China-Russia war games 'not linked to India missile'

China-Russia war games 'not linked to India missile'

China has said that upcoming joint war games between China and Russia are not organised in response to India's successful ballistic missile launch and are instead aimed at upholding regional peace.

According to China's defence ministry, the two neighbours will hold joint naval exercises in the Yellow Sea off the coast of the eastern port city of Qingdao from April 22-27.

India on Thursday successfully test fired a new missile capable of delivering a one-tonne nuclear warhead anywhere in rival China, marking a major advance in its defence capabilities.

India views the rocket, which has a range of 5,000 kilometres, as a key boost to its regional power aspirations and one that narrows -- albeit slightly -- the huge gap with China's technologically advanced missile systems.

"This joint military exercise is a long scheduled one between China and Russia in order to uphold regional peace and stability," foreign ministry spokesman Liu Weimin told reporters on Thursday.

"This is not linked (to the Indian missile test)," he said.

Beijing and Moscow agreed to hold the joint exercises during a visit to Russia last year by Chen Bingde, chief of staff of the People's Liberation Army.

"The joint exercises will strengthen the naval forces' ability to jointly confront new regional threats and demonstrate their confidence to maintain peace and stability in the region and world," Chen said in a statement on the defence ministry website.

The drills will focus on joint maritime defence and protection of navigation and will involve 16 Chinese ships and two submarines and four vessels from Russia's Pacific Fleet, as well as Russian war planes and naval infantry, the statement said.

With eye on China, India tests new long-range missile

With eye on China, India tests new long-range missile

India on Thursday successfully test fired a new missile capable of delivering a one-tonne nuclear warhead anywhere in rival China, marking a major advance in its defence capabilities.

 

Watched by hundreds of scientists, the Agni V was launched from a test site off the eastern state of Orissa.

India views the rocket, which has a range of 5,000 kilometres, as a key boost to its regional power aspirations and one that narrows — albeit slightly — the huge gap with China’s technologically advanced missile systems.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Defence Minister A K Antony congratulated the nation’s defence scientists on the “successful” launch, with Antony calling the achievement “a major milestone in India’s missile programme”.

The test leaves India knocking at the door of a select club of nations with inter-continental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), which have a minimum range of 5,500 kilometres.

Currently only the five permanent members of the UN Security Council — Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States — possess a declared ICBM capability.

“I am announcing the successful launch of Agni V making history and making our country proud in the area of missile technology,” V K Saraswat, head of India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) which made the missile, said.

He said India was now a “missile power”. DRDO spokesman Ravi Gupta insisted the Agni V was a “non country specific” deterrent, but analysts noted it extends India’s missile reach over the entire Chinese mainland, including military installations in the far northeast.

Agni, which means “fire” in Sanskrit, is the name given to a series of rockets India developed as part of its ambitious integrated guided missile development project launched in 1983.

While the shorter-range Agnis I and II were mainly developed with Pakistan in mind, later versions with a range of 3,500 kilometres — are perceived as China-centric deterrents.

A team of 800 have worked on the indigenously developed Agni V over the last three years, using new materials and technology to build motors capable of increasing the propulsion and speed of the new missile.

“Firstly you have a phenomenal range so every single significant city — Beijing, Shanghai — will come within its range,” retired Air Force officer Kapil Kak from the Centre for Air Power Studies in India.

“Secondly, it has a very, very high speed compared to previous missiles…But the key issue is that this missile can be pushed to 8,000 kilometres.

“The significance there is that India then demonstrates the capability to make an ICBM,” he added.

There was no official reaction in China, but the state-run Global Times newspaper warned India “should not overestimate its strength” in an editorial published on Thursday.

“India should be clear that China’s nuclear power is stronger and more reliable. For the foreseeable future, India would stand no chance in an overall arms race with China,” it added.

The two Asian giants, each with a population of more than one billion, have prickly relations and a legacy of mistrust that stems from a brief but bloody border war in 1962.

In public, their leaders stress that trade is booming and that the world is big enough to accommodate both of them as they develop economically.

China’s military arsenal is far larger and far more technologically advanced than India’s, which is why the Agni V is so important, according to Monika Chansoria, a senior fellow at the Delhi-based Centre for Land Warfare Studies.

Turkish PM makes first trip to China in 27 years

Turkish PM makes first trip to China in 27 years

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan was to arrive in Beijing on Monday on an official visit to boost business and political ties between the rising powers with booming economies, despite differences over Syria and China’s ethnic Uighur region.

 

The visit is the first to China in 27 years by a Turkish premier and follows a February trip by Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping to Ankara and Istanbul, where the countries signed deals worth billions of dollars.

The official Xinhua News Agency said Erdogan brought a delegation of 300 businessmen, seeking more Chinese investment in Turkey and increase in Turkish exports.

Erdogan said before he left for China that the countries can cooperate in energy, construction, automotive, banking, information and telecommunications, according to Xinhua.

China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Erdogan first stopped in Urumqi, capital of the far west Xinjiang region, on Sunday. Xinjiang is home to China’s Uighurs, who are ethnically related to Turks.

Ethnic tensions have led to violence in the region in recent years, and relations between the countries dipped in 2009 when renewed violence broke out in Xinjiang and Erdogan described China’s use of overwhelming force against anti-government protesters as a type of genocide.

But when Xi was in Turkey the two sides sought to downplay any contentious issues.

Xinhua reported that Turkey plans to set up an industrial zone in Xinjiang.

Erdogan was to meet Premier Wen Jiabao on Monday, and President Hu Jintao on Tuesday. He is also scheduled to travel to Shanghai, China’s financial centre.

Australia Bars Huawei From Broadband Project

Australia Bars Huawei From Broadband Project

Australia has blocked Huawei Technologies of China from bidding on contracts in the $38 billion Australian National Broadband Network, citing security concerns, Huawei said Monday.

“We were informed by the government that there is no role for Huawei” in the network, said Jeremy Mitchell, a spokesman in Australia for Huawei, one of the world’s largest suppliers of telecommunications equipment.

The Australian plan is the largest infrastructure project in the country’s history. It is intended to connect 93 percent of homes and workplaces with fiber-optic cable, providing broadband service in urban and rural areas.

It was announced in 2009 by the Australian government with a committed investment of as much as $38 billion. The network is expected to be ready by 2020.

The Australian Financial Review newspaper said in a report Monday that Huawei had sought to secure a supply contract worth as much as 1 billion Australian dollars, or $1.05 billion, as part of the project, but had been blocked by the Australian attorney general on the basis of advice from the Australian Security Intelligence Organization.

The office of the attorney general said in a news release, “This is consistent with the government’s practice for ensuring the security and resilience of Australia’s critical infrastructure more broadly.”

The network is “a strategic and significant government investment,” the attorney general’s office told Bloomberg News. “We have a responsibility to do our utmost to protect its integrity and that of the information carried on it.”

The government declined to comment on its specific discussions with companies, which are confidential, the office said.

The security agency declined to comment on the report.

On the sidelines of a nuclear security summit meeting in South Korea, Prime Minister Julia Gillard of Australia said the government had made the correct decision.

“You would expect as a government that we make all of the prudent decisions to make sure that the infrastructure project does what we want it to do, and we’ve taken one of those decisions,” she said.

Huawei was founded by its chief executive, Ren Zhengfei, a former officer of the People’s Liberation Army in China. That has led to claims that it has too cozy a relationship with the Chinese government.

The company. based in Shenzhen, China, has been struggling to expand its business in the United States, which has blocked its equipment deals, citing national security concerns and allegations that Huawei had violated sanctions by supplying Iran with banned equipment.

“While we’re obviously disappointed by the decision,” the company said, referring to the Australian rejection, “Huawei will continue to be open and transparent and work to find ways of providing assurance around the security of our technology.”

Mr. Mitchell told the Australian Broadcasting Corp.: “We have never been told by the Chinese government to do a certain thing. If we would, that would be to our detriment, and we would lose the market share that we have.”

A former Australian foreign minister, Alexander Downer, who is an independent director on the board of Huawei’s Australian unit, rejected the government’s security concerns.

“This sort of whole concept of Huawei being involved in cyberwarfare, presumably that would just be based on the fact that the company comes from China,” he said on ABC Radio on Monday. “This is just completely absurd.”

Mr. Mitchell told Bloomberg that “the bar is set higher” for the company because of where it is from.

He said Huawei was working on eight broadband networks similar to the Australian plan in Benin, Britain, Brunei, Cameroon, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore and the United Arab Emirates.

China set to ramp up manned flights programme and space station ambitions

China set to ramp up manned flights programme and space station ambitions

China's spaceflight ambitions look set to gain momentum this year with the launch this summer of the country's fourth manned flight, to test rendezvous and docking mission with the orbiting Tiangong-1 space lab module.

The Shenzhou-9 mission, scheduled to fly between June and August aboard a Long-March 2F/G rocket, will see three crew members conduct a manual docking before boarding Tiangong-1, living there for an unspecified period and conducting scientific experiments, according to China's government news agency, Xinhua.

The flight will follow the unmanned Shenzhou-8 mission, which last October carried out a rendezvous with Tiangong-1 about a month after the laboratory was orbited. That mission, says Xinhua, established that all relevant systems are in good condition and ready for a manned docking.

The upcoming mission will be closely observed by China watchers, who anticipate a significant push this year to develop the manned programme, which is under military control and has flown three missions - Shenzhou-5, -6 and -7 in 2003, 2005 and 2008, including China's first spacewalk on the 2008 flight.

According to Karl Bergquist, who heads China relations at the European Space Agency, China's 12th five-year plan sets out spaceflight priorities for 2011-2015 as exploitation of the Tiangong-1 laboratory to pave the way for a larger space station, development of a new launcher, Long March 5, establishment of the Beidou satellite navigation system, and a general drive to build a high-resolution satellite data capability.

A national space science centre is being established in Beijing, while a new launch base in Hainan and Long March integration hall in Tainjin are also on the agenda.

Addressing the Royal Aeronautical Society in January, Bergquist added that a robotic exploration programme is rumoured.

Of the LM 5, 6 and 7 programmes little is known, said Bergquist, but the LM 5 is expected to fly in 2014. LM 6 looks like being comparable to Europe's new Vega launcher, with a focus on putting satellites in Sun-synchronous orbits of 700km; the customer is thought to be China's military. And, LM 7 is thought to be pointing toward 5.5t payloads to 700km orbits. Current Long March capability is to put about 14t in Low Earth orbit.

China's programme is sophisticated - an automated docking was achieved in 2011 and plans for Long March variants combined with the Shenzhou capsules point to a flexible launch system - and Bergquist noted that China has strong political ambitions in space, is setting up the infrastructure to pursue them and has 150,000 people involved.

However, Bergquist thinks China's push to become a leading space player hinges on continued economic growth; and the organisational structure of China's space programme could work against it. Some parts of the programme are controlled by civil authorities and others, such as manned spaceflight, by the military. Bergquist added it is not always clear that the two are willing, or able, to co-operate.

Chinese spies target Taiwan's US-made defenses

Chinese spies target Taiwan's US-made defenses

When Taiwanese security personnel detained a suspected spy for China at a top secret military base last month, they may have had a sense of deja vu.

Air force Capt. Chiang -- he was identified only by his surname -- was the fourth Taiwanese in only 14 months known to have been picked up on charges of spying for China, from which the island split amid civil war 63 years ago. While Taiwan's Defense Ministry did not disclose details of his alleged offense, his base in the northern part of the island hosts the air force's highly classified radar system and U.S.-made Patriot surface-to-air missiles, both vital to the island's aerial defense.

Chiang's arrest followed that of Maj. Gen. Lo Hsieh-che, who had access to crucial information on Taiwan's U.S.-designed command and control system, and civilian Lai Kun-chieh, who the Defense Ministry says tried without success to inveigle Patriot-related secrets from an unnamed military officer. A fourth alleged spy was detained on non-defense-related charges.

The cases show that China is seeking information about two systems that are integral to Taiwan's defenses and built with sensitive U.S. technology. A major breach could make Taiwan more vulnerable to Chinese attack.

Though relations between the two have warmed in recent years, Beijing has never recanted a vow to retake the island, by force if necessary.

Information about the U.S.-supplied defense systems could also help the People's Liberation Army understand other U.S. defenses. Taiwanese officials, however, say their systems are secure, and U.S. experts say American secrets will remain protected in any case.

The possibility that Taiwan might give up military secrets is certainly a worry for the U.S., its most important foreign partner.

Despite shifting recognition from Taipei to Beijing in 1979, Washington continues to sell the island sophisticated military equipment, and sees it as an element in a string of Asian defense relationships that stretches from South Korea to Australia. Any confirmed leak of U.S. defense secrets from Taiwan to China could undermine U.S. willingness to continue providing military equipment and technology to the island.

"We are concerned whenever this type of incident occurs," a U.S. defense official said in an email response to an Associated Press request for comment on the recent espionage incidents. "However, Taiwan has taken aggressive steps in the last year to protect itself from intelligence threats." The official spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue.

China and Taiwan have been spying on each other for decades, and U.S. intelligence agencies have also been active on both sides of the Taiwan Strait, including sharing sensitive mainland-related data with Taiwan. But the recent arrests represent a big upsurge in both the seriousness and quantity of Taiwan spy cases compared with previous years.

At the heart of the China's Taiwan espionage efforts are two systems with substantial U.S. technology -- the Lockheed Martin and Raytheon-built Patriot missile defense system and the Lockheed-designed Po Sheng command and control system.

The Patriot uses sophisticated radar to track incoming aerial threats, then launches high-performance missiles to bring them down. The Po Sheng network -- the Chinese name means Broad Victory -- allows Taiwan's army, air force and navy to exchange battlefield information in real time. That is a big advantage in coordinating responses to the attack China has promised if Taiwan ever moves to make its de facto independence permanent.

Defense expert Arthur Ding of Taiwan's Institute for International Relations said successful penetration of the Patriot system could wreak havoc with Taiwan's air defenses, a key component in turning back any future Chinese attack.

"China wants radar data so they can develop countermeasures," he said. "If you have this data you can jam the system or redirect its missiles."

Former Taiwan Deputy Defense Minister Lin Chong-pin said it is not surprising that China was targeting the Patriot and Po Sheng systems.

"These are several of our key capabilities which have been helped by the U.S.," he said. "They are the main obstacles to seizing Taiwan by force."

Deputy Defense Minister Andrew Yang agreed, calling Patriot and Po Sheng "a critical Taiwanese asset." But he told The AP, "The systems have not been compromised."

Beijing's biggest Po Sheng catch to date was almost certainly Maj. Gen. Lo, described by local media at the time of his arrest 14 months ago as the most effective Chinese spy on Taiwan since the 1960s, when a deputy defense minister was picked up in a sweep of communist agents.

Lo headed the army command's communications and information office, and according to Taiwan's defense ministry, he was recruited by the Chinese as a spy in 2004 when he was a military attache based overseas.

Taiwanese news reports say that Lo was arrested on the heels of U.S. surveillance, which determined that he had been recruited by a sultry female spy while serving in Bangkok. The reports said Lo had been blackmailed into providing Beijing with secrets involving electronic warfare and overall strategic planning.

The Defense Ministry says Lo's exposure to Po Sheng was limited. Last July he was sentenced to life in prison after being convicted on espionage charges.

Like Lo, Capt. Chiang had access to sensitive military secrets. Taiwanese news reports said he passed information about an early warning radar system through a Taiwanese businessman working in China.

Citing unidentified military sources, Taiwan's Apple Daily newspaper described the system as a joint Taiwan-U.S. air defense called "yellow net" that can track Chinese missiles launched at the island. 

China test its J-10 fighters near borders with India

China test its J-10 fighters near borders with India

China has conducted a massive military exercise in the high altitude Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, close to the disputed borders with India, during which it has for the first time tested the multi-role J-10 fighter aircraft.

The People's Liberation Army (PLA) Air Force have conducted ground attack training over the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, the "first operation of its kind", official media here reported.

According to a report and photos released by PLA Daily on Wednesday, the ground crew of J-10 regiment fuelled the fighters and loaded ammunition on the 3,500-meter-high plateau at temperatures below -20 C.

The fighters scrambled and attacked the targets with conventional as well as laser-guided bombs.

Sorties were made both during the day and at night, the report said.

It was the second time that the official media released photos of the home made J-10 fighter using laser-guided bombs.

The exercises were highlighted Thursday by another official daily - The Global Times.

The rare display of the news about exercises was seen as a message to the Indian side, which is also beefing up its border regions along the Line of Actual Control, (LAC) by deploying its top end fighter aircraft.

The J-10, which was also being sold to Pakistan, took part in exercises in October last conducted by PLA incorporating air forces and air defence units as well as armour and artillery units in Tibet Autonomous Region.

"The J-10 fighter was initially designed as an air superiority fighter, focusing on air combat and interception capability.

"But with modern sensors, avionics and land attack munitions, it can also perform well in ground attack roles," Bai Wei, former deputy chief editor of Aviation World Monthly told the state run Global Times.

The J-10's activities on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau have been relatively frequent in the past months, the newspaper said.

"Operations on the plateau are a routine for the air force. The main obstacles for plateau operation are thin air, complicated weather conditions faced by ground crews and low oxygen density, which makes igniting the engines much harder," Bai noted.

The J-10 fighters made their first flight during the Chinese Lunar New Year on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau in January this year with a typical air combat patrol payload, namely two mid-range air-to-air missiles, two short-range air-to-air missiles, and three external fuel tanks.

The J-10's primary air combat weapon, the active radar homing mid-range missile dubbed as the PL-12, is a fourth generation radar-homing air-to-air missile, the daily said.

It is generally comparable to the US AIM-120 missile, which has a good service record in past air combat missions, Daniel Tong, a Chinese military observer and founder of the website Chinese Military Aviation said.

The Chengdu J-10 fighter made its official debut in 2006.

The aircraft has been delivered to the air force in large quantities along with the Shengyang J-11 two-engine heavy fighter, Tong said. 

China's Share of Global Arms Imports Falls, Sipri Says

China's Share of Global Arms Imports Falls, Sipri Says

China, the world’s top weapons importer for much of the past decade, fell to fourth from second on an annual list from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute as it produces more arms at home.
China received 5 percent of the volume of international transfers of “major conventional weapons” from 2007 to 2011, Sipri said in a report released. The total was half that of India, which last year overtook China as the world’s largest recipient of arms, and less than South Korea and Pakistan.
“In certain sectors such as combat aircraft, with the exception of certain parts like engines, China is able to put together these systems largely from their own indigenous base now,” Paul Holtom, director of Sipri’s arms transfer program, said by phone. “India is still struggling there.”
China is set to increase military spending 11 percent this year as rising economic interests, territorial disputes and expanding global commitments drive demand for warships, missiles and fighter jets. Defense outlays of more than $100 billion per year are second only to the U.S., which along with Europe has maintained an arms embargo against the leadership in Beijing since a 1989 crackdown against protesters.
The volume of worldwide arms transfers in 2007-2011 was 24 percent higher than in 2002-2006, the report said. The Asia-Pacific region led the world, accounting for 44 percent of arms imports. It was followed by Europe at 19 percent, the Middle East at 17 percent and the Americas at 11 percent.
China’s arms exports nearly doubled in 2007 to 2011 from five years earlier, Sipri said, making it the world’s sixth biggest supplier after the United Kingdom. About two-thirds of China’s weapons were sold to neighboring Pakistan, it said, including 50 JF-17 combat aircraft, 203 tanks and three warships. 
Asia-Pacific spending on fighters, missiles and other equipment is set to grow an average 4.2 percent annually to $114 billion in 2016, according to Frost & Sullivan. China’s defense budget alone may rise 14 percent each year through 2015, according to Goldman Sachs Group Inc.India last week said it will increase defense spending by 13 percent next year to 1.93 trillion rupees ($38.4 billion) as it seeks to counter China’s buildup.
India’s purchases range from naval to aircraft to ground forces, Holtom said, including Russian-made 120 Su-30MK and 16 MiG-29K fighter jets. Paris-based Dassault Aviation SA (AM) is in final talks on a contract to supply at least 126 Rafale combat planes to India to clinch the first-ever export deal for the jet, Chief Executive Officer Charles Edelstenne said March 9.
Brazil and South Africa are also stepping up weapons purchases, reflecting the emergence of middle-income powers on the global stage, Holtom said. Brazil’s orders of 4 Scorpène class submarines, a nuclear-powered submarine, and 50 transport helicopters will contribute to a “dramatic increase” in imports in the coming years, Sipri said.“There is a status element there as well as an ability to project power over distance,” Holtom said. “The emerging powers desire to be seen having the equipment of a power, and in some of those cases it’s upgrading and modernizing from Cold War-era equipment.”The U.S. remains the world’s largest exporter of military equipment, accounting for 30 percent of arms deliveries between 2007 and 2011, followed by Russia at 24 percent, the report said. The Pentagon is asking for $613.9 billion next year, which also includes $88.5 billion in supplemental spending for wars.
Stockholm-based Sipri, founded in 1966, conducts research into conflict, armaments, arms control and disarmament, according to its website. A substantial part of its funding comes from the Swedish government, it said.The institute says it measures the volume of arms moved around the world using an index that is “based on the known unit production costs of a core set of weapons and is intended to represent the transfer of military resources rather than the financial value of the transfer.” 

Chinese Helicopter carrier

Chinese Helicopter carrier

Official Chinese military magazine recently released the CGI OF Chinese Helicopter Carrier. 

China is not interested in acquisition of Su-35 fighters

China is not interested in acquisition of Su-35 fighters

The reports of Russian mass media about probable acquisition of 48 Su-35s by China are incorrect, RIA Novosti reports with reference to Chinese Ministry of Defense.

"The reports saying that Russia and China have reached the agreement on acquisition of 48 Su-35s are incorrect", - said in the Ministry’s statement.

At that, the PRC’s Ministry of Defense has expressed appreciation of military-technical cooperation between the two countries, noting that “military-technical cooperation between Russia and China is the important part of strategic partnership between the countries. It is constantly developing and it yields the results".

The strategic partnership between Russia and China is developing sustainably; the parties cooperate in different areas and achieve good results, noted in the statement.

We remind you that Kommersant has reported on Tuesday with reference to a source in Russian military-industrial complex that Russia and China are close to signing the contract on delivery of 48 Su-35s with a total value of $4 billion.

China plans to launch 3rd Moon mission next year

China plans to launch 3rd Moon mission next year

China's third lunar probe, Chang'e-3, is expected to be launched next year and it will conduct moon landing and lunar explorations, a top space official has said.

Different from the previous two orbiters, Chang'e-3 has "legs" to support the spacecraft in landing, Ye Peijian, chief commander of Chang'e-3 at China Academy of Space Technology, said.

The orbiter will carry a lunar rover and other instruments for territory surveys, living conditions assessment, and space observations, Ye, a member of China's political advisory body was quoted by the state-run Xinhua news agency as saying.

The 100-kg lunar rover, China's first such device, is designed to operate on the moon for over three consecutive months, Ye said, on the sidelines of the advisory body's current annual session.

It must be capable of avoiding large craters and climbing through smaller ones, Ye said.

An advanced recognition and navigation system will be installed, and a telecommunications system will allow scientists to control the rover from Earth.

Moreover, the rover will have to endure energy the frigid and prolonged lunar night, which is as long as seven solar days and can see temperatures drop below minus 170 degrees Celsius.

To solve the problem, Ye said they have designed solar wings that can stretch out to collect sunlight in the daytime and shield the equipment at night.

"We have made breakthroughs in all these fields," Ye claimed, stating that the launch could be scheduled to take place next year.

The launch of Chang'e-3 and Chang'e-4 is part of the second step of China's three-phrase lunar probe projects of orbiting, landing and returning.

China launched the Chang'e-1 in 2007 and the Chang'e-2 2010.

The first probe retrieved a great deal of scientific data and a complete map of the moon while the second one created a full higher-resolution map of the moon and a high-definition image of Sinus Iridium.

Google China hackers stole source code - researcher

Google China hackers stole source code - researcher

The hackers behind the attacks on Google Inc and dozens of other companies operating in China stole valuable computer source code by breaking into the personal computers of employees with privileged access, a security firm said on Wednesday.

The hackers targeted a small number of employees who controlled source code management systems, which handle the myriad changes that developers make as they write software, said George Kurtz, chief technology officer at anti-virus software maker McAfee Inc.

The details from McAfee show how the breach of just a single PC at a large corporation can have widespread repercussions across the broader business.

Google said in January that it had detected a cyber attack originating from China on its corporate infrastructure that resulted in the theft of its intellectual property.

Google said more than 20 other companies had been infiltrated, and cited the attack, as well as Chinese Web censorship practices, as reasons for the company to consider pulling out of China.

The Chinese government has said that Google's claim that it was attacked by hackers based in China was "groundless." Kurtz said on Wednesday that he believes that the hackers, who have not been apprehended, broke through the defenses of at least 30 companies, and perhaps as many as 100.

He said the common link in several of the cases that McAfee reviewed is that the hackers used source code management software from privately held Perforce Software Inc, whose customers include Google and many other large corporations.

"It is very easy to compromise the systems," Kurtz said. Perforce President Christopher Seiwald said McAfee performed its analysis on a version of the Alameda, California-based company's software that had many of its security settings disabled.

Customers typically enable those settings, he said. Kurtz said the hackers succeeded in stealing source code from several of their victims. The attackers also had an opportunity to change the source code without the companies' knowledge, perhaps adding functions so the hackers could later secretly spy on computers running that software, Kurtz said.

But investigators have yet to uncover any evidence that suggests that they made such changes, he said. McAfee, the world's No. 2 security software maker, has spent the past few months investigating the attacks.

It declined to identify its clients. Other makers of source code management programs include International Business Machines Corp, Microsoft Corp and privately held Serena Software Inc. 

Chinese Goojje Search Engine Claims It’s Google’s “Sister”

Chinese Goojje Search Engine Claims It’s Google’s “Sister”

Say hello to Goojje, a Chinese search engine that looks remarkably like one we’ve seen before. It launched on January 14, and yes, it’s filtered for less flavour.

The way the name works is this: Jie Jie (Goojje) is mandarin for sister, while “ge ge” (Google) means big brother (er, shouldn’t that be the other way round?) The Web Monster (ie, the real one) is being exhorted to stay by its sino-doppelganger, with a message on Goojje that reads, “Sister was very happy when brother gave up the thought of leaving and stayed for sister.”

The figure behind Goojje is said to be a female student from Guangdong, who’s been calling for help developing the search engine – translated, I guess that means it’s open source.

Russia will deliver Su-35 fighters and “Triumph” air defense systems to China

Russia will deliver Su-35 fighters and “Triumph” air defense systems to China

China hopes to acquire new Russian S-400 Triumph air defense system by 2015, but only the question of delivery of Su-35 fighters to this country is being discussed at the moment, Rossiyskaya Gazeta reports.

"The Chinese party has shown interest in acquisition of a number of Su-35 jets and submitted a proposal to us in 2011. At present this problem is being elaborated by the designated institution of Russia", - said the First Deputy Director General of Federal Service of Military-Technical Cooperation, Alexander Fomin.

Speaking of prospects of air defense systems deliveries to China, Fomin has reminded that during a period from 1993 to 2010 a large number of Russian air defense missile systems, including S-300PMU2 “Favorit”, have been delivered to China.

"As for further cooperation with China in the area of air defense, at present the Chinese partners are showing interest in acquisition of next-generation S-400 Triumph air defense systems. They want to acquire the first batch in 2015", - Fomin said.


According to Fomin, the prospects of deliveries of S-400 Triumph air defense systems to China may be defined in proportion to deliveries of these systems to the Russian armed forces.

"At present the construction of additional capacities for production of S-400 Triumph air defense systems is being carried out. China has not shown interest in acquisition of other Russian air defense systems yet", - Fomin said.

India Upgrades Military to Match China

India Upgrades Military to Match China

India has decided to buy 126 fighter jets from France, taken delivery of a nuclear-powered submarine from Russia and prepared for its first aircraft carrier in recent weeks as it modernizes its military to match China's.

India and China have had tensions since a 1962 border war, and New Delhi has watched with dismay in recent years as Beijing has increased its influence in the Indian Ocean.

China has financed the development of ports in Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Myanmar, and its recent effort to get access in the Seychelles prodded New Delhi to renew its own outreach to the Indian Ocean island state off western India.

With its recent purchases, running into tens of billions of dollars, India is finally working to counter what it sees as aggressive incursions into a region India has long dominated.

"The Indian military is strengthening its forces in preparation to fight a limited conflict along the disputed border, and is working to balance Chinese power projection in the Indian Ocean," James Clapper, the U.S. director of national intelligence, told a Senate committee last week.

India has created new infantry mountain divisions and plans to raise a strike corps aimed at countering aggression by China. Their border still has not been set despite 15 rounds of talks, and patrols frequently face off on the ground.

Analysts say that although the probability of a conflict between the two Asian giants is remote, a short, sharp conflict in the disputed Himalayan heights can't be ruled out.

"Over the last couple of years, the Chinese have been acting more and more aggressively in the political, diplomatic and military arena," said retired Brig. Gurmeet Kanwal, director of the Indian army-funded Centre for Land Warfare Studies in New Delhi.

Indian leaders and defense strategists have fretted as China modernized its forces and extended its military advantage over India. For some in India, countering China is taking precedence even over checking longtime rival Pakistan.

"Of late, there has been a realization (in India) that China is the real danger of the future," Kanwal said.

The drive to modernize Indian forces was long overdue as much of the equipment was obselete Soviet-era weapons, and the orders for fighter jets, naval frigates, helicopters and armaments have made India the world's largest importer of arms. The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute said India accounted for 9 percent of all the world's weapon imports in 2010, the latest year for which figures were available. (PHOTOS: China's Investments in Africa)

Last week's order of 126 combat aircraft, won by France's Dassault, followed a bitter battle by global jet manufacturers. The initial cost for the fighter jets is estimated as $11 billion, but on-board weaponry, technology transfers, maintenance, warranties and other costs are expected to almost double the price.

The Indian navy last week took command of a Russian Nerpa nuclear submarine, renamed INS Chakra-II, at the Russian port of Vladivostok, propelling India into an elite group of countries operating underwater nuclear-powered vessels. It joins the United States, France, Russia, Britain and China.

The Chakra-II, on lease for 10 years at a cost of nearly $1 billion, is expected to be inducted into the navy by March. Later this year, India is expected to take delivery of a retrofitted Soviet-built aircraft carrier.

In addition, six Scorpene subs being built in India under license from France in a $5 billion deal are expected to start going into service in 2015, three years behind schedule, said Defense Minister A.K. Antony. Labor problems and difficulties procuring needed technology have hampered the project, he told the Indian Parliament recently. Critics also blame India's sluggish bureaucracy for the delays.

"India's efforts at modernizing its forces have been very slow," said Rajeswari Pillai Rajagopalan, a defense analyst at the New Delhi-based Observer Research Foundation.

Some Indian military experts complain that the country is not doing enough to upgrade its forces to the level befitting the regional power it aspires to be.

"It's not only China that is rising. India is on the ascent too, and it's a trend that will continue for some decades," said retired Air Vice Marshal Kapil Kak at the Centre for Air Power Studies in New Delhi.

India may be worrying over China's overtures to its neighbors, but New Delhi is reaching out to the Southeast Asian and East Asian countries in Beijing's backyard as well.

India has struck a strategic partnership with Vietnam, including helping Hanoi beef up its defense capabilities. Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has been actively pursuing a "Look East" policy, engaging the leaders of South Korea, Japan, Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand, among others. The policy has resulted in a troupe of high-level visits to India, bolstering trade and economic cooperation.

Nowhere is the contest between China and India more evident than in Myanmar, where both of the energy-seeking Asian giants are caught in a race to gain access to the country's natural gas sources.

India has regularly conducted defense exercises with countries in the region. It is scheduled to host the navies of 14 Asian countries in maritime exercises later this week; the Chinese and Pakistani navies have not been invited.

And, while India is increasing its defense capabilities, China is doing the same, but faster, making it difficult for India to catch up. The Chinese government's military budget is the second largest in the world after the United States.

India has raised two mountain divisions of soldiers to add to its existing high-altitude troops. Around 36,000 soldiers and officers of the divisions have been posted in the remote northeast, not far from India's Arunachal Pradesh state, which China claims as part of its territory.

A proposal for a mountain strike corps is awaiting clearance by India's Cabinet, and an independent armored brigade for the mountain region also is in the works. India hopes to show it can strike deep beyond its neighbor's borders to serve as a deterrent for any Chinese aggression, Kanwal said.

Sino-Pakistan PAF ZDK-03 AWACS Karakoram Eagle

Sino-Pakistan PAF ZDK-03 AWACS Karakoram Eagle

 Sino-Pakistan PAF ZDK-03 AWACS Karakoram Eagle

 Sino-Pakistan PAF ZDK-03 AWACS Karakoram Eagle

Saudi Arabia, China Ink Nuke Cooperation Deal

Saudi Arabia, China Ink Nuke Cooperation Deal

The world's biggest oil exporter, Saudi Arabia has signed an agreement with China for cooperation in the development and use of atomic energy for peaceful purposes, which will help to meet the Kingdom's increasing demand for energy and cut its growing dependence on depleting oil resources.

 

The deal was signed in the Saudi capital Riyadh on Sunday in the presence of King Abdullah and visiting Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao.

The agreement seeks to establish a legal framework to strengthen scientific, technological and economic cooperation between Riyadh and Beijing, while the two sides reaffirmed their desire to place the highest priority on nuclear safety and environmental protection, the Arab News reported quoting officials.

Another agreement to expand cooperation in the field of academics and library affairs was signed by the Riyadh-based King Abdulaziz Public Library (KAPL) and Beijing University . The pact will broaden the scope of cooperation between the two premier institutions and allow KAPL to open its branch in the Chinese capital.

Asked about details of the talks Wen had with King Abdullah, Chinese Embassy spokesman Li Lianghua said the talks with the monarch was preceded by Wen's meetings with Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Secretary-General Abdullatif al-Zayani and Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) Secretary-General Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu. The talks with King Abdullah covered the whole gamut of bilateral issues and regional development, said another Chinese official.

He said the two countries pledged to work together to promote political and commercial relations as well as boost links in energy, trade, infrastructure, culture, press and security fields.

"China has also welcomed a move to organize a high-profile symposium in Beijing in mid-2012 to discuss relations between China and the Muslim world with special reference to Beijing's relations with Muslims in the past and the future perspectives of Islamic-Sino ties," he added.

The pledge for a closer partnership was made during the wide-ranging talks between King Abdullah and the Chinese Premier. Speaking on the occasion, Wen said: "The two countries strengthened high-level exchanges and promoted mutual trust in recent years despite the fact that international and regional situations became complicated and volatile."

He said both countries had treated each other as equals with respect, and their cooperation had been fruitful since the establishment of diplomatic ties 22 years ago.

"China and Saudi Arabia are both in important stages of development, and there are broad prospects for enhancing cooperation," Wen said and added that his government encouraged Chinese companies to take part in Saudi infrastructure construction ventures such as railways, ports, electricity and telecommunications.

Saudi Arabia is China's biggest source of imported oil, and securing energy security was high on Wen's agenda in Riyadh, said the Embassy official. China and Saudi Arabia should keep deepening cooperation as China is already Saudi Arabia's biggest customer and the Kingdom is keen to diversify its economic ties, he noted.

On Saturday, the state-run Saudi oil giant Aramco and Chinese companies finalized an initial agreement signed last year to develop a 400,000 barrel per day (bpd) refinery in Yanbu, on the Kingdom's Red Sea coast.