#Newspaper

India Bans Nearly 60 Chinese Apps, Including TikTok and WeChat

// India government banned nearly 60 Chinese mobile apps on Monday, including TikTok, citing national security concerns

//While India has vowed to retaliate, it lags far behind China in military and economic power, leaving it with few options. But Chinese telecommunication and social networking companies have long eyed India’s giant market and its enormous potential.

//The Chinese apps were “stealing and surreptitiously transmitting users’ data in an unauthorized manner to servers which have locations outside India,”

//“The compilation of these data, its mining and profiling by elements hostile to national security and defense of India, which ultimately impinges upon the sovereignty and integrity of India, is a matter of very deep and immediate concern which requires emergency measures,”

//This month’s border brawl was the worst violence between the two nuclear-armed countries in more than 50 years.

//Cybersecurity analysts have warned in the past about the risks Chinese apps and telecom companies may pose, citing the country’s National Intelligence Law. The law holds Chinese companies legally responsible for providing access, cooperation or support for Chinese intelligence gathering.

//while the Indian government has had longstanding worries that Chinese companies are dominating local markets and are beating out Indian app developers, it also has national security concerns about what China does with the data it collects.

//Internet researchers have long warned that competing national interests could lead to a more fractured internet, with people’s access to certain information and services limited by their governments.

Full article: The New York Times,(29-Jun)

Further reading:
PM Modi quits Chinese app Weibo, message loud and clear, says BJP
https://indianexpress.com/article/india/pm-modi-quits-weibo-chinese-app-6485545/

#India #China #Tiktok #WeChat #apps #military #cybersecurity #datacollect

#Military #China #US #PLA
Chinese Military Will Not Fire the First Shot, Beijing Stated to the US

Source: Stand News #Aug12

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https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/24444

#PLA #US
Chinese Military Will Not Fire the First Shot, Beijing Stated to the US

Tensions between China and the United States escalates as the two countries respectively start military operations frequently at the South China Sea. The South China Morning Post, citing a source, stated that Beijing clearly commanded the People’s Liberation Army not to fire the first shot, seemingly in an attempt to cool down the situation.

The report indicated that Beijing did not want to give an excuse for the War Hawks in Washington to further raise the tensions among the two countries. Beijing also ordered Chinese pilots and Chinese naval to remain restraint in a recent and frequent stand-off with US military fighter aircraft and fleets.

American carrier battle groups, the USS Nimitz and the USS Ronald Reagan, carried out drills in the South China Sea last month, as well as rare nighttime aerial reconnaissance missions near Guangdong and Fujian provinces. As for China, it conducted naval drills and flyover missions around Taiwan and the South China Sea.

#SouthChinaSea #Military #ChineseMilitary #Naval #USSNimitz #USSRonaldReagan #SouthChinaSea

Source: Stand News #Aug12

US Defense Report: Chinese Military Catching Up with US. Armed Police Likely Deployed In Response to HK Protests

US Department of Defense published the latest China Military Power Report estimating that China's nuclear warheads will at least double in the next decade. China's military power has already caught up with or even surpassed the US in several domains.

According to the report, the leaders of CCP regard a divided China as a weak China. To achieve national rejuvenation, a "full reunification" is necessary. This includes unifying Taiwan on Beijing's terms and integrating Hong Kong and Macau by 2049. By extension, it is necessary to build a "world-class" army to resolutely safeguard national sovereignty, security and development interests, and rewrite international order through strengthening national power, so China can strategically compete with the US. At present, China's conventional missile force has surpassed the US. China also has the largest navy and integrated air defense systems in the world. For example, the PRC Navy has 350 ships and submarines, but US military has only 293 ships and submarines as of the beginning of 2020.

The DoD estimates China currently has more than 200 nuclear warheads. It is expected that with the expansion and modernization of the PLA's nuclear weapons, the number will at least double in the next ten years; land-based intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) that can threaten the US will increase to about 200 in five years.

The People's Armed Police (PAP) probably deployed to HK

The report further notes that "in August 2019, the PLA HK and Macau garrisons conducted an annual rotation of forces. In HK, PLA and probably People's Armed Police (PAP) forces deployed into HK by land, air and sea from Shenzhen at night, however, no forces were observed rotating out of HK. The PRC's troop rotation announcement in 2019 did not include a statement that PLA troop and equipment levels remain unchanged. Throughout the months of protests, PAP and PLA units have been publicly highlighting their anti-riot, counterterrorism, and disaster prevention training."

Source: Stand News, US Department of Defense Military and Security Developments Involving The People's Republic of China 2020 Report #Sep02

#PLA #AntiELAB #Protest #US #Military

Chinese Defence Minister Blames India for Tension in Meeting with Counterpart, Says “Not an Inch of Chinese Territory to Lose”

The Sino-Indian conflict continues as India seized a Chinese stronghold in the Pangong Lake region and pushed 4km into the Chinese-controlled area at the end of last month. The Chinese defence ministry issued a press release a day after a meeting took place between the Chinese defence minister Wei Fenghe and the Indian defence minister Rajnath Singh in Moscow on 4 September. The release quoted Wei as saying that the relations between the two countries are deeply affected by the border dispute and that it is crucial for him and Singh to be honest in their face-to-face exchange. Wei said the cause of the situation and the truth are very clear, claiming that “the responsibility is entirely with India.” He emphasized that “there is not an inch of Chinese territory to lose” and that “the Chinese military is fully determined, capable, and confident to safeguard China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.”

Wei said both sides should make the effort to solve the problem through dialogue. He expected India to strictly abide by the series of agreements the two countries have reached and to better manage the front-line troops. India, he added, should not engage in acts of provocation by crossing the current Line of Actual Control (LAC), take any actions that may add fuel to the fire, and try hyping negative stories. These are to de-escalate the situation as soon as possible and to maintain peace and tranquillity along the Sino-Indian border, he said.

The press release also quoted Singh as saying that peace and stability along the border is of utmost importance to China and India’s bilateral relations. Channels for military and diplomatic dialogue should be kept open at all levels, he added, and issues should be resolved peacefully through talks. He hopes that both sides will avoid taking actions that may escalate or complicate the situation. It is also hoped that the two countries will not turn differences into disputes and are committed to put their relations back on track as soon as possible.

Source: Stand News #Sep05

#India #China #WeiFenghe #RajnathSingh #Border #Military #Conflict

https://bit.ly/3hBtvDZ

India Blames Latest Conflict on China’s First Shot, PLA Soldiers Show up with Medieval Glaives in Standoff

Developments have taken place in the skirmish on the Indo-Chinese border near Pangon Lake in eastern Ladakh. India stated on 8 September that the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) of China fired the first shot in the air in an attempt to menace frontline Indian troops on the Mukhpari peak. The Times of India quoted government sources as saying that the Indians also fired several shots in the air in response.

The latest confrontation started at around 6 pm on 7 September when Chinese soldiers tried to approach the Indian camp. Using loudspeakers and floodlights, the Indian troops asked them to fall back, only to meet with a shot in the air by the Chinese in an attempt to intimidate the Indians. The Indian military stressed in a statement that its soldiers had shown great restraint facing gross provocation and had acted maturely and responsibly.

The Times of India noted that the incident was still far from being a gunfight, adding that the PLA had not taken further actions after the initial shot. About 40 Chinese soldiers remained in a standoff with the Indians on the Mukhpari peak, which is over 18,000 feet above the sea level. Besides rifles, the the Chinese troops were also armed with such medieval weapons as rods, clubs, spears and even homemade glaives.

Source: Stand News #Sep09

#India #China #Ladakh #Pangon #Military #Border #Conflict

https://bit.ly/3kwbM2C

Five Missing Indian Youths Found in China and Repatriated, Chinese State Media Claims They Are “Intelligence Agents Disguised as Hunters”

Tensions between China and India remain high with five Indian young men reported to have been taken away by the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) of China on 7 September. The Indian military confirmed on 12 September that the missing youths had been repatriated by the PLA and could return home after being quarantined for 14 days in India. Hu Xijin, editor-in-chief of China’s state-controlled Global Times, said that the five were Indian intelligence agents disguised as hunters. He said the Chinese authorities had warned and educated them. Hu criticized India for aggressively ‘taking advantage’ of China in the border region and posing challenges to China’s strengthened control of its borders.

The Indian defence ministry’s public relations office in Tezpur, Assam tweeted that the five civilians had strayed across the Line of Actual Control (LAC). They had been returned by the PLA, they said, and would join their families after being quarantined for 14 days.

Source: Stand News #Sep12

#India #China #LAC #Border #Military #Conflict

https://bit.ly/2RG2x3E

Chinese State Media Claims PLA’s Exercises in Taiwan Strait “Drills for Actual Combat”, Warns of Fighters and Missiles over Taiwan If US State Secretary Pays Visit

As the US undersecretary of state Keith Krach visited Taiwan, China has responded with military actions with the eastern theatre command of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) immediately beginning drills for actual combat near the Taiwan Strait. In an editorial published on 19 September, the Chinese state-run tabloid Global Times said this exercise was “no longer a warning” but “a drill for an actual conquest of Taiwan.” The exercise, it said, showed that the PLA was capable of organizing military actions against Taiwan within a very short period of time. “Though being a drill, it is more like an actual operation,” it said. It continued by saying that the PLA was “gaining experience for the conquest” through multiple exercises and that all it needed was a political reason to turn these exercises into an “actual battle,” “wiping off everything that has to do with the Taiwan independence movement.” The editorial warned Taiwan and the US not to see China as bluffing. If being foolhardy is what Taiwan and the US continue to be indulged in, it said, “war must be at the end of the road.”

The Global Times’s editor-in-chief Hu Xijin also shared his thoughts on China’s “national strategy” in a Weibo post. Being the world second-largest economy and a nuclear power, he said, China was “not an easy one to mess with.” This made China’s peaceful rise possible, he continued, but that did not mean it would shy away from war. Where China was left with no choice but to go to war, he wrote, direct conflict with the US should be avoided as far as possible, though “a particular lapdog that always joins America in provoking China and has crossed the line can use a good round of beating.” And if the US military went too far, said Hu, China “must be willing to fight and be good at it” and "must have the war near the coast of Chinese.”

Source: Stand News #Sep19

#US #Taiwan #China #KeithKrach #HuXijin #GlobalTimes #PLA #Military #Drill

https://bit.ly/3i0GQGd

US State Department Calls on Global Opposition to Criticize Xi Jinping's Violation on his South China Sea Militarization Promise

The US State Department criticized the Chinese President Xi Jinping by name for failing to fulfill his promise on not to militarize the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea.

Morgan Ortagus, the US State Department Spokesperson, issued a statement entitled China’s Empty Commitment in the South China Sea. It stated that on September 25, 2015, Xi Jinping stood in the Rose Garden of the White House and publicly said he would not militarize the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea, but the CCP failed to commit. Over the years, China has actively deployed anti-ship cruise missiles on the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea, expanded its military radar and signal intelligence capabilities, as well as has built dozens of fighter hangars and runways.

Ortagus pointed out that the CCP used militarized outposts as a coercion platform in an attempt to control the South China Sea. It dispatched hundreds of maritime militia vessels and coast guard vessels to constantly harass fishers from other countries as well as hinder legal enforcement activities, fishing activities, oil and gas development projects of neighboring countries. She added that many countries have formally complained to the United Nations in recent months unprecedentedly about China’s illegal activities in the South China Sea. She called on the international community to oppose China’s "unacceptable and dangerous behaviors" and let China know that the international community will definitely pursue to the end. "We (the United States) would continue to stand with our Southeast Asian allies and partners," she said.

#China #US #SouthChinaSea #SoutheastAsian #Military #MorganOrtagus #XiJinping

Source: Stand News #Sep28

https://bit.ly/33djIQA

Indonesia Refuses Landing of US Military Aircrafts for Refuels, Vows to “Remain Neutral” amid Growing Sino-American Tensions

Reuters quoted four high-ranking Indonesian officials on 20 October as saying that Indonesia had refused earlier this year to let America’s P-8 patrol aircrafts land and refuel. It was claimed that Indonesia wished to “remain neutral” diplomatically as it had always been amid the increasingly fierce competition between the US and China.

The report quoted the sources as saying that US officials had repeatedly contacted Indonesia’s defence and foreign ministers at a “high level” in July and August. According to the sources, the US was seeking permission to land and refuel its P-8 maritime patrol aircrafts, responsible for monitoring China’s actions in the South China Sea. The request was denied by Indonesian president Joko Widodo.

The report said the request surprised Indonesia, which had remained neutral diplomatically and had never allowed foreign military activities in its territory as the sources noted. As US-China tensions mount in Southeast Asia, Indonesian foreign minister Retno Marsudi said in September that Indonesia did not wish to be involved in their competition.

Source: Apple Daily #Oct20

#Indonesia #US #China #SoutheastAsia #SouthChinaSea #JokoWidodo #RetnoMarsudi #Military #Diplomacy

https://bit.ly/31McdyX

US-Japan Alliance Conducts Massive Island-landing Exercise

Massive US-Japan joint military island-landing exercise reportedly took place over a two-week period from late October to early November. It is believed that the action is to show US' support for Japan in the disputed Sankaku Islands, also known as the Diaoyus in China.

On Oct 26, Commander of US Forces Japan, Kevin Schneider spoke aboard a Japanese warship that the military exercise was to demonstrate the capability "to deliver combat troops to defend the Senkakus or respond to other crises or contingencies." The massive exercise was expected to last for 10 days and ended on Nov 5.

According to CNN, the fleets include 9,000 US troops, a US aircraft carrier strike group, more than 100 US military aircraft, more than 37,000 Japanese troops, a flotilla of 20 Japan Maritime Self Defense Force warships, 100 Japanese military planes, plus a frigate from Canada -- all focused on landing large forces on islands around Okinawa.

The group of uninhabited islands, known as the Diaoyus for China and Senkakus for Japan, has been in dispute for years, but has also been under Japan's administration since 1972. Chinese ships sailing in waters near the Islands earlier this year has drawn condemnation from Japan.

Source: StandNews #Oct28

#US #Japan #military #Diaoyus #SenkakuIslands

https://bit.ly/39hYTXZ