De Chinese expansie(drift)

[KapiteinRob]

En waar blijft het EU-eskader om eens een kijkje te nemen daar?

Keep dreaming! Het kost de EU al moeite genoeg een ernst-operatie als Atalanta te blijven vullen.....

[Elzenga]

En waar blijft het EU-eskader om eens een kijkje te nemen daar?

[jurrien visser (JuVi op Twitter)]

Patstelling rond gebiedje in Zuid-Chinese Zee

Door redactie op 12 mei 2012

Sinds april zitten China en de Filippijnen vast in een conflict over een eilandje en de viswateren er omheen in de Zuid-Chinese Zee. China spreekt van Huangyan, de Filippijnen noemen het Scarborough of Panatag Shoal. Begin april ondernam een Filippijns oorlogsschip daar actie tegen Chinese vissersboten. Er werden controles uitgevoerd en de Filippijnen wilden Chinese vissers arresteren omdat ze illegale vangsten aan boord zouden hebben gehad. De arrestatie werd belet door de Chinese marine. Sindsdien dobbert een aantal boten van de Chinese en Filippijnse kustwacht en van de vissersvloten van beide landen in de wateren rond, elkaars activiteiten hinderend. Het Filippijnse standpunt is dat het gebied zo dicht bij de eigen eilanden ligt dat het binnen de internationaal erkende zone van territoriale wateren valt. Het Chinese standpunt is dat doorheen de geschiedenis het gebied, ook al ligt het 500 mijl van de Chinese kust, deel heeft uitgemaakt van het Chinese grondgebied. Filippijnse kaarten van 2006 zouden het eilandje hebben gesitueerd buiten het eigen territorium. Op basis van de tegengestelde aanspraken zien de beide landen de activiteiten van de ander als een inbreuk op hun territoriale onschendbaarheid. China ziet in het incident een provocatie om de aandacht af te leiden van de slechte economische toestand in de Filippijnen en een manier om de VS een voorwendsel te geven om zijn militaire aanwezigheid in de Stille Oceaan verder op te drijven (er is sprake van meer Amerikaanse troepen in het land en de VS zal een extra kustbewakingsschip leveren). De Filippijnen noemen China een bullebak die zich steeds meer wil laten gelden in de regio. Zowel Manila als Beijing leggen er de nadruk op dat ze ten alle prijzen willen vermijden dat het conflict zou ontaarden in een militaire confrontatie. Hierbij zou de VS onvermijdelijk betrokken zijn, vermits de Filipijnen met zijn ene marineschip geen partij kan zijn voor de Chinese oorlogsvloot. Er ging een gerucht op internet dat die vloot in staat van paraatheid zou zijn gebracht, maar dat is direct tegengesproken door het ministerie van Defensie van China. Intussen wordt er vooral in de media en via verontwaardigde uitspraken van regeringswoordvoerders ruzie gemaakt. De publieke opinie in de beide landen ondersteunt de eigen regering. Er zijn demonstraties geweest van enkele honderden burgers in Manila en op de Chinese internetfora en sociale media doen nationalistische boodschappen het goed. Het Chinese toerisme naar de Filippijnen is stopgezet, volgens de reisbureaus om veiligheidsredenen. De Chinese ambassade in Manila heeft de Chinese staatsburgers in de Filippijnen voorzichtigheid en onopvallendheid aangeraden.

Bronnen: Xinhua, BBC, http://www.inquirer.net/ (Filippijnse website)

http://www.chinasquare.be/actueel-nieuws/patstelling-rond-gebiedje-in-zuid-chinese-zee/

[jurrien visser (JuVi op Twitter)]

S.Korea, Japan to Sign Military Agreement

Defense Minister Kim Kwan-jin is to visit Japan at the end of this month for talks with his Japanese counterpart Naoki Tanaka about accords to share military intelligence and facilitate cooperation in exchanging military goods and service. Military officials from the two countries "are finalizing preparations for the signing of the two agreements," a government source here said.

It will be the first military agreement between the two sides since the end of Japan's occupation of Korea in 1945.

The pacts will allow South Korea and Japan to share military intelligence, and cooperate in logistics during troop deployment such as UN Peacekeeping Operations. The two defense ministers discussed the pacts in Seoul in January last year but failed to make progress, but North Korea's launch of what it claims was a space rocket earlier this year has apparently brought home how much the agreement is needed.

According to Seoul's Defense Ministry, Japan has six Aegis-class destroyers equipped with cutting-edge radar systems and a dozen aerial surveillance aircraft that give it an edge in gathering intelligence and conducting surveillance of North Korea. South Korea only bought its first surveillance aircraft last year.

In turn, Japan apparently expects some help from South Korea's ability to gather human intelligence from North Korea. At present, South Korea has intelligence-sharing agreements with around 20 countries, including the U.S., Russia and Vietnam, and military logistics deals with around 10 countries, including the U.S. and New Zealand.

"The military pacts with Japan are rudimentary and limited, and we will be pursuing similar agreements with China," said Yoon Duk-min at the Institute of Foreign Affairs and National Security.

The government is pursuing the pacts because Tokyo could end up feeling left out once Seoul and Beijing start free trade talks on May 14. The South Korea-Japan military pacts could be the first step of the trilateral Seoul-Tokyo-Washington military cooperation framework that the U.S. has been calling for.

There are concerns that Beijing could be alarmed. "The main focus of the military pacts is to deal with threats posed by North Korea. They are not the first step toward a military alliance," said one Defense Ministry official. "We will also strengthen military cooperation with China through visits by the defense ministers."

Seoul is apparently hoping to treat diplomatic problems with Japan like compensation for World War II atrocities separately from the military pacts.

englishnews@chosun.com / May 08, 2012 09:34 KST

[KapiteinRob]

Aangezien dit topic de hegemonie van China in de Zuid-Chinese zee is overstegen, heb ik gemeend de topictitel aan te moeten passen en het topic "de Chinese Carrier" ermee samen te voegen.

Rob
Forumbeheerder

[jurrien visser (JuVi op Twitter)]

China is Interested in the Russian S400 Triumf

According to some sources Beijing expressed interest to acquire Russian S-400 counter-missile system. To date the Chinese use the components of the S-300 system but are said to be willing to enter closer co-operation on military and technological levels which would eventually lead to implementation of the S-400′s in a near future. Russia is currently developing its replacement, i.e. S-500 which is about to enter the line around 2020.

While China could become a major customer for the Russian air defense system, negotiations will be tough, since the Russians are becoming more protective on intellectual property and reverse engineering, as practiced by China in the past. A planned procurement of Su-35 that seemed a done deal has recently collapsed after the Russians refused to compromise on these demands.

http://defense-update.com/20120507_china-is-interested-in-the-russian-s400-triumf.html?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=china-is-interested-in-the-russian-s400-triumf

[Elzenga]

Japan and US Agree To US Marine Realignment In Pacific
Richard_Dudley May 5, 2012 08:34 0 comments

After sixteen long years of debate and aggravating delays, the United States and Japan have reached an agreement to reduce the presence of US Marines on the southern Japanese island of Okinawa. Okinawa, some 400 miles south of the Japanese main islands has been a key strategic forward base for the United States in the Pacific since it was captured by US forces at the end of World War Two in 1945.

Joint statements were issued in Washington and Tokyo on 26 April hopefully bringing a resolution to an issue that has often been a political "hot potato" for the leadership of both nations and has, at times, posed a serious threat to the long-standing US-Japanese defense alliance. Japan remains a key partner in America's strategic vision to guarantee stability in the Asia-Pacific region and in so doing, encourages the political and economic development of the entire region.

Okinawa has long served as home to a sizeable US military force conditioned and trained to act as a quick reaction force capable of responding to any credible military threat in the region. For many years the US focus was on blunting Cold War Soviet Union aspirations of encroachment in the Pacific. These forces also represent a key deterrent to prevent a repeat of North Korea's 1950 invasion of the South.

Okinawa is presently host to more than half of the 47,000 US forces stationed in Japan, a fact that has been the source of intense opposition from Okinawan residents.

The present air-ground-logistics capabilities of the III Marine Expeditionary Force (III MEF), coupled with the USAF air assets at Kadena Air Force Base, are considered to be a critical counterbalance to offset China's military growth and aggressive pursuit of natural resources in the region. The US military forces in Okinawa and Japan proper have also developed into a humanitarian response force capable of providing rapid assistance to nations in the region that are overwhelmed by natural disasters.

A 2006 relocation proposal, revised in 2009, called for the movement of approximately 8,700 Marines and more than 9,000 dependents from Okinawa to facilities on the island of Guam some 1,500 miles to the southeast. This plan carried a price tag of some $21.1 billion in construction costs to execute. This plan has garnered increasingly antagonistic opposition from members of the US Congress. Key members of the Senate Armed Services Committee earlier this year suspended funding for the relocation until they received detailed briefings from the Pentagon to satisfy their demand that all viable options had been explored fully.

Under the new proposal, Japan will accept responsibility for $3.1 billion of the $8.6 billion cost for relocation. The plan fits nicely with an agreement concluded with Australia authorizing the rotation of 2,500 Marines through Darwin. The first contingent of Marines have already deployed to Australia.

As outlined, 4,700 Marines would be permanently moved to Guam with an additional 2,700 being moved to Hawaii and other locations in the Pacific on a "rotating" basis. That will still leave approximately 10,000 Marines in Okinawa and eventually another 2,500 in northwest Australia. A significant number of these Marines are expected to be deployed away from their home bases for extended periods of time further reducing the burden on local hosts.

This realignment will place integrated Marine air-ground task-organized forces at strategic locations forming an arc throughout the Asia-Pacific region. Okinawa will continue to be the nerve center of Marine forces. The two nations have agreed that Okinawa will continue to host aviation operations, the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (31st MEU), and the III MEF's command structure.

As part of this force realignment, the Marine Corps also plans to rotate units through the Philippines, South Korea, Thailand, and other sites for training and the US Navy is expected to deploy ships in and out of Singapore. The US and the Philippines are rumored to be negotiating a separate joint basing scheme that was not addressed by Pentagon officials.

Once completed, the realignment will feature a chain of bases stretching some 7,700 miles from California to Japan with the ability to provide force projection as far as the Indian Ocean. A key part of the relocation effort is a return to the Unit Deployment Program (UDP) where individual units are deployed to the Pacific for six-month rotations after which they return to their home base. The UDP operation was greatly curtailed during the Iraq/Afghan conflicts.

Another significant feature of this new proposal is a tentative agreement for both nations to establish working groups to discuss cooperative arrangements for building the first ever joint training facilities in Guam or possibly Tinian in the Northern Mariana Islands. This idea is a major advance for Japan given its pacifist constitution and political environment.

This realignment of forces was developed as a practical means of lessening the level of uncertainty and tension among Asia-Pacific nations that threatens economic growth and political development in the region. The plan also helps to strengthen the US-Japan defense alliance and opens the door for further integration of US and Japanese forces.

Also, the force realignment will serve to better protect US forces from attack by hostile elements equipped with sophisticated weaponry and cyber warfare capabilities. A dispersion of forces makes them more difficult to locate, target, and disrupt.

US Department of Defense representatives consider it essential that a force-in-readiness numbering some 19,000 Marines be maintained in the Asia-Pacific region to meet whatever contingencies may arise. These forces will be organized into integrated air-ground task forces that can be structured to meet specific needs. Both nations agree that this continued Marine presence is critical to the maintenance of stability in the Pacific.

http://defense-update.com/20120505_japan-and-us-agree-to-us-marine-realignment-in-pacific.html

[Elzenga]

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/photo/2012-04/10/c_131517308_4.htm

[jurrien visser (JuVi op Twitter)]

China's aircraft carrier completes sea trial

English.news.cn   2012-05-03 11:05:25

BEIJING, May 3 (Xinhuanet) -- China's aircraft carrier has returned to Dalian Harbor after 11 days of sea trial. It arrived on Monday, one day later than the expected time.

China's Defense Ministry says the sea test of the country's aircraft carrier is not related to the current regional situation. Previous sea tests have achieved expected results, and more research tests will be carried out according to preset plans.

China has stressed on many occasions that it maintains a defensive nature in national defense policy.

(Source: CNTV.cn)

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/video/2012-05/03/c_131565846.htm (inclusief filmpje)

[Elzenga]

Gezien de ligging van Thailand snap ik dat zij wat meer prikkels voelen om met China te handelen dan bijvoorbeeld buurland Vietnam of de Filipijnen of Indonesië. Die directer betrokken zijn bij de territoriale spanningen in de Zuid-Chinese Zee tussen hen en China. 

[Hyperion]

Oh want China kan zoveel met die twee dingen :lol: China heeft overigens al de bouwtekeningen van de Príncipe de Asturias en kon ook de Harrier kopen in de jaren 80... En dat hebben ze niet gedaan!

De harriers van Thailand vliegen niet en zijn een oud model

Je lach nu wel maar China heeft in 2000 een niet afgebouwd prototype gekocht van de Oekraïne en inmiddels vliegt men daar nu wel me rond.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shenyang_J-15

Wat wil je daar mee zeggen? Heeft dat enig verband met Thailand?

[Ace1]

Oh want China kan zoveel met die twee dingen :lol: China heeft overigens al de bouwtekeningen van de Príncipe de Asturias en kon ook de Harrier kopen in de jaren 80... En dat hebben ze niet gedaan!

De harriers van Thailand vliegen niet en zijn een oud model

Je lach nu wel maar China heeft in 2000 een niet afgebouwd prototype gekocht van de Oekraïne en inmiddels vliegt men daar nu wel me rond.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shenyang_J-15

[Hyperion]

Dat Thailand met China gaat samenwerken beangstig mij voor je het weet krijgen de chinezen een harrier en de bouwtekeningen van de HTMS Chakri Naruebet kado.

Oh want China kan zoveel met die twee dingen :lol: China heeft overigens al de bouwtekeningen van de Príncipe de Asturias en kon ook de Harrier kopen in de jaren 80... En dat hebben ze niet gedaan!

De harriers van Thailand vliegen niet en zijn een oud model

[Ace1]

Dat Thailand met China gaat samenwerken beangstig mij voor je het weet krijgen de chinezen een harrier en de bouwtekeningen van de HTMS Chakri Naruebet kado.

[jurrien visser (JuVi op Twitter)]

BEIJING : Thailand and China have agreed to jointly develop multiple rocket launchers with a guidance system as part of a move to strengthen military ties.

Dit zijn toch ontwikkelingen, volgens Den Haag, die zo vorige eeuws zijn?

Maar goed dat wij geen MRLS en tanks meer hebben.