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India Provided a Military Loan to Vietnam

Well-known Chinese news site Sina recently reported that India announced a US$500 million loan to Vietnam for defense purposes. The announcement was released after the meeting between Indian Prime Minister Modi and Vietnamese Prime Minister Ruanchun Fu in Hanoi. The two prime ministers also confirmed that they positioned the relationship between the two nations as a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. The two sides both recognized the necessity of the cooperation among partners to face regional emergency challenges. The Times of India also reported that India is in talks with Vietnam on selling Vietnam the BrahMos cruise missiles, which was jointly developed between India and Russia. In the past decade, the relationship between India and Vietnam saw significant developments. Vietnam has been providing logistics services in its ports to Indian warships. Analysts expressed their belief that these moves are seen as aimed at China.

Source: Sina, September 3, 2016
http://dailynews.sina.com/gb/news/int/cna/20160903/02347503033.html

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LTN: Pro-Mainland Hong Kong Newspaper Attacked Leung Chun-ying before the Election

Well-known Taiwanese Newspaper Liberty Times Network (LTN) recently summarized a number of reports from multiple sources on the surprising move that the pro-mainland Hong Kong newspaper Sing Pao Daily News made, suggesting that the sitting Hong Kong Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying is the true “Father of Hong Kong Independence.” Leung Chun-ying is widely considered to be a “puppet” of the Communist mainland, and Sing Pao Daily News is traditionally a typical pro-mainland newspaper. The shocking finger-pointing from Sing Pao happened right before the Hong Kong Legislative Council Election. Sing Pao accused Leung of exaggerating the seriousness of the Hong Kong Independence Movement to prove his own importance. Sing Pao also called for an investigation of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in Hong Kong, which is the office representing the Beijing central government.

Source: Liberty Times Network, September 2, 2016
http://news.ltn.com.tw/news/world/breakingnews/1813583

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BBC Chinese: US-India and China-Pakistan Partnerships Made Announcements

BBC Chinese recently reported on an agreement that the United States and India signed, and also on a deal settled between China and Pakistan. The U.S. and Indian military reached an agreement on August 30 to allow the military bases of both sides to provide logistical support to each other. The agreement was designed to ease the mission of protecting freedom of navigation in international waters. On August 31, it was widely reported across Pakistan that the Pakistan Navy reported to the Pakistan’s National Assembly Defense Committee that it will acquire eight advanced submarines from China before 2028. This arms deal is worth around US$4 billion to US$5 billion. The construction of four of the submarines will take place in Karachi and China will transfer the technological know-how to Pakistan. Pakistan currently has eight submarines, which are all outdated.

Source: BBC Chinese, August 31, 2016
http://www.bbc.com/zhongwen/simp/world/2016/08/160831_pakistan_china_submarines
Source: BBC Chinese, August 30, 2016
http://www.bbc.com/zhongwen/simp/world/2016/08/160830_indai_usa_military_agreement

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Global Times: India is Deploying Brahmos Missiles along Its Border with China

Global Times recently reported that the Indian government has approved the Indian Army’s request to acquire around one hundred Brahmos missiles to deploy along the India-China border. The Brahmos missile is a supersonic cruise missile with superior capabilities for diving attacks. It is suitable for the mountainous terrain along the India-China border region. However, its effective cruise range and weight limit its usefulness in actual combat, especially with moving targets. It is obvious this Brahmos deployment plan is yet another fruit of the “balance and confrontation theory” behind the “China Threat” story. The tactical Brahmos missile, along with Russian fighter jets and unmanned surveillance aircraft, only reflect an unnecessary panic mode. The new weapons and the military superiority idea solely add to the antagonism at the border, resulting to a negative impact on the stability of the region.
Source: Global Times, August 21, 2016
http://mil.huanqiu.com/observation/2016-08/9337782.html
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Concern for Son’s Education Drove North Korean Diplomat to Defect

Well-known Chinese news site Sina recently reported that one of the main motivations for the defection of Thae Young Ho, North Korea’s high ranking diplomat and minister to Britain, was his worry about the education plan for his second son. Thae was due to return to Pyongyang this summer; however, his 19-year-old son, Kim Hyok was about to enter college this year for math and computer engineering. Kim Hyok is an A+ student who was born in Denmark and lived in Sweden and Britain for much of his childhood. Thae Young Ho made his decision to defect to South Korea for the sake of his son’s future. Meanwhile, some other sources reported that a significant financial burden could be another issue for Thae Young Ho. He complained in a public speech some time back that the monthly cost of rent in Britain meant he could only afford a public housing unit with two bedrooms with a very narrow kitchen. The Sina report did not mention any political motivation for the defection. 
Source: Sina, August 18, 2016
http://dailynews.sina.com/gb/news/int/chosun/20160818/23347479604.html
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Global Times: Australian Politicians’ Paranoia about Chinese Investors

Global Times recently reported that the Australian government has refused the Chinese bid to acquire a controlling interest in Ausgrid, which is Australia’s largest electricity network. The government cited worries over national security. China’s State Grid Corp and Hong Kong’s Cheung Kong Infrastructure Holdings (CKI) were jointly attempting to buy a 50.4 percent controlling stake in Ausgrid, which is New South Wales’s electricity distribution network. Australia’s nationalist politicians and the media continued to hype the national security “threat” and asked, “Why does communist China want to own our electricity grid?” Some Australian analysts thought that the decision might hurt Australia’s relationship with China. In 2012, the two countries signed a Memorandum of Understanding on Strengthening Cooperation in Infrastructure Construction in 2012. Now that the Chinese companies have come up with the money, Australia suddenly has gotten this paranoia about “long term strategic risks.” 
Source: Global Times, August 13, 2016
http://world.huanqiu.com/exclusive/2016-08/9303137.html
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BBC Chinese: The British Government Delayed Decision on China’s First Nuclear Project in Britain

BBC Chinese recently reported that the new British administration decided to delay the decision on whether or not to approve the Hinkley C Nuclear Power Plant Project which had heavy Chinese investments. Given the importance of the project to Britain’s future energy security, the British government explained that it needed more time to review the entire project. The China Guangdong Nuclear Power Group (CGN) released an announcement to express its understanding and respect for that decision. Hinkley C is Britain’s first new nuclear power plant in 20 years. Once in place, it is expected to supply seven percent of all of Britain’s electricity. China committed six billion British pounds to its investment in the project, which is one third of the total amount. 

Source: BBC Chinese, July 29, 2016 http://www.bbc.com/zhongwen/simp/business/2016/07/160729_hinkley_nuclear_delay
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People’s Daily: Japan’s Defense White Paper Is to Pave the Way for Revising the Constitution

In response to the Japanese government’s approval of the 2016 “Defense White Paper” at its cabinet meeting on August 2, China’s State-run media People’s Daily published a report saying that [the paper] is repeating the same old nonsense. It is continuing to stir up the “China threat theory” and maritime safety controversies and it exaggerates, saying that Japan’s security environment is deteriorating. The purpose is to find excuses for its new security law issued in March of this year and it strengthening of the military.

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