Tag: People’s Liberation Army

From aggressor to appeaser, China caught out in consulate reprisal game
6Aug By Stuart WhiteNo Comments
Opinion

From aggressor to appeaser, China caught out in consulate reprisal game

The Trump administration’s order to shutdown China's consulate in Houston caught Beijing by surprise.The United States claimed the Chinese mission had illegally transferred medical research, turned over information to Chinese institutions and coerced fugitive Chinese citizens to return home.Barrels of documents were burned in the courtyard of the consulate before four Chinese researchers were charged by the Department of Justice for allegedly lying about their links to the People’s Liberation Army (PLA).China had 72 hours to decide how it would react. It used up nearly 48 in the hope of a diplomatic reversal. Beijing had to appear strong to placate nationalists at home but avoid provoking America into a deeper economic, diplomatic or even military confrontation that neither side is prepare
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Singaporean pleads guilty to working for Chinese intelligence
4Aug By Grace TsoiNo Comments
Singapore, World

Singaporean pleads guilty to working for Chinese intelligence

The US Department of Justice in a statement on July 24 said that a Singaporean national has pleaded guilty to using his political consultancy in the United States as a front to collect information for Chinese intelligence.The department said that Jun Wei Yeo, who is also known as Dickson Yeo, entered his plea in federal court in Washington, DC to one charge of operating illegally as a foreign agent. “Yeo was central to a Chinese government scheme to obtain sensitive information from US citizens,” the department said."In response to taskings from his Chinese intelligence contacts, Yeo worked to spot and assess Americans with access to valuable non-public information, including US military and government employees with high-level security clearances," it said.“He then paid some of those indi
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Chinese researcher faces visa fraud in US for concealing PLA membership
30Jul By Grace TsoiNo Comments
World

Chinese researcher faces visa fraud in US for concealing PLA membership

A Chinese researcher visiting the Stanford University has been charged by a United States federal court for visa fraud after it was revealed that she concealed her membership in the Chinese military.Song Chen was charged “in connection with a scheme to lie about her status as an active member of the People’s Republic of China’s military forces” while conducting medical research at Stanford, US Attorney David Anderson and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) special agent John Bennett said in a Justice Department release.Song, in her US visa application submitted in 2018, said her military service ended in 2011, which conflicted with FBI evidence pointing to her status as an active duty member of civilian cadres of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA).The development comes amid worsening Chi
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Bhutan issues demarche to China over its bid to create border trouble
15Jul By Yusara AskariNo Comments
Asia

Bhutan issues demarche to China over its bid to create border trouble

As China is now fixing its eyes on Bhutan by declaring a Bhutanese wildlife sanctuary along their border as a disputed territory, Bhutan swiftly jumped to its feet and issued a demarche to China.The demarche was a follow-up to protests earlier against Beijing’s attempt to make a non-dispute into a quarrel.At the 58th Global Environment Facility Council held in June, the Chinese raised objections to the Sakteng Wildlife Sanctuary project and argued that it was in a disputed area between China and Bhutan. Sakteng lies in a zone of Bhutan that borders Arunachal Pradesh and China. At the meeting, Bhutan strongly objected to the references made by China against its sovereignty.The Chinese claim coincided with the People’s Liberation Army’s belligerence along the Line of Actual Control in Ladakh
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US agrees to launch dialogues with EU to address threats posed by China
8Jul By Grace TsoiNo Comments
World

US agrees to launch dialogues with EU to address threats posed by China

To counter and address the threats of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the “provocative military actions” of its army, the United States and the European Union have agreed to launch a dialogue, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has said.Pompeo made the remarks during the Brussels Forum in a discussion with the German Marshal Fund."Enjoyed the discussions today at the German Marshall Fund's #BrusselsForum. I am excited to announce the U.S. and EU are launching a dialogue on China to address the threats the CCP poses to our common values and way of life," Pompeo wrote on Twitter on June 26.The week before, European Union chief diplomat Josep Borrell had called for talks between Europe and the United States aimed at forging a common transatlantic front against China.During talks with 27
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PLA troops are an anxious group, recall Indian officers
8Jul By Yusara AskariNo Comments
Asia

PLA troops are an anxious group, recall Indian officers

Serving and retired Indian Army officers, who have spent a considerable time at the India-Chinese borders have all experienced the same thing – that the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) soldiers lack motivation, have low pay, and are extremely corrupt.These Indian Army officers were or are posted at India’s eastern border, which it shares with China, including at Nathu La. And, all of these officers had, at multiple times during their posting, engaged in one-to-one confrontations with their Chinese counterparts.According to these officers, the PLA’s men, especially those who are asked to serve at the India-China borders, are not very motivated because of the physical hardship they have to endure and the low pay, which, does not justify the hardship that they have to face.In their interaction
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Fragilities in the People’s Liberation Army
24Jun By Yusara AskariNo Comments
Asia

Fragilities in the People’s Liberation Army

The Chinese leadership under the Communist Party of China (CPC) have mastered the art of deception. Under the supervision of Chinese President Xi Jinping, the display of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) marching columns, an array of armored vehicles followed by missile units, overhead waves of helicopters and planes above Tiananmen Square in Beijing have created the illusion of a creeping emergence of an invincible military force that is capable of dominating and decimating any battle.But the overriding focus on weaponry hides a major fragility of the PLA- a new generation of troops, protected at home on account of the country's disastrous one-child policy- who have never been at war.In 1979, the PLA, which had once taken over the forces of legendary American General, Douglas McCarther, ...
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China’s PLA instigated most violent clash between India-China since 1962 just to grab territory: McConnell
23Jun By Joanne SerriehNo Comments
China

China’s PLA instigated most violent clash between India-China since 1962 just to grab territory: McConnell

China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) initiated one of the most violent clashes with India, since the two countries went to war in1962, just for the sake of grabbing land territory, said a top American Senator.As many as 20 Indian soldiers lost their lives on Monday in the face-off with Chinese troops who attempted to unilaterally change the status quo during the de-escalation in eastern Ladakh. The Indian intercepts have revealed that the Chinese side suffered 43 casualties including dead and seriously injured in the violent clash.Mitch McConnell, US Senate Majority Leader during a foreign policy speech on the floor of the House on Thursday said: "On land, for the sake of grabbing territory, the PLA appears to have instigated the most violent clash between China and India since those nat...
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A look at China’s military amid COVID-19-induced economic slowdown
11Jun By Yusara AskariNo Comments
China

A look at China’s military amid COVID-19-induced economic slowdown

Due to the coronavirus induced economic slowdown, thousands of demobilized People's Liberation Army (PLA) soldiers in big and medium-sized cities are currently facing unemployment or under-employment.Most of them, sources said, were demobilized between 2015 and 2018. Their number is said to be close to 300,000. Because of the 2016 decision, most of them were given only a lump sum payment.They were working as delivery boys, or as bearers in hotels, restaurants and salespersons in malls and shops etc. The technically qualified ones joined manufacturing units.There have been small size demonstrations asking for special help from the government by these ex-soldiers in various cities. “While not yet alarming, local authorities see these agitations as generators of negative sentiments against go
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LAC dispute: China mobilizes thousands of troops, armored vehicles near border with India
10Jun By Joanne SerriehNo Comments
Asia

LAC dispute: China mobilizes thousands of troops, armored vehicles near border with India

Thousands of paratroopers, armored vehicles, and equipment were reportedly mobilized in a military drill by China with the country saying they could be deployed “within hours” to the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with India in the Himalayas, where tensions have again flared.Both India and China have been at loggerheads over disagreements regarding LAC in India’s eastern Ladakh. Throughout the month of May, several areas along the LAC in Ladakh and North Sikkim witnessed major military build-up by both the Indian and Chinese armies, in a clear signal of escalating tension.According to state media reports, the soldiers and armored vehicles were transported from the central province of Hubei to an unspecified location in China’s northwest plateau, thousands of kilometers away, in “just a few h
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