China's Defense/Military Breaking News Thread

[bd popeye]

Re: Chinese Military News Thread

China tries to rescue hundreds of stranded fishermen!..PRC dispatches three ships and a helo for rescue attempt

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MANILA (Reuters) - China has sent three vessels and a helicopter to pick up more than 700 fishermen left stranded by a typhoon for more than 10 days on and around islands in the South China Sea, Chinese state media said on Wednesday.

Typhoon Hagibis, which has weakened to a tropical depression, killed 14 people in the Philippines last week, went west toward Vietnam and then made a dramatic U-turn over the South China Sea before returning to the Philippines.

It has passed over the Philippines' central Bicol region and is currently heading back east to the Pacific, according to typhoon tracking Web site Tropical Storm Risk (

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).

China's Maritime Rescue Centre airdropped bottled mineral water and food enough for more than 300 people in the Xisha island area, Chinese state media said.

More than 400 fishermen from the southern province of Hainan province and 29 from the Philippines remain stranded in the Nansha area.

A Philippine fishing boat sank in the South China Sea last week because of Hagibis and 26 sailors are still missing from the 55 people believed to have been on board.

The death toll from another typhoon, Mitag, climbed to 19 on Wednesday after more people were drowned by flooding in the northern Philippines, disaster officials said.

Mitag, which ripped through the archipelago earlier this week, weakened to a tropical depression and has bypassed Taiwan en route back into the Pacific Ocean.

Four people drowned in Cagayan and Isabela provinces, where swollen rivers blocked roads and bridges while another three were killed on the western island of Palawan.

At least 12 people had previously been reported killed in drownings, landslides and electrocutions caused by Mitag.

Radio reports said that Hagibis had killed at least four children on Palawan on its return through the Philippines.

Disaster officials have yet to confirm the deaths.

Storms regularly batter the Philippines. Last year, Typhoon Durian killed 1,200 people and left 120,000 homeless when it crashed through Bicol in December.

 

[crobato]

Re: Chinese Military News Thread

NYtimes (need login) has posted this.

China Explains Decision to Block U.S. Ships

By DAVID LAGUE
Published: November 30, 2007
BEIJING, Nov. 29 — China denied permission for a United States aircraft carrier battle group and other American warships to visit Hong Kong last week because of the Bush administration’s proposal to sell upgrades to Patriot antimissile batteries to Taiwan, Chinese state media said today.

China has a strange way of expressing its displeasure though since this also simultaneously came out.

China Resolves Key Trade Dispute With U.S.

Published: November 29, 2007

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - China has agreed to eliminate a dozen tax breaks and other subsidies the United States challenged this year at the World Trade Organization, resolving one of the series of trade spats between the countries.

 

[tphuang]

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I find this kind of interesting, talks about training and ToT for weapons. I wonder what they are talking about exactly.

BANGKOK, Dec 3 (TNA) - China will consider Thailand's request for nuclear technology transfer and road and railway links between the two countries through Laos and Vietnam, according to Thai government spokesman Chaiya Yimwilai.


Thai Prime Minister Gen. Surayud Chulanont and visiting Chinese defence minister Gen Cao Gangchuan, held talks here Monday.


Mr. Chaiya said the Thai premier discussed with Gen.Cao, who is also vice chairman of the Central Military Commission of the People's Republic of China and a state councillor, regarding military cooperation between the two countries, including training and technology transfer for weapons production.


The collaboration will boost relations between Thailand and China, said Mr. Chaiya.


During the meeting, according to the government spokesman, the Thai prime minister suggested connecting roads and railways from Thailand to Yunnan and Guangxi, through Laos and Vietnam.


The Chinese defence minister said he would discuss the issues with his country's concerned agencies including the transfer of nuclear technology to Thailand to build a nuclear power plant.


The Chinese minister also pledged that China is prepared to give full cooperation to Thailand, according to the Thai government spokesman. (TNA)

 

[tphuang]

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Chinese military delegation to pay visit to Turkey
A People's Liberation Army of China delegation left Beijing on Friday morning for an official goodwill visit to Turkey, China's official Xinhua news agency reported.

The delegation, headed by Zhang Li, deputy chief of general staff of the People's Liberation Army, will also visit Israel, the agency said, and added that the visits come at the invitation of the armed forces of Turkey and Israel. There was no statement from the Turkish military over the visit. Turkey and China have been jointly developing rockets as part of increased cooperation in the military field. Turkey displayed a rocket during the Aug. 30 Victory Day parade held in Ankara this year and said it had been developed together with China.

Western military sources, speaking to Today's Zaman at the Victory Day parade, stated that the rocket, mounted on a truck, was displayed for the first time at the Victory Day parade together with the Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) developed by Tusaş Aerospace Industries (TAI). The TAI-developed UAV, named Witness, or Gözcü in Turkish, has a range of 50 kilometers.

The same sources, however, were not able to confirm whether this was the rocket developed jointly with China.

Turkey has long been cooperating with China over the development of an unspecified number of rockets with a range of 150 kilometers. The rockets were reportedly first tested late in 2001 in Turkey's Şile resort town near İstanbul.

sort of related to the last one, but with Turkey this time. I think it's talking about B-611.

This was a while back from Richard Fisher's article

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Following its unveiling as the B611 SRBM at the 2004 Zhuhai Airshow, it was revealed that this new SRBM was actually a co-production program with Turkey. At IDEX officials revealed that this missile was a program of the Turkish concerns Tubitak and Makina ve Kimya Endustrisis Kurumu (MKEK). Apparently the product of a ten-year program, the missile was first fired to 120km in 2001, and then to 152km in 2003. As a development program the work is finished, according to officials, and there has been no production order for the Turkish military. Meanwhile, China’s CASIC is marketing the missile and apparently planning a 250km range version. It is not known whether the PLA has purchased this missile as well. Recent Chinese reports note the B611 is intended to compete with the Russian Iskander-E SRBM. Last year CASIC officials noted the B611 has a maneuvering capability to defeat missile defenses, like the Iskander.

and from janes

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hina Aerospace Sciences and Technology Corporation (CASIC) has displayed for the first time a new version of the B-611 short-range ballistic missile, under development since 1995.

The solid propellant B-611 seems to have been designed for low-cost tactical army use, with a range limited to 250 km.

A previously unknown version of this system was shown at the Zhuhai Air Show in October. This has the designation P-12, and has two missiles mounted inside a 6 x 6 wheeled vehicle.

The P-12 missiles appear to be similar to the B-611, but with a longer cable strake. The former is also thought to be lighter and probably has a 300 kg HE fragmentation or blast warhead.

looks like the expanded version is out.

 

[crobato]

This piece seems to be going around.

China ship building challenges US, top admiral says

WASHINGTON, Dec 13 (AFP) Dec 13, 2007
The chief of the US naval operations expressed concern Thursday about competition from China's flourishing ship building sector, while a lawmaker said it could soon be building more warships that the United States.
"The fact that our shipbuilding capacity and industry is not as competitive as other builders around the world is cause for concern," Admiral Gary Roughead told the House of Representatives Armed Services Committee.

Singling out China, he said: "They are very competitive on the world market. There is no question that their ship building capability is increasing rapidly."

Republican lawmaker Duncan Hunter told the hearing that China was turning out 5,000 commercial ships a year, against 300 by the United States, and an average of three submarines a year, to the United States' one.

China is also producing nearly five times as much steel as the United States, he said -- some 480 million tons a year.

"All that is giving them the industrial base that could allow the Chinese naval capability to outstrip the United States if they turn that commercial ship building capability into warship-building capability," Hunter said.

Roughead added: "I believe that not in a distant future they will likely surpass Korea as the prominent ship builder in the world."

Might as well say that the Chinese sock making industry threatens the US because China can make a lot more socks for their soldiers than the US.

 

[PrOeLiTeZ]

So the Chinese toy manufacturer is larger than the US does that mean the toy factory is going to start manufacturing deadly kill bots for warfare? Noo....obviously

I'd wish the US Military and Government would just relax for second and stop being so paranoid. Chinese rise in military isnt just about US its moreso protection against Chinese rising economy and major cities.

 

[tphuang]

these are news of Cao GangChuan meeting the defense minister of Indonesia and Bhutan.

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looks like Indonesia might be co-producing some Chinese weapons in all 3 services.

more on this.

Jakarta: Indonesia and China have agreed to work together on military
training and military vehicle production, a move in line with the two
countries' 2007 agreement on defence cooperation.

After welcoming Chinese Defence Minister Cao Gangchuan on Wednesday
[16 January], Defence Minister Juwono Sudarsono told reporters both
countries would conduct joint military training and exercises for
their defence forces.

"We will also create a strategic partnership in joint financing and
defence industry, which will concentrate on producing military
vehicles, aircraft and vessel carriers," said Juwono, who visited
Beijing last November to sign the memorandum of understanding on
bilateral defence cooperation.

He said the finance and national development ministers of both
countries would discuss the amount of investment needed for the
defence industry, in which state-owned aircraft maker PT Dirgantara
Indonesia and state-owned shipbuilder PT PAL would be involved.

Minister Cao is scheduled to leave the country on Sunday [20 January]
after a five-day visit.

RI, CHINA TO JOINTLY DEVELOP DEFENCE INDUSTRY



JAKARTA, Jan 16 (Bernama) -- Indonesia and China have agreed to jointly

develop defence industry as a follow up to the strategic partnership

agreement in the defence field signed in November last year, a minister

said.

"The joint industry we will develop will mainly produce aircraft and

transport vehicles," Antara news agency quoted Indonesian Defence Minister

Juwono Sudarsono as saying after he received his Chinese counterpart, Gen

Cao Gangchu, at his office here on Wednesday.

Juwono said the development of the joint defence industry would involve
the two countries' state-owned strategic defence industries.

He said the two governments agreed to jointly finance the development

of the defence industry.

"Where the joint financing is concerned, the Finance Ministry and the

National Development Board in the two countries still need to discuss it in

detail," he said.

Meanwhile, Cao said his Indonesian visit was aimed at strengthening

defence cooperation between the two nations based on mutual understanding

and partnership.

"So far, cooperation between the two nations has been running well and
we have agreed to enhance the existing good cooperation at all levels of

cooperation in the future," Cao said.

He opined that the two nations could enhance defence cooperation

covering joint exercises and exchange of ranking officers' and

non-commissioned officers' visits.

Indonesia and China also agreed to develop technical cooperation, hold

joint exercises, education and training and military operations as well as

to exchange military doctrines.

The two armed forces also had agreed to form a joint cooperation

committee. The secretary general of the Defense Ministry, the Indonesian

defense forces (TNI) chief and the TNI's chief of staff for general affairs
are expected to discuss indepth technical cooperation between the two armed

forces in the proposed committee.

In the 2007-2008 budget year, the Chinese government had offered 21

kinds of education and training and courses for 23 officers from Indonesia.

The Indonesia-China strategic partnership also covered the economic

field. China is Indonesia's fourth biggest trade partner.

Two-way trade has reached a value of US$16.7 billion, and was expected

to surpass US$30 billion in 2010.

Following his meeting with Juwono, the Chinese defence minister was

expected to pay courtesy calls on Vice President Jusuf Kalla and the
commander of the Army's special elite force (Kopassus).

 

[Violet Oboe]

Strategic relations with Indonesia are steadily improving for years now since the fall of the pro-US military dictatorship of Suharto back in '98.

Indonesian people and military officers in particular are not stupid: they just witnessed in the late 90's how quickly the US and her ´deputy´Australia ´liberated´East Timor after supporting Suharto for more than three decades but suddenly Indonesia's military regime had outspent any usefulness for Washington and East Timor was gone. (...guess who gave Suharto ´green light´for occupying the island in '75..., indeed Kissinger himself!) They have learnt their lesson and are now simply hedging their bets.:coffee:

P.S.:
A meeting on a military level with Bhutan is interesting since Bhutan is a de facto protectorate of India. Probably Beijing has informed New Delhi about this in advance preventing irritations...

 

[tphuang]

more about China helping Indonesia, talks about transport aircraft (Y-9?) and ships

Jakarta, January 17, SPA -- Indonesia and China plan to cooperate in manufacturing defense equipment and are looking at other measures to expand military ties, ANTARA quoted the defense ministers of the two countries as saying.


"We expect to cooperate in building defense equipment, especially in transportation. For example, transport planes and ships," Indonesian Defense Minister Juwono Sudarsono said after talks with visiting Chinese Defense Minister Cao Gangchuan.


"The financing will be discussed further by two governments and related ministries," he added.
Cao said the aim of his visit was to strengthen cooperation.

"We also discussed future ways to promote further and enhance the military and defense relations between our two sides," Cao was quoted by Reuters as saying. "Besides, we can also promote cooperation in the field of training of military personnel."


The two ministers agreed to set up a committee to look into expanding cooperation.
China said last year it would boost defense spending by 17.8 percent to about $45 billion.

 

[tphuang]

well, another Russian article claiming that the exports are down because they are not willing to export advanced weaponry

Jan. 29 (Bloomberg) -- Russia is losing arms contracts to
China, the market for 40 percent of Russian defense sales,
because it is denying it advanced weaponry, the Nezavisimaya
Gazeta newspaper reported.
Russia is blocking the export to China of certain
armaments, the Moscow-based daily cited the head of the Federal
Service for Military-Technical Control, Mikhail Dmitriyev, as
saying. The Chinese shopping list includes Su-33 carrier-based,
multirole fighter aircraft and nuclear-powered submarines,
Nezavisimaya Gazeta said. China is also seeking the right to
produce Russian weaponry under license, it added.
Russian Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov is to visit
Beijing to discuss future Russian-Chinese defense contracts, it
said. Russia, which fought a short border war with China in the
late 1960s, meanwhile is allowing India to buy latest-generation
weapons, the newspaper said.
The Russian state arms exporter, Rosoboronexport, declined
to comment when contacted by Bloomberg News. Russia has sold
$1.8 billion to $2 billion of weapons to China annually in
recent years, according to Nezavisimaya Gazeta.

the interesting part is that su-33 is definitely cleared, nuclear submarine is not allowed to be exported anyways, so what is it that China really wants and russia is not exporting?