China Struggles. Strategy Pages, July 20, 2011
http://www.strategypage.com/htmw/htproc/articles/20110720.aspx
Quote:
"China just ordered another 123 AL-31FNs, to be delivered over the next two years.
The Chinese claim the WS-10A is superior to the AL-31 series (AL-31, AL-31F, AL-31FN etc), even though the WS-10A copied a lot of the Russian technology.
The J-10 "was to have used Israeli electronics. But the United States leaned on the Israelis to back off making the Chinese air force too lethal, given the probability of American pilots possibly having to fight the Chinese air force some day. The Chinese developed their own avionics, based on Russian equipment. But this did not work out well. Some J-10s, using the Chinese copy of the Russian AL-31F engine, suffered from poor engine reliability. This appears to have been the cause of several accidents. At least three J-10 crashes are known, and there may be more. These accidents are rarely reported in state-controlled media.
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(1) 赫尔曼, 日韩再陷岛屿主权纠纷. VOA Chinese, July 21, 2011.
http://www.voanews.com/chinese/news/20110721-Korea-Japan-Islands-125953708.html
, which is translated from
Steve Herman, Japan, South Korea At Odds Again Over Territorial Dispute. VOA, July 21, 2011.
http://www.voanews.com/english/news/asia/Japan-South-Korea-Territorial-Dispute-Flaring-Again-125940114.html
Note:
(a) 新藤 義孝 (1958- ; LDP) Yoshitaka SHINDO
His grandfather on the mother side is Tadamichi KURIBAYASHI
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tadamichi_Kuribayashi
(栗林 忠道; 1891-1945; commander of the Japanese garrison during the Battle of Iwo Jima; The 2006 movie Letters from Iwo Jima brought General Kuribayashi's story to an international audience for the first time)
(b) The VOA English report identifies the island at issue as "Ulleung." See Ulleungdo
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ulleungdo
A map in this Wiki page also shows "Liancourt Rocks," which is Dokdo or Tokto 獨島 in Korea but Takeshima 竹島 in Japan.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liancourt_Rocks
(The Franco-English name of the islets derives from Le Liancourt, the name of a French whaling ship which came close to being wrecked on the rocks in 1849)
(2) 台外交部：不承认台湾未参与的南海协议. VOA Chinese, July 21, 2011.
http://www.voanews.com/chinese/news/20110721-taiwan-react-to-south-china-sea-125940653.html
(3) 分析人士：勿让中“珍珠岛链”战略成真. VOA Chinese, July 20, 2011.
http://www.voanews.com/chinese/news/20110720-CHINA-STRING-OF-PEARLS-125913283.html
(4) 中国大陆游客因安全考虑减少到台. BBC Chinese, July 21, 2011.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/zhongwen/simp/chinese_news/2011/07/110721_tw_mailand_tourists.shtml
My comment: I am not uncertain about the listed causes of declining Chinese tourists..
(5) 震后生产恢复 日本6月份获贸盈. BBC Chinese, July 21, 2011.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/zhongwen/simp/business/2011/07/110721_japan_trade.shtml
(6) Paul Mozur, Taiwan Victory for Lai; His Next Media wins long-sought approval for TV news station. Wall Street Jurnal, July 20, 2011
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424053111904233404576457971901618058.html?mod=googlenews_wsj
(a decision by National Communications Commission)
My comment: In December, 2011 Mr Lai wrote an op-ed in Asia WSJ, criticizing Pres. Ma as a dictator. I thought Lai was finished.
My comment: Taiwan asks Hong Kong people to ally for visas to Taiwan. I do not think Taiwna is willing to grant visa-free priviledge to Hong Kong people; otherwise Chinese communists just come in hassle-free.