PLA Digest - October 2015

Here is the PLA Digest for October 2015.

November is coming soon.

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PLA to declare biggest reforms since founding of PRC: Duowei
Source: WantChinaTimes
Date: September 30, 2015
The Chinese military is about to undergo a major structural reform that could spell the end of the PLA's four main departments and seven major military regions, reports Duowei News, a US-based Chinese political news website.
According to Duowei sources, the military reforms have been under development for a long time and will be the PLA's largest since the establishment of the PRC in 1949.
It is believed that the existing PLA hierarchy will be cut down and replaced with a flat new structure headed by "military command" and "military and politics." The model is said to be loosely based on the US Joint Chiefs of Staff under the US Department of Defense.

China’s retired PLA Hong Kong garrison political commissar under investigation for ‘violating law’
Source: South China Morning Post
Date: October 1, 2015
A former political commissar of the PLA's Hong Kong garrison is being investigated on suspicion of "law violations", a military newspaper reported yesterday.
Lieutenant General Wang Yufa, who was also former deputy commissar of the Guangzhou Military Command, is the command's most senior official to be probed since President Xi Jinping started his massive crackdown on corruption in the army in late 2012, the PLA Daily said.
Wang, 67, is one of five lieutenant generals being investigated in the crackdown, which has also brought down two former vice-chairmen of the army's powerful Central Military Commission, Guo Boxiong and Xu Caihou .

Is China building first homegrown aircraft carrier? Satellite pics released by Jane’s suggest yes
Source: Reuters
Date: October 1, 2015
New satellite images show China may be building its first indigenous aircraft carrier in the northeastern port of Dalian, according to the military magazine IHS Jane’s Defence Weekly, which has released the pictures.
Little is known about China’s aircraft carrier programme, which is a state secret, although Chinese state media have hinted that new vessels are being built.
The Pentagon, in a report earlier this year, said Beijing could build multiple aircraft carriers over the next 15 years.
Taiwan’s Defence Ministry, in a report obtained by Reuters last month, said China was building two aircraft carriers that will be the same size as its sole carrier, a 60,000-tonne refurbished Soviet-era ship called the Liaoning.

J-20 stealth fighter doesn't qualify as fifth-generation: Kanwa
Source: WantChinaTimes
Date: October 3, 2015
Without a sufficiently powerful and reliable engine, China's Chengdu J-20 stealth fighter which conducted its first test flight in 2011 cannot be counted as a fifth-generation fighter yet, the Kanwa Defense Review, a Chinese-language military magazine based in Canada, concluded in its October issue.
Military aviation experts cited by Kanwa said the Chengdu Aircraft Industry Group is still fitting J-20 prototypes with the Russian-built AL-31F or domestic WS-10 engines designed for fourth-generation fighters like the Russian Su-27 and Chinese J-10. Because the J-20 cannot achieve supersonic flight or supermaneuverable performance with either of these engines, the aircraft does not qualify as a fifth-generation fighter despite its stealth capability, the article said.
Kanwa said the J-20 may go into official production next year.

Three Chinese vessels intrude into Japan waters around disputed Diaoyu islands: Kyodo
Source: South China Morning Post
Date: October 3, 2015
Three Chinese coast guard vessels intruded into Japanese territorial waters around disputed islands in the East China Sea, the Japan Coast Guard said.
The violation, which lasted about two hours from around 2:30pm, marked the first such intrusion into the waters around the Senkaku Islands by Chinese government vessels since September 19.
Separately, a Chinese marine survey ship was spotted within Japan’s exclusive economic zone around Kume Island in Okinawa Prefecture in the country’s southwest.

Chinese flying ops in Tibet have increased, but no need to worry: Air chief Arup Raha
Source: AFP
Date: October 4, 2015
In what may raise serious concerns for India along the Chinese frontier, Air chief Marshal Arup Raha on Saturday said the Chinese flying operations in Tibetan Autonomous Region (TAR) has increased “exponentially”. He, however, cited that India too has its assets deployed along the border and that India does not have a reason to worry.
“In TAR, flying operation (of Chinese People’s Liberation Army Air Force) has increased exponentially and the capability (has been) increasing throughout the year… We also have our assets, our infrastructure and are deploying our force (along border). Therefore, there is no need to worry,” Raha said, adding that India had no reason to be anxious about a two-front war involving Pakistan and China.

How much corrupt officials pay for promotions and elections in China
Source: WantChinaTimes
Date: October 5, 2015
The type of money corrupt Chinese officials charge and pay for promotions and to fix elections has been exposed by a recent report by the Guangzhou-based Southern Weekly.
Citing case files from corruption trials across the country, the report notes that Chinese president Xi Jinping's sweeping anti-corruption campaign has appeared to have actually pushed up prices for bribes given the higher risks involved.

China's GF-4 satellite can be used to monitor US carriers
Source: WantChinaTimes
Date: October 5, 2015
China will be ready to launch the Gaofen-4 satellite into space, which will be capable of tracking down every single US aircraft carrier around the globe, before the end of 2015, reports the China Youth Daily.
During the Taiwan Strait Crisis in 1996, in which China fired missile tests in the Taiwan Strait and drew the response of the US Navy, the PLA realized that its mission to "liberate" Taiwan could never work without defeating US aircraft carriers.
Since then, China has spent nearly 20 years preparing for confrontation with a US aircraft carrier. It is also important for the PLA to ensure the accuracy of its missiles. This is the reason why advanced satellite systems like Gaofen-4, also known as GF-4, are being launched into space, both to monitor the movement of US aircraft carriers and provide precise targeting for missile strikes.

PLA fleet visits Nordic countries with eye on Arctic
Source: WantChinaTimes
Date: October 6, 2015
China sent its naval fleet of three warships — Jinan, a Type 052C guided-missile destroyer; Yiyan, a Type 054A guided-missile frigate, and Qiandaohu, a Type 903 replenishment ship — to visit Nordic countries for the first time last week, reports Tokyo-based magazine the Diplomat.
On their way back to China from anti-piracy operations in the Gulf of Aden, the fleet paid goodwill visits to Sudan, Egypt and then north to the three Nordic nations of Denmark, Finland and Sweden, the report said. The visit to northern Europe reflects China's interest in the Arctic region, which will have to come in the form of ties to individual nations given China's ineligibility for membership of the Arctic Council.
China is eyeing the region's natural resources, the report said, with oil and gas in the Arctic seen as important for China's development.

China to improve pension system for veterans
Source: Xinhua
Date: October 7, 2015
The State Council and the CMC have approved a plan to improve the veteran pension system. The General Department of Logistics, the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, the Headquarters of the General Staff and the General Political Department of the People's Liberation Army jointly issued two notices on the reform.
The notices said that veterans will be retroactively eligible for the benefits from Oct. 1, 2014, and they will be subsidized by the central government with a basic pension allowance and occupational pension allowance.

Thailand balks at price of Chinese submarines
Source: WantChinaTimes
Date: October 7, 2015
Thailand has decided to postpone the purchase of three S-20 submarines, the export version of the Chinese Type 039A Yuan-class diesel-electric submarine, due to China's asking price, according to the Moscow-based Sputnik News.
The total of US$1 billion requested by China is far too expensive for the Royal Thai Navy to accept, according to its commander, Admiral Na Arreenich. "We fully realize how indispensable the submarine is to our national security," said Arreenich. "At the same time, our navy does not operate any submarines now."
As a member of Japan's Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere during World War II, Thailand previously acquired four Matchanu-class submarines from the Imperial Japanese Navy.

China to Transfer Technology of Submarine Construction to Pakistan
Source: People's Daily Online
Date: October 8, 2015
China is to build four submarines in Pakistan port city Karachi, fulfilling a new defense deal between the two countries, Pakistan local media reported.
The new defense deal includes eight submarines, which are going to be put into production at the same time in China and Pakistan. This makes the arms deal the biggest ever to China.
Announcing the deal, Pakistani Minister for Defense Production Rana Tanveer Hussain said that the deal had been finalized and four submarines would be built in Karachi. "China will transfer the technology to Pakistan for submarine construction," the Minister told Dawn, the Pakistan media.

China eases defense industry manufacturing restrictions
Source: WantChinaTimes
Date: October 8, 2015
China recently eased the license requirements for the development and production of military equipment and weapons, making it easier for private companies to enter the defense sector, according to the Beijing-based Economic Daily.
The State Administration of Science, Technology, and Industry for National Defense of China released an updated catalog of military equipment and weapons that require a license for production or development in early September.
The number of categories that require a license has been streamlined and reduced from 1,988 in the previous edition of the catalog, published in 2005, to 755, according to State Administration of Science, Technology, and Industry for National Defense.

Chinese army should learn from US joint command system: military newspaper
Source: South China Morning Post
Date: October 8, 2015
A Chinese military newspaper has for the first time openly called for the PLA to learn from the joint command system employed by US forces.
In Zhongguo Guofangbao (China National Defence News), a sister newspaper to the military's flagship PLA Daily, commentator Li Wenqing said the PLA's outdated structure was the biggest obstacle to developing President Xi Jinping's vision of a modern army capable of defending the country and leading it to victory.
"The article is so far the most explicit statement by a military news outlet to highlight the need to learn from the Western model," Beijing-based retired major general Xu Guangyu said.

Chinese Hypersonic Engine Wins Award, Reshapes Speed Race?
China starts flying at Mach 5
Source: Popular Science
Date: October 8, 2015
Professor Wang's scramjet, together with combined cycle engines, could allow China to fly Mach 6 airplanes, like this fan art, which could fly anywhere in the world in under three hours, at speeds and altitudes imprevious to modern air defenses. It is highly likely that due to the nature of material sciences and laws physics, hypersonic aircraft like the American SR-72 and its Chinese counterparts would look similar to each other.

Beijing on alert for U.S. Navy 'incursion' near artificial islands in South China Sea
Source: South China Morning Post
Date: October 9, 2015
Beijing yesterday expressed concerns that the US Navy was reportedly preparing to send ships "within days" inside the 12 nautical-mile territorial zones China has claimed around its artificial islands in the disputed South China Sea.
Foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said China had long made clear its position on the South China Sea.
"We hope the United States can look upon the current situation of the South China Sea from an objective and fair perspective and play a constructive role together with China in keeping the peace and stability in the South China Sea," Hua said.

China’s armed forces to increase civilian recruitment
Source: Xinhua
Date: October 9, 2015
China will recruit more civilian personnel for roles within the PLA and the Chinese PAPF.
The spouses and offspring of military personnel who have fallen in the line of duty, and the spouses of those still in service will be eligible to apply for certain posts.
More positions will be made available for candidates with relevant work experience. It is hoped that the drive will improve recruitment in remote areas and unpopular positions.

PLA general expounds China's stance on Afghanistan reconstruction
Source: China Military Online
Date: October 9, 2015
China has called on all parties concerned to fulfill their aid commitments to Afghanistan and help the country to enhance self-development capacity.
Admiral Sun Jianguo, deputy chief of general staff of the Chinese PLA, made the remarks at an international conference on security in Afghanistan and Central Asia held in Moscow.
Adm. Sun stated China's views on anti-terrorism situations in the region and efforts China has made in the Afghan reconstruction process. He also expounded China's principled stance on realizing peace and stability in Afghanistan and fighting against regional terrorist groups.

China releases J-31 stealth jet's specs to lure foreign buyers
Source: Reuters
Date: October 10, 2015
China's top aircraft manufacturer has revealed specifications of an advanced stealth fighter jet in a bid to lure foreign buyers, the official China Daily reported.
In a rare disclosure, the state-owned Aviation Industry Corp of China (Avic) unveiled the capabilities of the J-31 aircraft at an aviation show, even though the jet was still being tested, the newspaper said.
Avic officials have made no secret of the fact they are seeking foreign buyers for the aircraft, hoping to compete with Lockheed Martin's F-35.
Countries that cannot buy weaponry from the United States have increasingly sought them from China, particularly because Chinese arms are often cheaper.

Workers of the world yawn: Marxism must find answers to today's social woes, or become irrelevant PLA general warns
Source: South China Morning Post
Date: October 11, 2015
Chinese Marxist researchers must find answers to contemporary social woes, or the political and economic philosophy that changed the world would become irrelevant to today's public, a PLA general has warned.
General Liu Yazhou sounded his concerns to hundreds of scholars gathered for the first World Congress on Marxism at Peking University yesterday. .
"[The researchers'] inability to identify and solve social problems have … blocked the innovative development of Marxism in China", Wu Jieming, a deputy political commissar at National Defence University, read in speech on behalf of Liu.

China activates lighthouses on disputed Spratly Island reefs, stressing they are purely to ensure navigational safety
Source: South China Morning Post
Date: October 11, 2015
China has started operating two lighthouses on a reef on the disputed Spratly Islands in the South China Sea - stressing the move is out of concern for civilian safety - even as the United States continues to consider sending its warships close to China's artificial islands in the region.
The 50-metre-tall Huayang and Chigua lighthouses on Huayang Reef would improve navigational safety for ships, foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said.
The structures would address a severe shortage in navigational aids and maritime emergency and oil-spill response forces that had "immensely hindered the navigational safety and economic and social development" in the South China Sea, Xinhua reported.

Chinese military's anti-graft inspection teams target senior officers
Source: South China Morning Post
Date: October 11, 2015
Anti-graft inspection teams from the military have been dispatched to the General Armaments Department of the PLA, mainland media reported yesterday, a move one analyst said targeted senior military officers.
The CMC had approved sending inspection teams to its four general headquarters - the General Staff Department, General Political Department, General Logistics Department and General Armaments Department – thepaper.cn reported.

China's five-year plan expected to centre on sustainable growth and rejigged state sector
Source: South China Morning Post
Date: October 12, 2015
The five-year plan is the survivor of China's economic evolution. It is a vestige of a bygone Soviet age that has endured as other features of the command system have withered and fallen away. Gone are the collective farms, gone are the industrial targets and gone, too, are the fixed market prices.
But the five-year plan lives on. It does so largely because it has relevance in what is still a heavily centralised system, defining the Communist Party's strategy for what has become the world's second-biggest economy.
The party's decision-making Central Committee will meet from October 26 to 29 to approve a draft of the national economic and social development programme from 2016 to 2020. It will then be put to the National People's Congress for its rubber stamp in March before each region and industry comes up with its own programme that dovetails with the overall direction.

Frontier soldiers patrol snowy mountains
Source: People's Daily Online
Date: October 12, 2015
A battalion under the Tibet Military Area Command is stationed in Kampa county at an average elevation of 4, 810 meters

Beijing takes aim at clubs frequented by PLA generals to stifle networks of corruption
Source: South China Morning Post
Date: October 13, 2015
Beijing has sharply restricted the activities of military generals outside the PLA, banning them from any organisation not closely under the government's watch and requiring they sever ties with cultural associations like calligraphy and painting clubs.
The generals have long embraced such bodies to show off the sophistication of their taste, but the networks have fallen under suspicion as conduits for graft. President Xi Jinping has made eliminating corruption in the military a top priority, as he seeks to ensure it remains loyal to the Communist Party.

Anti-graft in military relocates more vehicles to borderland
Source: Xinhua
Date: October 13, 2015
The Chinese military has relocated more vehicles in the anti-graft campaign to border areas, a sign that the campaign is helping troops improve their fighting capability.
As of the end of September, all vehicles found in violation during the anti-graft campaign have been handed to troops stationed in remote and border areas under harsh conditions such as Inner Mongolia, Xinjiang and Tibet, reported 81.cn, the website of army newspaper the PLA Daily.
The report did not specify the number of vehicles or their models but said the transfer was ordered by a military meeting in June.

PLA rear admiral says Japan increasing chance of regional conflict
Source: WantChinaTimes
Date: October 14, 2015
The Japanese helicopter destroyer Hyuga and guided missile destroyer Ashigara have been in Pearl Harbor in preparation for drills with the US Navy off California after Japan passed controversial new security legislation to allow for collective self-defense.
Yin Zhuo, a PLA Navy rear admiral and member of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, says Tokyo is raising the chance of military conflict with its neighbors if it ratifies changes to Article 9 of the country's postwar pacifist constitution, reports the Beijing-based Science and Technology Daily.
After the upper house of Japan's Diet approved new security legislation on Sept. 19 to allow the nation to come to the aid of allies under attack as well as a stronger collective defense policy, the Tokyo-based Kyodo News ran a piece on conflict scenarios involving China, Australia, Japan and the US in the disputed South China Sea.

Air force now able to launch long-range, precision strikes
Source: China Daily
Date: October 14, 2015
The strategic bombers of the PLAAF can now launch all-weather, long-range, precision strikes, military observers said.
"The fact that our H-6K bombers have performed several long-distance drills far into the Pacific Ocean indicates that the H-6K fleet has become capable of conducting various operations such as long-range precision strikes," Fu Qianshao, an aviation equipment expert with the PLAAF, told China Daily.
"In the past, our bombers could only deliver airdropped bombs and so were unable to conduct precision attacks, but the H-6K, with the adoption of some of our most advanced aeronautic technologies, is able to carry and launch air-to-surface cruise missiles and anti-ship missiles, which means it can take out multiple targets on the ground or at sea within one mission," he said.

PLA holds series exercise to beef up combat power in joint operations
Source: China Military Online
Date: October 14, 2015
The last one of the Joint Action-2015 military exercise series of the Chinese PLA concluded on Oct. 13 in northwest China.
This exercise is organized by the PLA Lanzhou Military Area Command (MAC). The 47th Combined Corps under the Lanzhou MAC was responsible for setting up the joint operation command post of the exercise. A unit of the PLAAF a base of the Second Artillery Force (SAF) also sent officers to join the command post of the exercise.
Troops from Lanzhou MAC, PLAAF, SAF participated in the exercise.
The Joint Action -2015 consisted of five exercises. The previous four were held in different training bases with the Nanjing MAC, Guangzhou MAC, Chengdu MAC and the PLA Navy taking the lead respectively.

Chinese General Liu Yazhou: Diaoyu Islands and Sino-Japanese relations
Source: China Military Online
Date: October 14, 2015
The Sino-Japanese relationship is a neighborhood issue and a relationship between major powers around the world as well. It is a strategic miscalculation that the Diaoyu Islands issue is the focus of the current Sino-Japanese relations. It is also a strategic miscalculation that non-priority problem does not affect the process of national security and the reform and opening up of China.
The Diaoyu Islands issue and problems in Sino-Japanese relations shall be viewed in the wider scope of international situation.

China seals deal with Pakistan for eight submarines
Source: WantChinaTimes
Date: October 15, 2015
China has finalized its largest ever arms deal, which will deliver a total of eight new submarines to Pakistan.
Pakistan's minister for defence production, Tanveer Hussain, confirmed that the US$4-5 billion deal was sealed recently while opening a new exhibition center at the country's Defence Export Promotion Organization last week.
Four of the submarines will be built in China, with the other four to be constructed in Pakistan as part of a technology transfer agreement. Construction will take place simultaneously in both countries, though Hussain did not indicate when it would commence. Pakistan will also build a submarine training center in Karachi, the country's main port city, Hussain added.

Artillery regiment conducts live fire drill in Xinjiang
People's Daily Online
Date: October 16, 2015
An artillery regiment of Xinjiang Military Region conducted a live fire drill recently. Nearly a hundred artilleries fired in an unfamiliar terrain in southern Xinjiang.

Chinese, French warships hold joint drill in English Channel
Source: China Military Online
Date: October 16, 2015
The English Channel saw three warships, two of which were from China and one from France, held a joint drill on Oct. 14.
The guided-missile destroyer Jinan and the guided-missile frigate Yiyang of a Chinese naval taskforce, which is on the voyage to visit Portugal, carried out a joint training exercise with the anti-submarine frigate Latouche-Treville (D646) of the French Navy in the waters north of French port city of Roscoff.
The Chinese and French warships exercised ship-to-ship liaison with assignment of liaison officers to each other’s warships, signaling communication and command coordination as well as movement in formation, and in addition, two ship-based helicopters, one from the Chinese destroyer Jinan while the other from the French frigate Latouche-Treville, also attended the exercise.

Defense official reveals China's plans to boost international peace
Source: China Daily
Date: October 17, 2015
Addressing the 6th Xiangshan Forum, Vice Chairman of the CMC Fan Changlong unveiled a set of China's latest pledges to boost peace and stability in war-torn areas and China's neighborhood, such as the Southeast Asia.
In a keynote speech at the annual high-level defense and security event gathering of senior officials and leading scholars from around the world on Saturday, Fan said the Chinese military will implement the commitment and initiatives put forth recently by President Xi Jinping "in a down-to-earth manner".
Elaborating on China's future plans, Fan said that China will "speed up the building of an 8,000-troop standby peacekeeping force, and provide training programs to 2,000 peacekeepers of relevant countries in the coming five years.”

Top Military Official: China Will Not Resort to Force Recklessly Even on Issues Involving Territory
Source: Global Times
Date: October 17, 2015
Sina.com, a major Chinese web portal, carried a Global Times report that Fan Changlong, vice chairman of China's Central Military Commission, stated that China has always advocated handling disputes through peaceful means and will not use force recklessly, even when it comes to issues related to territory and sovereignty.
Fan made the statement while addressing the sixth Xiangshan Forum in Beijing last Saturday morning. He said that China always insists on resolving disputes through friendly negotiations with parties directly involved and will try its best to avoid unexpected conflicts.
Fan said China has settled land and border issues with a majority of neighboring countries through consultation. Regarding growing concerns over the construction on coral islands in the South China Sea, Fan anticipated that the construction, mostly for civilian purposes, would improve marine navigation and provide public services.

PLA outlaws unregistered groups and societies
Source: WantChinaTimes
Date: October 18, 2015
The Chinese government has begun cracking down on unregistered private groups and societies inside the PLA, reports the Upolitics public WeChat account of the Beijing Youth Daily newspaper.
According to a spokesperson from the PLA's education rectification leading group office, the directive specifies that all unofficial PLA groups and societies not registered by China's Ministry of Civil Affairs must be disbanded. This includes all non-standardized organizations that have organizational or membership mechanisms and hold regular or periodic group activities or events.
In August, the PLA's General Political Department had issued guidelines on the management of groups and societies formed inside the military, specifying that officers cannot join unsanctioned non-governmental organizations not related to their jobs. Those who have never worked or studied a particular art also cannot hold a leadership position in a society specializing in that art.

Harry Potter and the new-age stealth submarines: Chinese researchers create 'cloak of invisibility'
Source: South China Morning Post
Date: October 19, 2015
Two teams of scientists have created new materials to hide submarines from their enemies' underwater sonar systems - one that transforms the vessel into a "chameleon", and the other a prototype of a Harry Potter-like invisibility cloak.
The chameleon-like ceramic-type material, created by researchers at the Chinese Academy of Sciences' Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, manipulates sound waves that come into contact with it, such as pulses generated by anti-submarine vessels that can identify underwater threats.
This ability means sonar operators analysing the submarine's acoustic pattern can be fooled into thinking it is a whale, a huge shoal of fish, or even a friendly submarine.
Researchers call such materials "phononic" crystals. In recent years, various forms of phononic crystals have been developed to control, direct and manipulate the transmission of sound in gases, liquids and solids, but they all suffered one limitation.

J-20 would defeat F-15J in long-range air combat
Source: WantChinaTimes
Date: October 19, 2015
After claiming that the Japanese F-2 multirole fighter is going to defeat its Chinese counterpart, J-10 in a future air combat over the disputed Diaoyutai (Senkaku) islands, Kyle Mizokami, an American military expert said that the PLA's J-20 fifth-generation fighter will be able to shoot down Japan's American-built F-15J fighter in an article he wrote for the National Interest magazine on Oct. 16.
Although the F-15J is an excellent fighter, Japan's ministry of defense had expected to replace the older, cold war era aircraft with the F-22 fifth-generation fighter, Mizokami said. Japan, however, was later prohibited from purchasing the upgrade — the F-22 Raptor — from the US after Congress approved the Obey Amendment in 1997.

Special operations members conduct training on Tibetan Plateau
Source: China Military Online
Date: October 19, 2015
Camouflaged soldiers of Chinese special operations force run on the northwest China's Qinghai-Tibet Plateau

Soldiers of PLA special force take training on Tibetan Plateau
Source: English.news.cn
Date: October 20, 2015
Photo shows that soldiers of Chinese special force take training on northwest China's Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.

Troops conduct realistic drill on Karakorum plateau
Source: China Military Online
Date: October 20, 2015
A self-propelled howitzer fires rounds at simulated target on October 17, 2015. A brigade under the PLA 21st Group Army carried out a realistic drill on the northwest China’s Karakorum plateau at an altitude of over 4300 meters in late October.

Japan doubles F-15J fighters in Okinawa to counter China
Source: WantChinaTimes
Date: October 21, 2015
The Japan Air Self-Defense Force plans to deploy an additional F-15J fighter squadron to Naha Air Base in Okinawa to intercept Chinese aircraft in its air defense identification zone over the East China Sea, according to the Tokyo-based Japan News Network on Oct. 20.
The JASDF's 204th Tactical Fighter Squadron stationed at Naha has 20 F-15J fighters. In anticipation of possible confrontation with China over the disputed Diaoyutai islands (Diaoyu to China, Senkaku to Japan, which controls them) in the East China Sea, the Japanese defense ministry has decided to redeploy the 304th Tactical Fighter Squadron from Tsuiki Air Base to Naha, which will increase the total of F-15J fighters based in Okinawa to 40.

Liaoning carrier should have naval base in Syria, Sina fantasizes
Source: WantChinaTimes
Date: October 21, 2015
The Beijing-based Sina Military Network reckons China should build a naval base in Syria for its aircraft carrier Liaoning to provide assistance to the regime of Bashar al-Assad in a piece which defies logic, common sense and China's longstanding foreign policy strategy.
Sina Military Network suggested three reasons China should provide military support to the Syrian government. First, Syria and its neighboring countries including Iraq, Israel and Lebanon are hot spots in the Middle East. The nation has become a key part of a broader military agenda directed by the US and its NATO allies not only against Iran but against Russia and China as well, Sina claimed.

Let the Mt. Tianshan be the witness of our wedding
Source: People's Daily Online
Date: October 21, 2015
On Oct. 18, 2015, the Air Force of Lanzhou MAC hosts a grand group wedding ceremony for 16 military couples at a military base under Mountain Tianshan.
The 16 grooms are all soldiers of the air force. Most of them had to postpone their wedding because they needed to stick to their posts and guard the frontier. Speaking of this, some of them couldn’t help feeling guilty for their brides.

H-6K is nearing invincibility: Sputnik News
Source: WantChinaTimes
Date: October 21, 2015
Capable of carrying seven YJ-12 supersonic antiship cruise missiles or CJ-20 subsonic land attack cruise missiles, the PLA Air Force's H-6K strategic bomber is going to be nearly invincible in future aerial warfare over the Western Pacific, according to the Moscow-based Sputnik News.
The combat radius of a H-6J bomber is estimated to be 1,900 kilometers, said the report. With the assistance of aerial refueling aircraft, the combat radius of the bomber will be gradually expand to 3,200 kilometers.
Currently, the PLA Air Force operates a total number of 26 H-6K bombers. During several exercises held in the past, the H-6K was proven capable of long-range penetration into enemy air space, said the report.

5th CPC plenum delay suggests leadership reshuffle: Duowei
Source: WantChinaTimes
Date: October 22, 2015
The delay of the fifth plenary session of the 18th National Congress of the CPC could be a prelude to a major personnel shuffle at the leadership level, says Duowei News, a US-based Chinese political news website.
According to Hong Kong's Oriental Press Group, the delay or expedition of a fifth plenum usually means there will be major leadership movements. For instance, the fifth plenum of the 17th National Congress in 2010 was pushed back a week so that Xi Jinping could be promoted to deputy chair of the Central Military Commission (CMC). In 1995, on the other hand, the fifth plenum of the 14th National Congress was moved up to September to add Zhang Wannian and Chi Haotian as CMC vice chairs and for Wang Ke and Wang Ruilin to be introduced as new CMC members.

Chinese naval hospital ship pays maiden visit to French Polynesia
Source: China Military Online
Date: October 22, 2015
The Chinese naval hospital ship Peace Ark, which is carrying out the "Harmonious Mission - 2015" to provide medical service for local people in the country the hospital ship visits, arrived at Papeete Port, French Polynesia, on the morning of October 20, 2015.
This was the first time for French Polynesia to receive the Chinese naval hospital ship Peace Ark, which is scheduled to stay in Papeete Port for 5 days.
The "Harmonious Mission -2015" is performed in accordance with the annual foreign exchange plan of the Chinese PLAN. Since the initiation of the mission in 2010, this has been the fifth time for the Chinese hospital ship to embark on its ocean-going navigation while making rounds of visits to foreign nations.

China’s PLA seeks to bring cyberwarfare units under one roof
Source: Bloomberg
Date: October 23, 2015
China’s military chiefs are seeking to unify the country’s cyberwarfare capabilities as they build a modern fighting force that relies less on ground troops.
The plan is part of a broader shift towards a unified military command similar to that of the US to meet President Xi Jinping’s goal of transforming the PLA into a force that can “fight and win modern wars”.
A move to a centralised command reporting to the CMC would better organise China’s cyberwarfare capabilities, which are scattered across a variety of units and ministries.
It would further elevate the role of cyberwar within a PLA that has long prioritised the army over the navy and air force, two branches that require a high level of computerisation skills.
A unified command would be “a pretty big deal” in organising domestic cyberforces to “win informationised local wars”, according to Council on Foreign Relations cyberspace programme director Adam Segal.

Sino-US naval ties ‘best in history', says China’s navy chief, as tensions rise over territorial disputes in South China Sea
Source: Reuters
Date: 23 October, 2015
Relations between the Chinese and US navies are their "best in history" and exchanges between the two will become more systematic in the future, China’s military cited the country’s naval chief as telling visiting U.S. officers.
The comments by Navy Chief Wu Shengli come as Washington considers conducting freedom-of-navigation operations within 12 nautical miles of artificial islands China has built in the disputed South China Sea, without saying when it would do so. Such a move is likely to infuriate Beijing.
China and the United States had worked hard to increase military interaction, holding joint drills and agreeing rules on encounters at sea and in the air, Wu said, according to the official People’s Liberation Army Daily.

New rules to regulate the resettling of retired soldiers according to performance
Source: Xinhua
Date: October 26, 2015
Soldiers' military performance will be evaluated to better resettle them once they leave the army according to rules jointly published by the Ministry of Civil Affairs and the PLA's Headquarters of the General Staff.
The rules aim to ensure those with longer service and greater contributions enjoy priority in post-service job assignments, said an official statement released.
Retired soldiers will be evaluated on their performance, service in remote areas, skills, and other experience. Those who received punishment during service or falsify their records will be demoted in the rating, according to the rules.

PLA's anti-satellite capabilities to be revealed in report
Source: WantChinaTimes
Date: October 26, 2015
A report to be published by the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission next month gives details of China's anti-satellite capabilities, senior editor of the Washington Free Beacon Bill Gertz wrote in the Washington Times on Oct. 14.
Two types of direct-ascent missiles known as the SC-19 and DN-2 are under development in China designed with the capability to destroy American satellites in both lower and higher orbits. While the DN-2 is designed to hit high-orbit targets such as global positioning satellites, Gertz said its primary purpose is more likely to destroy military satellites that are used for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance. The DN-2 is estimated to be deployed in the next five to 10 years.
The report also says the PLA is pursuing counterspace capabilities including direct-ascent anti-satellite missiles, co-orbital anti-satellite systems, computer network operations, ground-based satellite jammers and directed energy weapons.

Border Defense Corps in Tibet conducts real combat drill
People's Daily Online
Date: October 26, 2015
The Border Defense Corps of Tibet Autonomous Region conducted a real combat drill in Shigatse from Oct. 24 to Oct. 25 to improve the soldiers’ military skills.

PLA commissions Type 072B landing ship Taihangshan
Source: WantChinaTimes
Date: October 27, 2015
The PLAN on October 21 commissioned the Taihangshan, a new Type 072B landing ship developed for amphibious operations at an unknown naval base of the East Sea Fleet, reports Duowei News, an outlet operated by overseas Chinese.
The construction of large landing ships with the ability to carry tanks and heavy armaments is aimed at boosting the PLA's power projection into the Western Pacific.
The first Type 072 landing ships were built in the 1980s to replace the World War II-era former US Navy tank landing ships in service with the PLA up to that time. With a displacement of 3,100 tons, a Type 072 can carry between 10 and 11 tanks as well as 100 to 120 troops. It is fitted with two fixed-pitch propellers and has a maximum speed of 18 knots.

Jiang Zemin's secretary rumored to be next 'tiger' to fall
Source: South China Morning Post
Date: October 27, 2015
Jia Ting'an, who served as personal secretary of China's former president Jiang Zemin, is rumored to be the next "tiger" to be taken down in Xi Jinping's anti-corruption campaign, reports Duowei News, a US-based Chinese news outlet.
A mysterious but respected public Sina Weibo microblog account under the name "Feng Ming Gui Guo" — "ordered to return to the homeland" in Chinese — recently posted the cryptic message: "I don't believe Jia can last until retirement in 2017."
It is not clear who runs the account, though some have speculated that it could belong to someone in the General Office of the Communist Party's Central Committee. Others say it could be the secretary of Xi's official office.

Chinese president Xi Jinping's trusted general in line for top PLA role
Source: South China Morning Post
Date: October 28, 2015
The top decision-making body of the Communist Party is to use its ongoing meeting in Beijing to vet top candidates to lead the military after 2017.
The Politburo Standing Committee would use its fifth plenum to consider who would lead the CMC after that date, sources close to the army said.
The composition of the 10-member CMC, whose chairman is President Xi Jinping, would be a key part of any reshuffle for the next term of the central leadership.
General Zhang Youxia, 65, director of the army's general armaments department and one of Xi's most trusted men, is tipped as the most likely new CMC vice-chairman for the president's next term from 2017-2022.

Beijing has options if US escalates challenge to its claims in South China Sea
Source: South China Morning Post
Date: October 28, 2015
China has a range of options to counter an escalating US military challenge to its territorial claims in the South China Sea, ranging from dispatching more warships to conducting military drills - and, if necessary, ramming the ships, mainland analysts say.
Beside warnings, the PLA could deploy warships and military aircraft to expel the destroyer USS Lassen if it keeps patrolling within the 12-nautical-mile limit of Chinese-controlled islands in the region, said Li Jie , a naval expert based in Beijing.
Citing an incident between the US and Soviet navies in 1988, "China could also initiate a measured collision at the most critical moment if the US warship refuses to leave after being expelled," Li said.

Expert: U.S. newly-developed submarine poses threat to China
Source: People's Daily Online
Date: October 28, 2015
The U.S. Navy is developing a new ballistic missile submarine to replace the current Ohio-class submarines, according to the article China's Greatest Fear: U.S. Navy 'Cruise Missile Carriers' published on the website of the National Interest on Oct. 21.
U.S. guided missile submarine targets great powers such as Russia and China, and the submarine poses a huge threat to China, said military expert Yin Zhuo in an interview with CCTV.
The newly-developed submarine by the U.S. is not meant to replace aircraft carrier, said military expert Cao Weidong.
Yin said ballistic missile submarine is a powerful tool for the U.S. to confront nuclear powers. The U.S. has built 18 Ohio-class ballistic missile nuclear submarines, among which 14 are still in service. Though the submarines have served for dozens of years, they are still world-class nuclear submarines.

Defense Ministry's regular press conference on Oct.29
Source: Ministry of National Defence of China
Date: October 29, 2015
Q: The Indian and Chinese military officials held talks on the Working Mechanisms for Cooperation and Coordination, especially relating to the border issues early this month. Before that, in the last press conference, the PLA spokesman at that time had stated that the Indian military had actually violated the consensus reached as far as certain border stand-offs are concerned. Has this issue been discussed at that WMCC meeting and what are the decisions reached for future cooperation and coordination?
Secondly, the India-China armies held the 5th round of joint military exercises relating to anti-terrorism operations. Now that the 5 rounds have been held between the two countries, what are the prospects for any joint anti-terrorism operation in the neighborhood if and when it is required?
Thirdly, there are reports that say that General Fan Changlong, the Vice Chairmen of the Central Military Commission, is due to visit India. Can you please provide us any details?
A: On your first question, from 8th to 9th of October, China-India WMCC meeting was held in Beijing during which both sides gave a review of the border situation between China and India and the promotion of mutual trust in the past year. They also had an in-depth exchange of views on issues concerning the peace and stability along the border. I recommend you to refer to the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs for detailed information about this meeting.
On your second question, terrorism is the common enemy of the international community and the Chinese side is against all forms of terrorism. We are committed to the international cooperation against terrorism. The PLA shoulders the responsibility of counter-terrorism and we will do our work according to the arrangement of the Chinese government.
On your third question, according to this year's plan for foreign military exchange, in the middle of November, General Fan Changlong, Vice Chairmen of the Central Military Commission, will pay an official visit to Pakistan and India. The purpose of this visit is to implement the consensus reached by the state leaders of both sides, enhance friendly exchanges between the Chinese military and its foreign counterparts, and to jointly maintain regional peace and stability .

Armed police force conducts real combat exercises in Tibet
Source: People's Daily Online
Date: October 30, 2015
Soldiers from the Frontier Corps of the PAPF in Tibet conducted a two-day training in Shigaze, TAR on October 24-25. Corner guns, drones and special tanks were used in the training.

Troops conduct realistic training on West Sichuan Plateau
Source: China Military Online
Date: October 30, 2015
Soldiers set up a mechanized bridge during the realistic training exercise. Recently, a regiment under the PLA Chengdu MAC carried out a realistic training exercise on the West Sichuan Plateau at an altitude of 3000 meters.