Day: March 13, 2023

US, Australia, UK Forge Landmark Nuclear Submarine Deal

Chin@Strategy

Washington —  Australia will buy three nuclear-powered attack submarines from the United States as part of a three-nation, multi-decade deal with Great Britain that is aimed at strengthening the allies’ presence in the Asia-Pacific region as China grows bolder militarily. President Joe Biden says the decision to share sensitive U.S. nuclear technology with Australia is a big deal — and a necessary one. He spoke Monday in San Diego, California. “As we stand at the inflection point in history where the hard work of enhancing deterrence and promoting stability is…

North Korea Continues Launches Amid US-South Korea Drills

Chin@Strategy

Seoul, South Korea —  North Korea conducted a ballistic missile launch Tuesday, South Korea’s military said, the latest in a flurry of North Korean weapons tests and condemnations over U.S.-South Korea joint military drills that began this week. The North fired two short-range ballistic missiles toward the sea off its east coast between 7:41 a.m. and 7:51 a.m. local time, according to an alert from South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff. It offered no further details, including the type and exact range of the missiles. North Korea does not typically…

Micronesia President Accuses China of ‘Political Warfare’

Chin@Strategy

wellington, new zealand —  Micronesia’s president accused China of “political warfare” in a letter to other national leaders and discussed switching diplomatic allegiance from China to Taiwan in exchange for $50 million. President David Panuelo said China had been using nefarious tactics, including spying and offering bribes, to ensure that if it goes to war with Taiwan, Micronesia would be aligned with China rather than the United States, or would at least abstain from taking sides. Panuelo sent the 13-page letter dated March 9, which was obtained by The Associated…

As China embraces electric cars, this start-up is trying to profit from a 60-year-old smart glass technology

Chin@Strategy

“My professor told me our research should lead to discoveries that will be either in textbooks or in the market, or even better in both. That inspired me,” said He. The technology Ambilight is working on – thin film assembled with proprietary, advanced EC materials – aims to solve two problems; heat and light. “For heat insulation, our technology will absorb part of the sun’s energy, and the glass will reflect some infrared. When the sun becomes very harsh, the glass will turn dark, but if we want to see…

UK Boosts Defense Spending in Response to Russia, China

Chin@Strategy

LONDON —  U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak pledged Monday to increase military funding by 5 billion pounds ($6 billion) over the next two years in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the “epoch-defining challenge” posed by China. The increase, part of a major update to U.K. foreign and defense policy, is less than military officials wanted. Sunak said the U.K. would increase military spending to 2.5% of gross domestic product “in the longer term,” but didn’t set a date. Britain currently spends just over 2% of GDP on defense,…

Talks Underway to Resume Work on Trans-Myanmar Railway Linking China to Bay of Bengal

Chin@Strategy

Washington —  After pandemic-related delays, discussion is now underway about resuming work on the railway project in Myanmar that will connect China’s Yunnan province to the Bay of Bengal, according to the Myanmar government. The project is part of China’s Belt and Road Initiative that includes construction of the Pan-Asian Railway Network that would include Myanmar, Vietnam, Thailand and Cambodia. Click image for our special project The railway project covers approximately 1,000 kilometers and is divided into two sections in Myanmar — from Muse to Mandalay and from Mandalay to…

Size of UK’s nuclear submarine fleet could double under Aukus plans

Chin@Strategy

The UK’s nuclear-powered submarine fleet could double in size as plans were revealed for the new “Aukus” vessels to be based on a British design. In a bid to counter the growing threat from China, the UK’s prime minister, Rishi Sunak, vowed alongside his US and Australian counterparts to stand “shoulder to shoulder” to protect peace in the Indo-Pacific given its implications for security across the world. A “historic” deal 18 months in the making was announced by the three leaders in Point Loma, San Diego, that will see new…

Tibetan writer confirmed serving a 4-year prison sentence

Chin@Strategy

A Tibetan writer arrested by Chinese police nearly three years ago has been confirmed serving four years in prison for “splittism and spreading rumors in internet chat groups,” according to Tibetans with knowledge of the situation. Zangkar Jamyang, now 45, disappeared on the night of June 4, 2020, when authorities in Kyungchu county of Ngaba, a Tibetan region in the southwestern Chinese province of Sichuan, hauled him away without a trace. For a very long time, his family had no clue about his whereabouts, or even that he had been…

Vietnam accuses lawyers defending Buddhist group of ‘abusing democratic freedoms’

Chin@Strategy

Vietnamese police have summoned two attorneys defending members of a Buddhist house church in Long An province, accusing them of violating a law that is widely used to imprison dissidents. Attorneys Dang Dinh Manh and Dao Kim Lan, two of five defense lawyers working on a case involving the Peng Lei Buddhist Church are accused of “abusing democratic freedoms to infringe on the interests of the state” under Article 331 of Vietnam’s Penal Code. Vietnamese authorities routinely use the statute to attack those speaking out in defense of human rights.…

Activists say top Cambodian official’s call for smooth election just empty talk

Chin@Strategy

A top Cambodian government minister’s public appeal for a peaceful, inclusive national election was being met with skepticism by election watchdog and opposition party officials. Minister of Interior Sar Kheng on Sunday said authorities and police forces at all levels should make it easy for all political parties to operate freely as activists begin meeting and organizing in provincial capitals ahead of the July national elections. “The government has a duty to ensure security, guarantee that all registered parties for election have the opportunity to assemble and have the opportunity…