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本帖最后由 choi 于 10-21-2013 10:23 编辑
(1) 黄安伟 and Nicola Clark, 中国军火走向世界. 纽约时报中文网, Oct 21, 2013.
http://cn.nytimes.com/china/20131021/c21arms/
, which is translated from
Edward Wong and and Nicola Clark, China's Arms Industry Makes Global Inroads. New York Times, Oct 21, 2013 (front page).
Quote:
(a) "The [China's] sale [to Turkey of HQ-9] was especially unusual because the Chinese missile defense system, known as the HQ-9, would be difficult to integrate with existing NATO equipment.
(b) "The Stockholm institute [Stockholm International Peace Research Institute] released a report this year on global weapons transfers that found the volume of Chinese conventional weapons exports — which included high-end aircraft, missiles, ships and artillery — jumped by 162 percent from 2008 to 2012, compared with the previous five years. Pakistan is the leading customer. The institute now estimates that China is the fifth-largest arms exporter in the world, ahead of Britain. From 2003 to 2007, China ranked eighth.
"China’s foreign arms sales are also rising fast in dollar terms. According to IHS Jane’s, an industry consulting and analysis company, Chinese exports have nearly doubled over the past five years to $2.2 billion, surpassing Canada and Sweden, and making China the world’s eighth-largest exporter by value.
"The total global arms trade revenue in 2012 was estimated to be $73.5 billion, and the United States had a 39 percent share, according to IHS Jane’s.
(c) "Two fighter jets made by Chinese companies are being closely watched by industry analysts and foreign companies for their export potential. One is Shenyang Aircraft’s J-31 * * * The other jet is the JF-17 枭龙, a less-sophisticated aircraft that an American official said had been in the works for about two decades in an 'on-again, off-again' project. The jet was ostensibly the product of a joint venture between Pakistan Aeronautical Complex and China’s Chengdu Aircraft Industry Corporation, also an AVIC subsidiary, but China did the real work, said the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the secrecy surrounding military projects. So far, Pakistan is the only client, and the official said he believed that the Pakistanis had made a 'political decision' to buy it [relations with Beijing and/or against New Delhi].
(d) "A defense official from Japan, a territorial rival of China that monitors its arms trade closely, said Chinese jets still had big shortcomings that could hurt international sales; most notably, China cannot make reliable engines or avionics, he said. The JF-17 uses a Russian engine. 'I believe they can make a few very good engines in the laboratory, but they can’t make it in the factory, kind of mass produce it in factories, because of lack of quality control and maybe experience,' he said.
(e) "It is not uncommon for customers to overcome weaknesses in Chinese manufacturing by buying Chinese platforms and outfitting them with better Western equipment. Algeria placed an order last year for three Chinese corvettes, but is outfitting the ships with radar and communications equipment from Thales Nederland, a unit of the Thales Group, based in France. Thailand has been awarding contracts to the Saab Group, based in Sweden, to upgrade Chinese-built frigates, said Ben Moores, a senior analyst at IHS Jane’s.
My comment:
(a) There is no need to read the rest.
(b) The first paragraphs of quotation (b) seem contradictory to each other. My guess, without going to the sources, is that the two research companies gave different estimations.
(c) Guy Anderson, a senior military industry analyst in London with IHS Jane’s, says in general terms (not China specifically, that is): “In some cases, that may even mean buying commercial equipment, upgrading it slightly and painting it khaki."
"[P]ainting it khaki." The noun khaki can be cloth or color. The quotation means converting something off the shelf into a military one. The phrase" off the shelf" means available commercially, not made-to-order.
(d) Regarding the comment from Japan's defense official. Firstly, I learn for the first time that China may also be weak in "avionics," not just engines. Secondly, the official says, "I believe" when talking about China's ability to make jet engines in the LABORATORY. That makes me wonder whether I can believe him. That can be Japanese way of speaking, though (The British did not say “like” (as Americans do, particularly millennials) but some come to appreciate it as not so blunt.)
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发表于 10-21-2013 08:44:45
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