Air Force of China Airlifts Third Batch of Flood Relief Goods to Bangkok

Note: It is the Air Force of China, not the PLAAF

China Airlifts Third Batch of Flood Relief Goods to Bangkok
2011-10-22 21:28:23 Xinhua Web Editor: Zhang

A cargo plane of the Air Force of China carrying relief goods lands at a military airport in Bangkok on Saturday, October 22, 2011. [Photo: Xinhua]

Three cargo planes of the Air Force of China arrived in Bangkok on Saturday morning to deliver the third batch of flood relief goods to Thai government.

Chinese Ambassador to Thailand Guan Mu, along with Thai Deputy Prime Minister Yongyuth Wichaidit, presided over the delivering ceremony at Don Muang Airport.

China has donated 259 hovercrafts, 150 water pumps, 210 water filters and 1,300 tents among others worth about 40 million Chinese yuan (6.3 million U.S. dollars) as well as 1 million U.S. dollars in cash to Thailand, according to the press release of the Chinese embassy.

At least 356 people were confirmed dead in the worst floods in five decades that have inundated the upper part of the country for almost three months.

PLA M*A*S*H now open for business in Sindh province, Pakistan

China's military in diplomatic charm offensive

China's military in diplomatic charm offensive

By CHRISTOPHER BODEEN, Associated Press –
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5irw6vOskqE7lw-njn_OT4ZtsyNWA?docId=9168fff427354f3a8295469762eb7f39
BEIJING (AP) — China may make its neighbors nervous with its robust military build-up, but it's also increasingly using the army as part of its charm offensive abroad.

The People's Liberation Army, in a cultural shift for an institution known for strident nationalism and unbending loyalty to the Communist Party, is expanding overseas aid missions and military exchanges in a major way. It sent 50 medics to flood-hit Pakistan this week and dispatched a hospital ship last month on a 105-day trip to poor nations in the Caribbean — right in America's backyard.

The diplomatic push, part of a larger global campaign by the Chinese government, aims to portray China as a responsible rising power, while softening the image of the 2.3 million-member military and boosting its ties with other nations' armed forces.

"It's has been a big step for them, but China appreciates this as a part of the normal practices of respected major powers in their relations with other countries," said Ron Huisken of the Australian National University's Strategic and Defense Studies Center.

China's "soft power" drive also includes foreign aid, cultural exchange and a massive expansion of state television to reach foreign audiences — all attempts to win friends and correct what China considers to be a biased Western portrayal of it.

The military took its first big stab at overseas disaster relief last year, sending helicopters to help out with floods in Pakistan. Last month, the air force flew 7,000 tents to the once-again flood-ravaged country and it is also shipping aid to flooded areas of Thailand.

The People's Liberation Army, or PLA, has also become the biggest contributor of manpower to U.N. peace keeping missions, and its navy is part of a multinational anti-piracy flotilla off the coast of Somalia.

The Peace Ark hospital ship, which sailed to the Horn of Africa last year, set off on Sept. 16 for Cuba, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, and Costa Rica. More than 100 medical personnel are aboard for an operation dubbed Harmonious Mission 2011.

"The international community expects China to play such a role and that is part of China's foreign policy," said Xiong Zhiyong of the China Foreign Affairs University in Beijing.

Only recently has the PLA acquired the skills, equipement, and political will to carry out such missions.

Its previous inability to provide relief overseas was especially evident following the 2004 Asian tsunami.

While the U.S. Navy and other countries' militaries rapidly shipped in huge amounts of aid and personnel, and winning tremendous goodwill for their governments, China could do little more than send a medical team to Indonesia, along with tents and other supplies.

Overseas missions also help grow its ability to deal with domestic disasters, such as the massive 2008 Sichuan earthquake, Xiong said.

At home, students from across the developing world are increasingly coming to China to take two-year military command courses, while the PLA's University of Science and Technology has taken in a dozen army officer candidates from Laos, Mongolia, Turkmenistan and seven other countries.

The military's newspaper called that a sign the force is "integrating itself into the world with a much more open attitude."

Foreign military attaches are being granted more access to Chinese bases and training exercises, although much of that is carefully scripted. Top commanders have also began making more frequent visits abroad and participating in multinational forums such as the annual Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore that attracts top defense officials from the U.S., Britain, and other major nations.

The exchanges are part of the PLA's effort to evolve into a modern force, right down to the introduction of smart new dress uniforms intended to break down the distinction between PLA officers and their Western counterparts.

The military has been upgrading its warplanes, ships and submarines, and began sea trials this summer on a refurbished Soviet aircraft carrier, demonstrating how a once-decrepit force seems determined to go toe-to-toe with the U.S. and other regional militaries.

While that modernization disconcerts the U.S. and China's neighbors, China says it's needed to defend its interests. Some analysts say military diplomacy is a way to show off its strength to potential rivals, while also joining in international relief efforts.

"There is little trust between China and the U.S. so China's recent response is to demonstrate its military capability, which also fits its commitment to helping the global community," said Ni Lexiong, a military expert at Shanghai University of Political Science and Law.

Humanitarian missions such as the dispatch of a hospital ship to Cuba also deliver a signal of China's military resolve to its own public without risking actual confrontations with the U.S. or others, Ni said.

"The enormous public pressure requires a response and this doubly demonstrates the Chinese navy's logistical capability," Ni said.

The U.S. military for its part has been generally supportive of the PLA's humanitarian drive, saying that boosts transparency and chances for peaceful interactions.

"As the Chinese military develops the capability to deliver medical and humanitarian assistance beyond its immediate region, there will be opportunities for the United States and China to collaborate and share," the Pentagon said in its most recent report to Congress on China's armed forces.

But on military exchanges, the PLA has yet to grasp the intrinsic value of strong ties, said Australian expert Huisken, citing the recent suspension of exchanges with the Pentagon over U.S. arms sales to Taiwan. It's unclear what if any exchanges have so far been suspended or canceled.

"It remains a relatively superficial program," he said. "We still don't have a clue what their real aspirations are."

China airlifts flood aid to Thailand
http://www.monstersandcritics.com/news/asiapacific/news/article_1668330.php/China-airlifts-flood-aid-to-Thailand
Oct 12, 2011, 10:56 GMT

Bangkok - China on Wednesday airlifted 500,000 dollars' worth of equipment to help Thailand combat floods that have claimed 281 lives, making Beijing the top donor.

A plane arrived Wednesday evening at Don Mueang Airport loaded with 120 boats, 60 water purification units and water tanks to deliver to the Flood Relief Operations Centre.

On October 6, Beijing gave the Thai government 1 million dollars in cash assistance, topping the 400,000 dollars in aid provided by Japan, 200,000 from South Korea and 100,000 dollars given to the Thai Red Cross by the US embassy.

Thailand has not requested aid for the floods, which have claimed 281 lives over the past two months and caused an estimated 80 billion baht (2.6 billion dollars) in damage to agriculture, industry, and public and private property.

'Thailand has not appealed for or sought international assistance, however, we have accepted assistance provided by friendly countries,' said Thani Thongpakdi, spokesman for the Thai Foreign Ministry.

Thailand is also preparing to apply for emergency assistance from UNESCO's World Heritage Fund to asses the flood damage in the ancient capital of Ayutthaya, a World Heritage site since 1991, the UN agency said.

'Under the terms of the Fund, assistance may be requested to undertake emergency measures or to draw up an emergency plan for the safeguarding of the property,' UNESCO's Bangkok office said in a statement.

Ayutthaya, Thailand's capital from 1350 to 1767, has been under about 2 metres of water since Sunday.

Photo of the day: China Navy visits Cuba for the first time in history

Video of the day: Go ahead, take this Type 99 out for a spin.

Argentina's FAdeA seals deal to produce CZ-11W helos

According to this site and Jane's Defense Weekly [Date Posted: 19-Oct-2011] (here),  China National Aero-Technology Import & Export Corporation (CATIC). and Argentina's FAdeA has reached an agreement to locally produce CZ-11W,  an armed variant of PLA's Z-11 chopper.  Requirement up to 40 birds.

Not sure how Eurocopter would think of this deal.

Chinese army to send medical team to Pakistan for humanitarian relief

Chinese army to send medical team to Pakistan for humanitarian relief

(Source: Xinhua) 2011-10-20

　　BEIJING, Oct. 19 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese armed forces will send a 50-member medical team to assist with humanitarian relief work in flood-hit Pakistan, according to a written statement released by the Chinese Defense Ministry on Wednesday.

　　The medical team of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) is scheduled to set out on Oct. 20, and the team will work in Pakistan for about 10 days, the statement said.

　　The team will head to the country's most devastated areas to assist Pakistan's armed forces by providing medical rescue services for victims and conducting disease prevention work, it said.

　　Pakistani officials said that nearly 7 million people have been affected by floods triggered by heavy monsoon rains in southern parts of the country in August and September. Crops on millions of acres of land have been washed away.

　　The Chinese government had previously donated emergency humanitarian aid worth 30 million yuan (about 4.7 million U.S. dollars) to the Pakistani government in September.

　　The assistance, which largely consisted of 7000 tents and a total of nine aircraft sorties, was delivered in two batches.

　　In a meeting with Pakistani Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar earlier this month, Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan Liu Jian said that the Chinese government will also provide 5 million U.S. dollars in cash to the flood-hit country.

　　China was one of the first countries to announce and carry out relief aid to Pakistan after the flooding.

　　During last year's flooding, which was the worst flooding in Pakistan's history, China provided a total of 120 million yuan worth of humanitarian supplies to Pakistan and sent a Chinese rescue team to provide medical services to flood victims.

　　The PLA also sent emergency equipment to Pakistan's armed forces to aid in the country's flood relief work last year.

Editor:Chen Jie

Return to Mt Helan.

Great Mt Helan, where the Han Dynasty General 卫青 (Wei Qing) earned his name in history. 2000 years later, the Han Army has returned.

Division in Xinjiang holds long-range cross-region maneuver drill

(Source: PLA Daily) 2011-10-18

Railway loading

In mid autumn, a division under the Xinjiang Military Area Command (MAC) of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA), with all its troops and armaments, crossed four mountains, two deserts and four provinces and regions, namely Xinjiang, Qinghai, Gansu and Ningxia, covering a distance of more than 3,000 kilometers, and reached the ancient battlefield at the foot of the Helan Mountains where the division carried out an actual-troop maneuver drill under information-based conditions.

During the maneuver drill, the participating officers and men held drills on dozens of subjects, including change of march route, field medical service support, field rush repair, fast bridging and anti-electronic surveillance by the "enemy", anti- chemical attacks and so on. The soldiers also created a number of records including a day-and-night forced march of 780 kilometers on the plateau.

Relying on the joint training platform of the theater, the division worked together with combat units of the PLA Air Force, the Second Artillery Force and the army aviation force to form a joint tactical corps to conduct a massive real-solider military drill. A number of new training courses, such as the land-air integrated precision strike, assembling and awaiting for orders of attack groups in penetration actions, and dense air defense by anti-artillery troops debuted on the drilling ground.

By Zhai Jinzhong, Yue Zhanfeng, Zheng Guangwei and Wang Chuanfeng