[Hankyoreh Editorial] Radioactive risks in Northeast Asia

Hankyoreh
[Editorial] Radioactive risks in Northeast Asia
Posted on : Mar.28,2011 13:00 KST

Radioactive material apparently leaked from Japan’s Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant has been detected in South Korea. According to the Korea Institute of Nuclear Safety (KINS), a minute quantity of xenon was detected by a radioactivity measurement site in Gangwon Province a few days ago, and it is surmised that some of the radioactive material from the Fukushima plant traveled to the Kamchatka Peninsula, rounded the polar regions, and returned south by way of Siberia.

While it was only an exceedingly small quantity incapable of having any negative effects on South Koreans’ health or environment, it still raises grave concerns. Contrary to government’s statements that the country is safe because of the westerlies, it has now been proven that radioactive material can arrive anywhere on the branches formed in the different regions.

With the detection of material in other areas affected by westerlies, including not only the United States and Europe but also neighboring China, the sense of alarm is heightening all over the world. Depending on how the analysis results turn out, there is a possibility that other radioactive materials besides xenon will be discovered. While xenon is relatively harmless to the human body, prolonged exposure is said to lead to lung ailments.

The Lee Myung-back administration must abandon its laid-back assessment of the situation and prepare far-ranging measures in consideration of a potential worst-case scenario. While the possibility of other radioactive materials besides xenon being detected is slight, infants and pregnant women can suffer harm from even small quantities, a fact that is prompting growing concerns.

Above all else, it needs to conduct thorough monitoring and notify the public in advance about the quantities and routes of any material that could enter the country. Nuclear power authorities reportedly discovered xenon in a sample collected on Mar. 23 but delayed the announcement for four days because the quantities were small and they were attempting to determine a connection with a possible North Korean nuclear test. This is untrustworthy behavior in light of concerns and anxieties among the South Korean public.

It is fortunate, at least, that the administration made the belated decision at an Atomic Energy Commission meeting presided over by the prime minister yesterday to examine the safety of all nuclear power plants in South Korea and confirm their security under worst-case scenario conditions. However, it also needs to set up thorough measures to prepare for the eventuality of radioactive material entering the Korean Peninsula from one of the surrounding countries.

China, which has thirteen nuclear power plants in operation, is planning to build 77 more in the future, which will make East Asia a high-density region for such plants. Should radioactive material leak from central China, it is said that it will enter the West Sea area two days later, and that all of South Korea will fall in a high-concentration impact zone after four days. If we imagine a situation like the Fukushima disaster occurring in China, the northwest and southeast winds would place the peninsula smack in the middle of a danger zone the likes of which are too terrible to contemplate. We hope to see the administration holding close discussions with China and Japan over the nuclear power plant safety issue.

Please direct questions or comments to [englishhani@hani.co.kr]

Text Fwd: Asia Pacific Bulletin: A Step Too Far: Why CPGS Is The Wrong Answer to China's Anti-Access Challenge

* Text fwd from Lotus Fong on March 24, 2011

Asia Pacific Bulletin
A Step Too Far: Why CPGS Is The Wrong Answer to China's Anti-Access Challenge
By iskander rehman

In March 1996, the waters of the Taiwan Strait were roiled by Chinese live missile firings and massive military exercises. Washington answered Beijing's blunt demonstration of coercive military diplomacy by promptly dispatching two aircraft carriers to the scene.

This event, which, amongst others, compelled the Chinese leadership to back down in the face of a looming war, will be remembered as a turning point for two reasons, both intimately linked. Firstly, the intense feelings of helplessness and frustration it engendered amongst the Chinese military elite led fresh impetus to its attempts to offset US naval dominance in the WPTO or "Western Pacific Theater of Operations." This was to be accomplished largely through a revamped Assassin's Mace strategy, couched in Maoist language of "active defense," drawing on high-end asymmetric warfare and on the use of highly potent anti-access weapon systems. Secondly, and as a direct consequence, the Taiwan missile crisis can be viewed as the swan song of America's full-spectrum military dominance in the post-Cold War era.

Fifteen years later, the region's tactical environment could hardly be more different. While the US Navy, with its 11 nuclear-propelled carrier groups, still far outstrips any of its rivals in terms of sheer power projection, its current stagnation is a cause for concern. Indeed, the US combat fleet today numbers about 280 ships, in comparison to the peak of 597 reached during the Reagan era. The US submarine fleet has been particularly affected, dwindling from 102 boats in 1991 to merely 53 today. Meanwhile, the Chinese Navy is engaged in a process of unremitting expansion. Already comprised of at least 260 ships, it includes more than 75 principal combatants and 60 submarines. Its submarine flotilla is projected to grow to at least 70 in the next decade. Beijing has combined these vigorous naval efforts with an aggressively missile-centric strategy, which revolves around state-of-the-art supersonic cruise missiles, as well as a rapidly growing stock of conventional ballistic missiles that includes the recently inducted and potentially game-changing anti-ship variant of the DF-21. Indeed, as of now it is highly uncertain whether the US fleet's latest class of Aegis-equipped destroyers would be capable of fending off or neutralizing an advanced ASCM strike, let alone the DF-21C.

These developments have led to much anxiety at the Pentagon. The sudden annihilation of US forward bases in Okinawa and Guam under a missile barrage is a major concern, as is the prospect of US Carrier Groups becoming operationally irrelevant due to their growing vulnerability. This would gravely unsettle the entire regional balance, as the US finds itself gradually locked out of the Asia-Pacific.

Responding to this changing environment, the United States is radically rethinking its doctrine and force posture in the WPTO. The result is a strategy entitled "AirSea Battle: A Point of Departure Operational Concept," first released by the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments in May 2010. The concept, which is currently being red-teamed and integrated by the US Navy and Air Force, is an attempt to reconcile two hard truths: the relative stagnation of the US naval force level in Asia, along with the great strides China has made in the field of anti-access and area denial. Using the LandAir Battle Concept implemented by the US military in the early 1980s as a template, the AirSea Battle Concept calls for a seamless cooperation between the US Navy and Air Force in order to offset China's prowess in anti-access capabilities. Its successful implementation also hinges upon the revival and prioritization of American long-range weapon programs, such as the plan to acquire a fleet of new-generation stealth strategic bombers, or to develop a long-range carrier-borne attack drone.

The emphasis on long-range strike has led to a heated debate within the Pentagon over whether AirSea Battle should come to encompass Conventional Prompt Global Strike (CPGS). The latter is a new class of weapons, currently under development, that would be capable of reaching any corner of the earth in under an hour with overwhelming accuracy and force. On a tactical level, CPGS offers the tantalizing possibility to strike at hardened targets deep in the heart of China without putting costly assets in harm's way. More generally, the weapon system has also been touted as a means of responding instantly to major threats without having to cross the nuclear threshold. The Obama Administration is particularly wedded to the system, viewing it as a structural component of its nuclear disarmament agenda.

Unfortunately, the path to hell is often paved with good intentions. For while the AirSea Battle Concept provides a thoughtful and pragmatic framework for preserving crisis stability in Asia, its fusion with CPGS would serve the opposite purpose. Indeed, while Chinese writings on asymmetric war are extensive, China's conceptualization of escalation management is alarmingly opaque. Moreover, despite Beijing's strict "no first use" policy, there is much discussion in China over whether early warnings of an apparent nuclear attack on its nuclear assets would justify an immediate nuclear retaliation. The induction of CPGS in the Western Pacific would dangerously blur boundaries in a region where competing forces already abide by doctrines centered on preemptive blinding campaigns, and currently share no institutionalized ground-level military communication mechanisms similar in scope to the Cold-War era. Defenders of the project point to the fact that its distinct trajectory--via a hypersonic glider--and specific storage facilities would help distinguish it to the panicked Chinese observer. The timeframe of less than an hour before impact, however, is not favorable to sober assessments of flight paths. Furthermore, the missile is atmospheric, rather than extra-atmospheric, and its US controller can change its trajectory at the last minute if need be. This complicates even further any real-time assurances to Beijing that the missile is targeted at conventional, rather than at nuclear, assets.

The debate over CPGS is a textbook example of how the lure of tactical advantage can erode grander objectives of strategic stability. While the incorporation of such a capability into the Pentagon's new force posture would offer major advantages on the battlefield, these same benefits would drag in their wake the grim existential threat of misinterpretation and nuclear war. And that risk is something that, regardless of present anxieties and uncertainties, should be left to the past.

About the Author
Iskander Rehman is Research Fellow at the Transatlantic Academy of the German Marshall Fund. He can be contacted by e-mail at irehman@gmfus.org.

Text Fwd: Thank Tank: Japan Aircraft Carrier Power For First Time Since WWII

China Daily
March 9, 2001
Think Tank: Japan is an aircraft-carrier power

-"Once Japan acquires F-35s or another suitable short take-off aircraft for the Hyuga class, it will have a greatly increased expeditionary capability, and can operate in conjunction with the US more and more in regional security operations."

Li said the JMSDF is "very powerful" in terms of capabilities. "Its assets are arguably the second best after the US. The ships are modern, powerful, and with a wide range of services. However they suffer from the same problems as the Chinese navy in that it lacks expeditionary capabilities and also the crew lack real battle experience."



Japan has been formally classified for the first time since World War II as an aircraft-carrier power by a leading Western international affairs think tank.

Japan has one Hyuga-class aircraft carrier, according to Military Balance 2011, an annual report published on Tuesday by the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) assessing the military capabilities and defense economics of 170 countries worldwide.

The annual report is an essential resource for those involved in security policymaking, analysis and research.

Classifying Japan as an aircraft carrier power means China now has four Asian neighbors with the giant vessel. Russia, India and Thailand are reported to have one aircraft carrier in service.

Former Japanese foreign minister Seiji Maehara, shortly before he resigned for accepting an illegal donation, expressed Japan's "grave concern" over China's military development and alleged plan to build an aircraft carrier.

Gary Li, an expert on Asia military affairs at the IISS and the chief researcher of the East Asia section of Military Balance 2011, said Japan currently had one Hyuga and another is under construction.

"The Hyuga is not yet as powerful as the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) would like it to be, mainly because there are no F-35s (fighter jets) as yet," Li said.

"Once Japan acquires F-35s or another suitable short take-off aircraft for the Hyuga class, it will have a greatly increased expeditionary capability, and can operate in conjunction with the US more and more in regional security operations."

Li said the JMSDF is "very powerful" in terms of capabilities. "Its assets are arguably the second best after the US. The ships are modern, powerful, and with a wide range of services. However they suffer from the same problems as the Chinese navy in that it lacks expeditionary capabilities and also the crew lack real battle experience."

Despite Japan's concern over China's military development, Christian Le Miere, research fellow for Naval Forces and Maritime Security at the IISS, said Japanese naval power is superior to China's.

He said Beijing's "main strategy" is still to "deter or prevent US intervention into Taiwan contingency for as long as possible".

In fact, long before the IISS classified only one Hyuga-class vessel as an aircraft carrier, earlier reports said Japan launched the second of the vessels, the Ise, as early as 2009.

The 197-meter long, 13,950-ton vessel can carry up to 11 helicopters.

The vessel is scheduled to be commissioned into the JMSDF this month, Xinhua News Agency reported in 2009.
====================================================================
Stop NATO e-mail list home page with archives and search engine:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/stopnato/messages

Stop NATO website and articles:
http://rickrozoff.wordpress.com

Text Fwd: South Korea To Begin Major War Games Tomorrow

* Texts informed by Rick Rozoff on Dec. 22, 2010

Xinhua News Agency
December 22, 2010
S Korea to stage ground, air firing drill Thursday

SEOUL: South Korea plans to hold a major drill Thursday involving artillery guns and fighter jets following its live-fire drill near a disputed sea border earlier this week, the Army said Wednesday.

The ground and air firing drill, which officials said is part of routine exercises, will take place at a firing range in Pocheon, 40 kilometers northeast of Seoul and 25 kilometers south of the heavily fortified land border between the two Koreas.

It follows a firing drill Monday from the western border island of Yeonpyeong shelled last month by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK). The country also started Wednesday four- day sea maneuvers in waters off the east coast of the Korean peninsula.

The series of routine exercises come amid heightened tension in the region as South Korea remains on alert against retaliation from the DPRK, which did not immediately respond to Monday's brief shooting drill it had vehemently protested.

Related:

S Korea begins four-day sea maneuvers in East Sea

SEOUL: South Korea will hold four-day drills in waters off the east coast of the Korean peninsula starting Wednesday, two days after it conducted a live-fire exercise near a tense border, the defense ministry said.

The exercise, reportedly to be held about 100 kilometers south of the eastern sea border with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), will involve navy vessels and Lynx helicopters, according to local reports.
China calls for restraint, dialogue on Korean Peninsula issue

BEIJING: China Tuesday urged all parties involved in the Korean Peninsula situation to remain calm and exercise restraint to avoid future unfortunate incidents.

"The Korean Peninsula situation is still complicated and sensitive," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu said at a regular news briefing as she called on all parties to have a responsible attitude.Full story

Russian, DPRK diplomats discuss situation on Korean peninsula

MOSCOW: Diplomats of Russia and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) met here Tuesday and discussed possible measures to stabilize the situation on Korean peninsula.

During the meeting with the DPRK ambassador to Moscow Kim Yong Jae, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexei Borodavkin stressed that Russia is seeking "solutions to the issues between Pyongyang and Seoul by political-diplomatic ways," according to a statement of the Russian Foreign Ministry. Full story

________________________________
See also
Defense News
Top Chinese Diplomat: Korean Tensions Came Close To War
Agence France-Presse
December 21, 2010

Ros Business Consulting News Online
Russia Urges Resumption Of Korean Six-Party Talks
December 22, 2010

Text Fwd: China: Japanese Interceptor Missiles To Threaten Regional Stability

* Text sent from Rick Rozoff on Dec. 21, 2010

Global Security Newswire
Japanese Missile Defenses Could Prompt Arms Buildup, China Warns
December 21, 2010

A Chinese diplomat suggested Japan's plan to deploy additional missile defense equipment could threaten strategic stability in Asia and prompt an arms buildup by Beijing, the London Telegraph reported yesterday (see GSN, Dec. 13).

Japan last week unveiled plans to field additional Patriot Advanced Capability 3 missile interceptors and to expedite production of Aegis missile defense warships (see GSN, Dec. 17). Although Tokyo said the deployments were aimed at countering potential North Korean missile strikes, Beijing warned the plan would undermine Chinese defenses.

"Japan's new military investments are going to transform the military balance in the region," the Chinese diplomat said. "China will have no choice but to respond by enhancing its own capabilities."

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu characterized Japan's missile defense plans as "irresponsible."

Analysts expressed concern that an arms race could prompt India and later Pakistan to augment their own missile capabilities.

"China depends heavily on both conventional and nuclear-armed ballistic missiles to offset the technological weaknesses of its armed forces," said Ashley Tellis, an analyst with the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, "so a more robust Japanese missile defense system is a real threat to its clout" (Praveen Swami, London Telegraph, Dec. 20).

Text Fwd: Russian, Chinese FMs Call For Restraint On Korean Peninsula

* Texts sent from Rick Rozoff on Dec. 19, 2010

Xinhua News Agency
December 19, 2010
Chinese, Russian FMs call for restraint on Korean Peninsula

-China is willing to keep close communication and coordination with Russia to prevent the situation from deteriorating and getting out of control, and help maintain peace and stability on the peninsula and in Northeast Asia.

ISLAMABAD: Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov on Saturday night called for restraint from all parties concerned to avoid escalation of tension on the Korean Peninsula.

During a phone conversation with Lavrov, Yang, who is accompanying Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao on a visit to Pakistan, said the situation on the peninsula has become tense recently and may further deteriorate.

China firmly opposes any actions to cause tension and worsen the situation, and demands both sides on the peninsula show calmness and restraint, carry out dialogue and contact, and completely avoid any actions that would fuel the tension, Yang said.

China hopes other concerned parties would do more to help ease the situation on the peninsula, he added.

Yang said China insists that all parties concerned conduct dialogue and consultation, and seek a peaceful settlement of the dispute.

China is willing to keep close communication and coordination with Russia to prevent the situation from deteriorating and getting out of control, and help maintain peace and stability on the peninsula and in Northeast Asia.

Lavrov, for his part, said Russia attaches high importance to the developments on the peninsula, adding his country has expressed great concern to relevant countries and demanded utmost calmness and restraint from all parties concerned.

Russia is willing to work with China to make active efforts to reduce the tension on the peninsula, he said.

South Korea has declared plans for a live-five artillery drill in the tense waters southwest of Yeonpyeong Island on a selected date from Dec. 18-21 depending on weather conditions.

The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) on Friday urged Seoul to immediately stop its plans for the shelling exercise, warning it would deliver a second and third "unpredicted self-defense counterattack" that would be bigger and more powerful than the previous one.

South Korea and the DPRK exchanged artillery fire near the Yeonpyeong Island on Nov. 23, which killed four South Koreans.
===========================
Stop NATO
Blog site
_____________________________
See also

Russian Information Agency Novosti

Russian-Initiated Emergency UNSC Meeting On Korea Crisis Today

December 19, 2010


Russian Information Agency Novosti
Korea Crisis: China Calls For Urgent Six-Party Talks

December 18, 2010

Text Fwd: Japan Announces Defense Policy to Counter China 일본, 중국에 대적하기 위한 국방 정책 발표

* From the Defense News letter, Dec. 17, 2010

New York Times
December 16, 2010

Japan Announces Defense Policy to Counter China
By MARTIN FACKLER

TOKYO — Japan announced a new defense policy on Friday that will respond to China’s rising military might by building more submarines and other mobile forces capable of defending Japan’s southernmost islands.

The new National Defense Program Guidelines are the biggest step yet in a decade-long shift away from cold war-era deployments of heavy tank and artillery units on the northern island of Hokkaido — to counter a now-vanished Soviet threat — and toward bolstering Japanese forces in the southern islands around Okinawa, where China’s navy has become a growing presence.

The new guidelines also used uncharacteristically strong language to warn of China’s rapidly modernizing military, calling it “a matter of concern for the region and the international community.” China’s growing naval capabilities have been a particular concern in Japan since Beijing and Tokyo clashed diplomatically three months ago over uninhabited islands claimed by both nations but controlled by Japan. The islands are called the Senkaku in Japanese and Diaoyu in Chinese.

In Beijing, the Foreign Ministry criticized the new policy as “irresponsible” and suggested that it was based on a misunderstanding of China’s intentions. “China adheres to the road of peaceful development and pursues a defensive national defense policy,” Jiang Yu, the Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, said in a statement. “We have no intention to be a threat to anyone.”

The new policy called for increasing the number of Japan’s submarines to 22 from the current 16, while reducing the number of tanks by a third to about 400. It also called for creating more mobile forces, which analysts have said could include creating new air and seaborne units that could quickly move to defend remote islands.

READ MORE

____________________________

* Text sent from Rick Rozoff

Radio Netherlands
December 17, 2010
Japan shifts defence focus to China, N.Korea

Text Fwd: S. Korea, China, Japan sign agreement on establishing cooperation secretariat

Yonhap News
2010/12/16
S. Korea, China, Japan sign agreement on establishing cooperation secretariat


SEOUL, Dec. 16 (Yonhap) -- South Korea, China and Japan signed an agreement Thursday to establish a cooperation secretariat in Seoul next year, a landmark accord that represents the first treaty between the neighbors whose relations have often soured over history and other disputes.


South Korean Foreign Minister Kim Sung-hwan, Japanese Ambassador Masatoshi Muto and Chinese Ambassador Zhang Xinsen signed the Agreement on the Establishment of the Trilateral Cooperation Secretariat, the foreign ministry said in a statement.


The agreement is the "first-ever treaty signed between the three governments," the ministry said. "The secretariat is expected to make cooperation among the three countries more substantial and institutional so as to contribute greatly to boost trilateral cooperation in terms of its quality and quantity."


READ MORE

Text Fwd: N. Korea agrees on emergency six-way talks: Beijing 북한, 중국과 비상 6자 회담 갖기로 동의

Yonhap News

N. Korea agrees on emergency six-way talks: Beijing
2010/12/14 17:36 KST
By Kim Young-gyo

HONG KONG, Dec. 14 (Yonhap) -- North Korea has agreed to China's proposal to hold emergency discussions among chief envoys to the six-party talks on Pyongyang's nuclear disarmament in a bid to defuse tensions on the Korean Peninsula, China's foreign ministry said Tuesday.

Beijing proposed on Nov. 28 that the lead negotiators from the two Koreas, the U.S., Japan, China and Russia meet at an early date to discuss ways of easing inter-Korean tension sparked by the North's shelling of a South Korean island.

"The agreement was reached when Chinese State Councilor Dai Bingguo met with North Korean leader Kim Jong-il in Pyongyang last week," Jiang Yu, spokesperson for China's foreign ministry, said in a regular press briefing.

"China and North Korea have agreed that the two sides should prevent the tense situation from further escalating and put constructive effort in building peace on the Korean Peninsula, while maintaining calmness and restraint," Jiang said.


The visit came as China, North Korea's closest political ally and largest benefactor, has been under growing international pressure to exercise its influence over Pyongyang to discourage the belligerent regime from further provocations.

Tensions on the Korean Peninsula have come to a head after North Korea fired artillery on a South Korean island near the disputed maritime border on Nov. 23. The North's attack on Yeonpyeong Island, which is home to fishing communities and military bases, killed two South Korean marines and as many civilians, and left 18 others wounded.

Dai, who advises top Chinese officials on foreign policy, made an unannounced trip to Seoul at the end of November and paid a visit to South Korean President Lee Myung-bak to discuss measures for easing tensions on the peninsula.

A high-level U.S. delegation, led by Deputy Secretary of State James Steinberg, is expected to arrive in China later Tuesday in an effort to urge Beijing to play a greater role in reining in Pyongyang.

Text Fwd: N. Korea appears to have made little concessions to Chinese envoy 북한은 중국 대사에 거의 타협하지 않은 것으로 보임

Yonhap News
N. Korea appears to have made little concessions to Chinese envoy: Seoul official
2010/12/11 22:28 KST

SEOUL, Dec. 11 (Yonhap) -- North Korea appears to have made little concessions when a top Chinese official visited Pyongyang earlier this week on an apparent mission to defuse tensions over the North's recent artillery attack on a South Korean island, a Seoul official said Saturday.

Chinese State Councilor Dai Bingguo met with North Korean leader Kim Jong-il in Pyongyang on Thursday for discussions on matters of mutual concern that outside analysts believe included the Nov. 23 attack. China briefed Seoul on the outcome of the Kim-Dai meeting through diplomatic channels on Friday night, said the official, requesting anonymity.

_________________________________

See also
Korea Times
'No change in Pyongyang's position'
12-12-2010

Text Fwd: Pentagon Talks Advance U.S.-China Military Ties 미 국방부 대화, 미-중의 군사 유대를 진일보

* Image & caption: same as the link
Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Michele Flournoy holds a press briefing at the Pentagon, Dec. 10, 2010, at the conclusion of a full day of bilateral defense consultative talks with defense officials of the People's Republic of China. The U.S. is seeking a more transparent defense relationship with China and Flournoy indicated that the talks were candid and open. DOD photo by R. D. Ward

* Text informed from Corazon Valdez Fabros through no AP bases on Dec. 11, 2010

U.S. Dept of Defense
Pentagon Talks Advance U.S.-China Military Ties
By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Dec. 10, 2010 – The Pentagon’s policy chief believes the Defense Consultative Talks between the U.S. and China here today moved the ball forward in fostering Chinese candor and transparency.

Michele Flournoy, the undersecretary of defense for policy, said her talks with General Ma Xiaotian in the Pentagon really re-started the U.S.-China military-to-military relationship. Ma is the deputy chief of the Peoples’ Liberation Army’s General Staff. It was the 11th round of the U.S.-China Defense Consultative Talks.

“We discussed the relationship itself, an integral part of our positive, cooperative and comprehensive bilateral relationship with China,” the undersecretary said. “We also discussed how to develop a more durable framework to shift the military–to-military relationship to a more sustained and reliable and continuous footing.”

The two sides discussed maritime safety and regional issues including security concerns about Africa, North Korea, Afghanistan-Pakistan and Iran. Flournoy thanked the Chinese for their efforts in the United Nations on the Security Council sanctions against Iran and its nuclear ambitions.

Ma and Flournoy exchanged views on the U.S. nuclear posture review and ballistic missile defense report. They discussed the importance of China continuing to make progress in improving its openness and transparency in defense matters, Flournoy said.

The talks pave the way for Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates’ visit to China in January.

“These were positive discussions,” she said. “While I won’t say we agreed on every issue, where we did differ we had a very candid, frank and productive exchange. These talks form the basis for a more productive relationship between our two countries and our two militaries over time.”

Text Fwd: Japan Shifts Military Policy Focus To China, Island Dispute 일본, 군사 정책 촛점을 중국과 섬 논쟁으로 바꾸다

Stop NATO
Asahi Shimbun
December 11, 2010
Defense policy shifting focus to China's military
BY KENTARO KAWAGUCHI


-The new appendix calls for increasing the number of submarines from the current 16 to 22 and includes mention of the next-generation fighter jets.
It also calls for increasing the number of Aegis destroyers from the current four.


The government plans to discard its Cold War defense philosophy and shift to a posture that can effectively deal with possible contingencies on Japan's vulnerable southern islands and China's growing military presence.

The main points of the National Defense Program Guidelines to be released this month will move away from a setup preparing for an invasion by the Soviet Union to a dynamic defense capability that emphasizes mobility.

Since the first National Defense Program Guidelines were released in 1976, the emphasis has been on deploying the Self-Defense Forces uniformly around the nation.

This year's revision will be the first to introduce the concept of "dynamic defense capabilities."

Rather than seek a uniform deployment of SDF troops, the new guidelines will emphasize mobility and readiness to allow the SDF to respond to terrorist acts or an invasion of outlying islands.

The guidelines will also raise concerns about the Chinese Navy's rising presence in waters around Japan.

China has increased its military spending by double-digit rates for 21 straight years. In April, China sent its most advanced submarines as part of a fleet engaged in a training exercise that included navigating between the main Okinawa island and Miyakojima island.

The guidelines describe such actions by China as "matters of concern" for the region as well as international community.

READ MORE

_________________________
See also
Stop NATO
Japanese Politicians Land On China-Claimed Island
Radio Netherlands
December 11, 2010
===========================
Stop NATO
Blog site

Text Fwd: China, North Korea reach consensus over crisis: report 중국과 북한, 위기 관련 동의에 도달

* Informed at the Pacific Command

Yahoo News
China, North Korea reach consensus over crisis: report
By Jack Kim and Ben Blanchard Jack Kim And Ben Blanchard
Thu Dec 9, 4:21 am ET

SEOUL/BEIJING (Reuters) – China and North Korea reached consensus on the Korean peninsula crisis after "candid" talks, Chinese state media reported, which analysts said suggested Pyongyang likely agreed not to inflame the situation.

The meeting came as Beijing and Washington continued to trade barbs over how best to deal with the spike in tension on the divided peninsula, with China rejecting U.S. pressure to take its impoverished ally to task over last month's artillery attack on the South.

China's Xinhua news agency said State Councilor Dai Bingguo met the isolated North's ailing leader Kim Jong-il for talks in the Pyongyang and "the two sides reached consensus on bilateral relations and the situation on the Korean peninsula after candid and in-depth talks."

North Korea's KCNA news agency said the talks were "held over the issue of boosting the friendly and cooperative relations between the two countries and a series of issues of mutual concern."

"It's difficult to expect much in the consensus more than a general agreement on the need to resolve the situation ... in a peaceful manner and through dialogue, and that they can't have tensions escalating," said Park Young-ho of the Korea Institute of National Unification.

Neither news agency gave any further details.

REAF MORE

Text Fwd: Russia, India, China to discuss new security architecture in Asia and the Pacific 러시아, 인도, 중국, 아태지역에서 새로운 안보 구조 토론 예정

Stop NATO

Voice of Russia
November 14, 2010
Russia, India, China to discuss new security architecture in Asia and the Pacific

-The outcome of the trilateral meeting will ultimately depend on whether New Delhi still relies on the US as an outside factor in its relationship with Beijing....If no, then we will have every reason to hope that, working together, Russia, India and China will eventually be able to settle existing and future conflicts in the Asia-Pacific region.

A new security architecture in Asia and the Pacific will dominate the agenda when foreign ministers of Russia, India and China get together on Monday. During the meeting in Uhan, China, Russia’s foreign minister Sergei Lavrov will also discuss with his colleagues cooperation in forecasting natural disasters and dealing with their devastating aftermaths.

During President Dmitry Medvedev’s visit to Beijing in September the two countries’ leaders agreed on the need for the Asia-Pacific countries to reiterate the principle of the indivisibility of their common security in this generally unstable part of the world.

In Moscow, foreign policy expert Andrei Volodin believes that if the three ministers manage to reach a common stand on regional security, the meeting will have every reason to be called a success. He fears, however, that India’s apprehension towards China’s increasingly active role in the region may be a problem here.

The outcome of the trilateral meeting will ultimately depend on whether New Delhi still relies on the US as an outside factor in its relationship with Beijing....If no, then we will have every reason to hope that, working together, Russia, India and China will eventually be able to settle existing and future conflicts in the Asia-Pacific region.

As we already said, Monday’s meeting will also deal with coordination of the three countries’ effort in early warning about and dealing with the aftermath of natural disasters, and here Russia has a lot to offer. This country provided humanitarian help and rescue personnel during the devastating earthquake in China’s Sichuan province and massive floods in India. With the process of global warming picking up, the importance of having a system of early warning about upcoming natural calamities can hardly be exaggerated – something we in Russia realized all too well this past summer…

Just hours before the start of Monday’s meeting in Uhan, emergency response experts will get together in New Delhi to map out a set of joint projects for next year when Russia takes over the organization’s rotating chair.
===========================
Stop NATO
Blog site

Text Fwd: U.S., Japan To Engage In Missile Interception Drills Near China Coas 일본, 미국과 더불어 중국 근해에서 12월 3일 부터 8일간, 미사일 차단 연습 할 것임

Stop NATO

Global Security Newswire
Japan, U.S. to Conduct Missile Interception Drill
November 12, 2010

The U.S. and Japanese militaries are planning to hold a bilateral missile defense exercise early next month simulating a ballistic missile attack on Japan, Jiji Press reported yesterday (see GSN, Nov. 11).

The drills are set to begin on Dec. 3 and last for eight days. They would be staged in waters near the Japanese island territory of Okinawa as well as other areas.

The exercises would involve the simulated detection of a hostile missile, its monitoring by radar and its targeting for elimination, either by a Standard Missile 3 interceptor fired from an Aegis-equipped warship or by the Patriot Advanced Capability 3 system fielded at U.S. and Japanese military bases (Jiji Press, Nov. 11).
===========================
Stop NATO
Blog site

_____________________________________
See also

Stop NATO
Japan Seeks U.S. Military Support Against China, Russia
Deutsche Presse-Agentur
November 13, 2010

Stop NATO
Japan Thanks U.S. For Support In Disputes With China, Russia
Russian Information Agency Novosti
November 13, 2010

Text Fwd: Japan Deploys Troops To East China Sea Island Contra China 일본, 중국 동쪽 해 요나구니 섬에 군대 배치하며 중국과 대립

* Image source: Google (*Virgil.org)

Stop NATO

Radio Netherlands
November 11, 2010
Japan to send troops to remote isle over China fears: media

Tokyo will send around 100 soldiers to a remote Japanese island in the East
China Sea, a report said Thursday, amid growing anxiety over China's naval
activities.

The ground troops will be deployed on Yonaguni island, Japan's westernmost
point, to carry out coastal patrols and surveillance of Chinese naval vessels,
Jiji news agency quoted defence officials as saying.

Tokyo eventually plans to double the number of troops stationed on Yonaguni,
which is roughly 100 kilometres (60 miles) east of Taiwan, the report said.

Defence Minister Toshimi Kitazawa Thursday stressed the importance of boosting
defence in island areas, including Yonaguni, to a security committee meeting at
the House of Representatives, Jiji reported.

The defence ministry has applied for 30 million yen (365,000 dollars) from next
year's budget for "preparatory research" on the issue, it said.

The Japanese military regularly sends patrol aircraft to the region but has no
permanent monitoring facility on Yonaguni, a remote but populated rocky outcrop.

Increased Chinese naval activity has sparked a defence rethink in which Japan
has mulled sending more forces to its scattered southern islands and away from
Cold War-era bases in the north near Russia.

In an incident in April this year, a large Chinese flotilla approached a group
of disputed islands in the East China Sea and sent out a helicopter that buzzed
Japanese navy ships monitoring their movement.

The area is a frequent flashpoint for troubles between Japan and China.

Ties have been badly strained since Japan arrested a Chinese trawler captain
near the disputed island chain in September, sparking a barrage of protests from
Beijing.
....
© ANP/AFP
===========================
Stop NATO
Blog site
_____________________________________________
* In reference, you may also see:

Bloomberg News
Chinese Missiles Could Close U.S. Bases in Attack, Report Says
By Tony Capaccio - Nov 12, 2010

(* Informed at Defense News Letter)

Text Fwd: US chooses Fiji for aid base in Pacific despite dictatorship 미국, 독재에도 불구, 태평양 보조 기지로 피지 선택

* Image source: Geographic Guide

Click the image for larger view

* Text sent from Corazon Valdez Fabros on Nov. 11, 2010

NZ Herald
US chooses Fiji for aid base in Pacific despite dictatorship
By Audrey Young
Nov 3, 2010

The United States has chosen Fiji as the site for its expansion of aid to the Pacific despite its military regime.

Behind the decision is a desire to counter Fiji's strong relationship with China.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton made the announcement before her eight-country tour of the Asia-Pacific area. She is due in New Zealand tomorrow for talks in Wellington, and will go to Christchurch on Friday.

The US abandoned its Pacific aid post 15 years ago, leaving a gap that has been keenly filled by China, which is expanding its international influence through aid.

The US has publicly said for some time that it believes it was a mistake to turn its attention from the Pacific.

It had been considering other locations for its USAID base, including Honiara in the Solomons.

But because of the strengthening relationship between Fiji and China and the fact that Fiji is a hub for the Pacific, it chose Fiji.

The USAID hub will begin with a budget of $27.5 million specifically for climate change mitigation.

[...]

Her speech made it clear that the US intends to step up its engagement in the region on every front - development, military, bilateral relationships and regional organisations such as the East Asia Summit and Asean.

"The most common thing Asian leaders have said to me in my travels in this last 20 months is, 'Thank you, we're so glad you're playing an active role in Asia again'."

She said the Pentagon was engaged in a comprehensive "global posture review" - effectively a white paper that will set out the plan for the US military presence in the region.

That plan would have to become "more politically sustainable, operationally resilient, and geographically dispersed".
[..]

She also said: "We have created new parameters for military co-operation with New Zealand."

That refers to the more streamlined procedures for waiving the ban on exercising with New Zealand - a reprisal for the anti-nuclear legislation of 1986.

Mrs Clinton is visiting Vietnam, China, Cambodia, Malaysia, PNG, New Zealand, Australia, American Samoa. It is her sixth visit to the region in 20 months.

Text Fwd: Pentagon: U.S., Allies To End China's Rare Earths Dominance 미 국방부: 미국과 그 동맹국들, 중국의 희귀 흙 지배 막기로 결심

Stop NATO

Defense News
November 9, 2010
DoD Sees U.S., Allies Ending China's Rare Earths Dominance
By JOHN T. BENNETT

NEW YORK: The U.S. must only survive a few more years of Beijing's dominance over rare earths minerals supply and pricing, then American and key allies should be able to turn the tables, said Brett Lambert, U.S. Defense Department industrial affairs chief.
....
The markets should prompt Western nations to develop alternative to Beijing's rare earths dominance, he said.

Sources say a soon-to-be-released Pentagon study will feature a similar bottom-line conclusion.

China now controls nearly 100 percent of the global supply and production of this family of elements, which is used to make crucial components in a list of American weapon systems, including jet engine turbines, unmanned planes, electric motors, radars, night-vision goggles, missiles, electronics and other items.

The United States imports 100 percent of the rare earths it needs, according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).

China's control, experts say, allows Beijing to dictate rare earths prices and global availability. This was spotlighted in recent weeks when China threatened to withhold rare earths from Japan during an unrelated flap.

READ MORE

Text Fwd: [News Briefing] Standoff intensifies over China’s Korean War remarks 중국의 한국 전쟁 발언으로 한미 와 중국 관계 거리감 심화

Hankyoreh
[News Briefing] Standoff intensifies over China’s Korean War remarks
Oct. 29, 2010

The Chinese government on Thursday supported remarks by China’s Vice President Xi Jinping that China‘s entry into the Korean War was “a great and just war for safeguarding peace and resisting aggression” from the U.S.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Ma Zhaoxu made the Chinese government’s position clear, saying that Xi’s remarks are the decided view of the Chinese government, while South Korea and the U.S. government have denounced them.

Chinese President Hu Jintao and Xi on Monday met with veterans and heroes of the Chinese People’s Volunteers (CPV) to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the volunteer army entering the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) to help in the war to resist U.S. aggression, according to the Xinhua News Agency. Xi said in his speech that China’s entering was “also a great victory gained by the united combat forces of China’s and the DPRK’s civilians and soldiers, and a great victory in the pursuit of world peace and human progress.”

The Chinese people will never forget the friendship established in battle with the DPRK’s people and army, Xi added.　

The Xinhua and the Chinese Communist Party’s organ People’s Daily, however, ran an article on their websites Thursday to acknowledge that the Korean War was started by North Korea’s invasion based on former Soviet Union documents.　

Text Fwd: Clinton Presses, Courts Beijing 클린턴, 중국에 압력과 구애를 동시에

Agence France-Presse/Getty Images
Hillary Clinton speaks during a press conference in Honolulu on Wednesday.

* Defense Newletter on Oct. 29, 2010
Wall Street Journal
Clinton Presses, Courts Beijing
By JAY SOLOMON

HONOLULU—Secretary of State Hillary Clinton encouraged greater U.S.-China cooperation in Asia, even as she stressed that the U.S. will increase its effort to remain a military and economic power in the region.

Mrs. Clinton, embarking on a seven-nation tour of the Asia-Pacific region, said the Obama administration is committed to defining events regionally and safeguarding the defenses of its allies, such as Japan, South Korea and Singapore.

"Now, there are some who say that this long legacy of American leadership in the Asia-Pacific region is coming to a close. That we are not here to stay. I say, look at our record. It tells a different story," Mrs. Clinton said Thursday in Hawaii.

Still, Mrs. Clinton said the U.S.'s presence in Asia doesn't seek to isolate China nor does it need to turn into a zero-sum game for competing influence.

Rather, she said Washington and Beijing stood to benefit from cooperation on everything from combating global warming to nuclear proliferation.

"To those who still believe that the U.S. is bent on containing China, I would simply point out that since the opening of diplomatic relations between our two countries, China has experienced breathtaking growth and development," Mrs. Clinton said, adding, "We look forward to working closely with China, both bilaterally and through key institutions."

Mrs. Clinton travels to Asia amid heightened tensions among China, the U.S. and Washington's allies on a range of economic and security issues.

On Wednesday, the U.S.'s top she expressed concerns that Beijing might use its monopoly over rare-earth minerals as a political weapon.

She called for America's partners to find alternative sources of supply.

The U.S. and China have also jostled in recent months over issues ranging from the value of the yuan to territorial disputes in the South China Sea.

In a bid to smooth ties, Mrs. Clinton will visit China's Hainan Island on Saturday to meet with State Councilor Dai Bingguo.

Some analysts have warned that Mrs. Clinton's last-minute trip to Hainan could appear to be the U.S. acquiescing in the face of Chinese belligerence. Hainan is particularly sensitive to Americans, as Beijing grounded a U.S. EP-3 surveillance plane there in 2001 and held and interrogated its crew for 10 days before receiving a letter of apology from the U.S.

Mrs. Clinton said the U.S.-China relationship was too central to regional security for Washington not to remain continuously engaged with Beijing. On Wednesday, she said she will use her meeting with Mr. Dai to help plan Chinese President Hu Jintao's visit to Washington early next year.

"We have a long list of issues to discuss," Mrs. Clinton said.

She said she has been heartened by signs China is willing to open up the trade of rare-earth minerals and settle disputes through multilateral institutions.

On Saturday in Vietnam, Mrs. Clinton will be the first U.S. secretary of state to attend a gathering of the East Asia Summit. The event includes the 10 members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, plus China, Japan and other Asian nations.

Mrs. Clinton said in her speech that she is using her tour of the Asia-Pacific to showcase Washington's commitment to remaining an active player. She will also visit Cambodia, Malaysia, Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea.

"Everywhere we go, we will advance one overarching set of goals: to sustain and strengthen America's leadership in the Asia-Pacific region and to improve security, heighten prosperity and promote our values," Mrs. Clinton said.

The issue of China's dominance over rare-earth metals is a potential flashpoint for the trip.

China is estimated to supply about 97% of the global demand for these metals, which are essential for the production of computers and other electronic products.

Tensions between China and Japan have increased in recent months, fueled by a dispute over islands jointly claimed by the two Asian nations. In July, Beijing announced a drastic curtailment of its export quotas for these minerals, as well as a crackdown on smuggling, which began to be felt in subsequent months. China says the limits reflect its growing environmental awareness, are perfectly legal and won't be used as a policy tool.

The moves nevertheless raised fears that China was seeking to pressure Japan and other industrial powers.

Mrs. Clinton stressed following a meeting with her Japanese counterpart in Hawaii that recent Chinese restrictions on sales of the important commercial inputs must serve as a "wake-up call" for the U.S. and its allies to diversify their sourcing.

"Because of the importance of these rare-earth minerals, I think both the minister and I are aware that our countries and others will have to look for additional sources of supply," Mrs. Clinton said at a joint news conference with Japanese Foreign Minister Seiji Maehara.

In Beijing Wednesday, China's Foreign Ministry said it wouldn't use its dominance in rare-earth minerals as a "bargaining tool" with competing nations. Mrs. Clinton said she would seek to clarify this position during her scheduled bilateral meeting with Mr. Dai.

"I would welcome any clarification of their policy and hope that it means trade and commerce around these important materials will continue unabated and without any interference," Mrs. Clinton said.

Write to Jay Solomon at jay.solomon@wsj.com

_____________________________________________________
* Related blog 관련 블로그

Saturday, October 30, 2010
Site Fwd:[PACOM] All the crazy PACOM headlines
사이트 포워드:[아시아 태평양 사령부] 미친 아시아 태평양 사령부 뉴스 제목들

Thursday, October 28, 2010
Text Fwd: PACOM Headlines: Pacific Integration key to Army strategy
[아태 사령부] 군사 전략에서 태평양 통합의 열쇠

Saturday, October 23, 2010
[국문 번역] Text Fwd: Clinton and the colonial paradigm
클린턴과 식민지 패러다임