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PLA General Political Department to Develop Team of Cadres with Absolute Loyalty to the Party

Xinhua published an article which reported that Xi Jinping, Chairman of the Central Military Commission, approved a notice that the PLA General Political Department issued on April 19. The title of the notice was, “Opinion to Develop a Political Team of Cadres That Will Demonstrate Absolute Loyalty to the Party, Has a Strong Capability to Fight in Wars, and Displays a Good Work Style and Image.” According to Xinhua, the Opinion directed that all levels in the political department within the PLA should focus on “strengthening the ideology work to build a strong Party spirit; strictly abide by the political rules and requirements; display devotion to the Party; and ensure absolute obedience to the Party Central Committee’s directions, to the PLA General Political Department, and to Chairman Xi.” 

Source: Xinhua, April 19, 2015
http://news.xinhuanet.com/politics/2015-04/19/c_1115016951.htm

Briefings | | |   Defense/Military

People’s Daily: China’s Air Force Exercises in the Far Sea Will Be Routine

After China’s Air Force recently performed training exercises in the West Pacific ocean over the Bashi Channel [the body of water between Taiwan and the Philippines archipelago] for the first time, People’s Daily interviewed Chinese military expert Major General Yin Zhuo. Yin said that, in the future, the Chinese air force training in the far sea will certainly be routine. It will conduct co-training with the Navy, so it will truly become a joint operation between the two forces. 

Yin said, "In the future [China’s Air Force] may also go to the open sea (for exercises). It will go through the northern airspace, through the Miyako waterway, or the Osumi Strait airspace. These airspaces are international public airspaces. For the Chinese Air Force to fly in these airspaces is entirely consistent with international law; no country has the right to interfere."  

Source: People’s Daily: March 31, 2015 

Briefings | | |   Defense/Military

PLA General Political Department Revised Guideline on Recruiting of Party Membership within PLA

Xinhua reported that Xi Jinping, Chairman of the Central Military Commission, recently approved a revised guideline on the development of Party membership work within the PLA. The PLA General Political Department then published the guideline. The article said that the guideline had been revised so that it would be tailored specifically for the PLA. It provided more “strict, concrete and scientific” requirements on recruiting qualified Party memberships. It also emphasized developing members based on quotas and discouraged new members from submitting false claims.

Source: Xinhua, April 12, 2015
http://news.xinhuanet.com/politics/2015-04/12/c_1114941365.htm

Briefings | | |   Defense/Military

PLA Used Its Online Purchasing Website for Its First Online Purchase

Xinhua reported that, on April 7, the PLA announced that five manufacturers won the bidding, totaling 90 million yuan (US$14.48 million), to supply general and maintenance equipment to the PLA. The article said that these were the first purchase orders that the PLA received since it launched its military equipment purchasing website in January. The site is at http://www.weain.mil.cn/. The PLA claimed that it saved close to 12 million yuan (US$1.93 million) compared to the list price. The purchase order consisted of items such as containers for maintenance equipment and tools, gas masks, carrier cases, and army field lighting. The article said that the PLA equipment purchasing website was launched on January 4. On February 25, the PLA General and Maintenance department made a public announcement on the website calling for bids. On March 19, the public bidding was held at Ordnance Engineering College in Shijiazhuang City of Hebei Province. Over 20 manufacturers submitted bids and 5 of them, including some privately owned companies, won the bidding.

Source: Xinhua, April 12, 2015
http://news.xinhuanet.com/info/2015-04/12/c_134143641.htm

Briefings | | |   Defense/Military

People’s Daily: Ministry of Foreign Affairs Commented on U.S. Planes Landing in Taiwan

People’s Daily recently reported that, on April 1, two U.S. military airplanes landed at Tainan Airport in South Taiwan due to a technical emergency. The spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Hua Chunying, later commented at a press conference that China had made a solemn representation to the U.S. government, asking the United States to be prudent and properly handle the relevant issues in order to avoid similar incidents in the future. According to Taiwanese media, two of the U.S. Navy’s F-18 fighter jets made a request of the Taiwanese air traffic authorities that they make an emergency landing. Later, after obtaining permission, they landed at a local air force base. Taiwanese military officials said that the U.S. Navy will send out repairmen in the future. The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not explain the reasoning behind their statement.
Source: People’s Daily, April 2, 2015
Briefings | | |   Defense/Military

China Launches an Upgraded Satellite for BeiDou System

A Long March-3C rocket carrying a new-generation satellite for the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS) left the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in southwest China’s Sichuan Province on Monday, March 30, 2015. China launched an upgraded satellite into space for its own global navigation and positioning network at 9:52 p.m. Beijing Time. It is the 17th satellite for the BDS. The official Xinhua news reported that the launch marked the beginning of the expansion of the regional BDS to global coverage.
According to the center, the latest satellite is tasked with testing a new type of navigation signaling and inter-satellite links, providing the basis to start building the global network.
China launched the first BDS satellite in 2000. The BDS began providing positioning, navigation, timing and short message services to civilian users in China and surrounding areas in the Asia-Pacific in December 2012.
Source: China News Service, March 31, 2015
Briefings | | |   Defense/Military

People’s Daily: Japan Should Get Used to China’s Air Force Exercises in the Far Sea

On March 30, 2015, the Chinese Air Force conducted a military training exercise in the Western Pacific ocean. In response to a Western media report, Zhang Junshe, a researcher at the Naval Research Institute of Military Science, published a commentary on People’s Daily overseas edition. 

The article said, “Regarding the Chinese Air Force’s routine training in accordance with its annual training plan, Japan and some Western media had ulterior motives when they interpreted the events. A Japanese news agency claimed that the training had the purpose of showing off China’s air force to its neighbors. Some individual media also claimed that the move of the Chinese Air Force will likely exacerbate tensions in the South China Sea.” 
Zhang argued, “Japan’s Self-Defense Air Force fighter and reconnaissance aircraft frequently hold activities in the Western Pacific and the East China Sea. U.S. Air Force fighter planes fly over the Western Pacific ocean all year long. [So why can’t China do the same?] ” 
“China is a big maritime country, but not a maritime power. … Now, the Chinese navy and air force badly need to use far sea training to improve their sea defense combat capability. It is one of the objective needs in order for China to safeguard its national maritime security.” 
“With the improvement of China’s comprehensive national strength and international status, China’s international responsibilities and the obligations required by the international community are also increasing. So it also requires China’s navy and air force to go to the far oceans and improve the capability of their ocean activity.” 
“Finally, I hope some countries can look rationally at the development of China’s military power and the Chinese military’s normal training activities. … The concerned countries should gradually become accustomed to Chinese air and sea vessels’ conducting similar trainings in the far sea, instead of continually finding fault.” 
Briefings | | |   Defense/Military

Expert: U.S. Has Expanded Its Cyberwar Battle Mode

In an interview with a reporter from China National Radio (CNR), Chinese military expert Li Wei said that the U.S. will use cyberwar deterrence as a new form of battle. He indicated that it would be difficult to break the U.S.’s cyber-hegemony in the short-term. Below is a translation of CNR‘s report: 

Recently, the chairman of the U.S. House of Representatives Homeland Security Committee, Mike McCall, stated that the Korean network paralysis that occurred last December was due to the retaliatory measures that the United States initiated. It is the first time that a U.S. lawmakers publicly acknowledged the U.S. attack on North Korea. Why did the U.S. lawmaker suddenly release this information? Is the U.S. cyber army really not conquerable? The reporter interviewed military expert Li Wei on these and related issues. 
As early as back in the 1990s, the U.S. proposed the concept of cyber warfare. The U.S. has been developing its cyber army even more in recent years and has actively built up its military activity in cyber space under the banner of safeguarding national interests. Li Wei pointed out that, although the United States followed the previous framework of its military forces, the combat mode has undergone enormous changes. It has become a team of Internet experts in military uniform. 

The United States has often used Hackers as a reason to accuse other countries, but the U.S. Congressman has now acknowledged publicly, for the first time, that the U.S. attacked North Korea’s cyber network. Li Wei said that the U.S. lawmaker’s statement may herald that the United States will add to its cyber deterrence as a new deterrence in addition to its nuclear and conventional deterrence. 

Li Wei suggested that the United States is far ahead in Internet hardware and technology. Such hegemony is difficult to break in the short term. In the face of such a situation, other countries should develop their Internet core technology and, at the same time, use the U.N. and other international organizations to counterbalance the United States. If we allow the United States to stay dominant, the United States will always maintain its Internet hegemony. 

Source: China National Radio (CNR), March 19, 2015

Briefings | | |   Defense/Military