Muslim writer touts Israeli tolerance of minorities

By ARIEL BEN SOLOMON

“This country does not fit the description of an apartheid state,” says author Qanta Ahmed in visit to Israel.

DR. QANTA AHMED speaks at the Menachem Begin Heritage Center in Jerusalem  Photo: Deston Productions

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British author Dr. Qanta Ahmed spoke on Wednesday at the Menachem Begin Heritage  Center in Jerusalem about the difficulties for minorities in Islamic societies  and how Israel is the only country in the Middle East that tolerates  them.

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The event was organized by Alan Schneider, director of the B’nai  B’rith World Center in Jerusalem, and cosponsored by the Ecumenical Theological  Research Fraternity as part of their joint Liaison Committee forum.

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The  forum serves as an informal initiative aimed at fostering better mutual respect  and understanding between local Christians and Jews.

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Ahmed is a British  sleep-disorder specialist working in New York State, whose parents came from  Pakistan after moving there from India.

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She visited Israel for the first  time and gave a lecture at the symposium on Wednesday evening dealing with  radicalization and minority persecution in the Islamic world.

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The rise of  political Islam that has been particularly pronounced as a result of the Arab  uprisings is a threat to minorities and to Muslims who do not agree with the  ascendent radical ideology, Ahmed said.

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The persecution of Christians and  other minorities is not getting the attention it deserves from the mainstream  media, she said, adding that only a Muslim like her can get away with  criticizing Islamic societies without being castigated as a bigot.

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Israel  does not fit the description of an apartheid state and instead, the media  ignores the real problem, which is in the Muslim world, she  said.

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Illustrating this point, she said that it was only when she went to  enter al-Aksa Mosque that she was asked to prove she was a Muslim in order to  enter. She did so by reciting the shahada – the Muslim declaration of faith,  that states there is one God and that Muhammad is his prophet.

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“This is  the first time I gave this talk in the Middle East and the only place in the  region where I can give this talk and go home afterwards,” Ahmed said. She added  that the boycott of next month’s President’s Conference in Jerusalem by British  scientist Stephen Hawking is misplaced as he never boycotted Pakistan despite  its deplorable human rights record, including its persecution of  minorities.

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Dr. Michael Widlanski, an Arab-affairs expert and lecturer at  Bar-Ilan University in Ramat Gan, also spoke, asserting that modern Muslim  society is more intolerant than in antiquity. He said that because Muslims see  the failure of the Islamic world when compared to the power and technology of  the West, they look for scapegoats and this often affects relations with  minorities.

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He faulted US President Barack Obama for trying to charm the  Islamic world along with America’s enemies, just as he does with his country’s  voters. Widlanski explained that Middle Eastern culture puts importance on honor  and shame, which can be used as tools in pressuring Arab  governments.

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Under the Muslim Brotherhood, women can forget about equal rights….

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Ahmed discussed her experience working in Saudi Arabia – the  topic of her book, In the Land of Invisible Women: A Female Doctor’s Journey in  the Saudi Kingdom, which documented the rampant anti-Semitism in the country and  lack of women’s rights.

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She said that Muslims she encountered saw Jewish  intellectual prowess as particularly irritating.

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Ahmed said that her  writings have caused problems for her when traveling to Muslim countries and  some have gotten angry and broken off contact with her.

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Pakistan is  particularly dangerous, she said. On her last visit she went as a doctor, not an  author, and was surrounded by numerous military guards at all times.

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It  is the radical Islamic ideology that has “corrupted” Islam as it was practiced  throughout history, said Ahmed, adding that the “the Muslim Brotherhood is a  fictional manifestation of Islam.”

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To think that the golden age of Islam  can be returned through jihad, subordination and a war on secularism, is a  “distorted religion,” she stated.

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Radical Islam can be both violent and  nonviolent, she asserted, and many feel that as long as there is no overt  violence, these organizations are legitimate, referring to the Muslim  Brotherhood in Egypt, which rules without resorting to the jihadist methods of  al-Qaida-like organizations. But these nonviolent Islamists such as the Muslim  Brotherhood are “no less malignant,” Ahmed said.

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Egypt’s President Mohamed Mursi listens the speech of Pakistan’s Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf (not in picture) during a ceremony at the National University of Science and Technology (NUST) in Islamabad March 18, 2013.  Credit: Reuters/Mian Khursheed

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Egypt: 3 Women Killed in Suspected “Honor Crime”

What the Muslim world believes, on everything from alcohol to honor killings

The suspect named by sources as Michael Adebolajo, left, and the second alleged killer Michael Adebowale are rumored to have been schoolmates

Philippine-China relations continue with people-to-people programs

Public attention has understandably been focused on the 2013 midterm elections. However recent events serve to remind us that Philippine-China relations will continue to be a major issue for policy makers and the consequences of these policy decisions will have an impact on the daily lives of Filipinos.

BREAKTHROUGH By Elfren S. Cruz (The Philippine Star)

First, there was the completion of the composition of the UN Arbitration panel which will decide, by June or July whether it will agree to accept the Philippine claim to the disputed islands in the West Philippine Sea.

Then there were the goodwill games by the Yao Ming basketball team which was originally scheduled last year.

The death of a Taiwanese fisherman led to several demands by the Taiwanese which the Philippine government refused to accept because we had to adhere to our one China policy.

Whether we like it or not, China is a geographic neighbor.  Therefore we will be facing China and sharing the same maritime space and our destinies — economic, political and even social — will be bound to each other. This would not be the case if the Philippines, for example, was located in the South Pacific.

I decided that the best way for me and my readers to fully understand Philippine-China relations, was to have a conversation on China with Chito Sta. Romana, who is considered one of the foremost China experts in Southeast Asia.

Chito was a student leader in the 1970s having served as student council president of La Salle and spokesman of the student movement now referred to as the First Quarter Storm. He visited China in 1972 and stayed on as a political exile when Marcos declared martial law. He came back after EDSA 1 and then went to Fletcher School in the US for a master’s degree. From 1989 to 2010, he worked with the American Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) News in their Beijing bureau as their China expert and executive producer.

Here are the highlights of our conversation reflecting his views and mine.

China’s power has grown tremendously over the past three decades. As China grew economically, it has devoted bigger resources  to increase its military  power. The source of anxiety for the world is what China will do with its rapidly growing economic and military power. China is already beginning to challenge the American dominance in the Asia-Pacific region.

However, the probability of China overtaking the USA, as an economic and military superpower,  is not yet a “sure bet”.  We have to remember what happened to Japan.

In the ‘60s and ‘70s, articles and books were written about Japan dominating the world economy. Japanese tourists virtually “invaded” Europe and were the biggest buyers of luxury items. There were fears that Japan would again resurrect its imperial ambitions just as they did in the ’30s and ‘40s when it invaded China and conquered the whole of East Asia.

But Japanese economic growth hit a plateau and entered a long period of stagnation. China’s growth is also slowing down.

But what if China’s economic trajectory continues to go up? This is a possible cause of concern. Since the 2008 global financial meltdown, Chinese policy makers and strategists have been speaking of a shift in the global balance of power. They believe that American power is in a decline and soon there will be more than one superpower; China will be one of them. This has added to the anxiety of what the Chinese will do with this power.

Even when the Maoist Communists were in power, they were already claiming all the island groups that are visible at high tide in what they called “South China Sea.” But their only recourse then was to file diplomatic protests. Now they have the military and maritime power to back up their assertions. This has led to their confrontations with Japan, Vietnam, India and the Philippines.

The difficulty in the Philippine-China issue is that it concerns territorial sovereignty. In this type of issues, it’s very difficult to find a win-win solution because neither side will want to give way. The government’s two-pronged approach, therefore, is clearly the best approach at the moment.

On one hand, we will continue pursuing territorial claims over the Panatag and Spratly Islands. The best recourse is the filing of our claim with the United Nations. Assuming the claim is accepted by the tribunal, experts believe that the final judgment will come after two to four years.  If  the tribunal votes in favor of the Philippine claim, we still have to understand that the panel has no enforcement power. However, the principal argument will be based on the fact that China, as a member of the UN Security Council with its desire to be seen as a peaceful world power will be bound to accept the UN decision.

While the conflict on territorial rights continues at the UN, the Philippines is continuing its bilateral approach in the economic areas and other people-to-people programs. The Chinese government has responded favorably to this two-pronged approach.

Direct flights from China to Boracay have been resumed. Trade has been normalized and bananas are again being exported to China. Last year, the Yao Ming visit was cancelled.  Recently, Yao Ming’s team played two goodwill games here. Perhaps the Philippines can send the Azkals or the Smart Gilas team to China in return.

The think tanks of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Beijing- based China Institute of International Studies and the Shanghai Institute of International Studies, have expressed their desire to meet with Philippine scholars and intellectuals in order to better understand Philippine politics and policies.

At some future date, the presidents of both countries will likely find the opportunity to establish personal relationships with each other. After all, personal meetings either in formal summit meets or other venues are a necessary part of international diplomacy. Perhaps, this could happen when the Philippines hosts the China-ASEAN Expo to be held from September 20 to 24, 2013 in Nanning, Guangxi province in China.

Engaging China means continuing to seek diplomatic resolutions to the issue of sovereignty while separately seeking to normalize trade and economic relations and other people-to-people programs. In dealing with China, it is advisable to proceed with caution and restraint but without fear.

Former  NBA player Yao Ming is still a big star … wherever he goes.

Read more: http://www.tmz.com/2013/05/06/yao-ming-tall-manila-photo/#ixzz2UCsk3C5j
Visit the TMZ Store:  http://tmzstore.com

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Yahoo! PH Sports/Mike Alquinto/NPPA Images – Former National Basketball Association (NBA) player Yao Ming answers questions from Philippine media during a brief press briefing upon his arrival at the Terminal …more  2 of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) in Pasay City, south of Manila, on 04 May 2013. Yao Ming is in Manila for two-day exhibition matches between the Shanghai Sharks and the Smart Gilas Team on May 6 and the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Selection on May 7, also conducting free basketball clinic for less fortunate children, as part of the Years of Friendly Exchanges program between the Philippines and China. (Mike Alquinto/NPPA Images)

Indian Navy Test Fires “Strike” Missile

India on Wednesday successfully tested the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile from aboard its newest warship off the Goa coast.

The 290-km missile, an Indo-Russian joint venture, was fired from INS Tarkash, a Russian built frigate of the Indian Navy.

“The missile performed high-level ‘C’ manoeuvre at pre-determined flight path and successfully hit the target. The surface-to-surface missile was test-launched from the warship at 11 am,” a BrahMos Aerospace statement said here.

“The launch was carried out by Indian Navy as part of Acceptance Test Firing (ATF) of the ship,” it added.

The Indian Navy had commissioned INS Tarkash on November 9 last year. The warship, along with two other frigates of the same class  — INS Teg and INS Trikand  — have been built as part of a `8,000 crore contract signed between India and Russia in July 2006. INS Teg, the first of this class of frigates, was commissioned on April 27 last year, while the third warship in this class, INS Trikand, is expected soon.

The advanced warship has been fitted with an upgraded multi-role combat suite to make it one of the most potent platforms of the Indian Navy.

The weapons suite of INS Tarkash includes surface-to-air and surface-to-surface missile systems, 100 mm medium range gun, close-in weapon system, torpedo tubes and anti-submarine rockets.

INS Tarkash a “stealth frigate” in India’s Navy

All the three ships of this class are equipped with eight vertical launched BrahMos missiles as the prime strike weapon.

The BrahMos missile system is capable of engaging targets at extended ranges at supersonic speed. The BrahMos missile can cruise at a maximum speed of 2.8 Mach or nearly three times the speed of sound and is capable of carrying a conventional warhead of 300 kg.

The new missile frigates are designed to accomplish a wide range of maritime missions, primarily hunting down and destroying large surface ships and submarines.  The vertical launch configuration of BrahMos enhances the stealth capabilities of the warship, as the missiles are under the deck and not exposed.

INS Trikand

The BRICS miracle is really about China; But now mostly diminishing returns

The Brics:  The stock of capital flowing into emerging markets has doubled from $4 trillion to $8 trillion since the Lehman Crisis, chasing a catch-up growth story that looks tired and has largely sputtered out in Brazil, Russia and South Africa.

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A Chinese propaganda poster from 1982. Stripped bare, the BRICS miracle is really about China, and even the Politburo has run into diminishing returns after ramping up credit from $9 trillion to $23 trillion in four years

By Ambrose Evans-Pritchard

The Telegraph

Much of the money has gone into debt, with falling economic returns. This is the next shoe to drop in the festering saga of global imbalances. All it will take is a gear-shift by the US Federal Reserve and the inevitable dollar surge that follows. It was the Volcker Fed that set off Latin America’s defaults in the early 1980s. It was the mighty dollar that set off Mexico’s Tequila crisis, and then the East Asian chain-reaction in the 1990s.

“Every emerging market blow-up that I have seen was preceded by a rise in the dollar,” said Albert Edwards for Societe Generale.

“Investors overlook how vulnerable these countries are to a dollar shock. The whole process of excess liquidity and foreign reserve build-up goes into reverse. It acts like monetary tightening and turns into a vicious circle. Markets look for the weak link with the worst current account deficit, and then the dominoes start to fall,” he said.

Fed chairman Ben Bernanke told Congress on Wednesday that “premature tightening” could abort the US recovery. There will be no “tapering” of quantitative easing until the fourth quarter. But passive tightening has begun. America’s broad M3 money supply has been flat for months.

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Former IMF official Stephen Jen, now at SLJ Macro Partners, foresees a “sudden stop”, the moment when funding for emerging markets dries up abruptly and investors run for the exits.

Mr Jen said the flow of money before 2007 was “pulled in” by a genuine growth story, but what has happened since is different. Money has been “pushed out” of the West by QE in the US and Britain, or by the emergency stimulus in Europe, with liquidity washing through the global system.

It is of “inferior quality”, “fickle”, and likely to be “fully reversed” as the Fed hoovers up excess money. The timing is in the hands of Bernanke, but the screws are already tightening for some in Asia, Latin America and the Mid-East as commodities deflate.

The cumulative inflow of capital has been 60pc of GDP in Lebanon, 58pc in Bulgaria, 56pc in Hungary, 50pc in Ukraine, 48pc in Poland, 42pc in Chile, 39pc in Romania, 32pc in Malaysia, 28pc in Thailand and 26pc in Turkey, to name a few. It can be good or bad. The devil is in the detail. But the overall level is what you see at cycle peaks. The IMF says the flows have been “ample but not alarming”, yet also warned of a “sudden change in global market sentiment”.

You can take a contrarian view, seeing the 12pc fall in the MSCI Index of emerging market stocks since early 2011 as a chance to pick up bargains. Bank of America says the sector “typically” beats the S&P 500 and Eurostoxx when the mood is this bearish. It depends whether you think the two-year drought is “typical”, or the end of the road for a whole catch-up model.

South Africa has already become the first of the “BRICS” quintet to graduate from routine trouble to what looks like an old-fashioned Third World crisis. The current account deficit is 6pc of GDP. The rand plunged to a four-year low against the dollar this week, and 10-year bond yields have lost their footing.

“Clearly a risk that all of us see is a sudden change in sentiment. Once there have been good inflows there might be unanticipated outflows,”  said finance minister Pravin Gordhan.

The fear is that South Africa is becoming ungovernable, with no end in sight to violent strikes by miners. Police opened fire on protesters at Lonmin’s Marikana mine last year in a clash that killed 34 people.

Brazil has not yet lost its halo but it has all the signs of stagflation, and remains stuck where it has been for half a century in the “middle income trap”. Manufacturing output is lower today than in 2008, more like Italy than China. It is the result of an over-mighty real during the iron ore and agro-boom, and a bad case of the “resource curse”.

Fiscal policy was too loose, countered by tight money, so the real soared. Dilma Rousseff’s government tried to blame others with talk of “currency war”. Now it is dabbling in protectionism. We have seen this story before in Latin America.

Brazil’s global ranking is 107 for infrastructure, 123 for roads, and 135 for ports, according to the World Economic Forum. The country never really overcame its bad habits. And much the same could be said of Russia, another resourse casualty that bet too heavily on oil and gas in the shale-shaken energy universe.

Russia is not in crisis. Growth is sputtering along at 1.6pc. Manufacturing is up 1.2pc over the past year. But the BRICS story is essentially dead, a “Bloody Ridiculous Investment Concept”, says Mr Edwards.

It is true that India has embraced free markets – sort of – and ditched the suffocating Hindu Model. Yet the old India is still there, grappling with power blackouts, a current account deficit of 6.7pc of GDP and a central and local budget deficit near 10pc of GDP.

Stripped bare, the BRICS miracle is really about China, and even the Politburo has run into diminishing returns after ramping up credit from $9 trillion to $23 trillion in four years. At best China will have settle for more pedestrian growth, but it too is at the mercy of the Fed.

By pegging its currency to the dollar it risks an exchange rate surge against the rest of Asia, compounding the effects of a 30pc rise against Japan’s yen since last summer.

This looks all too like the mid-1990s, when the yen crashed against the dollar and gave China a brutal deflationary shock. China’s $3.4 trillion foreign reserves will prove no defence. To deploy reserves the would entail conversion back into yuan, causing the currency to rise. It would exacerbate the shock.

To cap it all, this is happening just as China’s trade surplus vanishes and American firms switch plant back to US soil for cheaper power and better labour productivity. The wheel is turning full circle.

Local stock markets have already priced in the new reality. Shanghai is off 70p from its 2008 peak in real terms. But foreigners who shovelled $8 trillion into their love affair with BRICS and bricklets have yet to adjust. European banks have lent $4.4 trillion to the bloc. Something to ponder.

These cycles of emerging market exuberance are as old as capitalism. They happened episodically all through the 20th Century, and all through 19th Century before that, usually ending with a cold douche. It should be no great shock if it happens yet again.

Russia Will Train Vietnamese Crew of Kilo Submarine

This July Russia will start training the future crew of the second Kilo-class submarine Vietnam has agreed to buy from the country, Russian news agency Interfax reported Monday.

The submarine named “Ho Chi Minh City” set off for sea trials April 28, four months after being launched.

Interfax reported that the submarine embarked Monday for a two-week sea trial.

It will arrive at the seaport town of Baltiysk early next month and return to Admiralteiskie Verfi shipyard in St. Petersburg by mid-June.

In July, the training will get underway for Vietnamese crew, according to Interfax.

It is expected that the submarine will be delivered to Vietnam in late October.

During the visit of Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung to Moscow in December 2009, Vietnam signed a US$2 billion deal to buy six diesel-electric submarines from Russia.

Russia has promised to deliver them all by 2016.

In another Russia visit on May 13, Dung called on the factory “Ship Repair-West” in the Russian seaport city of Kaliningrad and watched the first submarine built for the Vietnam Navy undergoing sea trials.

The submarine named “Hanoi” has undergone 23 successful dives.

The Voice of Russia reported that the third submarine, named “Hai Phong,” will be launched this August.

Kilo-class submarines, nicknamed “Black Holes” for their ability to avoid detection, are considered to be among the quietest diesel-electric submarines in the world.

They are designed for general reconnaissance and patrol missions, as well as anti-submarine and anti-ship warfare.

They have a displacement capacity of 2,300 tons, a maximum depth of 350 meters, and are equipped with six 533-mm torpedo tubes with a firing range of 9,600 km.

The Kilo submarine, a Russian design, is in service in India, Iran, Vietnam, China and Russia.

China: One Kilo sub and two Song Class

Vietnam Establishes “Fishery Control Stations” in the South China Sea; Emphasizes Military Readiness News

A flag salute ceremony held daily on the Song Tu Tay island, part of Vietnam’s Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelago in the East Sea

Two fishery control stations will be established on two islands in Vietnam’s Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelago in the East Sea (South China Sea)  to enforce laws at sea and contribute to safeguarding the country’s sovereignty, according to a decision of the Vietnam Directorate of Fisheries.

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News from Tuoi Tre News, Vietnam

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The stations will be built on Song Tu Tay and Da Tay islands, which belong to the Truong Sa Island District that was established in April 2007 in south-central Khanh Hoa Province.

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Yesterday, May 21, Nguyen Ngoc Oai, deputy head of the Directorate, which is under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, met with the provincial People’s committee to select locations for the two stations.

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Another station will also be erected in the central city of Da Nang, according to the decision.

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These stations will patrol, control and inspect every fishing activity in the area between Da Nang and south-central Ninh Thuan Province, and detect and handle violations of fishery regulations.

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The stations will also take part in search and rescue at sea, and other disaster prevention and control activities to contribute to protecting people and vehicles operating at sea.

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In addition, the station will contribute to activities that protect the country’s sovereignty, sovereign rights, and national jurisdiction over its territorial waters.

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In related news, China recently deployed 32 fishing boats to the Truong Sa region. At a press conference in Hanoi on May 9, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Luong Thanh Nghi said in response, “All activities in the East Sea must comply with international law, especially the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), with respect to the sovereignty, sovereign rights and jurisdictional rights of concerned countries.”

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Video:

Vietnamese fishing in the South China Sea

http://tuoitrenews.vn/video/detail-video/9089

Audio, In English, By By Dr. Nguyen Nha. Nha’s Phd dissertation’s title is “The process of asserting sovereignty of Vietnam over Hoang Sa and Truong Sa”. He is the first Vietnamese to earn a Phd on this topic:

http://tuoitrenews.vn/audio/detail-audio/9292

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The East Sea is thought to hold vast untapped reserves of oil and natural gas that could potentially place China, the Philippines, Vietnam, and other claimant nations alongside the likes of Saudi Arabia, Russia, and Qatar.

The waters hold around 11 billion barrels of oil and 190 trillion cubic feet of natural gas in proven and probable reserves, Reuters reported, citing the US Energy Information Administration.

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For the ‘caretakers’ of the Russian-made Su-30MK2 fighter jets at an air base in the southern province of Dong Nai, work starts at 3:30am every day, before the sun is even up.

They are engineers and technicians of Air Regiment 935, tasked with the job of ensuring the fighters are flight-ready by 6:00am. The Su-30MK2 is a state-of-the-art supersonic fighter aircraft which is compared to a master cobra in the air thanks to its improved avionics, all-weather capability, and long-range endurance.

It is designed for maritime strikes, and air-to-air, and air-to-surface deep interdiction missions.

A working day starts at 3:30am

The ‘caretakers’ are the first to start their work day at the air base, when the sky is still dark. With a flashlight in hand, technicians rush to the hangars to diagnose the jets to prepare for flight at 6:00am.

The flashlights are used to check the technical details of the engines.

To ensure safety during a flight, the technicians actually finish checking on systems such as weaponry, radar, communication, and engines the previous day. But they still start earlier to double check everything before the pilots arrive.

Most of the time the job is performed in silence, with each engineer covering their own assigned areas.

At 6:00am, the air base is woken up by the deafening roars of the Su-30MK2. Technicians stand around to observe and listen to the sounds of working engines. Many use no ear plugs so that they can hear more clearly and better well diagnose any issues the jets may have.

One of the technicians said they have adapted to the roar. They joke that their daily perfume is the smell of engine smoke stained on their clothes.

After the fighters return to the hangars after a flight session, the ‘caretakers’ are the first to talk to the pilots about the condition of the ‘cobras’, so that they know what issues to look for.

“If an error is reported by pilots, we technicians must find it and correct it immediately, before another flight session resumes,” said the chief of the 2nd Company at the air base.

The 31 year-old chief is the youngest official to hold the post since the Air Techniques Battalion of Regiment 935 was established in 1998.

Listening to the sounds of Su, the Su-30MK2’s nickname, can help you understand its condition, he said. Su is like a human being, and a healthy voice is different from a sick one.

It is the pride of the technicians to prepare Su and see it soar up in the sky and return to base safely, he added.

Seeing them working in the hangars, with temperatures usually 2-3 Celsius degrees higher than other areas, sometimes up to 45-46 degrees, helps people realize how much they love their jobs.

“They devote time to their job even when they can’t ask for leave to take care of their sick children in hospital,” said senior lieutenant and pilot Dang Dinh Kien. “I admire their sense of high responsibility. I can sense the condition of my fighter based on seeing the pride on their faces.”

That’s why every single technical error of the Su-30MK2 can be corrected by the Vietnamese technicians, Kien added.

“We believe in not allowing any errors in the sky. It’s not only responsibility but also human love, as our errors may claim the lives of others [pilots],” said Dang Xuan Vy — head of the technical battalion.

Thanks to this working spirit, Air Regiment 935 has a 15-year history of safe flights. It is the pride of the technicians standing in the background of victory.

“Golden hand”

Many of the technicians at the air base have been praised by Russian experts, as they have good ideas and correct routine technical errors that only exist in Vietnam due to weather and climatic conditions.

The title of ‘Golden Hand’ was awarded to Majors Nguyen Van Long and Mai Doan Chinh. Chinh is considered by colleagues to be a ‘live dictionary’ thanks to his deep knowledge of the Su-30MK2. Chinh learned Russian on his own and now can work as an interpreter for visiting Russian delegations.

‘Golden hand’ Long graduated with a middle-ranking diploma but can correct the most difficult errors by teaching himself.

Long is the first official at the air base who can smooth metal sheets in the air compression unit in the plane’s engine without damaging it.

With initiative and devotion to work, they invented devices to repair the cockpit cover and a net to prevent birds from entering the engine and damaging compression sheets. Dang Xuan Vy, head of the technical battalion, invented a tool to disassemble compression sheets.

First lieutenant Tran Gia Chuan, 28, invented a machine to check the ejection seat’s electrical system.

Living in rented houses, many of the staff have to work as part time teachers in local schools to earn extra income for their families. They even use their own money to buy devices to test tools of their own invention before submitting ideas to leaders.

The inventions and high responsibility help save time and money, a leader of the air base admitted.

China claims “indisputable” and “inherent” sovereignty over the South China Sea

China has claimed sovereignty over all sea area inside this “nine dash line”

China’s Navy stands ready

Photo: Captain Pham Quang Thanh on the fishing boat that was fired at by a Chinese naval boat off Hoang Sa (Paracel) Islands of Vietnam on March 20, 2013

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Photo: Chinese officers stop and question fishermen in the South China Sea. Vietnam, the Philippines, Taiwan and others have had trouble with China’s aggression in the South China Sea.

Vietnamese fishermen say that China’s rules are not legal.

Vietnamese fishermen to ignore China’s illegal fishing ban

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A team of 16 Vietnamese sappers and medical officers will take part in a multilateral military exercise in Brunei in June, with the participation of 18 countries.

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Scheduled for June 17 to 20, the exercise to be hosted by Brunei will see the participation of the 10 ASEAN member countries, and their eight dialogue partners: Australia, China, India, Japan, South Korea, New Zealand, Russia, and the United States.

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These countries will bring troops, ships, aircraft, engineers and medical staff to Brunei to join the exercise.

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It is the first-ever multilateral military exercise on humanitarian assistance and disaster relief and military medicine within the framework of the ASEAN Defense Ministers’ Meeting-Plus (ADMM-Plus).
Yesterday Lieutenant General Tran Quang Khue, Deputy Chief of General Staff for the Vietnam People’s Army and Vice Chairman of the National Committee for Search and Rescue, inspected a training session of the team that will join the event.

The duties of the Vietnamese team, which includes sappers and military medical staff, will be to search for and rescue victims trapped under the debris of collapsed houses, the Committee said.

The sappers will use specialized equipment to search for victims and take measures to remove them from debris and give them first aid.

The sappers will later hand over the victims to medical staff of the team, who will classify patients and transport them to a makeshift hospital for treatment.
The exercise is aimed at improving mutual understanding between the armies of the country members of ASEAN and their dialogue partners and strengthening the ability of coordination between the countries’ armies in coping with circumstances of tragedies.

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Soldiers at the Mieu Mon Military Training Centre have participated in a live fire training course organized by the Defense Ministry in the past days.

During the course, they were trained to gain access to updated infantry fighting techniques and tactics, military ceremonials and to use new weapons and Internet security tools.

About 500 cadres from military zones, services, high commands, schools, military hospitals, and academies attended this exercise.

Below are some photos provided by Vietnamplus:

Tanks of Brigade No. 201 deploying combat formation on the ground.

A team of soldiers firing a missile.

Infantry forces preparing to cross a river

They crossed the river.

Senior Lieutenant-General Do Ba Ty, Deputy Defense Minister, saw army products being on display at the Mieu Mon Military Training Centre.

China’s Li Keqiang vows to end border disputes as he visits New Delhi

Premier and his counterpart Manmohan Singh will seek to resolve long-running disputes and draw up strategy for ‘dynamic balance’ in trade

Tuesday, 21 May, 2013

Teddy Ng in New Delhi

Li Keqiang is greeted by Manmohan Singh. Photo: AFP

China and India agreed on Monday to launch a fresh round of talks to settle their long-running border disputes.

They also pledged to draw up a roadmap to reach a “dynamic balance” in trade between the two emerging economic powers.

The announcements were made after Premier Li Keqiang held talks with officials including his counterpart Dr Manmohan Singh in New Delhi.

The two leaders said they viewed each other as “partners with mutual benefits rather than rivals or competitors”.

They also witnessed the signing of eight co-operative deals covering areas including agriculture, water resources and sewage management.

A three-week border stand-off in the Depsang Valley in the Ladakh region had threatened to overshadow Li’s visit, with India accusing Chinese troops of trespassing into its territory.

Beijing and New Delhi have held 15 rounds of talks to resolve the border issues, but made little headway. Singh said that “peace and tranquility” on the borders was the basis for the growth of bilateral ties.

He said: “We agreed that our special representatives will meet soon to continue discussions seeking an early agreement on a framework for a fair, reasonable and mutually acceptable boundary agreement.”

Li said the border dispute was a historical hangover and there was a desire on both sides to resolve it. “We have established the principles for settling the question,” Li said.

“Both sides believe that we need to improve the border mechanisms that have been put into place and make them more efficient … and appropriately resolve our differences.”

On the economic front, the two sides pledged to realise a trade turnover target of US$100 billion by 2015 and address a trade imbalance which has dismayed New Delhi. India ran a US$29 billion trade deficit with China last year and the measures include stronger Chinese co-operation with India’s pharmaceuticals and information technology industry.

Li said: “The two sides will discuss and explore ways to achieve trade and investment liberalisation and facilitation … and to work out a practical road map for achieving a dynamic balance in our trading relationship.”

A joint statement issued by the two nations said they would explore the development of an economic corridor that would link Bangladesh, China, India and Myanmar, and co-operate on establishing industrial zones.

Li dismissed fears China was seeking to contain India by shoring up close ties with other South Asian countries such as Pakistan.

In an article headlined “Handshake across the Himalayas” in The Hindu newspaper, Li said the emerging giants could together become a new engine for the world economy.

“World peace and regional stability cannot be a reality without strategic mutual trust between India and China,” Li said in a speech at India’s presidential palace yesterday. “And likewise, the development and prosperity of the world cannot be a reality without the co-operation and simultaneous development of China and India.”

On Tuesday morning, he met about 200 Chinese people living in New Delhi.

Li told them China’s economic targets could still be achieved if its average economic growth rate was 6.9 per cent a year.

The premier noted that while China’s high economic growth rate of 7.7 per cent in the first quarter had sparked concern, it was within expectations.

He said the risk of an economic downturn in China still existed, but preventative measures would be taken.

Li also said the government would avoid intervening and let market forces operate.

During his speech to the Chinese community, Li stressed that Sino-Indian diplomatic ties were at a critical stage – although relations had generally been stable in recent years.

Li said India and China were unique nations – whose global and economic influence could not be ignored.

He said both countries had to accommodate each others’ concerns.

On a lighter note, Li said many Chinese enjoyed Bollywood films and Yoga, while many Indians admired kung fu.

He did not take questions from the floor during the speech.

Li leaves New Delhi on Tuesday for the country’s financial hub Mumbai, where he will meet business leaders.

China Moving Ahead With Combat Drone Li Jian

China has been seen testing a UCAV (unmanned combat air vehicle), called the Li Jian. This aircraft was recently photographed moving around an airfield under its own power, which is the sort of thing a new aircraft does before its first flight. For two years now the Li Jian has been photographed as a mock up, then a prototype, and now taxing around. The Li Jian is similar in size and shape to the U.S. Navy X-47B, which has been around for about five years.

What is happening to the X-47B indicates where the Li Jian is headed. On May 14th an X-47B UCAV made its first catapult launch from an aircraft carrier. That was followed by several touch and go landings on a carrier. The first carrier landing is expected soon. Two years ago the navy tested its UCAV landing software, using a manned F-18 for the test, landing it on a carrier completely under software control.

The first carrier launch came five months after an X-47B was catapulted from an airfield built to the same size as a carrier deck and equipped with a catapult. This first launch was to confirm that the X-47B could handle the stress of a catapult launch. Another X-47B has been loaded onto the deck of a carrier, to check out the ability of the UCAV to move around the deck. All this came 22 months after the first flight of the X-47B.

It was five years ago that the navy rolled out the first X-47B, its first combat UAV. This compact aircraft has a wingspan of 20 meters (62 feet, and the outer 25 percent folds up to save space on the carrier). It carries a two ton payload and will be able to stay in the air for twelve hours. The U.S. is far ahead of other nations in UCAV development, and this is energizing activity in Russia, Europe, and China to develop similar aircraft. It’s generally recognized that robotic combat aircraft are the future, even though many of the aviation commanders (all of them pilots) wish it were otherwise. Whoever gets there first (a UCAV that really works) will force everyone else to catch up, or end up the loser in their next war with someone equipped with UCAVs. China may have just copied pictures of the X-47B, or done so with the help of data obtained by their decade long Internet espionage operation. Whatever the case, the Li Jian is not far behind the X-47B.

The X-47B is the first drone designed to take off and land on a carrier, meaning the U.S. military would not need permission from other countries to use their bases.

These aircraft are meant to operate like current armed UAVs or like cruise missiles (which go after targets under software control). Enemy jamming can interfere with remote control and you have to be ready with that. This could mean pre-programmed orders to continue the mission (to put smart bombs on a specific target, the sort of attack cruise missiles have been carrying out for decades) or attempt that but turn around and return to base if certain conditions were not met (pre-programmed criteria of what is an acceptable target). Fighter (as opposed to bomber) UCAVs can be programmed to take on enemy fighters (manned or not) with some remote control or completely under software control. This is the future and China wants to keep up.

The U.S. Navy has done the math and realized that they need UCAVs on their carriers as soon as possible. The current plan is to get these aircraft into service six years from now. But there is an effort to get the unmanned carrier aircraft into service sooner than that. The math problem that triggered all this is the realization that American carriers had to get within 800 kilometers of their target before launching bomber aircraft. Potential enemies increasingly have aircraft and missiles with a range greater than 800 kilometers. The navy already has a solution in development, the X-47B UCAV has a range of 2,500 kilometers

For most of the last decade, the navy has been hustling to ready a UCAV for carrier operations and combat use. Within four years the navy expects to have the X-47B demonstrating the ability to regularly operate from a carrier and perform combat (including reconnaissance and surveillance) operations. The new efforts aim to have UCAV aircraft perform ground attack missions as well, something the Predators have been doing for over a decade. The larger Reaper UAV was designed to expand this combat capability and is being built as quickly as possible to replace F-16s and other bombers in the combat zone.

The 20 ton X-47B weighs a little less than the 24 ton F-18A and has two internal bays holding two tons of smart bombs. Once it can operate off a carrier, the X-47B will be used for a lot of bombing, sort of a super-Reaper. The navy has been impressed with the success of the Predator and Reaper. But the Reaper weighs only 4.7 tons. The much larger X-47B uses a F100-PW-220 engine, which is currently used in the F-16 and F-15.

The air force and navy have always differed about the widespread use of UAVs in combat. When the air force agreed to work with the navy on UCAVs a decade ago, the idea was that the air force ones would largely remain in storage, to provide a rapid “surge” capability in wartime. The navy, however, wanted to use theirs to replace manned aircraft on carriers. The reason was simple, carrier ops are dangerous and carrier qualified pilots are more difficult and expensive to train, and retain in the service. The navy still has these problems and senior admirals are pretty much in agreement that UCAVs are the future of carrier aviation. The sooner these UCAVs prove they can safely and effectively operate from carriers, the better. The X-47B (or planned, and slightly larger, X-47C) is not the definitive carrier UCAV, but the navy hopes it is good enough to show that unmanned aircraft can do the job. Normally, “X” class aircraft are just used as technology demonstrators. But the X-47 program has been going on for so long, and has incorporated so much from UAVs already serving in combat, that the X-47B may end up eventually running recon and bombing missions as the MQ-47B or MQ-47C.

The Department of Defense leadership is backing the navy efforts and spurring the air force to catch up. At the moment, the air force is cutting orders for MQ-9s, which are used as a ground support aircraft, in addition to reconnaissance and surveillance, because American troops are being pulled out of Afghanistan, and it is believed Reaper would not be very useful against China, North Korea, or Iran. But, as the navy is demonstrating, you can build UCAVs that can carry more weapons, stay in the air longer, and hustle to where they are needed faster. The more the navy succeeds the more the air force will pay attention.

http://www.strategypage.com/%5Chtmw%5Chtnavai%5Carticles%5C20130520.aspx

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Early model F-18

South China Sea: Indian Defence Minister Makes Strong Assertions – Analysis

By SAAG

By Dr. Subhash Kapila

The South China Sea region has been converted into a militarily turbulent one due to the illegal claims by China declaring sovereignty over the entire South China Sea.

China in the process has not only resorted to escalated military brinkmanship but also resorted to use of armed force and coercion against its less powerful South East Asian neighbours, namely, Vietnam and the Philippines.

Asian security as a whole today stands endangered by China’s military adventurism not only in the South China Sea against Vietnam and the Philippines, but extending to the Himalayan Borders of India with China- Occupied Tibet. Chinese military adventurism to reinforce its sovereignty over disputed borders is by now a well-established pattern.

India has a legitimate strategic interest in the South China Sea region encompassing political, economic and strategic factors. At the ASEAN-India Summit in New Delhi in December 2012, India had declared its position on the South China Sea disputes in consonance with the global sentiments.

Reiteration of India’s stand on the South China Sea conflicts should be a pointer that India stands firmly against any Chinese actions that violate international laws and UN Conventions. The recent assertions by the Indian Defence Minister, A K Antony were a welcome reiteration and reassurance and should go down well in South East Asian countries that look upon India as the regional balancer against China’s hegemonistic inclinations against its Southern neighbours.

Indian Defence Minister’s Assertions on South China Sea Security

Voicing concerns over China’s actions in the South China Sea region, the Indian Defence Minister addressing media persons on May 11, 2013 made the following assertions:

• “There should be freedom of navigation as per the UN conventions.”
• “India has commercial interests and though it is not a party to the dispute, it believes that disputes should be settled as per UN laws.”
• “The protection of Sea-Lanes of Communication is becoming more and more important. Economic development, trade and commerce depend on the security of Sea Lanes of Communication”

Indian Defence Minister’s Assertions Analysed

Taken at face value, the assertions made by the Indian Defence Minister’s may not count much and may not be counted as strong assertions. But coming from the Indian Defence Minister who is noted for his reticence and measured words, there are a lot of implicit messages for China on its aggressive postures on the South China Sea issues. Political signalling can therefore be read in these assertions.

Emphasis on UN Conventions and dispute/conflict resolution as per UN Laws (read UNCLOS) by the Indian Defence Minister clashes diametrically with China’s rigidly stated positions that the South China Sea disputes will be resolved by China only through “bilateral negotiations” with the other disputants. This simply because in a bi-lateral process China can bring to bear its awesome military coercion in play against small countries like Vietnam and the Philippines.

India’s Defence Minister Mr AK Antony

India’s opposition to China’s declaratory stands is therefore noteworthy. It is more noteworthy in the sense that such assertions by US dignitaries earlier drew strong protests from China as interference in its internal affairs. The United States ignored these protests. It is time that India too discards its deference to Chinese sensitivities.

Further, the assertion on freedom of navigation is in keeping with international pronouncements of commitments to “defence of global commons” Implicit in such international stands is the message for China that the South China Sea is a global heritage which cannot be consigned to the ‘full sovereignty over the whole South China Sea’ as declared by China. The Chinese stand apparently is being challenged by India in an implied manner along with the rest of the Asian community.

Protection of Sea Lanes of Communication that pass through the South China Sea can be read as India fears genuinely, as the rest of the world does, that China could threaten these vital maritime lifelines and that the global community has to take initiatives to forestall that threat. Can one read in this assertion by the Indian Defence Minister that India would be inclined to join any international effort to ensure that the South China Sea maritime arteries remain open without any restrictions or impediments by China?

More significantly, what needs to be considered is the contextual backdrop where the Indian Defence Minister was making the above assertions on the South China Sea.

These assertions by the Indian Defence Minister were not made at any Seminar or discussion event on the South China Sea conflict but these Indian concerns were expressed to media-persons after commissioning the first ship-deck based super-sonic jet fighter, the MIG 29K Squadron at Goa comprising 18 jet fighters for the Indian Navy. A total of 45 MIG 29K supersonic jet fighters have been purchased from Russia at a cost of over $ 2 Billion.

Contextually, these assertions by the Indian Defence Minister were made on the eve of the Chinese Prime Minister’s visit to India. Also they coincide with recent media reports of India upgrading its maritime surveillance and operational capabilities and infrastructure in South India for extended coverage of the Indian Ocean sea-lanes and threats.

The Indian Defence Minister also informed the media that India’s first indigenously built Aircraft Carrier would be launched on August 12 this year and the INS VIKRAMADITYA would arrive from Russia before the end of 2013.

In a context other than the South China Sea, but at the same event and with China still in mind, it was reassuring to hear the Indian Defence Minister declare that “As China has the right to improve, increase and strengthen and other facilities on its land; India has the right to develop its own infrastructure.”

India’s Commercial Interest in the South China Sea.

While on the subject of India’s legitimate strategic interests in the South China Sea, it needs to be remembered that India’s energy security quest led it also to set up a joint exploration project with Vietnam in two oil exploration blocks numbered 127 & 128 in Phu Khanh Basin.

Some quarters have wrongly reported that India’s oil-exploration projects are in disputed waters. That is the Chinese version. It needs to be clarified that these Indian oil exploration projects which China protested against are located in South China Sea waters in Vietnam’s jurisdiction and not Chinese jurisdiction. Hence China’s protests are not tenable when the provisions of the UN Convention on the Law of the Seas are kept in mind.

China neither has de-facto nor de-jure jurisdiction over the entire South China Sea. By unilateral and illegal declarations of its Nine Dashed Line, China cannot order all international oil-prospecting projects in the South China Sea region to stop their operations.

Concluding Observations

India may not be a party to the dispute in the South China Sea as regards the sovereignty of the disputed islands is concerned, but India should consider itself as a legitimate stake-holder in the security and stability of the South China Sea.

In the above context therefore, India as a major maritime power in the Indo-Pacific Region must consider that no major power including China is allowed to resort to aggressive military brinkmanship to redraw maps to establish China’s full sovereignty over the entire South China Sea. Tomorrow China would start claiming some portions of the Indian Ocean on historical grounds that some Chinese Admiral’s fleet traversed those areas centuries ago.

India to begin with may not be able to perform this task single-handedly. In tandem with its preparations for building up its maritime power, India must politically be more vocal in embedding in international consciousness that Asian stability and security stands endangered if China is allowed a free run in riding rough-shod over the sovereignty and legal claims of its smaller neighbours like Vietnam and the Philippines in the South China Sea.

Chinese Navy set to see growing cooperation with other navies: PLA fleet commander says

SINGAPORE, May 15 (Xinhua) –  The cooperation between the Chinese Navy and its international counterparts is set to expand, a senior commander of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) said on Wednesday.

Speaking at a maritime defense exhibition in Singapore, Jiang Weilie, commander of the South China Sea fleet of Chinese Navy, called on countries to boost exchange of information and cooperation on maritime security and push for peace  and security at sea.

“The Navy, by nature, involves interaction with other nations, and the PLA Navy has been active in cooperation with its international counterparts,” he said.

He cited China’s joint exercises with Russia and Pakistan, the joint patrol operations involving the forces of China and Vietnam in the Beibu Gulf, as well as the Chinese Navy’s escorting missions in the Gulf of Aden and the Somali
waters.

Jiang Weilie visits troops on Subi Reef. Photo: SMP

Chinese warships on their way have been making port calls at Singapore’s Changi Naval Base in recent years, too.

“The cooperation is important for security at sea, and it will only grow going ahead,” Jiang said. “The PLA Navy will definitely be playing our part in international cooperation to safeguard maritime security.”

Jiang outlined five principles for international cooperation  in maritime security, saying that such cooperation should firstly be based on equal footing, and be practical and mutually benefiting.

Due consideration should also be given to the respective different conditions of the countries involved, he  said.

The general also called on the countries to establish and optimize the mechanisms for maritime  security cooperation — perhaps starting with the fields where the most common ground can be found, such as combating non-conventional threats like pirates, terrorism and drug trafficking.

He also called for efforts to safeguard the freedom of navigation and safety on the South China Sea, saying that China has always been of the position that the freedom of navigation and safety should be safeguarded in accordance with international law.

Finally, Jiang called for a key role for  the United Nations in international  maritime security cooperation, citing the previous examples where the UN peace  missions have been well-organized due  to the respect for the UN Charter and its principles.

The International Maritime Defense Exhibition and  Conference runs from May 14 to May 16  in Singapore, with 194 defense technology and equipment exhibitors from close to 30 countries as well as many senior defense and military officials.

In all, 61 delegations from 48 countries and 194 exhibitors are at the event.

IMDEX ASIA 2013 Is On In Singapore: Major Naval Showcase

Su-30MKK2 fighters belonging to the fighter-bomber force under the Navy of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) participate in an attack training.

A landing ship detachment under the South Sea Fleet of the Navy of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) is the pioneer forces that can carry out amphibious task, and also an excellent troop capable of performing diverse military tasks. Since its formation less than 10 years ago, the detachment has deployed nearly 1,000 batches of warships, and the total sail voyage reaches 1 million sea miles.

China has made terrific progress in modernizing its military and has gone into space in a big way. Pictured: China’s first aircraft carrier Liaoning, a huge symbol of China’s pride. Photo: Computer-generated imagery (CGI) of the Chinese Liaoning CV16 (Ex-Varyag) Aircraft Carrier with J-15 Flying Shark Naval fighter jet. The J-15 Flying Shark is naval version of the J-11B fighter jet with folding wings, shortened tail to maximize the number of aircraft which can be carried by the aircraft carrier. But China still spends more on “internal security” than on national defense, intelligence experts say.

A  J-15 Flying Shark fighter has “tailhook down” for an arrested landing aboard China’s new aircraft carrier.

A landing ship detachment under the South Sea Fleet of the Navy of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) is the pioneer forces that can carry out amphibious task, and also an excellent troop capable of performing diverse military tasks. (navy.81.cn/Zhu zhongbin, Li Yanlin, Gan Jun, Hu Kaibing)

Related:

Chinese Navy’s Blue Water Dreams

India Wants  Freedom of Navigation: South China Sea is Not an Internal Waterway of China

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Above: The amphibious landing ship Jinggangshan is seen during a coordination training with a small boats  in waters in the South China Sea.

Related:

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China’s Landing Exercise On James Shoal, is Southernmost Claim by China In South China Sea’s Spratly Islands

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Chinese Navy’s amphibious landing ship Jinggangshan is seen during a training mission with a hovercraft in waters near in March, 2013. Photo: Xinhua

China’s most recent demonstration of amphibious landing skill happened at James Shoal — one very long way from the China mainland.

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Chinese Navy Far From Home: Country’s Bold Move Spurred by ‘U.S. Inaction’