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Macedonian defense minister meets senior Chinese military official
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Macedonian Defense Minister Zoran Konjanovski on Wednesday met with Ma Xiaotian, deputy chief of the General Staff of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army. Konjanovski hailed the smooth development of military ties between the two countries in recent years, noting that exchanges and cooperation have been expanding in professional fields and personnel training. Ma arrived in the Macedonian …
By english.people.com.cn
China’s arms show debut reflects rising confidence
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The debut of Chinese military equipment at a European defense trade fair this week signals a more confident China that wants a bigger share of the world munitions market, analysts said.
By asianewsnet.net
Gates: Iran 1-3 years from nuclear weapon
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U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates says Iran could have the material to develop a nuclear weapon in one to three years. Gates says the forecast is based on intelligence estimates, and he emphasized it does not include the time it would take Iran to develop an actual weapon and a way to fire it. He made the comments Friday after a meeting of NATO defense ministers in Brussels. Gates also said he …
By politicom.moldova.org
China exhibits at French defense trade show
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Chinese tanks and other military equipment are on show for the first time at the Eurosatory defense trade fair outside Paris, as state-owned Chinese companies seek to tap new markets.
By biz.yahoo.com
Chinese DM vows to enhance defense exchanges with Japan from china-defense-mashup.com
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Jun.11 (China Military News cited from xinhua) — Chinese Defense Minister Liang Guanglie said Friday in Beijing that China will work with Japan to boost mutual trust in security affairs and reinforce bilateral defense exchanges.
“This will help with the growth of China-Japan strategic and mutually-beneficial relations,” Liang said when meeting with a delegation of Japanese military officers and the Sasakawa Japan-China Friendship Fund.
Hailing the sound development of China-Japan relations, Liang said Premier Wen Jiabao’s successful visit to Japan recently injected new vitality into bilateral ties.
Sailors from PLA Navy and Japan JMSDF in training
Liang also spoke highly of the non-government-organized exchange programs between Chinese and Japanese young military officers, expressing hope such programs will further boost bilateral defense exchanges.
The programs have been conducted for ten years by the Sasakawa Japan-China Friendship Fund and the China Institute for International Strategic Studies.
Under the framework, more than 180 Chinese military officers have visited Japan and over 110 Japanese officers have visited China.
Yohei Sasakawa, head of the delegation and chairman of the Nippon Foundation, said the exchange programs plays an important role in enhancing bilateral exchange and cooperation in the defense sector.
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China’s national defense capability not to challenge any country: Chinese military official from china-defense-mashup.com
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June.04 (China Military News cited from Xinhua) — The development of China’s national defense capabilities is not aimed at challenging, threatening or invading any other country, but to maintain its own security, a senior Chinese military official said here on Saturday.
Ma Xiaotian, deputy chief of the General Staff of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army pointed out at the 9th International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) Asian Security Summit that some people still view China’s development with suspicion, worrying that China will seek expansion and hegemony when it becomes strong, as some western countries did.
Chinese Stealth Fighter’s Imagination Picture
“The development of China’s national defense capabilities is not aimed at challenging, threatening or invading any other country, but at, first and foremost, maintaining its own security, ” Ma said.
Ma noted that every country should combine its own interests of its own people with shared interests of people around the world, and its own national security with the common security with the international community.
Only common development can guarantee sustainable development for all, and only common security is truly sustainable security, which has been implemented by China in the practice of foreign strategy, Ma said.
“We believe maintaining security in the Asia-Pacific region serves China’s interest, and it is also China’s responsibility,” Ma said, adding that China has the responsibility to make greater contribution to regional peace and prosperity and it is willing to do so.
The 9th International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) Asian Security Summit, the Shangri-La Dialogue, is held in Singapore from June 4-6. Delegations from 28 countries and regions, with more than 300 delegates including defense ministers, chiefs of defense staff, and other senior security policy-makers, attended the summit.
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Chinese delegation meets Pakistan top military leadership, discusses defense cooperation from china-defense-mashup.com
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May.23 (China Military News cited from onlinenews.com.pk) — A Chinese delegation headed by General Liang Guangile, Minister of Defence and State Councilor of China, called on Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani at General Headquarters on Sunday.
Defense cooperation between the two countries and other matters of mutual interest came under discussion during the meeting.
The Chinese defense minister alongwith Ambassador Lou Zhaohui and other members of delegation also called on General Tariq Majid, Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC) at Joint Staff Headquarters and exchanged views on regional security situation, bilateral defence relations, measures to enhance military to military cooperation and other matters of mutual interest.
Admiring China’s spectacular economic growth, technological modernization and rapid national development, CJCSC said that China as a vibrant power in global politics and global economy is playing crucial stabilization role in many regions of the world, and especially thanked China for its proactive role in socio economic development and strategic stability of Pakistan.
Terming Pak – China relations as unique, he said that these are solidly anchored on convergence of strategic interests, high degree of mutual trust and are driven by an abiding interest in progress and prosperity of each other as well as promotion of peace and stability in the region. Tariq Majid said that Pakistan – China relations are a classic example of military diplomacy providing solid foundation and continued momentum to strong interstate relations.
The Chinese defense minister lauded the Pakistani people, government and the Armed Forces for their valiant struggle against terrorism and violent extremism. Assuring China’s continued support in diverse fields he reciprocated the desire to bolster bilateral defence collaboration and said that not only the defence ties have been effectively institutionalized, their scope and content have been progressively expanding to include regular defence and security dialogue, mutually beneficially training cooperation, exchange programmes, intelligence sharing, military hardware procurements and defence industrial joint ventures. He also discussed specific measures to give greater depth to this relationship.
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China Opens Missile Plant In Iran from chinesemil.blogspot.com
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China inaugurated a missile plan in Iran last month, even as the United States and its allies were pressing Beijing to support a new round of tough economic sanctions on the Islamic Republic over its nuclear program, Jane’s Defense Weekly reports.
It’s a military relationship that goes back two decades and, in light of Russia’s reluctance to provide the Iranians with advanced air-defense missile system to counter possible U.S. or Israeli airstrikes, is set to expand.
Robert Hewson, editor of Jane’s Air-Launched Weapons, reported that the factory for assembling and producing Iran’s Nasr-1 — Victory 1 — anti-ship missile was opened March 7.
The Nasr is identical to China’s C-704 anti-ship missile, Hewson says. Iran’s burgeoning defense industry, much of it controlled by the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, has been producing Chinese-designed anti-ship missiles such as the C-801 since the early 1990s.
The C-704, developed by China Aerospace Group, targets ships of 1,000-4,000 tons displacement and is the equivalent of the U.S. AGM-119 anti-ship missile. With a range of 106 miles and a 240-pound warhead, the C-704 has a kill probability of 95.7 percent.
The Iranians, possibly with Chinese assistance, have even developed improved versions such as the Noor, an upgraded version of China’s C-802, with a longer range than the original and over-the-horizon capabilities.
Indeed, Hewson observed that “Iran has gone further than China in fielding the C-802, taking what was previously a land- and ship-launched weapon and producing an air-launched version that can be carried by Mi-17 helicopters and fast-jet types.”
Over the years Iran has developed a range of anti-ship missile systems from the Chinese weapons that gives the Islamic Republic’s regular navy and the IRGC’s naval arm the capability to exert a considerable degree of control over waters in the Gulf and the Arabian Sea.
This is the area from which U.S. naval forces would strike if hostilities erupt.
On Saturday, the IRGC concluded its annual three-day Great Prophet exercises in the Strait of Hormuz, the choke point gateway to the Gulf and a key energy artery, in a show of defiance against the United States.
The Nasr is a medium-range weapon that can be launched from warships or shore batteries and its development and planned mass production has been trumpeted by Tehran at a time when Iran’s military forces are making preparations to counter possible attacks.
“In a methodical and deceptively modest manner China has helped Iran take charge of all its surrounding waters and this work between the two nations continues,” Hewson reported.
“Follow-on versions of the Nasr are being developed to include an air-launched variant.
“There are other cooperative tactical missile programs under way and China’s design bureaus have displayed several ‘export only’ weapons (such as the C-705 lightweight cruise missile) that would seem set to follow the established route into Iran,” Hewson added.
“With such a solid relationship established between the two countries it is not difficult to see why China has been reluctant to commit to the Western push for sanctions against Iran.”
China, ever hungry for energy sources to fuel its expanding economy, imports around 12 percent of its oil from Iran and seeks to secure Iranian natural gas through overland pipelines — another reason it has shown little enthusiasm for new U.N. sanctions on Iran.
Hewson said no Chinese envoys were seen at the opening of the Nasr factory conducted by Iran’s hard-line defense minister, Brig. Gen. Ahmad Vahidi, but the event marked “another milestone in the continuing military/industrial bond between the two countries.”
Hewson observed that unlike Russia, China “has been very successful in offering Iran technology and capabilities that are actually wanted, as opposed to those that might be ‘nice to have.’
“A path has been found through the factions within Iranian officialdom (and its armed forces) to deliver products that build trust in Beijing. In return, China gains influence with Tehran that can be parlayed into access to Iran’s natural resources.”
While these Chinese-origin systems have provided Iran with invaluable missile technology, this has had little or no impact on the development of its ballistic missile capabilities.
“Iran’s strategic weapons can only (ultimately) involve it in a losing battle with the United States,’ Hewson concluded, “but its tactical weapons have already altered the regional balance of power in a much more practical way.”
http://www.officialwire.com/main.php?action=posted_news&rid=134573
By polaris
Why Gates Is Right to Worry About U.S. Iran Strategy
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Analysis: Comments attributed to the Defense Secretary highlight an inconvenient truth — the Administration’s sanctions effort is unlikely to change Tehran’s behavior
By news.yahoo.com
China’s military highlights information security from china-defense-mashup.com
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April.05 (China Military News cited from Xinhua) — China’s Central Military Commission has issued a set of guidelines aimed at developing a comprehensive system upgrading military information security, a statement from the commission said Monday.
Approved by Hu Jintao, Chairman of the Central Military Commission, the Guidelines on Enhancing Military Information Security under New Situations set out an overall arrangement to advance military information security work by “tackling critical issues” facing China’s armed forces.
Improvement of military information security is a requirement for the modernization of China’s national defense and military buildup, said the guidelines.
The document stressed the importance of enhancing organizational bodies, working mechanisms, specialized personnel and technical safety to realize improved information security in the ranks. It gave priority to network security and electromagnetic safety as two major working areas, among others.
Military officers and solders should receive proper education to get prepared for military information security against the new backdrop, said the guidelines.
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China, ASEAN to hold defense and security dialogue Monday (People’s Daily)
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China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) will hold a dialogue meeting on defense and security matters in Beijing from March 29 to 31, China’s National Defense Ministry said Friday. Officials and scholars from the two sides will discuss regional defense and security issues during the dialogue sponsored by the Academy of Military Sciences of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army …
By us.rd.yahoo.com
Iran’s link to China includes nukes, missiles from china-defense-mashup.com
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Mar.17 (China Military News cited from WASHINGTON TIMES and written by Reuben F. Johnson) — Recent developments in Iran confirm that China is providing Tehran with critical defense technologies and weapons systems, including some that violate stated Chinese policies aimed at preventing nuclear proliferation.
The disclosure of Chinese military aid comes as the Obama administration is trying to persuade Beijing to join other members of the U.N. Security Council, European Union member states and major non-aligned states such as Brazil to adopt a new set of tough sanctions to punish Iran for its nuclear-arms program.
Proliferation of defense industrial know-how and brain power from Russia, Ukraine and other former Soviet republics to Iran — specifically advanced anti-ship missiles, nuclear technology and ballistic-missile designs — has been at the top of U.S. government concerns since the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991.
KD-88 missile and JH-7A attacker
One of the more recent issues is the expected delivery to Iran of state-of-the-art Almaz-Antei S-300 air-defense missiles systems under a contract originally signed in 2005 between Teheran and Russia’s Rosoboronexport (ROE), the state-run arms-export agency.
The U.S., Israel and others have objected to Russian S-300 deliveries on the grounds that the missiles will significantly improve Iran’s surface-to-air missile network and reduce the chances — if deemed necessary at some point — of successful air strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities.
Iran has made little effort to disguise what analysts say is a modern-day “underground railroad” of Russian and Ukrainian scientists who traveled to the Islamic state on what were officially deemed “tourist” visits or to attend scientific conferences with benign themes.
In reality, the scientists are engaged in assisting numerous Iranian weapons-development programs.
A CIA report to Congress made public in 2009 states that assistance from Chinese and Russian entities “has helped Iran move toward self-sufficiency in the production of ballistic missiles.”
Some of this Russian assistance has produced results for Iran, such as the Shafaq fighter/attack aircraft, which has been traced back to aircraft designs developed many years before at the Mikoyan Design Bureau and other aeronautical research centers of the former Soviet Union.
But, over the longer term, Moscow’s most significant contribution was encouraging Western nations to concentrate inordinately on the proliferation of people, technology, equipment and skills from Russia and Ukraine to Iran.
The diversion has made it easier for China to supply the Iranians with a number of weapons — and the industrial capacity to manufacture them — without drawing much attention.
YJ-62A land-based anti-ship missile
Last week, Iran’s naval forces announced test firings of two basic models of anti-ship missiles — a short-range design called the Nasr-1 and Nasr-2 (the two different designs use different types of guidance systems), and a longer-range missile called the Nour.
According to reports from both the Iranian IRIB TV news network and the pro-government Borna news agency, the Nasr-1 and -2 missiles are not only in service with the Iranian military, but there is now a production line in Iran that has the country’s Aerospace Industries Organization turning these weapons out in large numbers.
The Nour, which has a range greater than 60 miles, is also produced in Iran and analysts said there is a new version of the missile in development with triple the current range.
According to missile specialists, both weapons were originally developed and built in China, and have been advertised as being in service with the Chinese armed forces.
The Nour is known in China as the C-802 anti-ship cruise missile, and the Nasr is a design that was developed specifically for Iran by China’s Hongdu Aviation Group at the beginning of this decade. It has undergone several name changes and configuration alterations, resulting in two competing designs: the China Aerospace Science and Industry Corp. (CASIC) weapon designated C-704 and the Hongdu TL-2.
China’s history of cooperation with Iran in defense industrial technology dates back almost to the first days of the Islamic Revolution of 1979.
Chinese arms specialists remain among the world’s best experts at reverse-engineering foreign weapons, and have produced large numbers of copies of Russian-design weapon systems for decades.
Chinese engineers used that experience to teach Iranian industry how to fabricate parts for Iran’s U.S.-made systems inherited during the time of the shah, when Tehran could no longer purchase spares due to the U.S. embargo that remains in place today.
The result is an Iran that can today produce aircraft, missiles, defense electronic systems and various other weapon systems on its own.
The same week as the missile launches, Iran’s air force announced it has formed the first squadron of Iranian-manufactured Saeqeh, or Thunderbolt, fighter aircraft.
The aircraft is a modified version of the old Northrop F-5 fighter that first saw service in the Vietnam War, but it has some subtle differences, including a new twin vertical tail. It is another conventional-weapons capability that Iran built with Chinese development assistance.
These and other Iranian-Chinese programs may end up having a cumulative effect on the security balance in the region that outweighs the Russian S-300 deal.
But, by far the most alarming transfer of defense technology was an illegal sale made last year to Iran of 108 pressure transducers. Nuclear specialists said these items, which are also known as capacitance diaphragm gauges, would only have been purchased in such large numbers in order to be used to monitor the processing of the gas centrifuges Iran is operating to produce enriched, weapons-grade uranium.
These pressure transducers are in theory prohibited for sale to Iran, but a lengthy investigative report by the Associated Press bureau in Taipei has proved that by using backdated paperwork and false end-user certificates, Chinese agents were able to set up an elaborate daisy chain to conceal the true destination of these components.
The Swiss manufacturers of these components were told that the transducers, which were ordered by its Taiwan-based sales agent, were intended for shipment to Shanghai.
Export licensing paperwork was altered to change the destination to Tehran, where they were received by an Iranian company.
According to the AP, the transaction for the transducer gauges, at first, seemed aboveboard. A Jan. 24, 2009, purchase order shows that Roc-Master Manufacture & Supply Company ordered the gauges for delivery to its Shanghai base. The order — in the amount of $112,303.72 — was placed with Heli-Ocean Technology Co. Ltd., the Taiwanese agent for Swiss manufacturer Inficon Holding AG.
On Feb. 6, Heli-Ocean received an initial payment from Roc-Master and placed an order with Inficon for the transducers, documents show.
Then the situation changed. Roc-Master issued a revised purchase order, backdated to Jan. 24, instructing Heli-Ocean to ship the transducers not to Shanghai, but to the Tehran airport. The consignee was named as Moshever Sanat Moaser, an Iranian company described on its Web site as a provider of specialty alloys and industrial parts.
David Albright from the Institute for Science and International Security in Washington, and the author of the upcoming book “Peddling Peril: How the Secret Nuclear Trade Arms America’s Enemies,” commented that the Chinese essentially rode to the rescue of Tehran’s nuclear program by providing a purchasing channel where all other efforts at acquiring these items had failed.
“The [Iranian] government looked everywhere — Russia, Europe, the U.S. and they were being thwarted by the international community,” Mr. Albright said.
European intelligence services have reported that nine out of ten attempts to acquire these transducers had been blocked until now.
China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has stated that it was unaware of this sale and that all illegal exports of nuclear-related items are forbidden.
But, observers familiar with the trade patterns between the two nations point out that Beijing is not in a position to deny too much of what the Iranians would like to have whether it is legal or not.
Energy-hungry China purchases some 15 percent of its oil and natural gas from Iran and this dependency is only likely to increase over time — as are the demands from Iran for more advanced military technology.
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Tamer-looking defense budget may mask China’s real buildup (The Japan Times)
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LONDON — After nearly two decades of double-digit increases in its military budget, China announced a mere 7.5 percent jump in its defense budget this year. It was the first time since the 1980s that China’s defense spending had increased by a single-digit percentage. The Chinese government maintained that while this increase will be used to enhance China’s ability to meet various threats, the …
By us.rd.yahoo.com
Why Is China Slowing its Military Spending? from china-defense-mashup.com
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Mar.11 (China Military News cited from Time.com and written by Austin Ramzy) — For the past two decades, China’s rapid economic growth has been twinned with an even more rapid increase in military spending. While GDP has expanded by an annual average of 9.6% over the past 10 years, the reported budget for the People’s Liberation Army has grown by an average of 16%. So it was an unexpected surprise when Li Zhaoxing, a former foreign minister who is now spokesman for the National People’s Congress, announced on March 4 that China’s defense budget would increase by 7.5% for 2010, just over half of last year’s 14.9% rise.
The slowdown was partly attributed the difficult economic climate. While China was able to grow at 8.7% last year, that healthy rate came at the expense of $586 billion in stimulus spending. Last week Premier Wen Jiabao said that government spending would grow more slowly this year as Beijing seeks to control inflation while maintaining stable growth.
Amid those economic demands, another double-digit increase in military spending might be seen as excessive. But perhaps the most compelling reason for the slowdown in spending is that Chinese officials have become more cautious of the way the development of the People’s Liberation Army is perceived abroad. Last year China marked the 60th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic with an Oct. 1 military parade in front of Tiananmen Square. While generally a cause for celebration in China, the parade of soldiers, tanks and missile carriers was seen as intimidating by many foreign observers.
Chinese military analysts have explained the rapid spending increase as normal for a large nation climbing out of decades of poverty. “Although China now has a growing military demand, it has always upheld the principle of peaceful development. The double-digit increases in the past should be interpreted as compensational growth,” says Zhao Zongjiu, deputy secretary-in-general at Shanghai Institute for International Strategic Studies, a government-backed think tank. “I predict that, given the current policy environment, the growth rate of military expenses will remain roughly on the same level as China’s GDP growth in the next few years.”
China’s 2010 military budget, which is awaiting legislative approval, will be $78 billion. That would make it second only to the United States, which for 2010 has a total budget of $663.8 billion. U.S. spending is equivalent to 4.7% of the nation’s GDP, while China’s defense outlay equals about 1.5% of its estimated 2010 GDP.
But military observers have long cautioned that China’s official defense budget figures shouldn’t be taken at face value, and that actual spending could be two or three times higher than what is reported. China is engaged in a significant number of expensive military equipment development programs, including likely efforts to develop its first aircraft carrier. Those all make it difficult to curtail spending, says Andrei Chang, Hong Kong-based editor-in-chief of Kanwa Defense Review Monthly. “There are very ambitious military plans for the Chinese,” he says. “This is the reason it’s impossible to have an increase of 7.5%.”
Improving ties with Taiwan have also lessened some of the military tension along China’s periphery. Beijing considers the self-ruled island a breakaway province that should ultimately be reunited with the mainland, by force if necessary. A more China-friendly leadership in Taipei has helped eased some of the fear of armed conflict. But the region still has the potential to be a flash point. Taiwan says China has some 1,500 missiles stationed along the Taiwan Strait. And a decision by U.S. President Obama in January to approve the sale of more than $6 billion in military equipment to Taiwan has angered the Chinese government, which has postponed some military exchanges with the U.S. in protest.
Chang also notes that China is just two years away from an expected reconfiguration of its leadership. President Hu Jintao is expected to step down, and will want to secure high positions for his political allies. Drastically curtailing defense spending could alienate the military, whose support he needs to ensure top spots for his proteges. “The new round of political power struggle is continuing,” Chang says. “You have to give souvenirs to the armed forces.”
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China’s defense spending to increase 7.5% in 2010 from chinesemil.blogspot.com
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BEIJING, March 5 (Xinhua) — China plans to increase its national defense spending by 7.5 percent to 519.082 billion yuan (about 76.3 billion U.S. dollars) in 2010, according to a draft budget report.
The figure, about 36 billion yuan more than that of last year, consists of 518.577 billion yuan of central government spending and 505 million yuan of transfer payments to local governments.
These funds will be used mainly to modernize the army, according to the draft submitted to the National People’s Congress (NPC), China’s top legislature, which started its annual session Friday morning.
Ding Jiye, deputy head of the General Logistics Department of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), offered a more specific breakdown of the defense spending.
“These funds would be used for the PLA’s mechanization and informationization, to support the reform of army and improve its capability to deal with varied threats and complete diversified tasks,” Ding told Xinhua Friday.
Part of the money would also be spent to improve the servicemen’s living standards, as well as basic military facilities, Ding said.
Although China’s defense expenditure had been on rise over the past years, “its growth was still limited and the defense spending still fell short,” he said.
The PLA would make more efficient use of the defense expenditure to further improve its capabilities, Ding said.
Friday’s draft budget report added that China’s national defense spending in 2009 came to 482.985 billion yuan, 102.1 percent of the budgeted figure and a year-on-year increase of 72.844 billion yuan or 17.8 percent.
These funds were also used to improve the living conditions and benefits of army officers and enlisted personnel, intensify the development of informationization, increase the army’s equipment and supporting facilities by an appropriate amount, and improve its ability to respond to emergencies and disasters.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/china/2010-03/05/c_13198036.htm
By polaris
China circled by chain of US anti-missile systems from china-defense-mashup.com
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Feb.21 (China Military News cited from Chinadaily and written by Qin Jize and Li Xiaokun) — washington appears determined to surround China with US-built anti-missile systems, military scholars have observed.
According to US-based Defense News, Taiwan became the fifth global buyer of the Patriot missile defense system last year following Japan, the Republic of Korea, the United Arab Emirates and Germany.
Quite a few military experts have noted that Washington’s latest proposed weapon deal with Taiwan is the key part of a US strategic encirclement of China in the East Asian region, and that the missiles could soon have a footprint that extends from Japan to the Republic of Korea and Taiwan.
Air force colonel Dai Xu, a renowned military strategist, wrote in an article released this month that “China is in a crescent-shaped ring of encirclement. The ring begins in Japan, stretches through nations in the South China Sea to India, and ends in Afghanistan. Washington’s deployment of anti-missile systems around China’s periphery forms a crescent-shaped encirclement”.
Ni Lexiong, an expert on military affairs with the Shanghai Institute of Political Science and Law, told the Guanghzou Daily yesterday, “The US anti-missile system in China’s neighborhood is a replica of its strategy in Eastern Europe against Russia. The Obama administration began to plan for such a system around China after its project in Eastern Europe got suspended”.
Tang Xiaosong, director of the Center of International Security and Strategy Studies with Guangdong University of Foreign Studies noted that the ring encircling China can also be expanded at any time in other directions. He said that Washington is hoping to sell India and other Southeast Asian countries the Patriot Advanced Capability (PAC)-3 missile defense system.
Analysts say that China is closely monitoring US-India missile defense cooperation since any integration of India into the US global missile defense system, would profoundly affect China’s security.
However, according to former Chinese Ambassador to India Pei Yuanying, India is unlikely to be part of any such US scheme against China.
“New Delhi needs to develop relations with the US, but it wants to be an independent international power on the international arena,” he said.
Pei said it was necessary to take multiple aspects of China-US relations into consideration. “The US has followed the policy of engagement plus containment with China for a long time and that overall policy will not change during Obama’s term,” he said.
Defense News quoted John Holly, Lockheed’s vice president of Missile Defense Systems as saying the outlook for the missile defense market remains sound.
Pointing to missile programs in Pyongyang, Teheran, Moscow and Beijing, Holly said “the world is not a very safe world and it is incumbent upon us in the industry to provide (the Pentagon) with the best capabilities.”
Beijing has frequently criticized US missile-defense development and has been making efforts to restrict missile defenses through the United Nations forums.
Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi told a UN disarmament conference in August in Geneva that “countries should neither seek for absolute strategic predominance nor develop missile-defense systems that undermine global strategic stability.”
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Sino-Russian first joint patrol conducted along boundary river from china-defense-mashup.com
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Feb.02 (China Military News cited from PLAdaily and written by Guo Jianyue and Gao Pengfei) — The Chinese and Russian frontier defense troops accomplished the first joint patrol along the Argun River, an iced Sino-Russian boundary river in the east of Inner Mongolia of People’s Republic of China (PRC), between January 25 and 26.
According to the commander of the Hulun Buir Military Sub-Command of the Inner Mongolia Military Command, the Sino-Russian joint patrol this time not only enhanced mutual trust and understanding between the Chinese and Russian border representative organs, but also laid a more solid foundation for the Chinese and Russian frontier defense troops to construct a peaceful and stable frontier environment through concerted efforts.
Offciers of Chinese and Russian boundary defense troops
In spite of that the temperature in the Greater Khingan Mountains in the east of Inner Mongolia was as low as 30 degrees Centigrade below zero at 8:30 a.m. on January 25, the Sino-Russian frontier defense troops carried out their joint-patrol along the iced border river as planned.
The patrol personnel entered the iced boundary Argun River from the Chinese territory and then headed northward following the No. 111 border marker before finally arriving at the No. 124 border marker on the afternoon of January 26, covering a distance of 200 km in total.
The personnel participating in the joint patrol had determined on carrying out such tasks as jointly inspecting the order of the covered border section, checking the border markers and greeting the officers and men performing duty at the sentry posts.
Some officers and men from each of the Sino-Russian frontier sentries along the border river were also dispatched to join in the joint patrol in such forms as taking a vehicle and riding a motorcycle or a sled.
It is learned that in the coming summer the Sino-Russian joint patrol by boat will be staged along the boundary Argun River and a Sino-Russian joint military exercise will be carried out to crack down on the cross-border smuggling and sorts of other illegal activities in the Sino-Russian border area so as to guarantee the stability and prosperity in that area.
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China, Iran Prompt U.S. Air-Sea Battle Plan in Strategy Review from china-defense-mashup.com
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Feb.01 (China Military Newx cited from Bloomberg and written by Viola Gienger and Tony Capaccio) — The U.S. military is drawing up a new air-sea battle plan in response to threats such as China’s persistent military build-up and Iran’s possession of advanced weapons, according to the Pentagon’s latest strategy review.
The Air Force and Navy are seeking more effective ways of ensuring continued access to the western Pacific and countering potential threats to American bases and personnel, according to the Quadrennial Defense Review to be released later today.
The joint Air Force-Navy plan would combine the strengths of each service to conduct long-range strikes that could utilize a new generation of bombers, a new cruise missile and drones launched from aircraft carriers. The Navy also is increasing funding to develop an unmanned underwater vehicle, according to the report.
Z-9 Helicopter and anti-submarine torpedo
The battle plan is among a range of new initiatives outlined in the review, which is conducted every four years to revise U.S. military strategy for the coming decade or more. The new report places top priority on the fights in Afghanistan and Iraq and against terrorist threats elsewhere, while also preparing for future threats.
“This is truly a wartime QDR,” Defense Secretary Robert Gates wrote in a cover letter for the report. “For the first time, it places the current conflicts at the top of our budgeting, policy and program priorities.”
Two-War Capability
The review deemphasizes but does not abandon the Pentagon’s doctrine that calls for the military to be able to fight two major wars nearly simultaneously. It acknowledges this mission but says planning should focus more closely on other scenarios, such as irregular warfare including conflicts involving insurgents or drug traffickers and even humanitarian disasters.
“In the mid- to long-term, U.S. military forces must plan and prepare to prevail in a broad range of operations that may occur in multiple theaters in overlapping time frames,” the Defense Department says in the review.
Air-defense missile of PLA Navy Type 052B Destroyer
“This includes maintaining the ability to prevail against two capable nation-state aggressors,” it states.
Alluding to China in his cover letter, Gates cites longer- term threats such as “the military modernization programs of other countries.” He also hints at dangers such as al-Qaeda in referring to “non-state groups developing more cunning and destructive means to attack the United States and our allies and partners.”
Tensions With China
U.S. officials have often called on their Chinese counterparts to provide explanations and assurances that their moves are purely defensive. The two countries resumed military talks last June, then China halted visits again over the Defense Department’s Jan. 29 announcement of a new arms sale to Taiwan.
China is developing and deploying “large numbers” of advanced missiles, new attack submarines, long-range air defense systems and capabilities to wage electronic warfare and target computer systems, according to the report, which echoes an assessment of China’s military power issued almost a year ago.
China’s refusal to provide adequate assurances of its intentions raises “a number of legitimate questions regarding its long-term intentions,” the Pentagon says in the review.
Citing “more complex” security conditions in the region, including North Korea and terrorist threats in Southeast Asia, the review calls for “a more widely distributed” and flexible U.S. presence in Asia that relies more on allies. Partners would include Australia, Thailand, the Philippines, Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia and Vietnam.
Threat From Iran
In the Middle East, Iran is fielding small attack boats in the Persian Gulf, a development that U.S. officials have cited in the past. That compounds the threat to naval operations from the acquisition by Iran and other nations of weapons such as quiet submarines and advanced cruise missiles that can target ships, according to the report.
Iran also has provided drones and shoulder-fired missiles to the Islamic militant group Hezbollah in Lebanon, and Russia and other nations have contributed to the spread of surface-to- air missiles, the department said.
Among the solutions proposed are more ways to deploy U.S. forces abroad, such as naval assets, “in regions facing new challenges.” Existing bases also need to be either hardened to protect against potential attacks or reinforced with back-up locations or by dispersing them in multiple places, the department concluded.
The Pentagon has about 400,000 U.S. military personnel stationed overseas, either in war zones or elsewhere. The review emphasizes “taking care of our people” serving in multiple long deployments that take a “significant toll” on them and their families.
Other Concerns
In addition to supporting existing wars, the Quadrennial review emphasizes the need for more unmanned aircraft, intelligence, special forces, helicopters and long-range strike capabilities as well as skills such as foreign languages and training of foreign military forces.
PLA Army Type 05 SPH
The U.S. military, especially the Navy and Air Force, also should find better and faster ways to strengthen the defense systems of foreign allies and partners as needed, the Pentagon said.
The Pentagon should continue to maintain a nuclear arsenal as a “core mission” until “such time as the administration’s goal of a world free of nuclear weapons is achieved,” according to the report.
The potential threat of cyber attacks and the need to conduct “high-tempo operations” will require more expertise in that field and centralized command of cyber operations, the department said.
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China suspends military visits with U.S. over planned arms sales to Taiwan from china-defense-mashup.com
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BEIJING, Jan. 30 (Xinhua) — China on Saturday decided to suspend scheduled visits between the Chinese and U.S. armed forces, in response to Washington’s plan to sell a package of arms worth about 6.4 billion U.S. dollars to Taiwan.
“We made the decision out of considerations on the severe harm of the U.S. arms sales to Taiwan,” said Defense Ministry spokesman Huang Xueping in a statement.
The U.S. government on Friday announced the plans to sell a package of arms to Taiwan, which include Patriot missiles, Black Hawk helicopters and minesweepers. China immediately expressed strong indignation about the sale after the U.S. government notified the U.S. Congress of the plans.
Qian Lihua, director of the Defense Ministry’s Foreign Affairs Office, on Saturday summoned the defense attache of the U.S. Embassy in Beijing to lodge a stern protest.
“The Chinese military expresses grave indignation and strongly condemns such a move to grossly interfere into China’s internal affairs and harm China’s national security interests,” Qian said in a press release of the office.
Taiwan issue is related to China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and concerns China’s core interests.
“The U.S. arms sales to Taiwan gravely violates the three joint communiques between China and the United States, and seriously endangers China’s national security and harms China’s reunification course,” Qian said.The U.S. such move also constitutes severe violation of the agreements reached by the top leaders of both sides on the China-U.S. relations in the new situation, he said.
Bayi-Building, the location of Chinese Defense Ministry
It runs counter to the principles of the joint statement issued during U.S. President Barack Obama’s visit to China in November last year, said Qian.
The U.S. plan will definitely bring about serious negative impact on the relations between the two countries and militaries, and will to the end severely undermine the interests of the United States itself, he noted.
The United States have reiterated in many occasions that it will adhere to the one-China policy, abide by the three joint communiques and support the peaceful development of relations across the Taiwan Straits.
“However, the United States now takes faithless action to sell arms to Taiwan again,” Qian said such plans severely poison the political foundation of the relations between the two militaries, and produce grave obstacles to military exchanges between the two sides.
Qian urged the United States to respect China’s core interests and concerns, take practical actions to abide by its solemn commitments on Taiwan issue, withdraw its arms sales items to Taiwan, and stop military links with Taiwan, in order not to create further damage to the relations between the two countries and the two militaries and to the peace and stability across the Taiwan Straits.
“We reserve the right of taking further actions,” he noted.
According to Huang, the spokesman, “such a move is gravely against especially the ‘Aug. 17′ communique signed in 1982.”
The U.S. side states in the Communique that “it does not seek to carry out a long-term policy of arms sales to Taiwan” and “intends to reduce gradually its sales of arms to Taiwan, leading over a period of time to a final resolution.”
“We will never give in or compromise in this issue,” the statement quoted Huang as saying, noting that the Chinese military will firmly fight against any move to destroy China’s national sovereignty security and territorial integrity.
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Military contractors targeted in Chinese attacks, says F-Secure from china-defense-mashup.com
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Jan.20 (China Military News cited from Computerworld and written by Jaikumar Vijayan) — The targeted cyberattacks apparently originating in China that hit Google and more than 30 other companies late last year are now targeting some U.S. defense contractors, according to security vendor F-Secure.
In a blog post this week, F-Secure Chief Research Officer Mikko Hypponen said the company has learned of instances where malicious PDF files were e-mailed to U.S. defense contractors last week. The PDF file was designed to look like an official Department of Defense document and contained information about a real Mission Planning User Conference to be held in Las Vegas in March, he aqdded.
A screen shot of the document pasted onto the F-Secure blog shows a very authentic-looking Air Force written Memorandum for Mission Planning International Community.
Opening the PDF document using Adobe Reader allows hackers to exploit a previously disclosed vulnerability in the doc.media.newPlayer function of the reader to install a backdoor on the user’s system, Hypponen said. The backdoor connects to an IP address located in Taiwan. “Anybody who controls that IP will gain access to the infected computer and the company network,” Hyponnen wrote.
The blog post did not say how many contractors were targeted with e-mails containing the poisoned PDF files, but noted that they were more recent than the attacks on Google and others. “While the ‘Aurora’ attacks against Google and others happened in December 2009, this happened just last week,” he wrote.
On the surface at least, the attacks described by F-Secure appear to be similar to attacks last month on Indian government agencies and the country’s National Security Advisor that were also said to originate in China. The Dec. 15 attacks also involved corrupted PDF files being e-mailed to targeted individuals within these organizations.
News of the attacks against the contractors comes in the wake of Google’s bombshell announcement last week that it had been victimized by targeted attacks that appeared to have originated in China.
The attack on Google — and more than 30 other technology companies — last week prompted the U.S. State Department to say it will be lodging a formal complaint seeking an explanation from the Chinese government.
China itself meanwhile has denied any involvement in the alleged cyberattacks and called itself a victim of such hackers.
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