Military strength eludes China, which looks overseas for arms. MOSCOW - The Moscow Machine-Building Enterprise Salyut on the east side of town has put up a massive Soviet-style poster advertising its need for skilled workers.
The New Year's party at the Chernyshev plant in a northwest suburb featured ballet dancers twirling on the stage of its Soviet-era Palace of Culture. The reason for the economic and seasonal cheer is that these factories produce fighter-jet engines for a wealthy and voracious customer: China. After years of trying, Chinese engineers still can't make a reliable engine for a military plane. The country's demands for weapons systems go much further. Chinese officials last month told Russian Defense Minister Anatoly E. This persistent dependence on Russian arms suppliers demonstrates a central truth about the Chinese military: The bluster about the emergence of a superpower is undermined by national defense industries that can't produce what China needs. 'Could be sitting ducks'
Petty China's Nobel problems to continue. China reacted initially by terming the award an “obscenity” and demanded an apology.
It accused Europeans generally of using the Nobel prize as part of a plot to contain China. It has also accused the West of trying to force its values on China. Now, however, the focus is on the scheduled formal ceremony for the conferment of the award in Oslo on Dec. 10, at a grand ceremony in the presence of the king and queen of Norway. It is unclear who will receive the award on Liu's behalf. Needless to say, the intended recipient will be kept in prison and will not be allowed to travel to Norway. It is also highly unlikely that his wife, Liu Xia, will be allowed to do that either. Liu's wife has made public a list of about 140 names of his friends whom she has asked to receive the award on her husband's behalf.
However, there are one or two dissidents who are currently overseas, and who may therefore be able to fly to Oslo. And so, it seems, Liu's peace prize will not lie uncollected gathering dust. From WikiChina. Washington Embassy, People’s Republic of China, to Ministry of Foreign Affairs Beijing, TOP SECRET/Subject: America today.
Things are going well here for China. America remains a deeply politically polarized country, which is certainly helpful for our goal of overtaking the U.S. as the world’s most powerful economy and nation. But we’re particularly optimistic because the Americans are polarized over all the wrong things. There is a willful self-destructiveness in the air here as if America has all the time and money in the world for petty politics. They fight over things like — we are not making this up — how and where an airport security officer can touch them. Americans just had what they call an “election.” The ambassador recently took what the Americans call a fast train — the Acela — from Washington to New York City.
Counterpoint - An Ignoble Nobel.