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The Virginia House and Senate on Tuesday voted to ban mandatory project labor agreements on state-funded construction projects, a move proponents argue will help protect the state's right-to-work laws and create a level playing field in contract bidding. Opponents say the ban is an unnecessary red herring. The Republican-led House approved its version of the bill on a 69-27 vote, and the Senate deadlocked on the measure 20-20.

Asahi:Chinese Troops can Reach Pyeongyang in 2 Hours A Japanese daily says, China is beefing up its military capacity near its border with North Korea, as part of its contingency plans. In a special report dissecting the Chinese military, Asahi Shimbun wrote that Beijing is currently boosting the mobility of its troops stationed near the borderline, and that they can reach Pyeongyang in just two hours in case of an unexpected emergency in the North. The report, however, added that the Chinese government denies the military buildup in the area. Asahi also revealed a secret report drawn up by a...

China may have 3,000 nuclear warheads: US report WASHINGTON: A US university students' project has stumbled upon figures that China's could have 3,000 nuclear warheads, many times larger than the well established estimates of arms-control experts, sounding alarm bells in Pentagon. Goergetown University students logging into sources as disparate as Google Earth, blogs and military journals have come out with an exhaustive research report claiming that the Chinese have built a vast network of secret underground tunnels to hide a sophisticated missile and nuclear arsenal. Calling it " Underground Great Wall", the students pushed on by their hard charging professor,...

On a balmy autumn afternoon, a stroll along lower Manhattan to Liberty Plaza, or another American city or even in squares and plazas around the world, is likely to take you to an encampment of mostly-young, mostly cheerful, determined citizens who've come together for the long haul to challenge and oppose a list of anti-social deeds, from government support of venal businessmen to excessive CO2 emissions. Under the banner of "Occupy Wall Street," a local-turned-global protest movement strives to bring your attention to injustice. The panoply of complaints, seen by some observers as a childish litany, is cited by others...

China's military in diplomatic charm offensive By CHRISTOPHER BODEEN, Associated Press – 1 day ago 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...

PLA air force denies rumors of experimental jet crash (People's Daily Online) On Oct. 9, Chinese air force authorities denied all rumor circulating online about the crash of a J-10B aircraft during a test flight in Xi'an Recently, a rumor spread online that a Chinese J-10 jet fighter crashed during a test flight in the Yan Liang district of Xi'an, Shanxi province. Internet reports had said that the pilot did not eject in order to save the aircraft and died in line of duty. On Oct. 9, a reporter from People's Daily Online asked Chinese air force authorities, who said...

New surface to air missile ready for action: PLA (Global Times)09:35, September 28, 2011 Official military media for the first time acknowledged Monday that China's new land-based mid-range Surface to Air Missile (SAM) system has reached operational capability. Military observers say that deployment of this missile system will boost China's air defense capability. The new SAM system, dubbed by foreign media as the Hongqi-16, or Red Flag-16, has been delivered to an air defense unit in the Shenyang Military Region. In a recent drill, two HQ-16 missiles fired by the unit successfully hit their aerial targets, the official website of...

On August 14th, 1912, the United States launched its first aircraft carrier, the USS Langley. This 11,500 ton ship served during both World Wars until its luck ran out near Java in 1942 and had to be abandoned and sunk in order to avoid capture by the Japanese. Almost one hundred years later, China has just launched its first aircraft carrier and the U.S. State department is demanding to know why. "We would welcome any kind of explanation that China would like to give for needing this kind of equipment," said Victoria Nuland, a State department spokeswoman. Let me give...

Taiwan wins in war simulation: report COMPUTER SCENARIO:：A military spokesman said it had no comment on a ‘China Times’ report on the Han Kuang exercises that said Taiwan’s forces defeated the Chinese By Rich Chang / Staff Reporter Tue, Aug 02, 2011 - Page 2 The latest computerized scenario carried out by the military showed that in a war with China, Taiwan’s military was able to defeat enemy forces after they landed and tried to occupy the country, a local newspaper said yesterday. The Chinese-language China Times reported that the Han Kuang 27 computerized war games held from July 18...

China’s Jet Engine Future July 13, 2011 By Gabe Collins & Andrew Erickson Rapid improvements in China's military jet engine capabilities have major implications for the global defence industry. Following is a guest entry from Gabe Collins and Andrew Erickson, co-founders of China Sign Post. China's military jet engine capability is increasing at a rapid pace, with implications not only for China's independent military capabilities, but also for the global defence industry. Yet China also faces major impediments in achieving its strategic aim of establishing itself as an independent manufacturer in one of aerospace's most complex engineering technologies: high-performance turbofan...

BEIJING – The United States is spending too much on its military in light of its recent economic troubles, China's top general said Monday while playing down his country's own military capabilities. The chief of the General Staff of the People's Liberation Army, Chen Bingde, told reporters that he thought the U.S. should cut back on defense spending for the sake of its taxpayers. He was speaking during a joint news conference in which he traded barbs with visiting U.S. counterpart Adm. Mike Mullen. "I know the U.S. is still recovering from the financial crisis," Chen said. "Under such circumstances,...

PLA and U.S. Arms Racing in the Western Pacific by Richard Fisher, Jr. Published on June 29th, 2011 Introduction On 18 May 2011, during his recent visit to Washington, D.C., General Chen Bingde, current Chief of the General Staff Department of the Central Military Commission (CMC) of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), complained that China’s growing economic and military strength had, "unfortunately aroused unfounded suspicion and exaggeration of China's defense and military development.” General Chen further noted that this, "not only distorts China's strategic intention, and tarnishes our international image, but also pollutes the political environment for Sino-U.S. relations." Chen...

Yesterday, the House passed the largely non-controversial Military Construction/Veterans Affairs Appropriations (MilCon) bill for FY 2012. Unfortunately, it is these non-controversial bills which provide a safe haven for meretricious policy initiatives through the rapid fire amendment process. While everyone was focused on presidential politics, the House passed an amendment forcing government contractors to use labor unions on federal construction projects. Oh, and like most bad legislation, this amendment passed by one vote, with the help of 27 Republicans. In 2009, Obama used his signature power grab tool; an Executive Order, forcing all private companies to sign a project labor agreement...

Nitin Pai: General Liu can close his eyelids If aircraft carriers are a platform for a country to project hard power far beyond its shores, submarines are an effective way to deny them space Nitin Pai / New Delhi June 13, 2011, 0:42 IST China’s new aircraft carrier should surprise only those who were not looking — it has been China’s largest open secret for several years now. It has – thanks to Google Earth –, that the partially-completed Soviet-era vessel that China’s Chong Lot Travel Agency bought for $20 million in the late-1990s, complete with designs, was not really...

Following are excerpts from an interview with PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas, which aired on Palestinian Authority TV on June 2, 2011: Mahmoud Abbas: With regard to [Palestinian recognition] of a Jewish state, or whatever, this has never been an issue. Throughout the negotiations between the Israeli and us, from 1993 until a year ago, we never heard the words "Jewish state." Now, they have begun to talk about it, and our response was: "Go to the UN, and call yourselves whatever you want. We are not the party to address. Not only that – we refuse to recognize a Jewish...

China’s Military Gets Expeditionary Uncategorized | China April 15, 2011 By Gabe Collins The PLA's expeditionary capabilities will grow significantly in coming years. What are the greater implications? This is the fifth entry in our series on understanding Asia-Pacific sea power. China’s military is in the nascent stages of becoming an expeditionary force. The country’s anti-piracy deployment to the Gulf of Aden and the use of naval and air assets to support the evacuation of Chinese citizens from Libya in February and March 2011 have shown real capability in this arena. What is an expeditionary power? The US Department of...

China's surging military space program is poised to challenge U.S. aircraft carrier operations in the Pacific, as Chinese military spacecraft already gather significant new radar, electrooptical imaging, and signal intelligence data globally. During 2010, China more than doubled its military satellite launch rate to 12. This compares with three to five military missions launched each year between 2006 and 2009. Since 2006, China has launched about 30 military related spacecraft. Its total of 15 launches in 2010 set a new record for China and for the first time equaled the U.S. flight rate for a given year. Most U.S. public...

UPDATE 1 - China internal security spending jumps past army budget Sat Mar 5, 2011 2:46am EST * To spend $95 bln on public security, $92 bln on military * Security spend includes police, jails, state security * China to remain vigilant against calls for protest By Chris Buckley BEIJING, March 5 (Reuters) - China's spending on police and domestic surveillance will hit new heights this year, with "public security" outlays unveiled on Saturday outstripping the defence budget for the first time as Beijing cracks down on protest calls. China's ruling Communist Party also issued its loudest warning yet against...

FREMONT, Calif. -- A group of about 15 armed robbers raided a high-tech company in Fremont on Sunday morning, tying up employees and stealing computer components, police said Tuesday. The suspects took over Unigen Corp., located at 45388 Warm Springs Road, at about 8:45 a.m., Sgt. Chris Mazzone said.

Former U.S. Pacific Command Chief Adm. Tim Keating (ret.) reiterated what we’ve been hearing from U.S. defense officials for a while now regarding China: The question isn’t what type of military technology is the Asian giant developing, it’s what will it do with all that firepower? “We kinda have a pretty good feel for what they’re fielding” in terms of weapons, said Keating during a talk on missile defense at the Heritage Foundation here in Washington. For example, the U.S. has known about weapons like the J-20 stealth jet for a while now, according tot the former admiral. “It wasn’t...

It looks like this is the week China’s military rapidly advancing military tech keeps getting the limelight . First, we saw pics of the Asian giant’s new stealth fighter. Now, it looks like China is one step closer to fielding ballistic missiles aimed at holding U.S. forces throughout the Pacific at bay. Adm. Robert Willard, the top U.S. officer in the Pacific said this week that China’s new DF-21D anti-ship balistic missiles, with their 900-mile range, have reached an early operational status. Apparently, the missiles, widely fretted over in Washington as one of the most serious threats to the United...

The past two months have witnessed a series of revelations regarding China's growing military power. In December 2010, Admiral Robert Willard, Commander of U.S. Pacific Command, declared that the aircraft carrier-killing DF-21D anti-ship ballistic missile had achieved initial operating capability. Last month, photographs and video of the J-20 fifth-generation stealth aircraft, a plane considerably more advanced than observers expected of China, appeared on the internet. On Monday, Ross Babbage, the founder of Australia's respected think tank, the Kokoda Foundation, issued a monograph, Australia's Strategic Edge in 2030 that examined the changing military balance in the Western Pacific and its implications...

U.S. military commanders are expressing confidence that they can hold their own in the face of faster-than-expected advances by China's military, but looming cost cuts are adding to doubts about the future of American power in the Pacific. Fueled by its booming economy, China's military growth over the past decade has exceeded most U.S. forecasts. Its plans to develop aircraft carriers, anti-satellite missiles and other advanced systems have alarmed neighbors and Washington. Critics, including within the U.S. Congress, note with apprehension that rising Chinese defense spending coincides with Washington's plans to scale back its budgets. They accuse the Pentagon of...

China’s Rise = Remilitarizing Japan? East Asia | Security | Japan January 21, 2011 By John Hemmings Last year was a bad one for China’s soft power. Will Japan’s response prompt a dangerous spiral of arms spending—and spark conflict? Saying publicly for the first time what they’ve thought privately for years, Japanese defence planners in December announced a new defence posture that fingered China’s military rise as justification for a new, more proactive approach, including a refocusing of forces from Japan’s north to its southernmost islands. Unfortunately, China’s response was as predictable as it was unhelpful: it issued a blunt...

India makes ready to match PLA firepower January 25, 2011 4:23:03 PM Rahul Datta | New Delhi In an effort to meet the challenge of growing military might of China, the Government has given the nod to some key projects, including creation of a new artillery division, a special forces unit and purchase of three aircraft for long-range reconnaissance. The raising of a new artillery division (each division has more than 200 long-range guns) will be completed by the end of 2011 while the special forces unit, also to be raised and trained in the same time span, will aim...

Chinese President Hu Jintao had an embarrassing moment in mid-January when his military flight-tested a new tactical aircraft during a visit by U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates. Several features of the plane looked remarkably similar to America’s top-of-the-line F-22 fighter, and yet somehow leaders of the People’s Liberation Army air force managed to not mention to Hu that the test was happening. So the Chinese leader ended up learning about it from Gates. The episode suggested that although Hu is formally in charge of the Chinese military, he doesn’t know what it is doing much of the time

After the Chinese military tested its new stealthy fighter during U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates' visit to Beijing, most attention focused on whether or not President Hu Jintao had advance knowledge of the test. The fact that Mr. Hu appeared surprised when Mr. Gates brought it up led to speculation on the relative independence of the PLA and its potential role in next year's change in China's leadership. These are obviously important issues but they should not make us lose sight of the test itself and the central fact that the balance of air power in the region is leaning...

Much has been written over the past few days about how the Chinese military's decision to flight-test its new J-20 fighter during a visit by U.S. defense secretary Robert Gates was an embarrassment for China's civilian leaders. Apparently, nobody in the Peoples Liberation Army had bothered to mention the flight to President Hu Jintao, so Gates was the first person to give him a heads up. Imagine how it feels to find out from a visiting foreign dignitary what your own military is doing -- the military that you supposedly lead. But the person who should really be embarrassed is...

Chinese troops have been stationed in the special economic zone of Rajin-Sonbong in North Korea, sources said Friday. This would be the first time since Chinese troops withdrew from the Military Armistice Commission in the truce village of Panmunjom in December 1994 that they have been stationed in the North. "Pyongyang and Beijing have reportedly discussed the matter of stationing a small number of Chinese troops in the Rajin-Sonbong region to guard port facilities China has invested in," a Cheong Wa Dae official said. "If it's true, they're apparently there to protect either facilities or Chinese residents rather than for...

Hu’s China, Whose Army? Jan. 12 2011 - 9:34 am Maybe my question, “Is Hu Jintao really the most powerful person in the world?” was the wrong one to ask. Today, with reports that his military may have tested a new stealth fighter without his knowledge, the better question is, “How much power does Hu Jintao really have?” It is a relevant question for the U.S. to ponder, especially with Hu visiting President Obama at the White House next week, and the answer is not so straightforward. The story of China’s first test flight of its stealth fighter is a...

China is in discussions with North Korea about stationing its troops in the isolated state for the first time since 1994, according to a South Korean newspaper. The Chosun Ilbo newspaper quoted an anonymous official at the presidential Blue House as saying that Beijing and Pyongyang recently discussed details of stationing Chinese soldiers in the North's northeastern city of Rason. The official said the soldiers would protect Chinese port facilities, but the location also gives access to the Sea of Japan (East Sea), while a senior security official was quoted as saying it would allow China to intervene in case...

"China Is Communist in Name Only." Wrong. If Vladimir Lenin were reincarnated in 21st-century Beijing and managed to avert his eyes from the city's glittering skyscrapers and conspicuous consumption, he would instantly recognize in the ruling Chinese Communist Party a replica of the system he designed nearly a century ago for the victors of the Bolshevik Revolution. One need only look at the party's structure to see how communist -- and Leninist -- China's political system remains. ...[F]or all their liberalization of the economy, Chinese leaders have been careful to keep control of the commanding heights of politics through the...

J-20 stealth fighter: how the world's largest military force is modernising With around 2.3 million members, and a further 510,000 reserves, China's People's Liberation Army is the world's largest military force, and one that is in the process of rapid modernisation. By Malcolm Moore 6:30AM GMT 06 Jan 2011 Over the next few years, China aims to shrink the PLA to 1.5 million standing members – roughly matching the United States and Russia – and turn the force which was once described by the country's leaders as "bloated, lax, conceited, extravagant and inert" into a world-class army. The catalyst for...

(Click on any image for a larger picture) The year of 2010 has seen the PLAN ramp up its shipbuilding again significantly. New units of the Type 054A FFG Guided missiles Frigate, the Xuzhou Class with radar reducing signatures, VLS missiles and helo capabilities. New units of the Type 052C DDG Guided missile Desroyer, the Lanzhou Class with VLS, Phased Array Radar (PAR), and an AEGIS style battle management system. New units of the Type 093 SSN, Nuclear attack Submarine, the Shang Class, with improved reactors, sensors, and weapons suite. New units of the SSK Independent Air Propulsion diesel/electric...

Chinese fighter of nominally the same technology generation as the Lockheed Martin F-22 will soon enter flight testing, while a jet airlifter larger than the Airbus A400M should be unveiled by year-end. Beijing’s fighter announcement suggests a serious failing in U.S. intelligence assessments, mocking a July 16 statement of U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates that China would have no fifth-generation fighters by 2020. Industrial competition looks more remote than strategic competition, however, since China will want to fill domestic requirements before offering the aircraft abroad, even if it judges export sales to be a wise policy. The new fighter “is...

Military strength eludes China, which looks overseas for arms By John Pomfret Washington Post Staff Writer Friday, December 24, 2010; 7:17 PM MOSCOW - The Moscow Machine-Building Enterprise Salyut on the east side of town has put up a massive Soviet-style poster advertising its need for skilled workers. The New Year's party at the Chernyshev plant in a northwest suburb featured ballet dancers twirling on the stage of its Soviet-era Palace of Culture. The reason for the economic and seasonal cheer is that these factories produce fighter-jet engines for a wealthy and voracious customer: China. After years of trying, Chinese...

During the 1995–1996 Taiwan Strait crisis, the United States intervened by deploying two carrier groups in response to Chinese missile tests near major Taiwanese ports. These tests were a means of coercively influencing pro-independence elements during the Taiwan presidential election and were considered by China to be an "internal" matter. The U.S. action therefore triggered enormous nationalistic resentment, rooted largely in historical humiliations and infringements on Chinese sovereignty by foreign powers. They also fueled a determined drive to mitigate or prevent such infringements on Chinese sovereignty in the future. The national security strategy of China is built upon the concepts...

China's navy takes charge on the high seas December 17, 2010 Just upon its arrival at the Gulf of Aden towards dusk on Christmas Day in 2009, the frigate Chaohu received its first task - to escort the Chinese bulk carrier Dexinhai 800 nautical miles away. At that time, the ship had been hijacked in late October - with 27 crew aboard, dangerously short on food, drinkable water and fuel - and was still under the control of pirates waiting for a negotiated ransom to be paid. After 38 hours of high-speed sailing, the frigate arrived at the waters east...

China has officially admitted for the first time that it has embarked on an aircraft carrier building program, part of a grand strategy to "build itself up as a maritime power." A report published by the State Oceanic Administration says the country's leaders decided last year to back plans to build China's first aircraft carrier. The Chinese government and military had kept the program under wraps until now. The annual national ocean development report says that asserting China's power at sea is "indispensible to accomplishing the great resurgence of the Chinese people." Chinese military sources said initial plans had called...

New generations of enemy missiles, and a willingness to use them, could put air bases under siege like never before. Operating from air bases under threat of missile attack may become one of the most important keys to projecting US airpower in the years ahead. For all its expeditionary experience, it has been decades since the Air Force has so intently focused on this problem. Now, top leadership is again taking it seriously. "The attack against the naval base at Pearl Harbor was recorded in history as a day which will live in infamy," said Air Force Chief of Staff...

Chinese Envoy Rejects Call to Rein in N.Korea A Chinese envoy on Thursday rejected calls for Beijing to curb North Korea made by the foreign ministers of South Korea, the U.S. and Japan earlier this week after the North's artillery attack on Yeongpyeong Island. Chinese Ambassador to Japan Cheng Yonghua said, "It's unreasonable for South Korea, the U.S. and Japan to ask China to use its influence over the North." Cheng was speaking with the Asahi Shimbun on Thursday. If the three countries "have anything to demand of the North, they should hold direct dialogue with the country," instead of...

Work is picking up on what appears to be China's first aircraft carrier, the Shi Lang. For eight years now, China has been tinkering with a half finished Russian aircraft carrier. Two years ago, this ex-Russian aircraft carrier, Varyag, was renamed the Shi Lang (after the Chinese general who took possession of Taiwan in 1681, the first time China ever paid any attention to the island) and given the pennant number 83. Until last year, progress was slow. But there has been a lot of work lately. Early in 2009, China moved the Shi Lang into dry dock, where work...

Continuing the theme of a newly assertive China, the Congressionally-mandated U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission’s latest report to lawmakers highlights the fact that the previously inward-focused nation is getting serious about offensive operations outside its territory. From the paper’s executive summary: Augmenting its modernization efforts, Beijing has expanded the PLA Air Force’s focus in recent years from solely concentrating on territorial defense operations to now include extraterritorial offensive operations. It goes on to say: As China’s air and missile modernization efforts progress, Beijing’s ability to threaten U.S. forward deployed forces and bases in the region is improving. Any PLA...

ONE of Australia's most senior military officers has warned that the appearance of the first Chinese aircraft carrier within the next five years poses the "greatest risk" to regional harmony. He adds that Australia runs the risk of "martyrdom" in the case of any China-US conflict. The warnings come amid unease across Asia about China's growing military power - particularly the rapidly expanding People's Liberation Navy - and its new-found aggression in territorial disputes with neighbours such as Japan and Vietnam. "Each of the Pacific nations will manage China's carrier ambitions differently, but the US response will set the regional...

The 8th China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition is inaugurated in Zhuhai of south China’s Guangdong Province on November 16. Different from the previous ones, this air show is hosted by the Air Force of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) for the first time. The PLA Air Force also shoulders a series of brilliant aviation activities including stunt flight, parachuting performance, resuming flight of old military aircraft and display of all types of military aircraft during the exhibition. Thus, the “PLA Air Force” becomes a famous brand and highlight at the Zhuhai Air Show. 11 types of military aircraft...

Russian Helicopter subsidiary Rostvertol JSC has delivered another Mi-26TC heavy transport helicopter to China. The delivered aircraft was the third Mi-26TC sold to China under an agreement with China's Lectern Aviation Supplies Co. Ltd. The helicopter is scheduled to serve in one of the fire-hazardous regions of China, Russian Helicopter said in a news release from an international air exhibition in Zhuhai. Russian Helicopter said a new contract is in the works with Lectern Aviation for the purchase of another Mi-26TC.

China and Turkey have conducted another military exercise.Sources said China has sent army special operations forces for an exercise in Turkey. They said the exercise in early November lasted a week at the commando school in Turkey. "This was an exercise planned nearly a year ago," a Turkish source said. This marked the second major military exercise between China and Turkey in as many months. In October, the two countries, in the first such mission with a NATO member, participated in a combat air exercise called Anatolian Eagle

The Chinese military’s nonnuclear missiles have “the capability to attack” and close down five of six major U.S. Air Force bases in South Korea and Japan, an unpublished government report says. China’s improved inventory of short- and medium-range missiles provides a “dramatic increase” in its ability to stifle U.S. military operations in the western Pacific, according to excerpts from the draft of the 2010 annual report that the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission is scheduled to release on Nov. 17. China’s current force “may be sufficient” to destroy runways, parked aircraft, fuel and maintenance facilities at Osan and Kunsan...

Aviation China to showcase world's aircraft Xinhua, November 9, 2010 The 8th China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition, to be launched on Nov. 16 in Zhuhai, China's mainland, will showcase about 70 aircraft of different models from all over the world, the event organizer announced here Tuesday. The exhibition organizer Zhuhai Airshow Co. Ltd. held a press briefing in Hong Kong on Tuesday and introduced the details of the show, which has attracted about 600 exhibitors to join. The show, with a floor space totaling 23,000 square meters, will feature about 70 aircraft, including both commercial and military ones, from...

The news that Turkey and China had organized a joint military exercise at the huge Konya airbase in Turkey's central Anatolian region last month came as a surprise to many. After all, just a year ago, when clashes between Uighur and Han Chinese broke out in China's Xinjiang province in July 2009, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused Chinese authorities of mishandling a situation that he compared to "genocide." What explains such a dramatic improvement in relations between Turkey and China? And how should this military exercise be understood in the context of the current shifts taking place in...