France-China Stage Joint Navy Games

[siceone]

France-China Stage Joint Navy Games, Sino-French War Games Prelude to Euro Arms Sales

Charles R. Smith

Thursday, Mar. 18, 2004

France and China have combined their Naval forces for a joint military exercise.

The joint Sino-French exercises occurred at the end of a five-day visit to the port city of Quingdao by the French anti-submarine destroyer "Latouche-Treville" and the light frigate "Commandant Birot."

The Chinese destroyer "Harbin" and the tanker "Hongze Lake" joined the French warships in eight hours of military tactical operations. The Sino-French exercise included offensive helicopter tactics; ship refueling at sea and simulated search-and-rescue missions.

Chinese Sub Force

The joint sea missions are the start of a very good year for the Chinese People's Liberation Army-Navy or PLAN. The PLAN just took command of its latest Song class (Project 039) advanced diesel submarine. The new submarine means that the Chinese Navy is now the second largest sub force in the world.

A recent Pentagon report to Congress on Chinese military modernization concluded that France is assisting the PLAN build its advanced submarines.

"A new version of the Song-class conventional submarine is expected to incorporate advanced Air Independent Propulsion. This report details other Song innovations: a skewed seven-blade propeller, submerged anti-ship cruise missile launch capability, and flank array sonars of French design," noted the U.S. military report.

China has also flexed its newly found undersea muscles. Chinese submarines have been spotted operating as far as inside the Japanese home waters, a violation of Tokyo's territorial sovereignty, and just off the coast of Taiwan.

French Weapons on Chinese Ships

Of course, France has been supplying weapons to China despite the so-call ban imposed by Paris due to the human rights record of Beijing. In fact, Chirac's Navy should find it easy to communicate with the Chinese Navy.

The Chinese Navy currently employs a version of the French Tavitac, a modified version of the U.S. NIDS (Naval Tactical Data Systems) Link 11 secure communications network. The Link W system employed by China is an unlicensed copy of the U.S. Link 11 supplied to France. Chirac, in turn, sold the Link 11 to the People's Liberation Army Navy.

France has also supplied surface to air missiles and anti-aircraft radars to the Chinese Navy. Two Luda-series destroyers, the "Zhangjang" and the "Zhuhai" completed modifications in 2003. Both destroyers are armed with eight round HQ-7 point defense surface to air missile systems, a Chinese version of the French Crotale.

The first project 054 frigates, the "Ma-Anshan and the "Wenzhou" were both launched from the Shanghai shipyards in September 2003. The two 054 warships were followed by two more in November.

According to the U.S. Naval Proceedings, the 054 class warships "bear many of the modern design marks of frigates being built in Europe, including the first significant Chinese efforts at radar signature reduction."

In fact, the new Chinese warships are powered by license built SEMT-Pielstick diesel engines. SEMT-Pielstick is currently headquartered in Paris, France.

New Chinese Landing Craft

Even more disturbing is the fact that two new classes of landing ships have appeared at the Shanghai shipyards. Hull numbers 913, 933 and 994 are larger versions of the Yuting and Yukin class of landing ships built for the PLAN during the 1990s. A smaller vessel of the same landing ship configuration has also been completed at Shanghai.

In addition, three new medium class-landing ships have been completed at Shanghai. Hull numbers 3315, 3316 and 3232 are triple bow formatted landing ships with an estimated capability of beaching a load of over 250 tons each.

The dedicated effort to build a blue-water fleet by China is not just aimed at reuniting - by force - with Taiwan. China is now very concerned about its own sea-lanes of control.

According to a recent article in the Washington Times, China is starved for energy resource and, is likely to become an expansionist power in the coming years as a way to gain access to oil and gas reserves.

Chinese Troops in Sudan

David Hale, an economist who specializes in Chinese affairs, warned that the People's Liberation Army has deployed about 4,000 troops to southern Sudan. Hale stated in a recent speech that the Chinese troops are there to protect an oil pipeline.

The news that China is expanding its overseas forces in Sudan comes as no surprise to Eric Reeves, a human-rights activist and Professor at Smith College.

"There are certainly a considerable number of Chinese troops or armed workers in southern Sudan, especially in Eastern Upper Nile. This area has been much less accessible than Western Upper Nile, site of the major producing consortium.

But it is also worth nothing that Amnesty International reported (May 2000) that they had received accounts from Western Upper Nile of armed Chinese workers, who appeared ready to use their weapons (see www.amnesty.org)," stated Reeves.

"China will continue to search out new supplies of oil for the foreseeable future; petroleum consumption grows by approximately 10% a year, even as the present state of the Chinese economy makes it especially sensitive to volatility in oil prices. They are desperate for secure off-shore oil sources," noted Reeves.

"Given China's utterly ruthless behavior in southern Sudan, future extraction ventures-whether in Africa or elsewhere- should be a major human rights concern," said Reeves.

The first link in the chain of Beijing's oppression is to garrison 4,000 troops in Sudan to control the access to oil. The next link is to control the seas in order to acquire the oil.

Oil Imports and Sea Lanes

Beijing has made it clear that its recent military efforts are centered on maintaining its sea-lanes of control. The Chinese government recently stated that it has strategic interests over oil supply routes and would use naval force to control these critical shipping lanes.

According to the Hong Kong-based, PRC-owned Wen Wei Po newspaper, Zhang Yuncheng, a specialist in the government-run Institute of Contemporary International Relations, said that China would face an energy crisis if its oil supply lines at sea were attacked. Zhang stated that whoever controls the Strait of Malacca and the Indian Ocean could interdict China's oil transport route.

Around four-fifths of China's imported oil travels through the Strait of Malacca, located between Indonesia and Malaysia, linking the Persian Gulf and Indian Ocean to the South China Sea.

Chinese President Hu Jintao recently commented that the "Malacca dilemma" is a key element to China's energy security. Hu stated, "Certain powers (the United States) have all along encroached on and tried to control the navigation through the strait."

The Wen Wei Po, citing a Chinese military expert, recommended both defensive and offensive options for a new naval strategy:

"One (option) is making quick reactions, including military reaction, when a crisis occurs... to display the strength for safeguarding the country's interests. The other is the capability of reciprocal deterrence.

This means if you can threaten my international shipping route, I can also threaten your security in various fields, including your international shipping route security."

French Weapons Face U.S. Navy

The massive build up of Chinese warships and submarines is backing up these open threats. Chinese warships and submarines built to challenge the domination of U.S. forces on the high seas.

It is a fact that America faced French weapons in Iraq. It is likely that if any conflict occurs in the near future between the U.S. and China, then America will once again face French weapons.

French President Chirac demonstrated that he is willing to put his Euros where his mouth is. France wants to sell weapons to red China. The recent joint Sino-French naval exercise is a clear demonstration that Paris cares little about human rights, or global peace.

The nation that claims liberty, fraternity and equality are its trademark on civilization is again turning its back on slavery, brutality and injustice. French President Jacques Chirac has made it clear that he considers the brutal regime in Beijing to be good enough to buy weapons from the French arms industry.

After all, Chirac supported the brutal dictator in Baghdad and ignored Saddam's covert efforts to maintain his French made weapons of war. Why should China be any different?

[marksimons]

"After all, Chirac supported the brutal dictator in Baghdad and ignored Saddam's covert efforts to maintain his French made weapons of war. Why should China be any different?"

mmm exactly.

but remember that the US, Britian, Germany, Russia and China also sold weapons to Saddam.

French politics is in a rut just the same as british, american, iraqi, israeli and many many many other countries...

this is why we need to focus our co-ordinate our efforts, worldwiiiide.

[kramadas]

source please?

[jamiroguy1]

I know some people on this board might want them to use life ammunition.

[mrmatas2277]

Originally posted by jamiroguy1

I know some people on this board might want them to use life ammunition.

[kramadas]

btw, very "unbiased" article!

haha

[bigpoppanils]

Originally posted by siceone

The recent joint Sino-French naval exercise is a clear demonstration that Paris cares little about human rights, or global peace.

just wondering...would the author of this article also claim that US corporations also care little for human rights?

[bigpoppanils]

Originally posted by raver_mania

source please?

its legit. The wall street journal has a similar article today.

[bigpoppanils]

Originally posted by siceone

Why should China be any different?

China is an ally of the United States. That is a HUGE difference.

[siceone]

why are you slighting thr article all the facts in there are true.. personally I think that we shouldn't be tradng with china at all until they came to the table with clean hands, and re-evaluated thier currency. If I was in foreign markets I would stay away from china and be short selling that currency like crazy.... eventually they are going to have to show the world that they aren't worth what they say they are and the bricks will come tumbling down...

thanks to Bill clinton things is china are so fucked up that unless there's some sort of socio-economic mirracle there will be a financial catastrophe and the whole world will be caught in the wave.

[kramadas]

Originally posted by siceone

why are you slighting thr article all the facts in there are true.. personally I think that we shouldn't be tradng with china at all until they came to the table with clean hands, and re-evaluated thier currency. If I was in foreign markets I would stay away from china and be short selling that currency like crazy.... eventually they are going to have to show the world that they aren't worth what they say they are and the bricks will come tumbling down...

thanks to Bill clinton things is china are so fucked up that unless there's some sort of socio-economic mirracle there will be a financial catastrophe and the whole world will be caught in the wave.

The facts in the article could very well be true, but the bias of the author against China is obvious. And biased people have a tendancy to manipulate facts to spread propaganda.

For example, Fox and Salon could be reporting exactly the same incident, but come up with stories that point the incriminating finger at two completely different parties.

I didn't say the facts were wrong, just noted the bias of the writer.

[jamiroguy1]

Originally posted by raver_mania

source please?

Another nutty, fanatical Newsmax editorial.

http://www.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2004/3/18/82202.shtml

[siceone]

Originally posted by raver_mania

The facts in the article could very well be true, but the bias of the author against China is obvious. And biased people have a tendancy to manipulate facts to spread propaganda.

For example, Fox and Salon could be reporting exactly the same incident, but come up with stories that point the incriminating finger at two completely different parties.

I didn't say the facts were wrong, just noted the bias of the writer.

the facts alone don't scare you?

[bigpoppanils]

Originally posted by siceone

If I was in foreign markets I would stay away from china and be short selling that currency like crazy.... eventually they are going to have to show the world that they aren't worth what they say they are and the bricks will come tumbling down...

1. china's currency is pegged to the US dollar. China has the peg in place to make its currency artificially weak to the dollar. I dont think shorting an artifically weak currency makes any sense.

2. If China's currency does weaken when the peg is removed, it will make China's costs of production even lower than they are now. That would reduce the competitveness of American manufacturing plants even further. A rise in the yuan would cause the opposite....which is why many in the White House want the peg to go.

3. Removing the peg must be done gradually....unless you don't happen to like low interest rates.

4. How in the hell is this Clinton's fault?

Unless you are arguing against the WTO....I don't see the connection.

[siceone]

I am arguing against clinton making china a favored nation when we plain well knew they weren't goin to be fair about this... and your right I got my currencies mixed up sorry but you get my point.