and Chinese public and elites held a high degree of skepticism regarding the other nation's media reporting of their own country. Perhaps more surprisingly, Americans and Chinese are also skeptical about their own nation's media reporting of the other country, although almost half of the Chinese public think their country's media reports about the US are accurate.
Respondents from both countries remain divided over whether or not to trust the other side. For the US to trust China, American elites believe pragmatic actions are required, such as focusing on improving transparency, human rights issues, fair trade, intellectual property protection and fair currency policy. Chinese elites, on the other hand, emphasized enhancing communication and cooperation, domestic economic development, trade, political reform and open government.
For China to trust the US, American elites highlighted the need to enhance communication, understand cultural differences and improve fair trade, the trade deficit and diplomatic cooperation. Similarly, Chinese elites urged better communication and cooperation, non-interference in Chinese internal matters, reduced political posturing, respecting and understanding China, and avoiding strong-arm politics.
Despite the lack of mutual trust, the survey's respondents generally held reasonably favorable views of the other country. About 55% of the American public held a favorable or somewhat favorable view of China, while about 59% of the Chinese public held a similarly positive view of the US.
Other surveys have been less optimistic. A study from the Pew Research Center, an American thinktank, found only 40% of US respondents held a positive attitude towards China in 2012, down from 51% in 2007.
Another study conducted by Gallup and China Daily found that 42% of Americans liked China compared to 44% who said they disliked China, although more than half of respondents between the ages of 18 and 34 had a positive image of the country.

Source :http://www.wantchinatimes.com

Two-thirds of Americans see China as a military threat: poll

Chinese soldiers on the training ground. (File photo/Xinhua)

Nearly 70% of Americans consider China's emergence as a military power to be a serious or potential threat, according to the results of a 2012 survey on US-China relations.
The US-China Public Perceptions Opinion Survey 2012, conducted by the Committee of 100, a Chinese-American group focused on addressing issues in Sino-American relations, polled 4,153 people from China and 1,400 people from the US.
The survey found that in the US, 67% of the public, 81% of business leaders and 85% of opinion leaders believed China's growing military power was a serious or potential threat to the US. On the other hand, the proportion of Americans who view China as little or no threat rose from 20% in 2007 to 30% in 2012.
Fifty-eight percent of the Chinese public feel that China will become the world's leading superpower in the future, although two out of every three Chinese people also feel that the US is attempting to prevent this from becoming a reality.
On the current status of US-China relations, around half of the US respondents felt there had been no change since 2007, although the number of people who say it is improving has declined. In China, only business leaders feel that US-China relations are improving.
The American public seems fairly split on whether the US or Chinese government is mostly to blame for worsening relations, although two-thirds of the Chinese public blamed the US government.
The main concern for the Chinese public in 2012 is corruption, followed by jobs and the economy, income inequality and social security, the elderly and poverty. For Chinese opinion leaders, the decline in morality, the Taiwan issue and energy consumption were considered the three biggest issues for concern.
Predictably, both the American and Chinese public and elites held a high degree of skepticism regarding the other nation's media reporting of their own country. Perhaps more surprisingly, Americans and Chinese are also skeptical about their own nation's media reporting of the other country, although almost half of the Chinese public think their country's media reports about the US are accurate.
Respondents from both countries remain divided over whether or not to trust the other side. For the US to trust China, American elites believe pragmatic actions are required, such as focusing on improving transparency, human rights issues, fair trade, intellectual property protection and fair currency policy. Chinese elites, on the other hand, emphasized enhancing communication and cooperation, domestic economic development, trade, political reform and open government.
For China to trust the US, American elites highlighted the need to enhance communication, understand cultural differences and improve fair trade, the trade deficit and diplomatic cooperation. Similarly, Chinese elites urged better communication and cooperation, non-interference in Chinese internal matters, reduced political posturing, respecting and understanding China, and avoiding strong-arm politics.
Despite the lack of mutual trust, the survey's respondents generally held reasonably favorable views of the other country. About 55% of the American public held a favorable or somewhat favorable view of China, while about 59% of the Chinese public held a similarly positive view of the US.
Other surveys have been less optimistic. A study from the Pew Research Center, an American thinktank, found only 40% of US respondents held a positive attitude towards China in 2012, down from 51% in 2007.
Another study conducted by Gallup and China Daily found that 42% of Americans liked China compared to 44% who said they disliked China, although more than half of respondents between the ages of 18 and 34 had a positive image of the country.

Source :http://www.wantchinatimes.com

China spacecraft set to return to Earth Friday

A Chinese spacecraft with three astronauts aboard will return to Earth Friday after a nearly two-week mission that included the country's first manual docking in orbit, state media said.
The Shenzhou-9 will return to Earth around 10:00 am (0200 GMT) on Friday, the state Xinhua news agency said Thursday, quoting an unnamed space programme official.
China launched the spacecraft carrying three crew, including the country's first female astronaut, from the remote Gobi desert in the nation's northwest on June 16.
The Shenzhou-9 manually linked with the Tiangong-1 space module in orbit on Sunday, the key goal of the mission and a milestone in an ambitious programme to build a space station by the end of the decade.
China's rulers sees the space programme as a symbol of the country's rising global stature, growing technical expertise and the Communist Party's success in turning around the fortunes of the once poverty-stricken nation.
The spacecraft had docked automatically early in its mission, but mastering manual docking is necessary as a back-up to reduce risk.
The manoeuvre -- successfully completed by the Americans and Russians in the 1960s -- involves two vessels orbiting Earth at thousands of kilometres (miles) per hour coming together gently to avoid destroying each other.
In preparation for the return, the Shenzhou-9 on Thursday separated from the Tiangong-1, where the astronauts had been living, Xinhua said.
The spacecraft will land by parachute in the northern Chinese region of Inner Mongolia, which has been used for all previous missions, and forecasters say the weather will be suitable, according to Xinhua.
China's first woman in space, Liu Yang, has been hailed as a national heroine with her every move followed excitedly in the Chinese media and on the country's popular microblogs.
The other astronauts are team leader Jing Haipeng and Liu Wang, who performed the manual docking.

Source :http://www.spacedaily.com

China spacecraft set to return to Earth Friday

A Chinese spacecraft with three astronauts aboard will return to Earth Friday after a nearly two-week mission that included the country's first manual docking in orbit, state media said.
The Shenzhou-9 will return to Earth around 10:00 am (0200 GMT) on Friday, the state Xinhua news agency said Thursday, quoting an unnamed space programme official.
China launched the spacecraft carrying three crew, including the country's first female astronaut, from the remote Gobi desert in the nation's northwest on June 16.
The Shenzhou-9 manually linked with the Tiangong-1 space module in orbit on Sunday, the key goal of the mission and a milestone in an ambitious programme to build a space station by the end of the decade.
China's rulers sees the space programme as a symbol of the country's rising global stature, growing technical expertise and the Communist Party's success in turning around the fortunes of the once poverty-stricken nation.
The spacecraft had docked automatically early in its mission, but mastering manual docking is necessary as a back-up to reduce risk.
The manoeuvre -- successfully completed by the Americans and Russians in the 1960s -- involves two vessels orbiting Earth at thousands of kilometres (miles) per hour coming together gently to avoid destroying each other.
In preparation for the return, the Shenzhou-9 on Thursday separated from the Tiangong-1, where the astronauts had been living, Xinhua said.
The spacecraft will land by parachute in the northern Chinese region of Inner Mongolia, which has been used for all previous missions, and forecasters say the weather will be suitable, according to Xinhua.
China's first woman in space, Liu Yang, has been hailed as a national heroine with her every move followed excitedly in the Chinese media and on the country's popular microblogs.
The other astronauts are team leader Jing Haipeng and Liu Wang, who performed the manual docking.

Source :http://www.spacedaily.com

Beijing steps up presence to assert South China Sea claims

Ships from the Chinese fishery administration anchored at the dock. (File photo/CNS)

China has been increasing its presence to reassert its territorial claims over islands in the South China Sea, setting up administrative offices and deploying more patrol ships in the region.
On June 21, the Chinese government established the administrative region of "Sansha City" to cover the Paracel and Spratly islands as well as Macclesfield Bank and designated four areas on the Paracels as cultural heritage protection zones, according to Duowei, a media outlet operated by overseas Chinese.
State-owned oil giant China National Offshore Oil also opened up nine oilfields for bids from foreign investors recently, seeking joint exploration of the region's resources, said to contain 23-30 billion tons of high-quality oil. The areas overlap with oilfields claimed by Vietnam, which have been jointly developed for years with India, Russia and Exxon Mobile, says Do Van Hau, CEO of Vietnam National Oil and Gas Group, according to Hong Kong-based news agency Phoenix New Media.
The move of the Chinese oil company is considered a response to the "requests" of Vietnam over the sovereignty and exploration rights over the region, said Duowei. Beijing insists that the islands belong to China and that any dispute over sovereignty should be set aside for joint development — in other words, that it maintains its claims over the area but will consider sharing economic interests with other countries, said Qiao Liangshao, the deputy general secretary of the country's Council for National Security Policy Studies.
At the same time, Beijing has been stepping up its military presence in the region. The state oceanic administration has planned to dispatch 83 surveillance ships capable of carrying helicopters to conduct regular patrols over the maritime area.
"China's navy should play a more important role in protecting our fishing boasts and territory. We can not protect our fishing boats with fishery administration and surveillance ships," said Luo Yuan, a PLA major general and a researcher with the PLA Military Science Academy. The general, known for his hawkish views, sees the sovereignty disputes over the sea as "testing strategies" on the part of neighboring countries, who are trying to see whether an emergent China will back down on disputes as in the past.
China has deployed a fleet of 17 tank-landing ships and nine guided missile destroyers in the South China Sea, the largest of its three fleets, according to Duowei.
Luo said China will use force if neighboring countries go too far but "will give peace a chance if it is still possible to resolve disputes peacefully."
China has conflicting territorial claims in the South China Sea with Taiwan, the Philippines, Malaysia, Vietnam and Brunei. A recent standoff between China and the Philippines in the area of the disputed Scarborough Shoal threatened to spiral out of control with tensions and nationalistic sentiment in both countries running high.

Source :http://www.wantchinatimes.com

Beijing steps up presence to assert South China Sea claims

Ships from the Chinese fishery administration anchored at the dock. (File photo/CNS)

China has been increasing its presence to reassert its territorial claims over islands in the South China Sea, setting up administrative offices and deploying more patrol ships in the region.
On June 21, the Chinese government established the administrative region of "Sansha City" to cover the Paracel and Spratly islands as well as Macclesfield Bank and designated four areas on the Paracels as cultural heritage protection zones, according to Duowei, a media outlet operated by overseas Chinese.
State-owned oil giant China National Offshore Oil also opened up nine oilfields for bids from foreign investors recently, seeking joint exploration of the region's resources, said to contain 23-30 billion tons of high-quality oil. The areas overlap with oilfields claimed by Vietnam, which have been jointly developed for years with India, Russia and Exxon Mobile, says Do Van Hau, CEO of Vietnam National Oil and Gas Group, according to Hong Kong-based news agency Phoenix New Media.
The move of the Chinese oil company is considered a response to the "requests" of Vietnam over the sovereignty and exploration rights over the region, said Duowei. Beijing insists that the islands belong to China and that any dispute over sovereignty should be set aside for joint development — in other words, that it maintains its claims over the area but will consider sharing economic interests with other countries, said Qiao Liangshao, the deputy general secretary of the country's Council for National Security Policy Studies.
At the same time, Beijing has been stepping up its military presence in the region. The state oceanic administration has planned to dispatch 83 surveillance ships capable of carrying helicopters to conduct regular patrols over the maritime area.
"China's navy should play a more important role in protecting our fishing boasts and territory. We can not protect our fishing boats with fishery administration and surveillance ships," said Luo Yuan, a PLA major general and a researcher with the PLA Military Science Academy. The general, known for his hawkish views, sees the sovereignty disputes over the sea as "testing strategies" on the part of neighboring countries, who are trying to see whether an emergent China will back down on disputes as in the past.
China has deployed a fleet of 17 tank-landing ships and nine guided missile destroyers in the South China Sea, the largest of its three fleets, according to Duowei.
Luo said China will use force if neighboring countries go too far but "will give peace a chance if it is still possible to resolve disputes peacefully."
China has conflicting territorial claims in the South China Sea with Taiwan, the Philippines, Malaysia, Vietnam and Brunei. A recent standoff between China and the Philippines in the area of the disputed Scarborough Shoal threatened to spiral out of control with tensions and nationalistic sentiment in both countries running high.

Source :http://www.wantchinatimes.com

Russia Looking at China S-400 Deliveries in 2017

S-400 Triumph air defense system

Russia will start exports of the S-400 Triumph air defense missile systems to China no earlier than 2017, a source in the defense industry told RIA Novosti on the condition of anonymity.
“An export version of the S-400 Triumph air defense missile will have been developed by 2017 with the Chinese to be the first clients,” the source said.
Russia currently has four S-400 regiments - two in the Moscow region, one in the Baltic Fleet and one in the Eastern Military District.
By 2020, Russia is to have 28 S-400 regiments, each comprised of two battalions, mainly in maritime and border areas.
In early June, Russian Defense Ministry said there were no plans to export the S-400, which will be produced only for the Russian Armed Forces.
The S-400 Triumph, which succeeds the Soviet-era S-300, is a medium- to long-range surface-to-air missile system that can effectively engage any aerial target, including aircraft, unmanned aerial vehicles, and cruise and ballistic missiles at up to 400 kilometers and an altitude of up to 30 kilometers.

S-400 Triumf air missile defense system

Source :http://en.rian.ru

Russia Looking at China S-400 Deliveries in 2017

S-400 Triumph air defense system

Russia will start exports of the S-400 Triumph air defense missile systems to China no earlier than 2017, a source in the defense industry told RIA Novosti on the condition of anonymity.
“An export version of the S-400 Triumph air defense missile will have been developed by 2017 with the Chinese to be the first clients,” the source said.
Russia currently has four S-400 regiments - two in the Moscow region, one in the Baltic Fleet and one in the Eastern Military District.
By 2020, Russia is to have 28 S-400 regiments, each comprised of two battalions, mainly in maritime and border areas.
In early June, Russian Defense Ministry said there were no plans to export the S-400, which will be produced only for the Russian Armed Forces.
The S-400 Triumph, which succeeds the Soviet-era S-300, is a medium- to long-range surface-to-air missile system that can effectively engage any aerial target, including aircraft, unmanned aerial vehicles, and cruise and ballistic missiles at up to 400 kilometers and an altitude of up to 30 kilometers.

S-400 Triumf air missile defense system

Source :http://en.rian.ru

Beijing offers South China Sea oilfields for joint development

The platform 981 in the South China Sea. (Photo/Xinhua)

China National Offshore Oil, one of the country's three main state oil companies, has opened up nine areas of the South China Sea to foreign partners for joint development, the first time in 20 years that the country has planned oil exploration in the controversial area, where it has disputing territorial claims with other countries.
The areas in question are close to Vietnam, especially Wan'an Bank that contains abundant natural gas and oil resources. Vietnam has been exploring the area which may overlap with those China has opened, said professor Li Jinming at Xiamen Nanyang University, according to National Business Daily, a Chinese-language news website.
The South China Sea is said to contain 23 billion to 30 billion tons of high-quality oil.
At a press conference on Sunday, Chinese foreign affairs spokesman Hong Lei said opening up these areas is part of the oil company's operations and is in line with Chinese law and international customs. As to how would this might influence ties with Hanoi, the spokesman said China stands by its sovereignty claim and will try to resolve its dispute with Vietnam though negotiation and seek joint exploration.
Vietnam has explored oil resources in partnership with other countries in the past. In the 1970s, it partnered with energy groups in the United States and the Soviet Union to excavate four oilfields which have generated huge profits since then, according to International Finance News, a Chinese-language news agency which is a subsidiary of the state-run People's Daily.
China's previous attempt to explore oil resources in South China Sea have been unsuccessful however. In 1992, China National Offshore Oil signed a contract with Crestone Energy Cooperation of the US to explore an oilfield near Wan-an Bank but Vietnam intervened as the area was connected to an oilfield it was already developing.
In May this year, China built the oil rig 981 in the South China Sea, the country's first deepwater platform in the area. The platform can also be used like an aircraft carrier to help China assert its sovereignty over the area in addition to its economic interests, said professor Li, according to National Business Daily.

Source :http://www.wantchinatimes.com