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BBC Chinese: Leaders of Japan and the Philippines Agreed on Defense Supplies

BBC Chinese recently reported that Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and President Benigno Aquino of the Philippines reached an agreement on the technical transfer of defense equipment. The agreement will clear the way for Japan to supply the Japanese Army’s second-hand equipment, such as airplanes, to the Philippines. The two countries decided to accelerate their cooperation due to China’s speedy progress of expansion in the South China Sea. Japan also agreed to “actively study” the request from the Philippines who asked for the supply of large patrol boats. Japan is in the process of providing the Philippines with TC-90 training aircraft, which can be equipped with air-to-air and air-to-ground surveillance radar. In the future, Japan may also provide U.S.-made second-hand P-3C anti-submarine patrol aircraft. The Philippines is on the path to allowing Japanese airplanes and vessels to use the Philippines’ military bases. In the meantime, Japan is currently manufacturing 10 patrol boats for the Philippine Coast Guard.
Source: BBC Chinese, November 19, 2015
http://www.bbc.com/zhongwen/simp/world/2015/11/151119_japan_philippines_defence
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Russia Received Timely Chinese Oil Payment

Well-known Chinese news site Sina recently reported that China just sent Russia a large amount of pre-payment, as had been agreed upon, in its oil supply contract with China. According to information that U.S. media has provided, this pre-payment in the third quarter totaled around 97.26 billion yuan (around US$15.2 billion). China made multiple much-needed payments to Russia earlier and this latest one is the largest overseas payment Russia has received since the West sanctioned Russia. Based on the China-Russia oil supply contract signed in 2013, Russia promised to supply China with 360 million tons of oil over 25 years. The total cost of the contract is US$270 billion. Russian President Vladimir Putin once revealed that China would pay US$70 billion worth of pre-payments. According to Russian media reports, the Russian oil companies are severely suffering because of the sanctions. The latest Chinese payment is crucial to sustaining Russian suppliers.
Source: Sina, November 17, 2015
http://news.sina.com.cn/w/zx/2015-11-17/doc-ifxksqiu1646710.shtml
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People’s Daily: China Took over Pakistan’s Gwadar Port

People’s Daily recently reported that a Chinese company officially took over Gwadar Port in Pakistan. The agreement between the two countries was based on a 43-year lease for China to operate and develop the port. Gwadar directly faces the Indian Ocean and looks out onto the Arabian Sea. It is only 400 kilometers away from the Strait of Hormuz and is very close to the India-Pakistan border. Indian media expressed their concern after the agreement was made known to the public. The Port of Gwadar has significant value to China in terms of oil supply because it provides an alternate route to bypass the Strait of Malacca and shortens the distance by 85 percent for China to transport Middle-East-sourced oil to Western China. At the same time, all parties are currently downplaying the strategic military value of Gwadar but are instead focusing on its economic impact.
Source: People’s Daily, November 13, 2015
http://paper.people.com.cn/rmrbhwb/html/2015-11/13/content_1632547.htm
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BBC Chinese: Indonesia Warns of the Potential of Taking China to Court

BBC Chinese recently reported that Indonesian Security Minister Lu Huth Pandjaitan announced at a press conference that Indonesia may take China to the international court if the territorial sovereignty issue of the South China Sea between China and Indonesia cannot be resolved through dialogue. Indonesia disagrees with China’s position on the sovereignty of a portion of the Natuna Islands. Panjaitan said his government has been trying to get in touch with China. He did not want to see power fights in the region and hoped the conflicts could be resolved peacefully by engaging in dialogue. In the meantime, Chinese Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi commented that the Hague Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) ruling on the South China Sea, which was in favor of the Philippines, was the cause of tension between China and the Philippines. 
Source: BBC Chinese, November 11, 2015
http://www.bbc.com/zhongwen/simp/world/2015/11/151111_indonesia_china_dispute
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VOA: At Xi-Ma Meeting, China Central TV Cut Off Live Broadcast before Ma Ying-jeou Gave his Speech

Voice of America (VOA) reported on China Central Television’s (CCTV) coverage of the historic summit that Xi Jinping and Ma Ying-jeou held on November 7, 2015, in Singapore. The two leader’s handshake lasted for over one minute. This was the first time that the Chinese Communist Party Chairman and the nationalist President of Taiwan met since Mao Zedong founded the People’s Republic of China in 1949.

Before going into a closed-door meeting, Xi and Ma each gave a brief opening speech, one after the other. In a slightly delayed live broadcast, CCTV transmitted Xi Jinping’s full speech in Mainland China, but abruptly cut off its live broadcast when it was Ma Ying-jeou’s turn to give his speech. Two hours later, CCTV broadcasted a moment of Ma giving a speech without Ma’s voice.

Having witnessed the so-called “live broadcast,” China’s Internet users all condemned CCTV. Some comments were: “Who made such a stupid decision?! (I am) really speechless.” “CCTV’s so-called ‘live coverage’ will create controversy among public opinion. In a disgraceful way, it is recorded into the history of China’s TV news." “I turned off CCTV! A human being cannot be so shameless.” “I began to worry about the freedom of our Taiwanese compatriots."

One Chinese viewer commented that the state TV’s failure to broadcast Ma’s speech live "shows that the [Beijing] government lacks confidence." Some believed Ma’s speech was skipped because propaganda agencies needed time to review the text.

Taiwan-based Liberty Times Net reported that, before the November 7 meeting, CCTV blurred out the suit lapel of President Ma Ying-jeou during a news report because Ma was wearing a suit lapel pin in the form of a Taiwanese flag. Liberty News also noted that CCTV did not blur out the word "President" on the plaque when it reported on the press conference that Ma Ying-jeou held after his closed-door session with Xi Jinping.


Sources: Voice of America, November 8, 2015

http://www.voachinese.com/content/cctv-xi-ma-20151107/3048659.html
Liberty Times Net, November 7, 2015 
http://news.ltn.com.tw/news/politics/breakingnews/1501167

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Li Keqiang: China-Korea Maritime Delimitation Negotiation Should Start Early

Beijing Youth Daily recently reported that Chinese Premier Li Keqiang arrived in Seoul on October 31. Li then met with Korean President Park Geun-hye and discussed the issues of deepening the strategic partnership with Korea, connecting the economic development strategies between the two nations, helping the young generation enter the marketplace, pushing the China-Korea-Japan Free Trade Agreement, and cultural exchanges. Li especially mentioned that the two nations should get an early start on the negotiation of the maritime delimitation, which is crucial to security, law enforcement, and disaster relief efforts at sea. The two leaders also discussed the issue of North Korea’s nuclear weapons. President Park supports the speeding-up of approving the China-Korea Free Trade Agreement.
Source: Beijing Youth Daily, November 1, 2015
http://epaper.ynet.com/html/2015-11/01/content_162339.htm?div=-1
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China: Hague PCA Rulings on South China Sea Were Invalid

Well-known Chinese news site Sina recently reported that the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs made an official statement that The Hague Permanent Court of Arbitration’s (PCA) rulings on the South China Sea were not valid and were not binding. The Philippines government submitted the issue of the South China Sea conflict to the PCA for international arbitration in 2013. However, China held that China cannot accept unilaterally submitted cases and that the Philippines abused the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). According to UNCLOS, China has the freedom to choose its own dispute settlement procedure. Both the Philippines and the PCA ignored the mutual agreement between China and the Philippines to resolve conflicts via peaceful political negotiations, which the Philippines confirmed multiple times. China called for the Philippines to keep its promise and come back to the negotiating table.
Source: Sina, October 31, 2015
http://news.sina.com.cn/c/2015-10-31/doc-ifxkhchn5747717.shtml
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BBC Chinese: China Started a Nuclear Controversy with Japan at the UN

BBC Chinese recently reported that, at the United Nations General Assembly Summit on Nuclear Disarmament, China accused Japan of possessing weapon grade nuclear materials and having plans for Japan to become a nuclear power. Japan strongly denied the accusation. The Chinese representative pointed out that all it would take for Japan to become a nuclear power in a very short period of time would be a political decision, because Japan has enough stored nuclear material. However, the Japanese representative argued that the entire inventory of Japan’s nuclear materials is under the surveillance of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the IAEA has confirmed that it is for peaceful use only. China has been paying attention to Japan’s nuclear capabilities for a long time now. However, it’s highly unusual for China to engage Japan publicly at the United Nations over this matter. Japan is trying to determine what China’s motivation is for making this move.
Source: BBC Chinese, October 21, 2015
http://www.bbc.com/zhongwen/simp/world/2015/10/151021_japan_un_china
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