This morning’s key headlines from GenerationalDynamics.com

India deploying ‘submarine killer’ planes to counter China’s submarines


China commercial and military route through Malacca strait

As China continues to deploy new missile systems that can target any part of the United States with nuclear weapons, and submarines that can target any part of the trade routes from China, through the South China Sea, and into the Indian Ocean, India is preparing to defend its Andaman and Nicobar Islands in the Bay of Bengal.

India has detected Chinese naval ships coming close to the territorial waters of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The Chinese ships attempt to get close at least twice every three months. India is concerned that the islands are mostly undefended, and a lightning attack by the Chinese would be successful.

In response, India is deploying eight P-8I aircraft, obtained from Boeing under a 2009 deal with the United States. The aircraft will be stationed at the southern tip of mainland India in Tamil Nadu. They will serve as reconnaissance aircraft, and also will be equipped with missiles capable of neutralizing enemy submarines and warships.

According to Indian media:

It’s not uncommon for Chinese naval vessels to get close to the 10 degree channel, which is a 150km-wide channel that separates the Andaman and Nicobar chain of islands. Officers feel that the Chinese may choose the Andamans for a sudden strike instead of the mainland. After all, the Chinese know that India has an upper hand for the first 7-8 days due to her advanced air assets if an attack is launched on the mainland.

Things would change after that due to attrition and other factors but no armed conflict between two nuclear powers like India and China is expected to last more than a week before the international community intervenes.

“The only place where the Chinese can strike without facing any real opposition, merely to bother India, is the Andamans. After all, our assets on the mainland can’t remain at a top level of preparedness for an indefinite period every time a Chinese warship is detected close to the islands. Capabilities of the assets from the mainland will also be hampered by bad weather and other factors. The Chinese will also factor these in if they choose to strike. The Chinese presence on Coco Islands continues to remain a matter of concern. The length of runway there has been increased to 8,000 feet. When it becomes 10,000 feet, all kinds of aircraft can land there and we will have a full-fledged Chinese base some 30-odd miles from the Andamans,” the officer added.

The Coco islands are north of the Andaman islands. They belong to Burma (Myanmar), but are believed to be under control of the Chinese. Lowy Institute (Australia) and The Diplomat and Times of India and The Diplomat (19-Dec-2015) and Washington Free Beacon (11-Dec-2015)

India to build satellite tracking station in southern Vietnam

India and Vietnam continue to enhance their military relationship to counter China’s military belligerence in the South China Sea, where it it annexing regions historically belonging to other countries, including Vietnam and the Philippines.

India is building a satellite tracking and imaging center in southern Vietnam. Although it is billed as a civilian facility for agricultural, scientific and environmental applications, the improved imaging technology means the pictures could also be used for military purposes for both countries. India Times / Reuters

China demolishes Southern Mongolian herders’ homes in mid-winter

Despite police in China’s Southern (Inner) Mongolia arresting herders for contacting “overseas news media,” news is leaking out the Chinese authorities are driving Mongolian herders out of their homes and demolishing their homes in the middle of winter. According to the activist organization, Southern Mongolian Human Rights Information Center (SMHRIC), at least 160,000 ethnic Mongolians have been forcibly evicted from traditional grazing lands in recent decades.

China’s government has announced long-term plans to move all traditional nomadic groups into permanent, urban dwellings, to make the grasslands available for other purposes, such as mining.

In 2008, local authorities implemented a ban on livestock grazing, and promised to pay subsidies to the Mongolian herders as compensation. However, the herders say that the subsidies stopped six months ago without notice.

In May of last year, and again in December, and again last week, hundreds of Mongolian herders have staged protests at government buildings and military bases. Early in January, Chinese officials arrived without notice and started evicting people and demolishing their homes.

Starting this week, local police authorities began arresting dozens of herders for contacting “overseas news media and hostile forces” and “engaging in national separatism.” Many other herders received threatening phone calls from the local police authorities warning them not to contact any foreign news media or overseas organizations.

Communist China has a history of brutal treatment of minorities, including the slaughter of thousands of Tibetans in Tibet and Uighurs in Xinjiang. Radio Free Asia and Southern Mongolian Human Rights Information Center (SMHRIC)

KEYS: Generational Dynamics, India, China, South China Sea, Indian Ocean, Andaman Islands, Nicobar Islands, Bay of Bengal, P-8I, Coco Islands, Burma, Myanmar, Vietnam, Southern Mongolia, Inner Mongolia, Southern Mongolian Human Rights Information Center, SMHRIC, Tibet, Xinjiang
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