#Breaking: #China PLA Marines begin full-scale combat drill in Xinjiang & Gobi desert. https://t.co/FCubozCS8O pic.twitter.com/gdgerlcrfn
— Already Happened (@M3t4_tr0n) January 1, 2016
Like I have mentioned before, the Chinese Communist Party has no incentive to want to resolve the comfort women or any other historical issues with Japan because it makes for great domestic propaganda for them when needed. So this poll from the Communist Party mouthpiece should probably be looked at skeptically:
Most Chinese people believe that Beijing should not accept conditions set by South Korea and Japan in possibly resolving the long-running grievance of Chinese victims of Japan’s wartime sexual slavery, a survey by a state-run Chinese media showed Thursday.
The online survey, conducted by the Global Times, published by the People’s Daily, the mouthpiece of the Chinese Communist Party, found that 95 percent of 10,686 respondents say the deal between South Korea and Japan on wartime sex slaves “can’t” apply to China.
The remaining 5 percent say the deal “can” apply to possible talks between Japan and China in resolving the issue of Chinese victims who were forcibly mobilized at front-line Japanese military brothels during World War II.
Under the deal with South Korea announced on Monday, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe apologized to the Korean victims and Tokyo agreed to provide 1 billion yen ($8.3 million) to a fund for the victims. [Korea Times]
You can read more at the link.
200th Overseas Paris Baguette Opens in China – https://t.co/F9qkTlN0Mg
— Korea Noodles (@Korea_Noodles) December 29, 2015
Ex-Chinese leaders from Jiang Zemin to Hu Jintao are prohibited from travelling abroad. @isaacstonefish explains. https://t.co/1GQ2hrsxuP
— Foreign Policy (@ForeignPolicy) December 26, 2015
I have always said that ISIS attracts the losers from the Muslim world; the ones who don’t have a real job or girlfriend and look to blame others for their situation in life. Well it appears now the opposite phenomenon is happening. Guys with no real job or girlfriend are now looking to make a name for themselves by fighting ISIS:
A 25-year-old man from China’s Sichuan Province has traveled to Syria to fight against ISIS after the relationship with his girlfriend stranded. He is the first Chinese citizen to join the fight against ISIS.
In September of this year, the Chinese man flew from Bangkok to Istanbul, and then traveled on to Syria. According to China Business News, he never told his family where he was going. He stated that he had no job in China, that his girlfriend had just ended their relationship, and that he wanted to do “something meaningful”.
The young man, who calls himself ‘Pan’, arrived in the border town of Ayn al-Arab in October, and joined the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) from there as the first-ever Chinese citizen to fight against IS, China’s 21 News reported.
According to BBC China, who interviewed him, Pan does not speak English nor Arabic, and is only able to communicate with fellow fighters using an electronic dictionary. After breaking up with his girlfriend and having no official occupation in China, he felt he had to “something meaningful”, which, Pan stated, was to pick up arms and join the war. [What’s On Weibo]
You can read the rest at the link.
Considering the deadly attacks these Chinese fishing boats have launched against the ROK Coast Guard I think the Chinese government has no legitimate argument to complain about warning shots especially when the Coast Guard thought they were North Korean ships. If the Chinese government wants to ensure the safety of these fishing boats the best way to do that is to stay out of South Korean waters and not illegally fish:
Picture of illegal Chinese fishing boats teaming up to do battle with the ROK Coast Guard back in 2011.
China said on Wednesday it had asked South Korea to ensure the safety of Chinese ships after South Korea’s navy fired warning shots at a Chinese vessel which crossed into waters disputed by North and South Korea.
The South Korean navy told Yonhap news agency it had fired 10 warning shots at a Chinese boat which it said crossed the Northern Limit Line – a disputed inter-Korean maritime border on the west coast.
The ship was initially thought to be North Korean, but was later identified as Chinese, according to Yonhap.
“We are concerned about the relevant situation,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told a daily news briefing. [Reuters via reader tip]
You can read the rest at the link.
How China's 'Great Green Wall' will have a limited impact on climate change https://t.co/kmMDbpG1rg pic.twitter.com/2S9flHO4yh
— The Telegraph (@Telegraph) November 29, 2015
It looks like the Chinese just wanted to send a reminder to the Japanese that they have the capability to reach and touch them if need be:
Japan scrambled jets after 11 Chinese military planes flew near southern Japanese islands during what Beijing said was a drill to improve its long-range combat abilities, reports said Saturday.
The planes — eight bombers, two intelligence gathering planes and one early-warning aircraft — flew near Miyako and Okinawa on Friday without violating Japan’s airspace, the Japanese defence ministry said in a statement released on Friday.
Some of them flew between the two islands while others made flights close to neighbouring islands, the ministry said.
A Chinese air force spokesman said several types of planes, including H-6K bombers, were involved in Friday’s drill over the western Pacific, China’s Xinhua news agency reported.
Shen Jinke said such open sea exercises had improved the force’s long-distance combat abilities, according to Xinhua.
While there were no further comments from the Japanese ministry, the Yomiuri Shimbun reported that it was “unusual” for China to dispatch such a large fleet close to Japan’s airspace and the ministry was analysing the purpose of the mission. [Korea Herald]
You can read the rest at the link.
Arguments Open in Philippine Case Against China's South China Sea Claims https://t.co/EhN0j2jDFO pic.twitter.com/kT4rJ6TiDM
— The Diplomat (@Diplomat_APAC) November 24, 2015
Here is another example of small, but still significant engagement with the Chinese military:
Three Chinese navy ships will stop in Hawaii on the final leg of an around-the-world deployment meant to show China’s expanding global military capability, but also highlighting ongoing relations between the United States and People’s Liberation Army despite disagreement in the South China Sea.
Chinese media reported the destroyer Jinan, frigate Yiyang and oiler Qiandaohu will stop in Acapulco, Mexico, and then Hawaii following a port call in Cuba. The flotilla also made China’s first navy visit to the East Coast earlier this month, visiting Naval Station Mayport in Florida and conducting a passing exercise with U.S. Navy ships.
The “20th Chinese naval escort task force” started the deployment Aug. 23, after completing civil ship escort missions in the Gulf of Aden and off the Somali coast. The ships have since visited Sudan, Egypt, Denmark, Finland, Sweden, Poland, Portugal and other nations. [Stars & Stripes]
You can read more at the link.
