Japan has announced plans to build one of the world's most sophisticated stealth jet fighters, likely a twin-engine aircraft designed to take over the country's critical air defense role sometime in the next decade. https://t.co/1nsPcSu6ph
#Japan targets 2031 production start of homegrown stealth fighter
Japan plans to begin mass production of a cutting-edge, domestically developed fighter jet in fiscal 2031 & start deployment in 2035 when its F-2 fighters are scheduled to be retired đđŻđľđhttps://t.co/Lleb62OWbe
The moment came during a session of the Science and Technology Committee as MPs were scrutinising Huaweiâs role in the building of 5G infrastructure in the UK.
Huawei execs tell science & tech committee their company is a model of democratic enlightenment. OK, says Greg Clark MP, what's your personal opinion of the Hong Kong crackdown. Long, sticky silence. 'Um….'
In a fiery demonstration, Tibetan exiles in India have called for a boycott of Chinese goods.
Protesters smashed Chinese-made products on a Chinese flag, including electronics, ceramics, a pink high-heeled shoe and what look like flasks for keeping drinks warm. pic.twitter.com/XtUZGBrRC9
Is Tibet a country or part of China? The Legal Status of Tibet. Recent events in Tibet have intensified the dispute over its legal status. The People’s Republic of China (PRC) claims that Tibet is an integral part of China. The Tibetan government-in-exile maintains that Tibet is an independent state under unlawful occupation. The Legal Status of Tibet | Cultural Survival
When did Tibet become part of China? 1950 In 1950, the newly established Communist regime in China invaded Tibet, which was rich in natural resources and had a strategically important border with India. Tibet today is under China’s occupation. The Chinese government justifies its occupation by claiming that Tibet has been part of China for around 800 years. Is Tibet a country? | Free Tibet
Retired and hurt PLA veterans could become a force against the Chinese Communist Party regime
By Jianli Yang – Monday, June 29, 2020
ANALYSIS/OPINION:
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian, during a regular press conference on June 22, was asked to confirm the number of casualties China had suffered in the recent clash (with India) in the Galwan Valley. Far from giving out the exact figure, he did not even acknowledge that there were casualties on the Chinese side, saying âI have no information to offer.â
Yet again, when the question was posed the next day (June 23), Mr. Zhao avoided giving any details from the Chinese side, but was quick to retort that Indian media reports claiming that at least 40 Chinese soldiers were killed was âfalse information.â
Incidentally, it was the same spokesman who gave (June 19) a detailed âstep-by-step account of the Galwan clash (the Chinese version, of course) and Chinaâs position on settling this incident.â
Even a week after the incident China has refused to publicly admit that there had been casualties on its side, while India paid last homage to its martyrs with full state honors.
What country does not even acknowledge the martyrdom of its uniformed soldiers at its borders, let alone pay them a respectable last homage? It is China, which reels under the fear that the admittance that it had lost troops, that too more in number than its opponent, could lead to such major trouble and domestic unrest, that the very regime of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) could be put at stake.
At the root of this fear is the simmering resentment running in the hearts and minds of 57 million veterans of Chinaâs Peopleâs Liberation Army (PLA).
If this is the treatment meted out by the CCP regime to the martyrs of today, imagine the plight of PLA veterans, many of whom had participated in the bloody 1979 Sino-Vietnamese War or the Korean War. They have been holding frequent mass protests across China for years now, hoping to shame the government into recognizing its obligation toward those who battled along the countryâs borders in the past.
All they seek is better health care, pensions and jobs, as a mark of due gratitude for their service to the nation. Shockingly however, the country which has the worldâs largest army, does not have a central agency to administer pensions and other benefits to its veterans. Resultantly, they are forced to depend on local governments for pensions, medical care and other basic benefits.
However, due to wide disparity in the financial standings of the local governments, there is no standard or uniformity in what the veterans receive. After having given their youth and shed blood for the country, the veterans find themselves left by the CCP to the mercy of often corrupt local officials, making them feel like âdonkeys slaughtered after they are too old to work a grindstone.â
The ever-increasing veteransâ protests across the country alerted the CCPâs central leadership to take note and adopt corrective measures, lest it leads to widespread organized dissent and social unrest. In April 2018, the Chinese government inaugurated the first-ever Ministry of Veteran Affairs tasked with establishing a centralized system and policies on veteran affairs, including helping former military personnel find jobs.
However, there is still no clarity on who will pay them their benefits, and reemployment woes have only increased given PRC President Xi Jinpingâs 2015 decision to majorly downsize and reorganize the army by cutting 300,000 posts.
In face of the potential of organized veteran protests to mobilize the current service men and women, in April of 2017, Chinaâs Ministry of Defense, among its larger efforts of âmilitary reformâ orchestrated by Xi Jinping, terminated the old system of Chinaâs army unit numbers and patches and adopted a new one. This change has made it more difficult for the protesting veterans to identify their affinities in the military forces and make appeals to them.
Separately, fearful of organized mass protests, the Chinese authorities have subjected those veterans found participating in protests to suppression, surveillance, detentions and even beatings. There have been several instances of mysterious deaths of veterans who have been actively petitioning the government for their dues. Media mentions of veteran issues are also strictly censored in the country. –
Significantly, the CCP leadership cannot afford to undermine the veteransâ potential to launch a collective and âarmedâ anti-regime action. Hence, the continuing incidence of veteransâ protests, despite significant coercive pressure and bureaucratic measures, is a source of intense anxiety for Xi Jinping and the CCP leadership.
⢠Jianli Yang is founder and president of Citizen Power Initiatives for China.
PLA veterans, hurt cadres could launch ‘armed’ action against CCP regime: Dissident
PLA veterans are holding frequent mass protests across China hoping to shame the government into recognising its obligation towards those who battled along the country’s borders in the past.
New Delhi: Disgruntled retired Army veterans and serving China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) cadres, who are hurt by the treatment meted out by the government, can form a formidable force capable of challenging the leadership of Xi Jinping and launch a collective and “armed” anti-regime action, said Jianli Yang, a Chinese dissident and son of a former Communist Party leader.
In an opinion piece in The Washington Times, Jianli, founder and president of Citizen Power Initiatives for China, writes that Beijing, which reels under the fear that the admittance that it had lost troops, that too more in number than its opponent, could lead to such major trouble and domestic unrest, that the very regime of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) could be put at stake.
“The PLA has long been a key pillar of the CCP’s power. If the sentiments of the serving PLA cadres are hurt and they get together with the millions of disgruntled veterans (which may be facilitated by those within the PLA who are already unhappy with Xi — and there are thousands of them, such as those who were hurt by Xi’s move to separate PLA from commercial activities), they could form a formidable force capable of challenging Xi’s leadership,” he writes.
Retired Chinese military veterans face off with riot police in Zhenjiang, Jiangsu province: Thousands of military veterans protested in eastern China for 5 days demanding better welfare rights and an end to violence against them pic.twitter.com/fWUQWWWUvj
Singaporeâs governing party has comfortably won the city-stateâs general election but faced a setback as the opposition made minor but historic gains.
The prime minister, Lee Hsien Loong, said his Peopleâs Action party (PAP) secured 83 parliamentary seats on Friday, retaining its overwhelming majority with 89% of the total seats, but its popular vote dipped to 61%. The Workersâ party, the only opposition with a presence in the parliament, increased its seats from six to 10 â the biggest victory for the opposition since independence.
South-east Asiaâs first national election amid the coronavirus pandemic marked a decline in the PAPâs performance from 2015 polls when it took 93% of seats and nearly 70% of total vote. Several key PAP leaders also lost, including two former ministers.
âItâs not as strong a mandate as I hoped for but itâs a good mandate,â Lee told a news conference. âThe results reflect the pain and uncertainty that Singaporeans feel in this crisis … This was not a feel-good election but one where people are facing real problems and expect more rough weather to come.â –
He acknowledged that citizens, especially the younger generation, want more opposition voices in parliament. He said the Workersâ party chief, Pritam Singh, will officially be named opposition leader, an unprecedented move in the city-state. Two more non-constituency seats will be offered to top opposition losers to bring the opposition block to 12 seats, as provided for under the law, he said.
Singapore's #GE2020 results are finalized, a 9% drop in popular vote to 61% (1% more than 2011) & 10 seats to WP, including a new GRC. One of PAP's poorest performances but still a supermajority. Vote swings preliminarily appear driven by younger voters & minorities. Historic GE.
