July 25, 2008

RIMPAC underway: Largest international exercise seen as threat by Beijing

The U.S. Navy’s biannual large-scale military exercise known as Rim of the Pacific, or Rimpac, is underway with U.S. Navy forces leading a coalition of 10 nations and more than 19,000 troops, 35 ships and six submarines. Rimpac is the world's largest international military exercise.    (FULL STORY)
An F/A 18 Hornet take off from the aircraft carrier USS Kitty Hawk during exercises off the coast of Oahu on July 18. Military branches from ten nations are participating in RIMPAC. Reuters/Hugh Gentry

Murky Russia-China border deal, revealed 10 years later, leaves truth about bilateral ties shrouded in secrecy

The agreement signed by the Chinese and Russian foreign ministers formally ended a decades-long dispute over their 4,300 kilometer border. The main negotiations, however, were conducted in 1998 and 1999 under then-Presidents Jiang Zemin and Boris Yeltsin. (FULL STORY)
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, left, toasts with Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi after they signed documents in Beijing on July 21.   AP/Andy Wong
Moseley: China bolstering air power to project force 'beyond just a Taiwan scenario'
China sees encirclement plot behind 'hedge' strategy involving its Pacific neighbors
   
Keating: No pullout of U.S. troops from Korea planned
PLA speeds construction of airfields near border with pro-U.S. Mongolia
U.S. concerned first China-Thailand exercise could compromise secrets
Moscow warned it is not aware of China threat to territories, resources

Beijing threatens ExxonMobil over deal with Vietnam in S. China Sea / As Pakistan returns to civilian rule, its economy tanks / Taiwan opens the flood gates on economic ties with the Mainland
S. Korea to upgrade intelligence gathering on N. Korea after shooting incident
Japan’s abductee groups take tougher stance with Tokyo government
S. Korea to help confirm identify of N. Korean asylum seekers in Britain

 
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