China’s Defense Ministry launched its first official Web site yesterday, part of an effort by the normally secretive military to be more transparent.
The launch of the site — including an English version — comes as the US Army’s top general visits Beijing for talks with his Chinese counterparts. US Army Chief of Staff General George Casey was to visit the headquarters of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) yesterday and meet PLA Chief of the General Staff Chen Bingde (陳炳德).
A notice on the Web site said it was “designed to let the outside world have a better perception of China’s national defense policy, help enhance foreign exchanges and cooperation [and] display before the world the fine image of the PLA as a mighty, civilized and peaceful force.”
PHOTO: REUTERS
The site will also help China’s drive to modernize its military, it said.
China has long been tight-lipped about its military strength and capacity, drawing criticism from other countries wary of the Asian giant’s growing power and skyrocketing military spending. Beijing says it is modernizing its military, but for purely defensive purposes.
But in recent years, China has been increasing its international military ties. Earlier this year, Chinese warships were sent to patrol waters off Somalia as part of the international effort against piracy.
Chinese Defense Minister Liang Guanglie (梁光烈) said earlier this month the army would develop peacefully and increase cooperation with foreign armed forces to fulfill its international obligations.
A Chinese Defense Ministry spokesman said last month the military planned to establish more information offices nationwide and hold more news conferences.
The Web site includes sections on China’s defense policies and laws and news about military exercises, peacekeeping roles and international military exchanges.
A picture of Chinese President Hu Jintao (胡錦濤), who is also chairman of the Communist Party’s Central Military Commission, which controls the military, is prominent on the home page. Pictures and information on weapons and equipment are also displayed.
China’s military spending has jumped by double-digit percentages for nearly two decades. This year, Beijing announced a 14.9 percent rise in military spending to 480.68 billion yuan (US$70.27 billion), though it was a smaller increase than previous years.
That spending puts it on par with Japan, Russia and the UK, but it is still dwarfed by the US, which spends nearly 10 times as much.
China’s growing military power has also created other image problems, with accusations in numerous countries that Chinese hackers have breached government and military networks.
Officials in the US, the UK and Germany have accused Chinese hackers backed by the country’s military of intruding into their government and defense computer networks.
Chinese government officials have denied accusations of computer espionage, saying they were meant to feed anxiety over Beijing’s growing influence.
Maintaining a Defense Ministry Web site could also open it up as a target from cyber attackers. One large cyber offensive on US and South Korean government agencies last month appeared to target their public Web sites, rather than trying to get at internal files.
Nauru has started selling passports to fund climate action, but is so far struggling to attract new citizens to the low-lying, largely barren island in the Pacific Ocean. Nauru, one of the world’s smallest nations, has a novel plan to fund its fight against climate change by selling so-called “Golden Passports.” Selling for US$105,000 each, Nauru plans to drum up more than US$5 million in the first year of the “climate resilience citizenship” program. Almost six months after the scheme opened in February, Nauru has so far approved just six applications — covering two families and four individuals. Despite the slow start —
MOGAMI-CLASS FRIGATES: The deal is a ‘big step toward elevating national security cooperation with Australia, which is our special strategic partner,’ a Japanese official said Australia is to upgrade its navy with 11 Mogami-class frigates built by Japan’s Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Australian Minister for Defence Richard Marles said yesterday. Billed as Japan’s biggest defense export deal since World War II, Australia is to pay US$6 billion over the next 10 years to acquire the fleet of stealth frigates. Australia is in the midst of a major military restructure, bolstering its navy with long-range firepower in an effort to deter China. It is striving to expand its fleet of major warships from 11 to 26 over the next decade. “This is clearly the biggest defense-industry agreement that has ever
North Korean troops have started removing propaganda loudspeakers used to blare unsettling noises along the border, South Korea’s military said on Saturday, days after Seoul’s new administration dismantled ones on its side of the frontier. The two countries had already halted propaganda broadcasts along the demilitarized zone, Seoul’s military said in June after the election of South Korean President Lee Jae-myung, who is seeking to ease tensions with Pyongyang. The South Korean Ministry of National Defense on Monday last week said it had begun removing loudspeakers from its side of the border as “a practical measure aimed at helping ease
DEADLY TASTE TEST: Erin Patterson tried to kill her estranged husband three times, police said in one of the major claims not heard during her initial trial Australia’s recently convicted mushroom murderer also tried to poison her husband with bolognese pasta and chicken korma curry, according to testimony aired yesterday after a suppression order lapsed. Home cook Erin Patterson was found guilty last month of murdering her husband’s parents and elderly aunt in 2023, lacing their beef Wellington lunch with lethal death cap mushrooms. A series of potentially damning allegations about Patterson’s behavior in the lead-up to the meal were withheld from the jury to give the mother-of-two a fair trial. Supreme Court Justice Christopher Beale yesterday rejected an application to keep these allegations secret. Patterson tried to kill her
RSS