Beijing’s and Moscow’s naval assertiveness, particularly in Syria and the South and East China seas, attracts most of the attention. But India is building a second aircraft carrier, and may have three by 2020, along with four nuclear-powered submarines and various other modern ships. In 2012, India dispatched warships to the Horn of Africa, the Red Sea and the western Mediterranean. And in 2008 and 2010, India and Brazil conducted joint naval operations with South Africa on the Indian Ocean side of Africa.
In November 2012, some 10,000 Brazilian sailors and soldiers conducted an exercise called “Operation Atlantico 3,” meant to demonstrate the country’s ability to defend its offshore oilfields.
The BRIC countries are becoming the world’s new global navy – Quartz
Tag Archives: beijing
The BRIC countries are becoming the world’s new global navy – Quartz
China Conducts Test of New Anti-Satellite Missile | Washington Free Beacon
China’s military on Monday conducted the first test of a new ground-launched anti-satellite missile that was fired into space and disguised as a space-exploration rocket, according to U.S. officials.
The test was carried out early Monday from the Xichang Space Launch center and was identified by officials as the new Dong Ning-2 ASAT missile.
…
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei was asked if China conducted an ASAT test during a briefing for reporters in Beijing on Tuesday. He did not deny that it was carried out.
China Conducts Test of New Anti-Satellite Missile | Washington Free Beacon
China-India face-off ends as armies withdraw from Ladakh – The Times of India
The 20-day military standoff with China at an altitude of 16,300-feet in Ladakh has ended. After furious activity over diplomatic channels, coupled with two flag meetings on Saturday and Sunday afternoon, the Chinese troops retreated from the Depsang Bulge area to their bases on Sunday evening.
The resolution of the troop face-off came even as preparations were in full swing for foreign minister Salman Khurshid’s visit to Beijing on May 9 despite a growing political clamour to cancel the trip. Now, the visit will go ahead as scheduled, in preparation for the May 20 visit to India by Chinese premier Li Keqiang.
China-India face-off ends as armies withdraw from Ladakh – The Times of India
China: Japan, Allies Risk ‘Long-Term Damage’ Over Islands
China continues to accuse Japan of provoking disputes over contested islands in the East China Sea. The Obama administration opposes any unilateral change to Japanese administration of the islands.
China says Japanese activists near the disputed islands are worsening tensions between Beijing and Tokyo.
“It’s Japan that stirred up and exacerbated tensions on the islands issue. It’s also Japan that took direct and threatening actions. These are very evident facts that say who is right or wrong,” said Chinese Ambassador to the United States Cui Tiankai.
The potentially mineral-rich islands, known as “Diaoyu” in China and “Senkaku” in Japan, are administered by Tokyo – a status quo that Washington backs.
U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said any change that raises tensions could threaten regional stability. “Therefore, the United States opposes any unilateral or coercive action that seeks to undermine Japan’s administrative control,” he said.
And Beijing sees that as Washington siding with Tokyo, said Cato Institute analyst Justin Logan.
Australia Signals Military Shift Toward China – WSJ.com
Australia has sent the clearest signal yet that it wants to deepen military ties with China, its biggest trading partner, a move that risks straining relations with the U.S., its long-standing ally in the Pacific.
The resource-rich country published a security paper on Friday that stressed the need to balance Canberra’s strategic relationship with Washington with a sober recognition of the shift eastwards in global economic and military power.
The U.S. has historically struck a more adversarial tone with Beijing, whose regional ambitions, even now, are viewed with caution.
China’s ruthless foreign policy is shaping the world in dangerous ways | Full Comment | National Post
Are we witnessing the end of the “American age”? It depends whom you ask. But one thing is certain: Thanks to the near-bankruptcy of the American welfare state, Washington is losing both the means and desire to project power across the world. Inevitably, nations with deeper pockets — China, most notably — will fill the void.
This process already is underway in many parts of the world. That includes large swathes of Central Asia, where Beijing’s billions are beginning to revolutionize regional infrastructure and alliances — in dazzling but potentially dangerous ways.
Analyzing Beijing’s foreign policy is a relatively simple exercise. That’s because, unlike the United States and other Western nations, China doesn’t even pretend to operate on any other principle except naked self-interest.
‘They seem to want to get into a fight’: Asia on guard as China flexes its foreign policy muscles
So does China’s desire to throw its weight around the neighbourhood, make military conflict inevitable? There is certainly genuine concern among China watchers, as the country struggles to find its place in the world. “China reminds me of a teenage 16-year-old boy who has suddenly discovered he is very powerful but has never tested his strength. They seem to want to get into a fight,” said one diplomat.
Asia on guard as China flexes its foreign policy muscles | Full Comment | National Post
Xi’s War Drums – By John Garnaut | Foreign Policy
Fanell, in comments that went largely unnoticed outside the small circle of China military specialists, spelled out in rare detail the reasons the United States is shifting 60 percent of its naval assets — including its most advanced capabilities — to the Pacific. He was blunt: The Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy is focused on war, and it is expanding into the “blue waters” explicitly to counter the U.S. Pacific Fleet. “I can tell you, as the fleet intelligence officer, the PLA Navy is going to sea to learn how to do naval warfare,” he said. “My assessment is the PLA Navy has become a very capable fighting force.”
Some were shocked to hear the extent and intensity of China’s carefully orchestrated maritime provocations, especially coming from an officer whose job may make him more of an expert on Beijing’s naval maneuverings than anyone outside China. Others wondered whether the Pacific Fleet was simply playing the Washington game, perhaps lobbying for a greater share of the U.S. military budget or wider authority to act by magnifying the threat.
Philippines accuses China of ‘de facto occupation’
The Philippines on Friday accused Beijing of engaging in the “de facto occupation” of a disputed shoal in the South China Sea, following a face-off that began last year.
Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario said three Chinese government ships remained in the vicinity of the Scarborough Shoal, scaring off local fishermen.
“The Chinese have tried to establish a de facto occupation,” he told reporters.
The Philippines says the shoal is well within its 200-nautical-mile exclusive economic zone, as recognised by international law.
Top US general foresees ‘prolonged provocation’ by North Korea – CSMonitor.com
“I think we’re in a period of prolonged provocation” with North Korea, a condition that began when Kim Jong-un took over as leader of the military dictatorship from his father in late 2011.
“What that means is, I think, that the risk of miscalculation is higher, and I think the risk of escalation is higher,” Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said during a visit to Beijing this week, where Pentagon officials have sought China’s help in convincing Mr. Kim to ratchet down his confrontational rhetoric.
Top US general foresees ‘prolonged provocation’ by North Korea – CSMonitor.com
The Real Reason for the China-India Conflict Over the Line of Control
Beijing’s moves along the disputed border are aimed at achieving India’s strategic encirclement
… This time around, the Chinese forces are unlikely to withdraw because as a risen power, the occupation is a well-crafted act of an unfolding grand strategy.
According to the Chinese, they are technically correct in insisting that the present occupation does not transgress the Line of Actual Control (LAC). This is not all. India, according to China, has done more transgressions into the Eastern sector than the other way round. China further says that it has refrained from making noises because it wants good neighbourly relations, but it will act in self-defence if the need arises.
India, on the other hand, says that differing perceptions about the LAC are responsible for numerous transgressions as well as the present stand-off in the Western sector. Meanwhile, treating it as a military matter, the Indian army has reportedly pitched its own tents facing the Chinese. What is the truth in this game?
China’s bad behavior toward India is strategic. China’s bad behavior toward Japan is also strategic. For that matter, the same applies to the Philippines and Vietnam.
The Real Reasons for the China-Japan Conflict Over the Senkaku Islands
