11 Januari 2013

Selain melanjutkan kerjasama alih teknologi rudal C-705, Indonesia dan China berencana memperluas kerjasama teknologi dalam bidang UAV dan sistem pertahanan elektronik (photo : XAirforces)

Indonesia-china perluas kerja sama pertahanan

Beijing, (ANTARA Bengkulu) - Indonesia dan Republik Rakyat China sepakat memperluas kerja sama pertahanan untuk meningkatkan profesionalisme angkatan bersenjata kedua negara, hubungan lebih baik kedua pihak serta guna mendukung stabilitas keamanan kawasan khususnya di Asia.
   
Demikian pokok bahasan dalam Forum ke-5 Konsultasi Pertahanan Indonesia-China di Beijing, Kamis. Dalam forum itu, delegasi Indonesia dipimpin Wakil Menteri Pertahanan Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin sedangkan delegasi China dipimpin Wakil Kepala Staf Umum Angkatan Bersenjata China Letnan Jenderal Qi Jian Guo.
        
Dalam dokumen resmi yang diterima ANTARA di Beijing, dalam pertemuan tertutup itu dibahas berbagai kerja sama pertahanan yang telah dijalin dan akan dilakukan di masa depan oleh kedua negara.
        
Sejak Forum Konsultasi Pertahanan Indonesia-China dibentuk pada 2007 berbagai kerja sama telah dilakukan kedua negara seperti pendidikan perwira, latihan bersama pasukan khusus kedua negara, pelatihan pilot pesawat tempur Sukhoi TNI-Angkatan Udara, kerja sama industri pertahanan dan pembelian sejumlah alat utama sistem senjata.
        
Untuk bidang pendidikan dan pertukaran perwira, sejak 1967 sudah 107 personel militer Indonesia yang belajar di China. Saat ini tercatat 12 orang perwira militer Indonesia yang belajar di China, demikian dikutip dari dokumen itu.
        
Sedangkan China hingga kini telah mengirimkan delapan orang perwira militernya.
        
Untuk latihan bersama, Indonesia dan China telah dua kali menggelar latihan bersama antara Komando Pasukan Khusus TNI Angkatan Darat dengan Pasukan Khusus Angkatan Bersenjata China (People's Liberation Army/PLA) dengan sandi "Sharp Knife".
        
Kerja sama antarpasukan khusus dalam penanggulangan terorisme, akan terus ditingkatkan dan diperluas. Kedepan mungkin dapat dilakukan latihan bersama untuk menghadapi ancaman non tradisional seperti penanggulangan bencana alam, demikian sperti dikutip dalam dokumen itu.
        
Sedangkan dalam bidang industri pertahanan kedua negara telah sepakat untuk memproduksi bersama rudal C-705. Hingga kini Indonesia dan China masih membahas proses pelaksanaan alih teknologi dalam pembuatan rudal C-705.
        
Selain C-705 Indonesia dan China akan membahas lebih lanjut alih teknologi pesawat tanpa awak, serta sistem pertahanan elektronik
   
Forum ke-5 Konsultasi pertahanan Indonesia-China, yang berlangsung hingga Kamis petang juga dibahas berbagai perkembangan situasi keamanan regional khususnya di Asia Pasifik, termasuk isu di Laut China Timur dan Laut China Selatan. (ant)

(Antara)

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28 Juli 2012

Phase 1 is on semi-knocked down production while Phase 2 is on completely-knocked down production.  A proposal for a Phase 3 on research and development is already on the table although the focus is currently on the first two phases. (photo : ifeng)

China and Indonesia have started talks on the ambitious local production of C-705 anti-ship missiles as part of Indonesia’s efforts to achieve independence in weapons production.

The defense cooperation reflects strengthening ties between both countries amid heightening tension in the South China Sea involving China and a number of Indonesia’s ASEAN neighbors.

Defense Ministry chief spokesman Brig. Gen. Hartind Asrin said that the initial talks were conducted during the first China-Indonesia defense industry cooperation meeting held in Jakarta on Wednesday.

The ministry’s defense potential director general Pos M. Hutabarat hosted the Chinese delegation which was led by Liu Yunfeng, a deputy director general at the Chinese State Administration for Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense (SASTIND).

“The meeting discussed various efforts to improve cooperation between the defense industries of both countries,” Hartind said on Thursday. “We’ve already prepared an area for the [missile] production site that faces the open sea for trials.”

Hartind said the C-705 had a range of 120 kilometers.

He said that the Indonesian Navy had successfully test-fired the C-705 missiles in the Sunda Strait.

“China has also offered to donate weapons systems that Indonesia might need,” he added.

A source said that Indonesia was expected to reply to Phase 1 of the missile proposal at the end of August and Phase 2 one month later. A contract is expected to be signed in 2013.

Phase 1 is on semi-knocked down production while Phase 2 is on completely-knocked down production.

A proposal for a Phase 3 on research and development is already on the table although the focus is currently on the first two phases.

Aside from the missile production, a number of Indonesian Army Special Force Command (Kopassus) members recently conducted the second “Sharp Knife” joint exercise with Chinese Special Forces operatives earlier this month in Jinan, Shandong, China.

China has also offered to train 10 pilots from the Indonesian Air Force to train using a Sukhoi simulator in China.

Commenting on the defense cooperation, defense expert Andi  Widjajanto said the industrial cooperation was solely to gain access to more advanced technology.

“However, it will take a long time for us to be independent in the defense industry, perhaps after 2024. This is the reason Indonesia builds partnerships with many countries that possess modern military technologies,” he said. “This is also why we require partner countries to transfer their technologies to us in any agreement we sign with them.”

Andi added that there were two goals in terms of the partnership: to access advanced rocket technology, and to collaborate in upholding maritime security, which began when President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono signed an agreement in March during a state visit to Beijing.

“I don’t believe it has anything to do with conflicts in the South China Sea,” he stressed.

Meanwhile, chairman of the House of Representatives’ Commission I on defense issues, Mahfudz Shiddiq, said such global partnerships in the defense industry were designed to develop Indonesia’s own industry.

“We have allocated Rp 150 trillion [US$15.8 billion] to modernize our weapons-defense system from 2010 to 2014. It would be wasteful paying such a huge amount to foreign defense industries without any attempt to improve our own,” he said.

“Therefore, we require partner countries to transfer their military technologies in the hope that they will gradually improve our own technologies.”

He added that the partnership with China was due to its advanced military technologies in fields such as rocketry. “This is not political, even though others might link the partnership to political issues, for example the South China Sea disputes,” Machfudz said.

Indonesia already cooperates on weapons production with several other countries including South Korea to build jet fighters and submarines, the Netherlands to build frigates and Spain to build medium transport aircraft.

(The JakartaPost)

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02 Juni 2012

Sistem monitor radar IMSS (photo : Antara)

LONDON, KOMPAS.com- China dikabarkan menawarkan pemasangan sistem pengawas maritim senilai 1 miliar yuan (sekitar Rp 1,5 triliun) di kawasan Indonesia. Nantinya, sistem tersebut akan melengkapi sistem serupa buatan AS yang lebih dulu dipasang di Indonesia.

Demikian diungkapkan majalah pertahanan terkemuka IHS Jane's Defence Weekly (JDW) edisi 16 Mei 2012 yang mengutip berbagai sumber. Menurut JDW, tawaran tersebut disampaikan kepada Presiden Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono saat berkunjung ke Beijing, akhir Maret.

Detail sistem pengawas maritim yang ditawarkan China itu belum diketahui. Namun, JDW menduga sistem tersebut akan terdiri atas jaringan radar yang ditempatkan di Pulau Lombok, Selat Sunda, Kalimantan Barat, dan pantai barat daya Sulawesi. Nantinya, data pengamatan yang diperoleh dari sistem ini akan dibagi dengan China.

Dengan sistem ini, Beijing akan mendapat keuntungan berupa data kondisi perairan di Selat Sunda, Selat Karimata, dan Selat Makassar, yang menjadi titik-titik penyempitan penting di jalur komunikasi laut (SLOC).

Tawaran China itu diberikan hanya beberapa bulan setelah pemerintah AS menyumbangkan Sistem Pengawasan Maritim Terpadu (IMSS) senilai 57 juta dollar AS (Rp543,9 miliar) kepada TNI Angkatan Laut. Menurut pernyataan Departemen Luar Negeri AS, IMSS terdiri atas jaringan sensor terpadu yang dipasang di darat maupun di kapal-kapal perang Indonesia, berbagai peralatan komunikasi dan perangkat komputasi untuk mengumpulkan, mengirim, dan menganalisa berbagai data maritim.

Secara konkret, IMSS terdiri atas 18 stasiun pengawas pantai (CSS), 11 radar berbasis kapal, dua pusat komando regional, dan dua pusat komando armada di Jakarta dan Surabaya. Pemerintah AS juga telah mengalokasikan dana tambahan sebesar 4,6 juta dollar untuk merawat sistem tersebut sampai tahun 2014.

Meski demikian, sumber-sumber JDW mengatakan, bahkan dengan tambahan alokasi dana dari AS ini, IMSS masih terlalu mahal untuk dioperasikan oleh TNI AL dan belum terintegrasi secara menyeluruh.

Dengan adanya tawaran dari China ini, China akan memiliki sistem tandingan strategis terhadap IMSS, dan memungkinkan negara itu memantau pergerakan kapal-kapal AS dan lalu lintas laut lainnya di perairan Indonesia.

(Kompas)

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08 Mei 2012

Peralatan elektronika pada Kapal Cepat Rudal TNI (photo : Audrey)


Beijing (ANTARA News) - Indonesia hingga kini masih mengkaji kerja sama sistem industri pertahanan elektronika yang ditawarkan China yakni Defence Electonics Complex of Indonesia (DECI). 


"Hingga kini masih terus dikaji dan dibahas di Kementerian Pertahanan dan industri pertahanan nasional terkait," kata Atase Pertahanan Kedutaan Besar RI untuk China dan Mongolia, Suryamargono ketika dikonfirmasi di Beijing, Selasa.


Ia mengatakan tawaran kerja sama itu meliputi berbagai kegiatan antara lain perancangan dan pengembangan fabrikasi sistem unit, modul serta perakitan peralatan elektronika seperti radar,peperangan elekronika dan lainnya.


"Kerja sama itu akan dilakukan dalam tiga tahapan, namun semua ini masih dikaji dalam berbagai aspek," kata Suryamargono menegaskan.


Berdasar laporan yang diterima ANTARA industri elektronika tidak saja berperan besar bagi industri pertahanan secara keseluruhan, namun juga pertumbuhan ekonomi secara umum.


Produksi elektronika global mencapai Rp13 ribu triliun, dari jumlah itu Asia Pasifik merupakan kontributor terbesar yakni sekitar 37 persen. Namun, dari 37 persen tersebut Indonesia baru memberikan kontribusi sekitar satu persen.


Kerja sama industri pertahanan elektronika itu ditawarkan salah satu grup industri pertahanan China yakni China Electronics technology Group Corporation (CETC).


Kerja sama serupa telah dilakukan China melalui CETC dengan Pakistan dalam program National Electronic Complex of Paksitan (NECOP). 


Terkait Indonesia, CETC sebelumnya telah memiliki kerja sama dengan kementerian Pertahanan dan TNI terutama TNI Angkatan Laut dalam program Kapal Cepat Rudal (KCR).


(Antara)

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02 April 2012

Singapore is planning to modernize the F-16s and is expected to choose the “V” upgrade Lockheed Martin unveiled at the Singapore Airshow last month. (photo : Raytheon)

The defense priority for Southeast Asian countries is monitoring and protecting their territories in the South China Sea in response to China’s increased assertiveness and claims to this region.
Chinese submarines, ships and aircraft patrol the area now, and many Southeast Asian nations fear China will build military installations on the islands, atolls and reefs, paving the way for it to exploit the oil and gas reserves under the seabed. China already has a permanent fort on Mischief Reef in the South China Sea.

The fact that China has such a large military has led all the coastal Southeast Asian nations—with the exception of Singapore—to conclude that they are inadequately equipped to protect their interests in the South China Sea. Each is now racing to invest in new fighters that will remain their mainstays beyond 2020. The importance of airborne early warning (AEW) aircraft and networked fighters has also caught on.

Singapore

Singapore, which has the largest defense budget of any Southeast Asian nation, has Gulfstream G550s equipped with ELTA Systems’ AEW mission suite. Its fighters include Lockheed Martin ­F-16s and Boeing F-15s. It is planning to modernize the F-16s and is expected to choose the “V” upgrade Lockheed Martin unveiled at the Singapore Airshow last month. This includes active, electronically scanned array (AESA) radar as well as data links allowing the F-16V to communicate with Lockheed Martin F-35s and F-22s. Singapore became a security cooperation participant on the F-35 program in 2003 and is expected to order the aircraft eventually.

Thailand

Thailand is widely expected to order another six Gripen fighters, bringing its fleet of the aircraft to 18. (photo : wing7rtaf)

No other Southeast Asian nation can afford all the equipment Singapore has, but some are seeking to develop similar capabilities. Thailand operates one Saab Erieye AEW aircraft and has one more on order. It has also received six Saab Gripen JAS 39C/Ds and ordered six more; first deliveries of the second tranche will start early next year. Equipment on its Gripens include Erics­son/GEC-Marconi PS-05/A pulse-doppler radar, RBS15 anti-ship missiles and the EWS 39 electronic warfare suite, the same suite used by the Swedish air force.

Thailand is widely expected to order another six Gripen fighters, bringing its fleet of the aircraft to 18. The country purchased Gripens to replace its Northrop F-5s based at Surat Thani air base because it is convinced of the merits of networked fighters. The Swedes argue that having better intelligence on your enemy’s whereabouts—through the use of Saab AEW—allows you to place fighters more effectively, creating an opportunity to defeat a larger enemy.

The networked solution is also being taken to the next level. Saab owns 40% of Thai company Avia Satcom, which has been tasked with developing a national tactical data link that will cover the AEW aircraft, Gripens and F-16s as well as the navy’s aircraft and ships. The Saab Erieye also works with Link 16, so it can feed data to U.S. platforms such as F-16s, but the advantage for Thailand in having a national data link is its control over the encryption.

Thailand is also undertaking a midlife upgrade of 18 F-16A/Bs. This involves installing: a more advanced mechanically scanned radar (Northrop Grumman APG-68V9), new friend-or-foe detection system (BAE Systems APX-113), electronic warfare management system (Terma ALQ-213), and system for protecting against enemy missiles (BAE ALE-47). Thai F-16s and Gripens are equipped with Raytheon’s AGM-65 Maverick air-to-surface missile and AIM-120 Amraam and AIM-9 Sidewinder air-to-air missiles.

Malaysia

Boeing announced a contract to upgrade the RMAF’s eight Hornets with improved GPS and “identification friend or foe interrogation” capabilities as well as a joint helmet-mounted cueing system - JHMCS (photo : Boeing)

Malaysia is planning to add AEW aircraft networked to fighters, too. It has been considering the Northrop Grumman E-2D as well as the Erieye radar mounted on Embraer EMB-145s.

The new fighters Malaysia plans to order will replace RSK MiG-29s based at Kuantan air base overlooking the South China Sea. Contending to meet the requirement are Saab’s Gripen JAS 39C/D and Gripen NG, Boeing’s F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, Eurofighter’s Typhoon and Dassault’s Rafale.

Malaysia already has eight older-variant Hornets so, in theory at least, it does not have to order many Super Hornets to form a squadron, as upgraded Hornets could work alongside the Super Hornets. The Boeing aircraft use many of the same weapons, too. At the Malaysia LIMA Airshow last December, Boeing announced a contract to upgrade the air force’s eight Hornets with improved GPS and “identification friend or foe interrogation” capabilities as well as a joint helmet-mounted cueing system (JHCS). The JHCS is needed because Malaysia is purchasing AIM-9X-2 Sidewinder missiles. The JHCS allows pilots to point an AIM-9X missile seeker and lock onto the target simply by looking at it.

The Rafale, like the Super Hornet, has been in active duty as a naval fighter. The maritime aspect is important, because the fighters at Kuantan air base are used to protect Malaysia’s South China Sea interests.

Indonesia

Indonesia wants to buy AEW aircraft that can be networked to the F-16s. (photo : Antara)

Indonesia also wants to protect its South China Sea territory. It is receiving 24 Lockheed Martin F-16C/Ds from the U.S. for free but will spend $750 million to upgrade these to the Block 52 standard, says the U.S. Defense Department. The modernization includes: friend-or-foe radar warning receivers (Raytheon ALR-69), modular mission computers, an electronic warfare management system (Terma ALQ-213), missile protection system (BAE ALE-47 countermeasures dispenser system), situational awareness data link and targeting pods.

In addition, the head of the Indonesian air force, Air Chief Marshal Imam Sufaat, told Aviation Week in February that the country wants to buy AEW aircraft that can be networked to the F-16s. It now has three Boeing 737-2X9 Surveillers equipped with side-looking airborne modular multimission radar.

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06 Maret 2012

Rudal anti kapal permukaan C-705 (photo : Tiexue)

Jurnas.com INDONESIA direncanakan akan memiliki pabrik peluru kendali (rudal) dalam waktu dekat. Rencana ini merupakan tindak lanjut kerja sama Indonesia-China saat kunjungan Menteri Pertahanan RI Purnomo Yusgiantoro beberapa waktu lalu.

"Sekarang sedang dibicarakan untuk membangun pabrik peluru kendali di Indonesia yaitu C-705," kata Purnomo di kantor Kemhan di Jakarta, Selasa (6/2). Kerja sama akan memberi keuntungan bagi Indonesia dalam penguatan pertahanan. Peluru kendali ini punya jarak tembak sampai 140 km.

Selain punya industri pertahanan baru yang akan memberi masukan finansial bagi negara, Indonesia dapat memperkuat benteng pertahanannya dengan rudal yang diproduksi di dalam negeri. "Kalau bisa produksi dalam negeri, kami akan memasang rudal-rudal itu di daerah perbatasan untuk pengamanan," ujarnya.

Kerja sama dengan China ini tidak akan mempengaruhi hubungan dengan Amerika. Saat ini, hubungan China-AS sedang memanas terkait Laut China Selatan. "Indonesia menganut prinsip politik luar negeri bebas aktif. Indonesia tak mau tergantung kepada salah satu negara atau kepentingan, termasuk masalah alutsista," kata Purnomo.

Muhibah Kemhan RI ke China berlangsung 19-21 Februari lalu, memenuhi undangan Menhan China Jenderal Liang Guanglie. Purnomo sempat meninjau dua kompleks industri pertahanan China yang terkait dengan produksi peluru kendali dalam kunjungan tersebut.

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21 Februari 2012

Menurut siaran pers resmi, kerja sama industri pertahanan tersebut terkait dengan produksi peluru kendali darat ke darat (ground to ground), darat ke udara (ground to air), serta udara ke darat (air to ground) untuk melengkapi arsenal persenjataan Indonesia (photo : Kaskus Militer)

RI China Produksi Bersama Peluru Kendali

JAKARTA - Pemerintah Republik Indonesia (RI) dan China sepakat memantapkan proses alih teknologi serangkaian produksi bersama peluru kendali C-705. Proses alih teknologi menjadi syarat utama dalam setiap pembelian alat utama sistem senjata (alutsista) dari mancanegara, termasuk peluru kendali dari China.

"Selain itu, kita juga telah menjajaki kerja sama produksi bersama rudal tersebut sebagai produk nasional," kata Kepala Pusat Komunikasi Publik Kementerian Pertahanan (Kemhan) Brigjen TNI Hartind Asrin, di Jakarta, Senin (20/2).

Rangkaian proses alih teknologi itu, antara lain ditandai dengan kunjungan Menteri Pertahanan (Menhan) Purnomo Yusgiantoro ke China Precision Machinery Import-Export Corporation (CPMEIC) yang menjadi pemegang proyek pengerjaan rudal C-705 yang akan dibeli TNI AL disertai proses alih teknologi.

Sebelumnya, kedua pemerintah telah menandatangani nota kesepahaman kerja sama teknis pertahanan kedua negara. Penandatanganan nota kesepahaman dilakukan Wakil Menhan Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin dan Kepala Badan Pengembangan Teknologi dan Industri Nasional Pertahanan China, Chen Qiufa.

Lima Poin

Nota kesepahaman itu mencakup lima poin. Pertama, pengadaan alutsista tertentu yang disepakati kedua pihak dalam kerangka G to G. Kedua, alih teknologi peralatan militer tertentu yang antara lain mencakup perakitan, pengujian, pemeliharaan, modifi kasi, up grade, dan pelatihan. Tiga poin lainnya adalah kerja sama produk peralatan militer tertentu, pengembangan bersama peralatan militer tertentu, serta pemasaran bersama di dalam dan di luar negara masing-masing. Selama di China, Menteri Pertahanan Purnomo Yusgiantoro melakukan kunjungan kehormatan kepada Wakil Perdana Menteri China Li Keqiang.

Menhan bersama pejabat lainnya berkunjung ke China pada 19-21 Februari dalam rangka memenuhi undangan Menteri Pertahanan China Jenderal Liang Guanglie. "Segera setelah mendarat di Beijing, pada hari pertama, Menhan melakukan kunjungan, menggelar diskusi, serta meninjau dua kompleks industri pertahanan China yang terkait dengan produksi peluru kendali yaitu China Precision Machinery Import-Export Corporation (CPMIEC) dan Aerospace Long March International Trade & co., Ltd. (ALIT)," tulis siaran pers Kedutaan Besar Republik Indonesia di Beijing.

Di akhir pertemuan tersebut dicapai kesepakatan untuk kerja sama industri pertahanan yang meliputi alih teknologi yang diharapkan menguntungkan kedua negara.

Delegasi Kemhan hari ini dijadwalkan melakukan pertemuan dan perundingan dengan Menhan China Jenderal Liang Guanglie, kemudian bertukar pikiran dengan salah satu lembaga riset/produksi industri pertahanan terkemuka lainnya di China yaitu State Administration for Science, technology and Industry for National Defence (SASTIND). Pertemuan lain yang merupakan bagian dari kunjungan itu adalah pertemuan dengan Wakil Kepala Komite Sentral Militer China Jenderal Guo Boxiong yang merupakan orang pertama di Angkatan Perang China (PLA).

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2011-02-15 (China Military News cited from PTI) -- The Army has taken elaborate measures to safeguard the borders with China and Pakistan and does not see any reason for worry, a senior army officer said on Tuesday. "Army is fully geared up as far as the security of the borderline with China and Pakistan is concerned. We have taken elaborate measure s," General Officer Commanding (GOC), 9 Corps, Lt Gen A K Choudhary told reporters in Yol Camp.
"There is no need to worry. We keep observing the movements and the postures of the neighbouring countries inimical to the peace of the country," he said.
Choudhary said the army was "prepared and alert" to ensure territorial integrity of the country. "We are at it. We are alert of the China border."
With regard to the changing security postures on this side of the border, he said, "We cannot just sit and wait. We change our own tactics and keep a tab on developments of the neighbouring countries".
In reply to a volley of questions on reported transgressions along Sino-Indian border, Choundary said, "It is a matter of perception.
"The border line with China is not fully demarcated and both the countries have their own perceptions of the border line and so the troops of the respective countries patrol the border line according to it," he said.
"Till the border line with China is not fully demarcated, the troops on the both the sides will continue to do security runs as per this perception," he said.
On the issue of Adarsh Society scam, in which several top officers were allegedly involved, he said it would not demoralise security forces as "it is an aberration".
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2011-02-16 (China Military News cited from rightsidenews.com) -- The U.S.-led war against the Taliban, Al-Qaeda, and other terrorist groups in Afghanistan has deteriorated into a growing open conflict with Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), and threatens to rapidly fall into a full-blown war with Pakistan. Signs of such an upcoming clash between Pakistan and the U.S. can already be seen. In anticipation of such a full-scale clash with America, Pakistan is seeking an enhanced role for China on its side, thereby triggering a possible superpower clash, involving the U.S., China, Russia, NATO powers, and other regional players.
According to MEMRI, a high-profile Middle Eastern think-tank, China's involvement as a Pakistan ally is ongoing and becoming a good deal more obvious and pervasive. In the past year, Pakistan has sought the stationing of 11,000 Chinese troops at Gilgit-Baltistan in the sensitive Kashmir region. Pakistan denied the troop presence at first, but then explained the Chinese were there to help Pakistan with its flooding. MEMRI makes other points involving Chinese-Pakistan cooperation.
Pakistani tribal areas have been opened up for Chinese inspection. Chinese Army officials were welcomed into the Khyber Agency in October 2010 by Colonel Asad Qureshi. Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani welcomed a Chinese role in Afghanistan in April 2010. Pakistan has signed a contract with China to build Pakistani warships that will carry missiles and heavy weapons. Pakistan sees itself as aligned against the West in a superpower clash.
The Chinese-built Pakistani port at Gwadar has a Chinese presence and serves as a counter to India's naval dominance in the Indian Ocean. China is building two nuclear reactors in Pakistan and just recently it became apparent that Pakistan was building a fourth nuclear facility to produce plutonium. Pakistan recently test-fired a Hatf-VII cruise missile that can carry a nuclear payload.
Pakistan is becoming steadily more aggressive. MEMRI tells us that in early February, Pakistani planes bombarded Afghan border police posts and civilian homes to warn to Afghan President Hamid Karzai against a visit to India. There have been more suicide bombings in Kabul itself. The Pakistan intelligence agency, ISI has begun leaking the names of CIA agents in the country – both station chief Jonathan Banks and Elizabeth Rudd from Peshawar.
Thus the theatre of the war expands. In "superpower" clash, as MEMRI calls it, Russia has allied itself with the West. Russia wants NATO troops to stay in Afghanistan indefinitely. Russia is providing Afghan police with weapons and ammunitions and is carrying out joint counter-narcotics operations.
MEMRI itself is not necessarily seen as an impartial observer when it comes to Middle East analysis, but in this case the facts "on the ground" seem clear. China and Pakistan seem to be drawing closer while Russia is casting its lot with NATO. Ultimately, this may not promise a larger war – it is hard to conjure up a vision of Chinese forces fighting frankly against Russian and NATO ones – but it does mean that the war remains an intractable morass for NATO.
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2011-02-14 (China Military News cited from wsj.com and written by RACHEL PANNETT) -- At the Australian Defense Force Academy on the outskirts of the capital Canberra, nervous officer recruits prepare to swear an oath of allegiance before embarking on a three-year training program designed to equip them for the wars of the future. Unlike the major world wars of the last century, when Australia sent thousands of troops to fight in European wars and help defend Britain's declining influence in Asia, today's recruits are preparing for a strategic threat posed by the growing military influence of China across the Asian-Pacific region.
"China is emerging and there obviously is a lot of discussion about that," said Air Marshal Mark Binskin, chief of the Royal Australian Air Force, in an interview on the sidelines of the officer induction ceremony. "The focus for these graduates will be on the core issue, which is a stable and secure region. It is only through that all nations will be able to be prosperous and grow."

 Defense Ministers of China and Australia
Australian taxpayers are bankrolling the nation's biggest military expansion since World War II as Washington's grip on security in the Asian-Pacific region is increasingly challenged by China. In a bid to protect the vast borders of this isolated continent, Canberra plans to spend as much as 275 billion Australian dollars (US$276.27 billion) over the next 20 years on updating its military with the latest equipment including air warfare destroyers, submarines, naval frigates and a fleet of F-35 Joint Strike Fighter aircraft. Australia is one of only a handful of nations to commit to the ambitious JSF program led by the U.S. and U.K.; the group includes Italy, the Netherlands, Canada, Turkey and Norway.
The ramp-up in military spending to counter China's growing military sophistication conflicts with an economic policy that depends on the world's second-largest economy to buy its coal and iron ore. China is Australia's largest commercial partner, with two-way trade expected to exceed A$100 billion last year, from around A$85 billion in 2009. While emerging Asian economies like China now generate a huge slice of global growth, officials worry that economic development hides a still-fragile regional security architecture and unresolved territorial conflicts. Securing its maritime trade routes is a key strategic objective for Australia, as the country seeks to become the world's second largest shipper of liquefied natural gas after Qatar by the middle of decade.
Australian defense planners are concerned by China's enhanced technological capability and the country's ability to project its military power over long distances, potentially threatening Australian sovereign territory. China's development of a ballistic missile system-dubbed an "aircraft carrier killer" capable of flying through space and striking moving ships-and the country's deployment of about 40 advanced submarines since 1995 are amongst the biggest threats to Australia's security, say defense planners and experts.
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2011-02-14 (China Military News cited from indianexpress.com) -- China is set to extend its Tibet railway network into the strategically important Chumbi valley area, next to Sikkim and the Siliguri corridor. This was confirmed by a Chinese Railways Ministry map, put out last month, showing China’s “long term railway network plan”.
Until now, these plans were being loosely speculated upon, but they now have an official stamp on it. The latest map shows the railway line extending from Lhasa to Zangmu on the Nepal border, which is going to eventually extend into Nepal and even Kathmandu.
According to the plan, another line will branch out midway from this link to Zangmu, at a place called Shigatse. This line will move east and go right up to Yadong, on the mouth of the Chumbi Valley. This town is connected to Sikkim through the Nathu La pass and is strategically located on the tri-junction of India, China and Bhutan.
There are areas near Yadong which are still disputed between China and Bhutan. The area witnessed military conflict in 1962 as part of the Indian effort to defend Nathu La.
While construction on the line has not yet started, sources said, feasibility studies are already being conducted. This project is slated for completion by 2017, bringing the Tibet railway just 500 km short of the Siliguri corridor. This may raise demands from Bangladesh to provide connectivity to the Chinese market via India.
This project must be seen along with the hectic progress, further east, on a railway line connecting Kunming in China to Singapore. With the Thailand government throwing its weight behind the idea, work on this project is moving at a quick pace. Given that there already exists a trade route from the Indian border to Kunming, the understanding is that pressure will increase on India to link up with the Chinese railway network.
What is of more concern to India is that the improved technological ability in this sphere means Beijing will end up meeting its deadlines. In the last year, China added over 10,000 km of high speed railway, and in the past five years has built 70,000 km railway lines. India, on the other hand, has struggled to connect Bhutan to India by rail.
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2011-02-14 (China Military News cited from AFP) -- Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi will visit South Korea next week for talks focused on North Korea and its nuclear ambitions, the South's foreign ministry said Monday.
Yang is expected to arrive on February 23, the ministry said, adding his meeting with South Korean Foreign Minister Kim Sung-Hwan would cover security issues including the North's nuclear programme.
Yang had planned to visit Seoul last November but his trip was postponed after the North's shelling of a South Korean island, which killed four people and briefly raised fears of war.
Seoul is now seeking to bring the North's uranium enrichment programme to the United Nations Security Council for possible condemnation and further sanctions.
China opposes taking the issue to the Security Council.
The North last November showed off an apparently functioning uranium enrichment plant to visiting US scientists. It says this is part of a peaceful energy programme.
Experts say it could easily be reconfigured to produce weapons-grade uranium, giving the North a second way to make a bomb in addition to an acknowledged plutonium operation.
China wants six-party disarmament talks revived as part of a process to ease tensions on the peninsula. But the United States and Japan say Pyongyang must mend ties first with Seoul.
The two Koreas last week held their first talks since November. But the talks aimed at easing tensions collapsed, complicating efforts to revive the six-party forum.
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2011-02-14 (China Military News cited from dailymail.co.uk) -- China has grown to become the second biggest economy in the world behind the U.S, official figures confirmed today.
Officials in Japan revealed their economic output was overtaken by the world's most populous nation last year after more than forty years in second spot.
Experts believe China will overtake the U.S. to become the world's biggest economy within a decade.
It is a historic shift power in the far east - Japan has been the world's second largest economy since 1968.
However China has become increasingly powerful as its economy surges with the greater wealth being allowing its rulers to pursue ever more ambitious projects such as the development of a 'stealth' jet fighter and space program to rival the U.S. .
But despite its growing economic output, the population of China remains far poorer than its rivals, with a Gross Domestic Product per person that is about a fifth of the same figure in Japan.
Japan's Gross Domestic Product last year was £3.4trillion compared with China's £3.66trillion, the official figures revealed.
China's economy has been growing rapidly in recent years while Japan is struggling with deflation, an ageing population and soaring public debt.
But Japanese economy minister Kaoru Yosano dismissed the significance iof its fall into third place.
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2011-02-14 (China Military News cited from strategypage.com) -- India no longer sees Pakistan as a major threat, and is now measuring itself against China, and finding itself wanting. China spends more than three times as much (over $100 billion a year) on defense, and has twice as many troops (two million). Indian defense officials are calling for more money. But China has nearly three times the GDP of India, as well as higher literacy rates, a better educated workforce and higher GDP growth. Worse, China is making a more vigorous effort to deal with corruption. Both nations have long suffered from the debilitating effects of corruption. While China is 78th on the list of least corrupt nations, archrival India is at 87. China has been prosecuting far more corrupt officials, and convict many more, than India. Moreover, corruption is one of the reasons literacy in India is 72 percent, versus 98 percent in China. Too many Indian teachers got their jobs as a political favor, and don’t really teach. This sort of thing is much less common in China. More importantly, China is attacking corruption more vigorously and successfully than India. More so than India, the Chinese leadership recognize that corruption is a threat to their (Communist Party) rule in China, and the jobs of all those senior officials. So it's a matter of clean up, or risk another revolution. India is a democracy, where voters can keep electing politicians who promise to deal with corruption, and never do. This is just another reason why the Chinese leadership sees no big advantage in democracy.
China does see the advantages of having a big navy, to protect crucial trade routes that pass through the Indian Ocean. Thus both nations are currently engaged in something of a naval arms race, and India is losing. India and China also share a long border. Responding to louder, and more frequent, Chinese claims on Indian territory, India is in the midst of an army and air force buildup to deal with any Chinese aggression against the northeast Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh (which China claims as a part of Tibet.) The Chinese claims have been on the books for decades, but in the last two years, China has become more vocal about it. That's one reason India hiked its defense spending over the last few years. That's not enough, for a conventional war. But since both nations have nuclear weapons, a major war over Arunachal Pradesh is unlikely. But India fears that China might try to carry out a lightning campaign (a few days, or a week), and then offer peace terms (with China keeping all or part of Arunachal Pradesh). Since neither country would be willing to start a full scale nuclear war over Arunachal Pradesh (a rural area with a population of about a million people, spread among 84,000 square kilometers of mountains and valleys), the "grab and parley" strategy has to be taken seriously.
India is seeing more Chinese warships in the Indian Ocean, and is alarmed at Chinese plans to base warships in Burma, or at least obtain the right to regularly refuel and repair Chinese warships in Burmese ports. That, and the growing network of Chinese roads being built to the Indian border, and movement of air force and army troops to Tibet (where most of the border with India is), makes India increasingly nervous of the threat from the north.
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