The tranquil waters of South China Sea appear to churn with insecurity. At a recent conference in Vietnam, Professor Carl Thayer, a noted Vietnam watcher, observed that “China's naval modernisation represents a challenge and potential threat to all of Southeast Asia, especially Vietnam,” Further, the Chinese naval nuclear capability “would have strategic implications for the balance of power in the region”. The Southeast Asian countries have watched the growing military might of China with concern and are also worried about the regional security environment particularly in the context of recent naval standoffs between the Chinese and US navies.A non-binding multilateral agreement ‘2002 Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea’ with specific focus on the Spratly Islands has been in place, but China does not seem to be very happy about this arrangement and feels that ‘disputes [be] dealt with bilaterally by countries - a move seen as exploiting its growing regional clout’. Although the 2002 declaration was a concrete step to institutionalize regional dialogue among the claimants i.e. Brunei, China, Malaysia, Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam and served for the de-escalation of military tensions in South China Sea, it appears that it was only a provisional political agreement to dispel ‘China Threat’ among the claimant states.
Indian-Military.org:taiwan
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The tranquil waters of South China Sea appear to churn with insecurity. At a recent conference in Vietnam, Professor Carl Thayer, a noted Vietnam watcher, observed that “China's naval modernisation represents a challenge and potential threat to all of Southeast Asia, especially Vietnam,” Further, the Chinese naval nuclear capability “would have strategic implications for the balance of power in the region”. The Southeast Asian countries have watched the growing military might of China with concern and are also worried about the regional security environment particularly in the context of recent naval standoffs between the Chinese and US navies.A non-binding multilateral agreement ‘2002 Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea’ with specific focus on the Spratly Islands has been in place, but China does not seem to be very happy about this arrangement and feels that ‘disputes [be] dealt with bilaterally by countries - a move seen as exploiting its growing regional clout’. Although the 2002 declaration was a concrete step to institutionalize regional dialogue among the claimants i.e. Brunei, China, Malaysia, Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam and served for the de-escalation of military tensions in South China Sea, it appears that it was only a provisional political agreement to dispel ‘China Threat’ among the claimant states.
NEW DELHI: The Red Dragon is spreading its wings and sharpening its claws at a rapid clip. From deadly long-range nuclear missiles and an expanding blue-water Navy to potent space and cyber warfare abilities, China will have a "modern" military capable of prolonged high-intensity combat operations by the end of this decade. Pentagon's latest assessment of the expanding military might of China, released on Thursday, paints a scary picture of the frenetic pace at which the 2.25-million People's Liberation Army (PLA) is being modernized, in the backdrop of uncertainty over its long-term intentions. Though the US report holds that thwarting any American intervention in Taiwan remains PLA's "main strategic direction", New Delhi can ill-afford to ignore China's increasing trans-border military capabilities, its assiduous strategic encircling of India and hardening posture in the border talks. The report itself notes PLA has replaced its older liquid-fuelled, nuclear-capable CSS-2 intermediate range ballistic missiles with the "more advanced" solid-fuelled CSS-5 medium-range ballistic missile systems along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) to "strengthen its deterrent posture" against India. BEIJING: A top US defence official says US moves to strengthen its military alliances in Asia are not aimed at containing China. Defence undersecretary Michele Flournoy said on Thursday that she communicated that message to her Chinese counterparts during annual defense talks the day before. She said her comments came in response to Chinese questions about a decision to base 2,500 Marines for training in Australia next year. Flournoy also said that the sides would reschedule joint anti-piracy exercises and other exchanges postponed in September by China in anger over a massive US arms sales to Taiwan. [Straitstimes] TAIWAN has unveiled the first images of a high-tech missile corvette specifically designed to counter the threat of China acquiring an aircraft carrier, officials and media said on Monday. A computerised graphic of the 1,000-tonne ‘carrier killer’, which has so far been kept secret from the public, has gone on display at Taipei’s military museum, run by the defence ministry. The vessel will be capable of cruising at speeds of up to 55 kilometres (34 miles) an hour and boast technologies helping it to evade radar detection, the Taipei-based Apple Daily reported, citing military officials. The navy hopes to arm the corvette with Taiwan’s home-grown Hsiungfeng III supersonic ship-to-ship missile, according to the report.
Read more... WASHINGTON: The United States and China are to resume military contacts cut off since early 2010 with initial meetings planned for next month in Hawaii, a Pentagon official said on Wednesday. Both sides had agreed in talks with Beijing that military maritime talks would be held from October 14-15 in Hawaii, followed by defence talks in Washington later in the year, spokesman Colonel Dave Lapan said. "Both sides agreed that dialogue is essential to build mutual trust and reduce the chances of misunderstanding and miscalculation," he added in a statement. Military ties between the two countries have been repeatedly stalled, with Beijing calling off scheduled visits or exchanges as a way of protesting Washington's policies, particularly US arms sales to Taiwan. China cut off the dialogue in January after the US administration unveiled plans to sell 6.4 billion dollars in weapons and military hardware to Taiwan. |
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