article[s] found via yahoo.com”s news search
(RTTNews) – A Taiwanese Defense Ministry-sponsored study says China is increasing the number of missiles aimed at Taiwan to 2,000.
By news.ino.com

article[s] found via yahoo.com”s news search
DUBLIN—-Research and Markets has announced the addition of the “Global and China Military Industry Report, 2009-2010″ report to their offering.
By biz.yahoo.com

article[s] found via yahoo.com”s news search
An unidentified flying object (UFO) forced Xiaoshan Airport in Hangzhou, China to cease operations on July 7. A flight crew preparing for descent first detected the object around 8:40 p.m. and notified the air traffic control department. Aviation authorities responded within minutes, grounding outbound flights and diverting inbound ones to airports in Ningbo and Wuxi. Hangzhou – Air traffic …
By abcnews.go.com

article[s] found via yahoo.com”s news search
A report by an independent research firm concludes that the Chinese military, the People’s Liberation Army, is likely behind many recent episodes of cyber espionage and cyber intrusions against the United States.
By biz.yahoo.com

article[s] found via yahoo.com”s news search
ZHONGSHAN/LONGHUA, China (Reuters) – After a morning of confrontation with his bosses at an auto parts factory in southern China, Wei took a different route home to avoid the plain-clothes police tailing him.
By nz.news.yahoo.com

article[s] found via yahoo.com”s news search
A muddled U.S. strategy on confronting North Korea’s nuclear ambitions could lead to acceptance of the North as an atomic power, according to a report being released Tuesday by a leading American think tank. North Korea – United States – Nuclear weapon – Asia – Weapons
By boston.com

article[s] found via yahoo.com”s news search
The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) said in a report released Monday that China, a vital country in the upcoming Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) review meeting, to be held in New York on May 3, would balance the big nuclear powers and the non-nuclear weapon nations. The report, entitled “China and Nuclear Arms Control: Current Positions and Future Policies …
By english.people.com.cn

article[s] found via yahoo.com”s news search
The Chinese government responded March 12 to the release of a U.S. human rights report critical of China by issuing its own report criticizing the U.S. human rights record. The report covered issues relating to crime, racial discrimination and poverty and accused the U.S. of using its hegemonic power to continue “trampling” on the sovereignty of other countries while “posing as the world judge …
By us.rd.yahoo.com

Click here for original article

Feb.22 (China Military News cited from the register and written by Cade Metz ) — Two Chinese schools have denied a New York Times report that they were involved in the much-discussed cyber attacks on Google and at least 33 other outfits sometime last year.

On Thursday, The Times reported that the attacks had been traced to Shanghai Jiaotong University and Lanxiang Vocational School, claiming that the latter had close ties to the Chinese military. But representatives of both schools have denied involvement to the Chinese state news agency, according to Reuters, and the Lanxiang representative denied links to the military.

The Satellite image of Lanxiang Vocational School

Speaking with China’s official Xinhua news agency, a representative of Shanghai Jiaotong University indicated that even if the attacks appeared to be linked to an IP address at the school, that does not mean its students were involved. “We were shocked and indignant to hear these baseless allegations which may harm the university’s reputation,” said the unnamed spokesman.

“The report of the New York Times was based simply on an IP address. Given the highly developed network technology today, such a report is neither objective nor balanced.”

The Communist party boss at Lanxiang Vocational School told the news agency that an investigation “in the staff” had shown no signs that the attacks originated from the school. He also said that the school had no ties to the Chinese military and that contrary to the Times report, there was no link between the attacks and a computer class at the school taught by a Ukrainian professor.

“There is no Ukrainian teacher in the school and we have never employed any foreign staff,” he said. “The report was unfounded. Please show the evidence.”

In January, Google told the world that attacks originating from China had pilfered unspecified intellectual property from the company. Microsoft later said that the attack had exploited a hole in its Internet Explorer 6 browser – since patched – and according to security researchers, at least 33 other companies were targeted by similar attacks.

The Chinese government later denied any role in the attacks.

According to Google, “a primary goal” of the the attackers was to access the email accounts of Chinese human rights activists. The company said that attacks on two Gmail accounts were largely unsuccessful, but that an investigation showed that accounts belonging to dozens of activists in the US, China, and Europe “have been routinely accessed by third parties.”

In its blog post outing the attack, Google threatened to leave the country, where it has done business since January 2006. “We have decided we are no longer willing to continue censoring our results on Google.cn, and so over the next few weeks we will be discussing with the Chinese government the basis on which we could operate an unfiltered search engine within the law, if at all,” the post said. “We recognize that this may well mean having to shut down Google.cn, and potentially our offices in China.”

But more than five weeks have passed since the post without an official update from Google. And at a conference more than a week ago, Google co-founder Sergey Brin told The Times that any change in the situation may take “a year or two” rather than “a few weeks.”

“I want to find a way to work within the Chinese system to bring information to the people,” he said. “Perhaps we won’t succeed immediately, but maybe in a year or two.”

Increasingly, it appears that Google’s threat to leave the country was merely a means to diverting attention from the fact that its defenses had been breached by outside hackers.

Random Posts

• January 31, 2010 — China plans to export Advanced UAV, carrying with air-surface missiles (5)
• August 25, 2009 — China tightens restrictions to prevent abuse using of Armed Police Force (0)
• August 23, 2008 — China SAC is researching anti-stealth UAV (1)
• February 27, 2009 — Chinese Scientific Institutes join hands for Meteorological Warfare Development? (0)
• September 10, 2008 — PLA Navy announces to recruit fighter pilot for its first Aircraft Carrier (0)
• August 30, 2008 — China’s Armed Police Forces (0)
• August 23, 2008 — China opens its 120mm Guided Mortar Munition (0)
• March 16, 2009 — China’s largest fishery administration vessel arrives in Xisha Islands (2)
• September 12, 2009 — More College Graduates will enter Chinese Armed Forces (0)
• November 2, 2009 — The Launch Video of PLA Navy YJ-62A Anti-ship Missile (1)

By admin

Click here for original article

Feb.03 (China Military News cited from Reuters and written by Adrian Croft) – China and India sharply raised defence spending in 2009 despite the economic crisis but most European NATO members face a squeeze on defence budgets as they rein in gaping deficits, a report said on Wednesday.

The impact of the global financial crisis on defence and security spending varied across regions and countries, the International Institute for Strategic Studies thinktank said in its annual report “The Military Balance”.

PLA Navy Warwhip’s Main Gun and HHQ-9 air Defense Missile

U.S. defence spending almost doubled under former President George W. Bush but President Barack Obama had signalled that the need to tackle a big budget deficit would require “a dramatic reprioritisation within defence spending”, it said.

Obama asked Congress this week to approve a record $708 billion in defense spending for fiscal 2011 — including a 3.4 percent increase in the Pentagon’s base budget — but said he would continue his drive to eliminate wasteful programmes.

A sharp recession had led the Russian government effectively to abandon a comprehensive military re-equipment plan due to run from 2007-15 and to replace it with a new 10-year plan starting in 2011, the report said.

“In contrast to developments in advanced economies, both India and China have maintained their recent trend of double-digit increases in defence spending,” it said.

PLA Army Type 59 Main Battle Tank 

India boosted defence spending by 21 percent in 2009 after the 2008 Mumbai attacks killed 166 people, it said.

China’s official 2009 budget included a 15 percent rise in defence spending to 480 billion yuan, equal to $70.3 billion at market exchange rates, the report said.

However, it said the official Chinese defence budget did not reflect the true level of resources devoted to the People’s Liberation Army. It was widely believed that the official budget took no account of weapons bought overseas or research and development funding, it said.
EUROPEAN DEFENCE LIKELY TO SUFFER

Other Asian countries, such as Australia, Indonesia and Singapore, had also posted increases in defence spending, it said.

PLA Air Force J-11B Fighter

In Europe, though, many countries had seen their budget deficits rise sharply as they pumped money into the economy to try to end the recession.

“When the time comes to redress these fiscal imbalances, discretionary spending will come under considerable pressure and defence is likely to suffer, particularly in those countries facing a looming demographic shift requiring greater expenditure on pensions and healthcare,” the editor of the Military Balance, James Hackett, wrote in the report.

Britain faced a challenge in reconciling its budget deficit with its large and growing future equipment plan, it said.

Among European members of NATO, only Norway and Denmark were likely to increase their defence budgets in 2010, and over the medium term most other countries would do well to increase defence spending in line with inflation or match existing budget levels, it said.

This would lead to pressure to step up pooling and multinational management of defence assets, to countries specialising in niche capabilities and to the collective procurement of critical defence equipment, it said.

You may also be interested in

• January 31, 2010 — China, Iran Prompt U.S. Air-Sea Battle Plan in Strategy Review (0)
• January 14, 2010 — Chinese Military Giving America Sleepless Nights (2)
• January 14, 2010 — House panel told Chinese military is growing, but not a threat to U.S. (1)
• December 26, 2009 — China’s military strength ranks second? Experts say ‘over-stated’ (0)
• December 2, 2009 — China taking on growing role in U.N. peacekeeping missions (2)
• November 11, 2009 — China grounds ’space force’ talk (2)
• November 9, 2009 — Obama confronts an Asia reshaped by China’s rise (2)
• November 4, 2009 — China’s military making strides in space: US general (2)
• November 1, 2009 — China’s PLA eyes future in space, air: air force commander (0)
• October 26, 2009 — We sticks to path of peaceful development: China’s second highest-ranking military officer (1)

By admin

Click here for original article

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.

You may also be interested in

• February 4, 2010 — China, India boost defence as crisis takes toll on West (0)
• January 14, 2010 — Chinese Military Giving America Sleepless Nights (2)
• January 14, 2010 — House panel told Chinese military is growing, but not a threat to U.S. (1)
• December 26, 2009 — China’s military strength ranks second? Experts say ‘over-stated’ (0)
• December 2, 2009 — China taking on growing role in U.N. peacekeeping missions (2)
• November 11, 2009 — China grounds ’space force’ talk (2)
• November 9, 2009 — Obama confronts an Asia reshaped by China’s rise (2)
• November 4, 2009 — China’s military making strides in space: US general (2)
• November 1, 2009 — China’s PLA eyes future in space, air: air force commander (0)
• October 26, 2009 — We sticks to path of peaceful development: China’s second highest-ranking military officer (1)

By admin

Click here for original article
China has signaled to set up foreign military bases including one in Pakistan, a Chinese government website said.

“Setting up overseas military bases is not an idea we have to shun; on the contrary, it is our right…it is baseless to say that we will not set up any military bases in future because we have never sent troops abroad,” said the report.

The report also said, “As for the military aspect, we should be able to conduct the retaliatory attack within the country or at the neighbouring area of our potential enemies. We should also be able to put pressure on the potential enemies’ overseas interests. With further development, China will be in great demand of the military protection”.

It is clearly aimed at piling up pressure on India and to counter US influence in Pakistan and Afghanistan.

“As for the military aspect, we should be able to conduct the retaliatory attack within the country or at the neighboring area of our potential enemies. We should also be able to put pressure on the potential enemies’ overseas interests. With further development, China will be in great demand of the military protection,” said the report.

A military base in Pakistan will help China keep a check on Uighurs who are fighting for an independent nation in Xinjiang, which borders the North West Frontier Province of Pakistan.

http://www.hindustantimes.com/China-mulls-military-bases-in-Pakistan/H1-Article1-502952.aspx

By polaris

originally published at china-defense-mashup.com

December.27 (China Military News cited from Global Times) — China’s military strength ranks second in the world in terms of expenditure, the number of troops and weaponry, according to a report released Thursday by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS).

The data provokes many questions from scholars and the public, though the government think tank emphasized the ranking was just based on selected factors and is not a comparison of real military power of the concerned countries.

The fleet of Chinese Navy’s 4 Project 956 Sovremenny class destroyers

The US, Japan and Germany rank as the top three in terms of comprehensive national strength and China is in seventh place, according to the Report on Comprehensive National Power Assessment, which evaluated the militaries of 11 countries, including seven Western countries and Brazil, Russia, India and China, the so-called BRICs.

The evaluation index includes five direct constituent elements – territory and natural resources, population, economy, military and science and technology – and four influencing factors – social development, sustainability, security and domestic politics and international contributions, it said.

KJ-2000 and KJ-200 AWACS aircrafts displayed in one Airport

To the surprise of many, China’s military power ranks second, with a total score of 33.3, behind the US, which scores 90.08, and just ahead of Russia, with 31.08.
“The high rank of China is mainly because it gets a higher score in terms of troop numbers and equipment,” the report said.

The Human Development Report 2007-2008, released by the UN, showed that the size of China’s military is the largest in the world, with 2.25 million troops, far more than the US’ 1.5 million.

The report cites Wikipedia as saying, China’s weaponry ranks third worldwide in terms of amount of equipment, with 240 nuclear weapons, 7,580 tanks, 1,700 fighter planes, 144 naval ships, and eight nuclear submarines, far less than that of Russia, which tops the list with 13,000 nuclear weapons and 22,800 tanks.

There was much speculation about China’s military expenditure, with foreign institutes giving much higher estimates. The report, citing data from the National Bureau of Statistics, said China’s spending last year was $60.9 billion, below that of the US, France and the UK.

Ground Staffs’ Maintenance of PLA Air Force J-8D Fighter

Li Shaojun, a researcher with the CASS, told the Global Times that the US’ $607 billion expenditure last year was 132 percent higher than that of the other 10 countries studied.

Military expert Song Xiaojun said the military ranking, based on three indexes, is not persuasive as China’s military power is far from being in second place.

“China’s defense construction still falls behind the development of the national economy.” Song said. “If we are the second power, does it mean there is no need for us to develop our economy?”

Xu Guangyu, a member of the government-backed China Arms Control and Disarmament Association, expressed reservations toward the ranking as he thinks it should be evaluated historically and dynamically, instead of only using static data such as current military expenditure.

The missile reload of “RIF” air defense system of Type 051C Destroyer

“It’s more reasonable to put China after Russia,” General Xu said.

The report gives 60 percent weight to military expenditure and 20 percent to the number of troops and weaponry.

The idea is echoed by Ni Lexiong, a professor in the Politics Department of Shanghai University of Political Science and Law, who pointed to the problem of the abuse of military spending.

“If the expenditure was all used to boost China’s military strength, it could be taken as a reliable factor to evaluate China’s military status,” Ni said, adding that the indexes such as the number of troops and weapons should only be used for ancient times, as they are unreliable and inefficient for the evaluation of modern military strength.

According to the report, the quality of weaponry owned by the 11 nations is not accounted for, as it is impossible to evaluate, though the report admits that there is a big difference in terms of performance.

“The more rational ranking should include indexes such as air assault capacity, military soft power and military theory,” Ni said.

A poll Thursday on huanqiu.com showed that 85.2 percent of nearly 1,800 participants believed the report overestimated China’s military strength, while only 12 percent agreed with the ranking. 43.1 percent supported the seventh-place ranking of China’s comprehensive national strength, with 35.6 percent and 21.3 percent saying it is higher or lower, respectively.

Li Shaojun, also a co-author of the military part of the report, conceded that he is aware that the result will be met with many challenges from the public, but that an explanation has been given as to how the evaluation was carried out.

“It is just the result of a study which has some strategic value. But it can’t be used to fit the reality,” Li said.

Gao Hua, a deputy researcher with the CASS who also participated in the study, stressed that the report does not intend to draw a conclusion on how China’s military power should be ranked globally. Instead, it attempts to explore the relevance between increasing military expenditure and the global financial downturn.

You may also be interested in

• December 2, 2009 — China taking on growing role in U.N. peacekeeping missions (1)
• November 11, 2009 — China grounds ’space force’ talk (2)
• November 9, 2009 — Obama confronts an Asia reshaped by China’s rise (1)
• November 4, 2009 — China’s military making strides in space: US general (0)
• November 1, 2009 — China’s PLA eyes future in space, air: air force commander (0)
• October 26, 2009 — We sticks to path of peaceful development: China’s second highest-ranking military officer (1)
• October 24, 2009 — Over 400 private enterprises become Military Contractors with PLA equipment R&D (0)
• October 22, 2009 — Admiral Robert Willard: Growing Chinese military creates uncertainty (0)
• October 17, 2009 — Chinese General outlooks Long-term strategic Sino-Australia military ties (1)
• October 10, 2009 — China’s military might should not be feared, says analyst (0)

By admin

via Taiwan wants elite force to protect island: report (AFP via Yahoo! News).

Taiwan’s president has urged the island’s armed forces to become a small, elite unit, saying a voluntary military rather than conscription was key to the island’s defence, local media said Thursday…

via Report: China’s After U.S. Secrets, Technology (Dark Reading).

U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission notes a ‘marked increase in cyber intrusions originating in China and targeting U.S. government and defense-related computer system’

ONI: Chinese SSBNs Much Noisier than 1970s-era Soviet Boats: “Or at least that the conclusion that they’ve reached at FAS:

China’s new Jin-class ballistic missile submarine is noisier than the Russian Delta III-class submarines built more than 30 years ago, according to a report produced by the U.S. Navy’s Office of Naval Intelligence (ONI).

I haven’t had a chance to read the original report, so can’t assess whether that’s a completely fair summary. This suggests, however, that China’s survivable second strike capability isn’t very survivable at all, and that as a practical deterrent the Jin class isn’t all that much better than the Xia. The effectiveness of the Jin as a deterrent against the United States is further limited by the fact that the effective range of the JL-2 SLBM would force the Jin to sortie well beyond Chinese home waters in order to threaten the continental US. Of course, targets in South Korea, Japan, Hawaii, and elsewhere would be well within the JL-2′s radius.

As Yankee Sailor noted a while back, ‘it’s not all about us.’ The Jin class aren’t a terribly compelling deterrent option against the United States, but they do lend prestige to the PRC, and remains relevant to China’s deterrent relationship with India and Russia.

Taiwan PM urges China to withdraw missiles: report (AFP via Yahoo! News): “Taiwan’s Premier Wu Den-yih has urged China to remove missiles targeting the island to pave the way for peace talks between the formal arch-rivals, according to a report.”

Yahoo! News

via US urged to press China on arms (Taipei Times).

In a major report scheduled to be released yesterday, a US congressional commission urges US President Barack Obama to encourage China to “demonstrate the sincerity of its desire for improved cross-strait relations by drawing down the number of forces, including missiles, opposite Taiwan.”

Pakistan rejects report of bomb-grade uranium from China (Space War): “Islamabad (AFP) Nov 13, 2009 – Pakistan on Friday angrily rejected a US newspaper report that China provided the nuclear-armed Muslim state with weapons grade uranium for two bombs in 1982.”

Report: Defense opportunities grow in BRIC (UPI): “LONDON, Oct. 26 (UPI) — A Frost & Sullivan report suggests Brazil, Russia, India and China will become world economic leaders with great potential for defense companies.”