Exactly.
There was just another report on TV about hotel horror stories in Sochi. At this point I feel they are more than likely isolated incidents.
World News Thread & Breaking News!!
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Exactly.
There was just another report on TV about hotel horror stories in Sochi. At this point I feel they are more than likely isolated incidents.
broadsword
Brigadier
It looks like "Dirty Harry" and one of my childhood movie star hero is a life saver too.
Another day made.
U.S. General Tells Japan, Philippines to Cool China Rhetoric
Comments by the leaders of Japan and the Philippines drawing parallels between China’s growing assertiveness in the region and events in pre-war Europe are “not helpful,” said the commander of U.S. air forces in the Pacific.
“The rise of Germany and what occurred between the U.K. in particular and Germany, and what happened in Europe, I don’t draw that comparison at all to what’s going on today” in the Asia-Pacific, General Herbert “Hawk” Carlisle, 58, said in an interview yesterday in Singapore. “Some of the things, in particular that have been done by Japan, they need to think hard about what is provocative to other nations.”
Carlisle urged all countries involved in territorial disputes with China in both the East and South China Seas to try and defuse tensions. He said any move by China to extend an air-defense identification zone south, where it has disputes over oil-rich waters with the Philippines, Vietnam and Malaysia, would be “very provocative”.
The recent comments by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Philippine President Benigno Aquino -- two U.S. allies -- have escalated tensions at a time when China is pushing its territorial claims in both the East and South China Seas, and as President Xi Jinping expands the reach of his country’s navy. Both sought to cast China’s actions against the historical perspective of Germany’s ascension in the first half of the 20th century.
“The de-escalation of tensions has got to be a multilateral approach and it’s not just one country that needs to de-escalate,” said General Carlisle, a former fighter squadron commander who is responsible for air force operations for more than half the globe, with oversight of 45,000 personnel. “All of them do. The risk from miscalculation is high. It’s greater than it should be.”
Nazi Comparison
Abe said in Switzerland late last month that Germany and the U.K. went to war despite strong economic ties, and warned Japan and China must avoid a similar fate. In an interview with the New York Times published Feb. 5, Aquino called on nations to support the Philippines in defending its territory in the South China Sea, drawing a parallel with the West’s failure to back Czechoslovakia against Adolf Hitler’s demands for the Sudetenland in 1938.
China and Japan haven’t held a summit since Abe took office in December 2012. Protests broke out in China in late 2012 after Japan bought some of the disputed East China Sea islands, known as Senkaku in Japanese and Diaoyu in Chinese, from a private owner. China in November set up an air defense zone in the area, demanding civil and military aircraft present flight plans before entering the space. In December, Abe roiled ties by visiting the Yasukuni shrine, which honors Japan’s war dead including 14 World War II military leaders convicted as Class-A criminals.
‘Very Provocative’
“If you look at some of the things that have been going on in the East China Sea, both militaries have been conducting themselves very professionally,” said Carlisle. “But the potential for something, a mistake to occur or miscalculation or misunderstanding to occur, is out there. There is significantly more activity from both nations around the disputed territorial claims, and that to me is a risk.”
Any attempt by China to replicate its air zone in the South China Sea would be a “very provocative act,” said Carlisle, who has more than 3,600 flying hours in a variety of aircraft and was promoted to the rank of general in August 2012, according to his official Air Force profile.
The U.S. opposes any such move and “we’ve strongly, through diplomatic channels, made that known to the PRC,” Carlisle said, referring to the People’s Republic of China.
Shifting South
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei on Feb. 1 dismissed as “speculation” a report by Japanese newspaper Asahi that China also plans a zone in waters rich in fish, oil and gas that are home to some of the world’s busiest shipping lanes.
China introduced fishing rules last month requiring foreign vessels to seek permission before entering waters off its southern coast. The South China Sea is estimated to have as much as 30 billion metric tons of oil and 16 trillion cubic meters of gas, which would account for about one-third of China’s oil and gas resources, according to China’s official Xinhua News Agency.
Policing any air zone over the South China Sea would require China to shift some of its forces, which are now predominantly on the east coast of China, Carlisle said.
“There’s less of an established force today in the south,” he said. “The numbers it would take to patrol that size of air space, they would have to shift some of their force. Whether they do that or not, I couldn’t tell you. The capability of their systems to range the entire South China Sea does exist.”
Aircraft Carrier
In December China’s first aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, returned from an initial training mission in the South China Sea. Its drills triggered diplomatic tensions after a Chinese vessel cut in front of the USS Cowpens guided-missile cruiser from a distance of 100 yards in the area on Dec. 5, an incident U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said was “irresponsible.”
China is already building its second aircraft carrier to be completed in 2018, the South China Morning Post reported Jan. 19, citing a regional Communist Party chief. Even so, China is some way from combat-readiness for the Liaoning, Carlisle said.
“What the U.S. Navy does with an aircraft carrier is simply amazing,” he said. “That is a lot of years of experience and training and understanding. The ability to actually go out on a carrier, conduct operations and be effective and become air ready on an aircraft carrier is not an easy task. It’s going to take some work from the PRC to get to that.”
Military Spending
The U.S. needs to maintain a capable air force presence in the region to act as a deterrent and help defuse tensions, Carlisle said. “That’s not pointed at any one nation, but nations throughout the world. Our air force continues to advance its capabilities,” he said.
China expanded military spending 10.7 percent to 740.6 billion yuan ($122 billion) in 2013, while Abe, who is seeking to reinterpret Japan’s pacifist constitution to allow his country’s troops to defend allies, plans a second consecutive rise in Japan’s defense budget. China is expected to release its military spending figure for the year at the National People’s Congress in early March.
“Everything we see with respect to the PRC spending, from my perspective, is their ability to continue to project power, more than they have in the past,” Carlisle said. “They’re continuing to go after less in the defensive nature and more on their ability to get power outwards. You see that in their air force too with respect to their ability to use their aircraft carrier, their ability with long-range bombers, their ability with fighter aircraft.”
Capable Force
China’s air force is fielding new precision-guided cruise missiles, long-range bombers and drones, according to U.S. military intelligence officials. “While we would not characterize the modernization as accelerated,” it’s “progressing at a steady pace,” Lee Fuell, a director at the Air Force’s National Air and Space Intelligence Center, said in a presentation released Jan. 30.
The People’s Liberation Army Air Force is becoming “better,” Carlisle said. “The PLAF is a very capable air force and they are getting more capable all the time.”
To contact the reporters on this story: Sanat Vallikappen in Singapore at [email protected]; Rosalind Mathieson in Singapore at [email protected]
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Rosalind Mathieson at [email protected]
AssassinsMace
Lieutenant General
Japan and the Philippines know the US will come running to their aid no matter what.
Interesting how Japan charged the US with lying about Japanese war crimes. They could've just said China lied. It was obviously about Japan's frustration with the US on dealing with China. Like the US is going to drop Japan as an ally over being called a liar? The Japanese knows the US won't. I wouldn't be surprised that calling the US a liar was also playing on Obama being called a liar with other scandals. If only we could have the wikileaks fly on the wall over the pivot towards Asia. That would make some interesting reading.
Here's some backtracking.
People misread the pivot? When they have the media talking about it being about "containing" China, that's how the White House wanted it to be read. Obama arrogantly misread Asia. He thought he could gang-up the world against China over cyber espionage. Like he didn't try to gang-up Asia against China? The pivot was targeting China. Now those over in Singapore who's rumor to have thought up the pivot idea overplayed their hand and now are trying to backtrack. If China were so easily swayed by pressure, China would've surrendered long ago.
Interesting how Japan charged the US with lying about Japanese war crimes. They could've just said China lied. It was obviously about Japan's frustration with the US on dealing with China. Like the US is going to drop Japan as an ally over being called a liar? The Japanese knows the US won't. I wouldn't be surprised that calling the US a liar was also playing on Obama being called a liar with other scandals. If only we could have the wikileaks fly on the wall over the pivot towards Asia. That would make some interesting reading.
Here's some backtracking.
People misread the pivot? When they have the media talking about it being about "containing" China, that's how the White House wanted it to be read. Obama arrogantly misread Asia. He thought he could gang-up the world against China over cyber espionage. Like he didn't try to gang-up Asia against China? The pivot was targeting China. Now those over in Singapore who's rumor to have thought up the pivot idea overplayed their hand and now are trying to backtrack. If China were so easily swayed by pressure, China would've surrendered long ago.
broadsword
Brigadier
Coming from a US person with position sounds surreal. It's so easy to take cheap shots at China using the Nazi analogy that many people could be misled. Words like death star and bogeyman had been used before. The US General's words should put things into perspective before the media can make it into a meme.
joshuatree
Captain
Pretty significant shift, if true.
Looks like chinas cooperation with SK on North Korea, their continuing economic relationship, along with Abe spitting in both their faces has built enough goodwill and trust for at least more substantial military intelligence cooperation.
This can only be a good thing for the Korea peninsula, for when the north eventually rolls over, greater coordination between SK and china will be essential to avoid a shooting conflict between the two.
Of course, a china friendly South Korea also benefits china as such a stance makes it less likely to join any westpac NATO, and it keeps the pressure on Japan too. Although on the latter point Abe has done more to help china and South Korea move together than any prior factor
FM calls for military intelligence pact with China
SEOUL, Feb. 10 (Yonhap) -- South Korea should consider forging a pact with China on sharing military intelligence as part of efforts to boost mutual trust, Seoul's top diplomat said Monday.
"There is a need to review the necessity (for a South Korea-China military information sharing pact,)" Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se said during a parliamentary interpellation session.
Yun made the remarks in response to ruling Saenuri Party lawmaker Song Young-keun's question of whether the two neighbors need a military pact for the purpose of promoting bilateral trust.
"South Korea and China have been cooperating in a variety of sectors since the launch of the new (Park Geun-hye) government last year, including in the defense segment," the foreign minister noted.
South Korea's previous attempt to sign the military intelligence sharing pact with Japan was suspended in mid-2012 as the government's steps taken secretly to forge the sensitive pact with the former colonial ruler inflamed public sentiment.
Meanwhile, South Korea is bracing for the possibility of a military skirmish between China and Japan over their disputed islands in the East China Sea, Yun also said, referring to the set of outcroppings called Senkaku in Japan or Diaoyu in China.
Recent remarks by the leaders of Asian neighbors have indicated the possibility of a military skirmish over the China-Japan military dispute, the minister said, adding that "We are also making all sorts of preparations (against that possibility.)"
Yun also said Seoul is reviewing various measures to resolve the diplomatic standoff with Tokyo, indicating Japan should first demonstrate sincerity toward resolving history-related issues with South Korea before any high-level talks between the two neighbors could resume.
"The biggest obstacle (in mending bilateral ties) is the Shinzo Abe government's revisionist remarks and behavior," he said. "In order for the two countries to have higher level talks, we need sincere measures from the Japanese side."
The Seoul-Tokyo ties have been severely frayed as of late, as the nationalist Shinzo Abe administration's remarks and actions aimed at whitewashing and glorifying its past wartime aggression drove a wedge between the neighbors.
South Korea, a major victim of Japan's imperialist atrocities during World II, has bitterly lamented the recent nationalist actions from Japan, including Abe's respect-paying visit in December to the Yasukuni war shrine, which honors World War II criminals along with other Japanese war dead.
Seoul has indefinitely delayed holding the first summit meeting between President Park Geun-hye and Abe amid the icy relations with Tokyo, with Park nearing her one-year anniversary of taking office.
Copyright Yonhap News Agency, 2014. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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Looks like chinas cooperation with SK on North Korea, their continuing economic relationship, along with Abe spitting in both their faces has built enough goodwill and trust for at least more substantial military intelligence cooperation.
This can only be a good thing for the Korea peninsula, for when the north eventually rolls over, greater coordination between SK and china will be essential to avoid a shooting conflict between the two.
Of course, a china friendly South Korea also benefits china as such a stance makes it less likely to join any westpac NATO, and it keeps the pressure on Japan too. Although on the latter point Abe has done more to help china and South Korea move together than any prior factor
FM calls for military intelligence pact with China
SEOUL, Feb. 10 (Yonhap) -- South Korea should consider forging a pact with China on sharing military intelligence as part of efforts to boost mutual trust, Seoul's top diplomat said Monday.
"There is a need to review the necessity (for a South Korea-China military information sharing pact,)" Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se said during a parliamentary interpellation session.
Yun made the remarks in response to ruling Saenuri Party lawmaker Song Young-keun's question of whether the two neighbors need a military pact for the purpose of promoting bilateral trust.
"South Korea and China have been cooperating in a variety of sectors since the launch of the new (Park Geun-hye) government last year, including in the defense segment," the foreign minister noted.
South Korea's previous attempt to sign the military intelligence sharing pact with Japan was suspended in mid-2012 as the government's steps taken secretly to forge the sensitive pact with the former colonial ruler inflamed public sentiment.
Meanwhile, South Korea is bracing for the possibility of a military skirmish between China and Japan over their disputed islands in the East China Sea, Yun also said, referring to the set of outcroppings called Senkaku in Japan or Diaoyu in China.
Recent remarks by the leaders of Asian neighbors have indicated the possibility of a military skirmish over the China-Japan military dispute, the minister said, adding that "We are also making all sorts of preparations (against that possibility.)"
Yun also said Seoul is reviewing various measures to resolve the diplomatic standoff with Tokyo, indicating Japan should first demonstrate sincerity toward resolving history-related issues with South Korea before any high-level talks between the two neighbors could resume.
"The biggest obstacle (in mending bilateral ties) is the Shinzo Abe government's revisionist remarks and behavior," he said. "In order for the two countries to have higher level talks, we need sincere measures from the Japanese side."
The Seoul-Tokyo ties have been severely frayed as of late, as the nationalist Shinzo Abe administration's remarks and actions aimed at whitewashing and glorifying its past wartime aggression drove a wedge between the neighbors.
South Korea, a major victim of Japan's imperialist atrocities during World II, has bitterly lamented the recent nationalist actions from Japan, including Abe's respect-paying visit in December to the Yasukuni war shrine, which honors World War II criminals along with other Japanese war dead.
Seoul has indefinitely delayed holding the first summit meeting between President Park Geun-hye and Abe amid the icy relations with Tokyo, with Park nearing her one-year anniversary of taking office.
Copyright Yonhap News Agency, 2014. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Source:
Report to moderator Logged
TerraN_EmpirE
Tyrant King
Speaking of North Korea
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