• Home
• About Alexander
• About Stirring Trouble
• Books
• Word From The Editor
• Living In America
• Pardon Me For Asking
• Contact

• Angry Rants
• Around The World
• Breaking news
• Business
• Consumer Watch
• Entertainment
• Let's Be Cynical
• Life In The UK
• Media
• Point Of View
• Sport

What’s The Chinese Navy Up To In The Indian Ocean?

Martin McCauley writes: The Chinese leadership has been telling the world for decades now that there is no such thing as a ‘Chinese threat’ hanging over Asia and beyond it. We come in peace, was the message coming from Beijing. However, as China’s power grows, both on land and sea, its neighbours are getting slightly jittery. India, for example, is becoming more and more concerned about China’s ambitions to tighten its control over the Indian Ocean. New Delhi has identified a ‘string of pearls’, which stretches from Myanmar [Burma] to Aden, that China is keeping in its sights. China is alreday building deep water ports in Bangladesh (Chittagong), Sri Lanka (Hambantota), Pakistan (Gwadar) and road and energy pipelines and electronic surveillance installations in Myanmar.... 

Is Chinese Naval Power A Threat To Its Neighbours?

Martin McCauley writes: China’s incursion into the Gulf of Aden in January 2009, to take part in joint anti-piracy measures, caused quite a stir.Two Chinese state-of-the-art destroyers and a logistics ship acquitted themselves well and coordinated smoothly with other fleets, especially the U.S. led Task Force 151, the European Union’s Operation Atlanta and various other contingents from India, Russia and the like. The Chinese navy, in explaining its presence in the Indian Ocean, stressed the need to protect Chinese and Taiwanese shipping and the transport of UN food to Africa. It was also to enhance China’s international standing as a responsible great power. Hence it was essentially a peace mission. The exercise was classified by Chinese commentators as a ‘non-war military... 

China Emerging As A New Naval Superpower

Martin McCauley reports from the United States: Western intelligence sources are keeping a close eye on China’s military preparations. The thing that puzzles them is: how does one explain the fact that at a time when China is not facing a military threat its defence expenditure is rising fast? Does Beijing perceive a threat to its security in the near future? Surely not. The most plausible answer is that it is a natural concomitant of its rising economic power. Take, for instance, the expansion of its navy. President Hu Jintao declared at the 60th anniversary celebrations of the Chinese navy at Qingdao in April that China would never seek military ‘hegemony’ or pose a threat to the security of its neighbours. He also talked of ‘harmonious oceans’. What did he mean by... 

Could It Be That China Is Developing An Anti-Ship Ballistic Missile? And Would The U.S. Tolerate It?

Martin McCauley writes from the United States: Taiwan is of critical strategic importance to the People’s Republic of China. Geographically it blocks access to the western Pacific. Hence, the Middle Kingdom will do everything in its power to prevent the island becoming an independent state. Its great weakness at present is that the United States navy has the power to intervene if an armed conflict broke out between Beijing and Taipei.There is no way the Chinese navy, at present, could outgun the U.S. navy. That is why the goal of Chinese strategic planners is to possess a system that could deter the U.S. from intervening. It might well be that the Chinese are actually building such a system as you read this. Beijing, it appears is developing a land based anti-ship ballistic missile (ASBN).... 

Brazil To Train Chinese Naval Officers

Martin McCauley writes: In the modern military world, a country needs aircraft carriers to project its power overseas. Currently there are nine navies with aircraft carriers in active service. However the United States, France, Russia and Brazil are the only naval forces which can launch and recover aircraft from aircraft carriers. There are two systems in use. The Catapult Assisted Takeoff But Arrested Recovery (CATOBAR) and the Short Takeoff and Vertical Landing system (STOVL). Russia and Great Britain operate the STOVL system (Britain’s aircraft carriers will be commissioned in 2014-2018). France is not permitted to engage in any technical training which could lead to a transfer of sensitive technology to China. Russia’s negotiations to sell China the Su33 jet fighter have been... 

The South China Sea Is Becoming A Zone of Confrontation Between China And Its Neighbours

Martin McCauley writes: Deng Xiaoping’s maxim about territorial and maritime disputes: freeze them and move on to joint cooperation is now under threat in the South China Sea. Beijing is becoming more assertive in pursuit of its objectives. China has been attempting to push its claims for an expansion of its territorial waters. There is also an important economic dimension. The waters are believed to cover large reserves of oil and gas. In 2002, China and the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) signed an important agreement on the management of tensions in the South China Sea. That appears now to be unravelling. Manila’s hope that disputes over the Spratly Islands could be resolved have so far proved to be unfounded. The outlook for Sino-Filipino relations is not all... 

Is The Loyalty Of The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) To The Chinese Leadership In Doubt?

Martin McCauley writes: Last month the Chinese navy held a parade to commemorate the 60th anniversary of its founding by putting on display its most modern weaponry. This included two modern nuclear submarines built entirely in China. Delegations from 29 countries attended the festivities in the port city of Qingdao having the opportunity to access the rising potential of the Chinese navy. The question on their minds was: is it preparing to dominate the seas off the coast of the Middle Kingdom?An even more impressive parade of military power is expected on October 1 to mark the 60th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China. The army and air force will then be able to show how quickly they have advanced over the last decade. The rising military power of China poses... 

China’s Mission In The Gulf Of Aden. It Represents A Change Of Strategy

Martin McCauley writes: The dispatch of two state of the art warships with specially trained commandos on board and a supply ship by the Chinese Navy to the Gulf of Aden and the waters off Somalia to battle piracy marks an important change in Chinese strategic thinking. Beijing has made great efforts during the last decade to disguise the rise of Chinese naval power and its military might generally. It has always been careful not to make its neighbours perceive China as a threat to their national security. So why did China now decide to flex its military muscle so publicly? Chinese participation in maritime cooperation in East Asia has always been cautious and pragmatic. It has participated in various operations but has unequivocally rejected joining any ‘grand missions’ which embraced... 

Russia Sends Its Bombers To Venezuela. To Wind Washington Up

Christopher Lee writes: So, the Russian Navy is going to exercise with the Venezuelans in November. Two Russian Tupolev-160 strategic bombers (yes, outdated but still capable of carrying nuclear bombs) are down there already. If this isn’t a timely wind up for the Americans, I don’t know what is.   As the US prepares to vote in the presidential elections, what will the White House do? And what will the two presidential candidates have to say? The only good thing for everyone is that hardly any American will notice the Russian deployments. Americans don’t do foreign news. As has been said for years, only war teaches Americans geography. Yet, John McCain has to be careful that he doesn’t awaken an interest in what’s going on by telling everyone that it’s... 

Advertisements

 

 

 

Recommended Sites

BFBS Radio: Sitrep

Previous posts

• Technorati
• LibDems Pick A Porn Chick As Their Candidate. We Look At Other Options
• Israeli-Palestinian Peace Process? Now What Process Would That Be?
• The Cold War Is Back. But It Not As We Knew It
• More Breaking News. From The Stirring Trouble Team.
• Is There Any Point In Dieting? Nope, None At All
• Winning Hearts And Minds In Afghanistan. Even When They’re Detached From The Bodies
• President Ahmadinejad Reveals Iran’s Official Policy
• A Cynical Look At Life In Britain. And The Stiff Upper Lip
• As The British Press Sells Its Soul To The Devil, We Go Behind The Scenes Of One Newspaper
• From Now On The Met Office Will Express Doubt About Its Own Forecasts
• Pearls Of Wisdom. From The Stirring Trouble Team
• Live Coverage Of The Oscars Proves A Huge Hit. With Dozens Of People
• More Breaking News. From The Stirring Trouble Team
• Mossad Is Thinking Of Going Public. As A Plc
• Who Cares About Elvis Or Who Killed John Kennedy? Aliens Are Running Things Here
• TV Debates Between Party Leaders Will Include Product Placements
• Band Aid: Sir Bob And Friends Do Some Soul Searching
• More Breaking News. From The StirringTrouble Team
• President Zuma: The Man With The Plan
• The New Rich Have No Style, No Class, No Taste. No Anything
• Pearls Of Wisdom: From The Sirring Trouble Team
• About One Pine Tree. And Global Warming Written All Over It
• More Breaking News Items. From The Stirring Trouble Team
• BBC Cuts Costs: It’s Taking The Piss, But Not As We Know It
• A Case Of One Madman Blowing All The Money
• More Breaking News. From The Stirring Trouble Team
• Climate Change Myth Is Causing Panic. Even Among Climate Change Biggest Fans
• Political Correctness Is Dangerous For Your Health, Study Shows
• Binge Drinking: Who Says It Ain’t Cool?

Copyright © 2010 Alexander Nekrassov - Stirring Trouble Internationally – A humorous take on news and current affairs

Website Design

Buy Cheap Software Adobe InDesign CS