China passes National Defense Mobilization Law to safeguard security

This law is long expected and it is a welcome step in granting more "supervision” to the National People’s Congress (NPC). However, the NPC has limited real power to prevent a war from declaring.

China passes National Defense Mobilization Law to safeguard security
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/china/2010-02/26/c_13189232.htm

English.news.cn 2010-02-26 15:24:08 FeedbackPrintRSS

BEIJING, Feb. 26 (Xinhua) -- China's top legislature passed the National Defense Mobilization Law on Friday after three readings, setting down rules on how and when the military should be mobilized in times of war or emergency.

The Law was approved by the National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee at the end of a three-day bimonthly session. President Hu Jintao signed a decree to publish the Law, which will take effect on July 1.

The 72-provision law sets out principles and organizational mechanisms for national defense mobilization, personnel and strategic material storage, and the prevention and relief of war-related disasters.

According to the Law, the NPC Standing Committee will declare national or regional mobilization in line with the Constitution and laws "if state sovereignty, unification, territorial integrity or security is threatened."

Chinese president will issue a mobilization order based on the decision of the NPC Standing Committee, the Law stipulates.

The mobilization work will be jointly led by the State Council and the Central Military Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC), according to the Law.

Major General Bai Zixing, head of the mobilization department of the General Staff Headquarters of the People's Liberation Army (PLA), said at Friday's press conference that a scientific, authoritative and efficient leading mechanism could offer organizational guarantee to China's mobilization ability.

Sun Zhenping, deputy head of the national law office of the NPC Standing Committee's Legislative Affairs Commission, said at the same press conference that "At present, our country's national defence and security situation is generally stable. However, traditional and non-traditional threats to security still exist."

"We must be alert to the dangers in times of peace," he said. The Law is "very necessary to combat various kinds of threats to national security."

Sun stressed the newly-adopted Law also considers the needs for handling emergencies using the resources and manpower that the Law allows for, a practice already proved effective in the country's disaster relief in the past years.

The country will set up a system for managing strategic resources reserves and transfers in line with the needs of national defence mobilization, according to the law.

The country should ensure storage of military articles including facilities, materials and special production devices designed for military use according to the demand of military orders and equipment in wartime, it said.

Chinese enterprises and public entities that develop and manufacture products for national defense should receive subsidies and preferential treatment, the Law says.

The Law stipulates male citizens aged between 18 and 60 and females aged between 18 and 55, except for some special cases, should provide service for national defense, including giving support to military operations during wartime, engaging in prevention against war-related disasters as well as related relief tasks, and helping to maintain social order.

In order to successfully enforce wartime mobilization, special measures could be taken to supervise and control key industries and areas, according to the Law.

Drafting of the Law started in September 2000.

Editor: Lin Zhi

The 6th J-10 "Line Regiment"

For the past two years, there has been persistent rumor suggesting that the 2nd PLAAF Fighter Regiment, 1st PLAAF Air Division, Shenyang MR has traded in its J-7Es for the J-10s. Yesterday’s CCTV report (February 23, 2010) seems to confirm this rumor.

This revelation marks the 6th confirmed J-10 Line Regiments commissioned into the PLAAF service.

Thai navy seeks second-hand submarines

According to the Feb 18th 2010 edition of the Jane's Defence Industry, China offered two Song class submarine to the Royal Thai Navy in late 2009. However, these the two Songs, unlike the offer from South Korea, would need extensive modernization before they become operational.

18-Feb-2010 Thai navy seeks second-hand submarines

http://breakingnews.www.newscred.com/articles/d650ddcf99c41a475662d854da4bab29/jdin-18-feb-2010-thai-navy-seeks-second-hand-submarines

Feb. 18, 2010
The Royal Thai Navy (RTN) has submitted a proposal to government to procure two second-hand submarines from 2011, a senior RTN officer has told Jane's . He also said that submarines from France and Russia were also being considered, although he indicated that platforms from South Korea and China were a more probable purchase. These developments have seen Malaysia purchase two Scorpene submarines, both of which were commissioned in 2009; Singapore relaunch the first of two Västergötland-class ... - 2010/02/18 00:00:00

How do you motivate Communist soldiers to fight for a revolutionary cause?

Well, you reward them with money.

PLA outstanding commanding officers and staff officers commended

(Source: PLA Daily) 2010-02-22

http://eng.chinamil.com.cn/news-channels/china-military-news/2010-02/22/content_4139822.htm

The four general headquarters/departments of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) recently issued a circular to commend and give rewards to the PLA outstanding commanding officers and staff officers of the year of 2009.

The circular indicated that during 2009, the broad commanding officers and staff officers of the PLA and the Chinese People’s Armed Police Force (APF) accomplished such tasks as combat readiness, training and duty performance with flying colors.

According to the circular, a large number of outstanding officers with strong capability and high quality as well as remarkable work achievements emerged in maintaining stability of social situation and implementing major tasks, effectively boosting the all-round building of the PLA. To commend outstanding officers, set up typical examples and further mobilize the enthusiasm and creativity of all officers and men to dedicate themselves to the modernization drive of the PLA, the General Staff Headquarters, the General Political Department, the General Logistics Department and the General Armaments Department of the PLA decided to circulate a notice of commendation for 800 outstanding commanding officers and staff officers of the PLA, and issue a badge and a certificate as well as award of RMB 20,000 yuan to each of them.

The circular urged that all the troops of the PLA and the APF should vigorously push forward the talent strategic project and speed up the cultivation of large number of joint operation commanding talents according to the strategic objective of building information-based military and winning information-based wars.

By Pang Kun

Editor:Yang Ru

India-China aerial war games in 2012:

There are two ways one can view this news. First, despite the recent border tensions and a host of other issues (eg. bombastic editorials), cooler heads from both governments prevail. Or, is the Sino-India mistrust so deep that no amount of CBM can overcome it? Either way bragging rights from a "dog-and-pony" show is preferable to the real thing.

The historical baggage has a greater burden in North Asia than in the Himalayas and if the Chinese, Korean and Japanese can plan a regional security framework (here), then it's possible such a framework could be established elsewhere.

China is becoming a great power and like all other great powers--even those under a different political system--it's power is subject to abuse. However, long term and complicated regional issues require a grand vision from all sides to push policy above politics. Cheap opportunistic pandering to bolster relations with one's constituency produces no long term impact and is not productive to the ultimate goal. Of course, the Chinese government's passive-aggressive overreaction to such pandering doesn't help either.

While the "new aerial war games" may not improve regional security issues, it could be better than attending some contentious meeting.

India-China aerial war games in 2012: IAF chief
2010-02-22 17:50:00

http://sify.com/news/India-China-aerial-war-games-in-2012-IAF-chief-news-National-kcwrOdbcejg.html

In yet another sign of the growing India-China military ties, the air forces of the two countries will stage their first joint war game in 2012, the Indian Air Force (IAF) chief said Monday.

'The planning has commenced. We are expecting political approval soon. In all probability, the exercise will be conducted in 2012,' Air Chief Marshal Pradeep Naik told reporters here.

With this, all three wings of the armed forces would have engaged in joint exercises with their Chinese counterparts.

The Indian and Chinese navies had initiated the process in November 2003, holding their first joint exercise off Shanghai. Subsequently, two ships of the Indian Navy made port calls at Qingdao and participated in a joint exercise with the Chinese navy in 2007.

The first bilateral army exercise between the two countries was organised in Kunming China late in 2007. The next joint army exercise was held in India in December 2008. The next round of these will be held in either country in 2011.

The year 2008 also saw high level visits of armed forces officials and defence ministry officials.

In January, Defence Secretary Padeep Kumar had led a 10-member delegation of senior armed forces officers and defence ministry officials to China. He had met, among others, Chinese Defence Minister Gen. Liang Guanglie. The delegation also visited an armoured division of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) and the Academy of Military Science.

'The two sides have identified a number of areas in which further action will be taken for military cooperation. For 2010, both sides have discussed high-level delegation visits, exchanges between military training institutes and reciprocal exchanges for various courses, including language courses,' a defence ministry official said after Kumar's return.

India and China had fought a bitter border war in 1962 and their relations remained frosty till the mid-1980s, when Rajiv Gandhi, who was then the prime minister, made a path-breaking visit to Beijing.

Since then, there has been a steady warming of ties with exchanges in the political, economic and cultural fields. The two countries have also named special representatives to work out a roadmap for resolving their border row.

Zhang Yan, Chinese media’s new darling.

The recent USS Nimitz port-call to Hong Kong has generated a great deal of media excitement in China, not because of the geo-political backdrop but over a 20 year old Petty Officer Zhang Yan. (here) (here).

Cute isn’t she?

Gates: China hasn’t nixed military exchanges with U.S.
By Kevin Baron, Stars and Stripes
Mideast edition, Wednesday, February 24, 2010
http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=68236
ARLINGTON, Va. — China has not called off any military exchanges with the U.S. following a major U.S. arms sale to Taiwan last month, and unless Beijing signals otherwise, Defense Secretary Robert Gates says he will continue with a planned visit later this year.

“I think we’ll have to wait and see what unfolds,” Gates said Monday at the Pentagon.

Immediately following a $6 billion sale of weapons to Taiwan, China suspended contacts with the U.S., as it had warned. But Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters Monday that no military exchanges had been called off.

Following the sale, Gates said he was disappointed when China said it was suspending contacts between their militaries.

“I’d hoped that in the future we could shield the military-to-military relationship from the political ups and downs,” Gates said on February 1. “I think that we have a lot to learn from each other.”

So far, it appears China may have taken Gates’ advice. The aircraft carrier USS Nimitz was permitted to make a port call on Hong Kong last week. China had canceled previous port visits when relations went sour.

Gates and Mullen have pushed for more normalized and open military relations around the world, including with China. Last summer, Chief Naval Officer Adm. Gary Roughead toured China’s fleet. In October, Gen. Xu Caihou, Gates’ counterpart, spent a week touring U.S. military bases from the Pentagon to Pearl Harbor, and invited Gates to visit Beijing in 2010. He was the highest-ranking Chinese officer to visit Washington since 2006.

Both sides agreed to increase exchanges of junior officers and senior noncommissioned officers and to conduct combined search-and-rescue exercises at sea.

“Those were all agreements in principal to go forward with some exchanges in that area,” Gates said. “I just don’t think they’ve gotten to the point where there was anything to cancel.”

In October, Pentagon spokesman Geoff Morrell said that Gates stressed to Xu: “There is a need to break the on-again-off-again cycle of our military-to-military relationship.”

One month later, President Barack Obama’s Beijing visit resulted in a joint U.S.-China statement that called for more exchanges by government leaders.

12th SAM Brigade, Shangyang Airforce, PLAAF

According to the February 22nd 2010 CCTV Report, the PLAAF 12th SAM Brigade is mixing the HQ-2 SAM with the improved HQ-9 in an attempt to extend the service life of those old equipment.

Since the North Korean Air force is not much of a "threat" against the Shangyang region, its air defense units are slow to modernize. (and the PLAAF is cheap)

A “14000” ton Iranian destroyer

So, the Iranian navy just launched its first domestically made destroyer, the Jamaran class. It is a heavily modified British Vosper Mk 5 (Alvand) class Frigate and the Agence France-Presse credited it with 14000 tons, mistakenly (here). DefenseNews, a respected defense news outlet, did such a great copy-and-paste job that it too posted the identical typo (here).

How is this related to China Defense? Well, the Jamaran class is armed with 2 pairs Noor (C802) SSM's.

Iran Launches First Domestically Made Destroyer
By AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
Published: 19 Feb 2010 08:13
http://www.defensenews.com/story.php?i=4506031&c=MID&s=SEA

TEHRAN - Iran's navy launched its first domestically made destroyer in the Persian Gulf on Feb. 19 in a ceremony attend by the supreme leader and the commander-in-chief Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the media reported.

"Iran's navy on Friday took the delivery of the first indigenously designed and developed guided missile destroyer "Jamaran" in the Persian Gulf," Iran's English-language Press TV reported.
Related Topics

The vessel has a displacement of around 14,000 tons and is equipped with modern radars and electronic warfare capabilities, the report said.

"Jamaran, a multi-mission destroyer, can carry 120-140 personnel on board and is armed with a variety of anti-ship and surface-to-air missiles with a top speed of up to 30 knots and has a helipad," the report added. "The vessel has also been equipped with torpedoes and modern naval cannons."

State television also showed footage of the vessel and the ceremony at which it was launched by Khamenei flanked by the top Iranian military commanders.

Much of Iran's naval equipment dates from before the 1979 Islamic revolution and is U.S. made. Since the revolution, Tehran has purchased a number of Russian-made submarines.

In the past year Iranian navy has carried out a number of missions in the Gulf of Aden and offshore Somalia where it was commissioned to escort Iranian merchant ships and oil tankers.

Tehran is enriching uranium, which many Western countries and Israel fear is a step toward manufacturing an atomic bomb. Tehran rejects such charges, saying its nuclear program is entirely peaceful On Thursday, the U.N. atomic watchdog expressed concern that Iran might have been trying to develop a nuclear warhead. On Feb. 19, Iran dismissed the concern as "baseless."

Iran is under U.N. sanctions for failing to obey Security Council resolutions demanding that it halt enrichment. Neither the United States nor Israel have ruled out military action if it does not eventually do so.

LSM 978 decommissioned.

LSM978, a Type079 Yulian class LSM, was decommissioned on January 14, 2010 in a ceremony at the Haikou Naval Base before heading to the Naval Museum in Sanya. (here)

LSM978 was built in January 1980 by the Huangpu Shipyard in Shanghai and commissioned into the South Sea Fleet in January 1981.  It was a rather small LSM by today's standard with a capacity for only 5 tanks or 8 vehicles.

It's sister ship, LSM 959

Good bye A-5III, Hello JF-17

The 26th Squadron "Spiders" will place its Nanchang A-5III with 14 JF-17s.

PAF Inducts First Squadron of JF-17 Thunder Jet

http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle08.asp?xfile=data/international/2010/February/international_February910.xml&section=international
19 February 2010,
ISLAMABAD - The first squadron of fighter jet JF-17 Thunder, a joint Pakistan-China production, was on Thursday inducted in Pakistan Air Force (PAF) fleet.

A special ceremony was held for this purpose at PAF airbase near Kamra Aeronautical Complex, about 50km from here. Chief of Air Staff Rao Qamar Suleman formally received the squadron.

In his address, the Air Chief congratulated the nation and said it is a historic day for PAF and entire nation.

JF-17 Thunder aircraft is an advanced multi-role light combat aircraft jointly developed by Chengdu and Pakistan Aeronautical Complex under a strategic collaboration project. The aircraft is designed to be cost-effective and can meet the tactical and strategic needs of the Pakistan Air Force, and various other air forces.

The production facilities have been set up for the aircraft in Pakistan. The first batch of 50 JF-17 Thunder aircraft has been equipped with the Chinese/Pakistani avionics and missiles, while the later aircrafts are to be equipped with more advanced radars and missiles.

France offered Pakistan its RC-400 radar and MBDA MICA missile for the aircraft.

The serial production of JF-17 Thunder has already started and the production capacity would be gradually taken to 25 aircraft per year by 2011.

About 60 per cent of the aircraft’s frame and 80 per cent of its avionics have 
been manufactured in Pakistan

The new and the old

Rare Photos Of The The Wuchang Uprising

From Wiki.

The Wuchang Uprising of October 10, 1911 started the Xinhai Revolution, which led to the collapse of the Qing Dynasty and the establishment of the Republic of China (ROC).

In 1900, the ruling Qing Dynasty created a modernized army called the "New Army". At the time, the city of Wuchang, on the Yangtze River in the province of Hubei, had the most modern military industry. It began manufacturing weapons and other military equipment for the New Army. Sun Yat-sen's revolutionary ideas extensively influenced the officers and soldiers of the New Army in Wuchang; many joined revolutionary organizations.

The Uprising

The uprising itself broke out by accident. Revolutionaries in the Russian concession of the city had been building bombs, one of which accidentally exploded. This led police to investigate, and they discovered lists of Literary Society members within the New Army. Facing arrest, and certain execution, they staged a coup. The local officials panicked and fled, and the army took over the city in less than a day. The revolutionaries then telegraphed the other provinces asking them to declare their independence. Within six weeks, fifteen provinces had seceded.

The revolt was still considered merely the latest in a series of mutinies that had occurred in southern China. It was widely expected to be put down quickly, and ended up having much larger implications only because the Qing dynasty delayed action against the rebellion, allowing provincial assemblies in many southern provinces to declare independence from the Qing and declare allegiance to the rebellion.
..
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October 10 is not the National Day of the People's Republic of China, but there may also be memorial activities in mainland China, usually referring to the day as the Anniversary for the Wuchang Uprising (simplified Chinese: 武昌起义纪念日).