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The End of U.S. Primacy in Asia ( Source- The National Interest / Author- Richard Javad Heydarian)

USS Howard, DDG-83 ( Image credits- Wikimedia Commons / United States Navy) Source- The National Interest Author-  Richard Javad Heydarian The world is steadily confronting the prospect of full-fledged Chinese domination in the world’s most important waterway, the South China Sea. America’s decades-long naval hegemony in Asia, as we know it, may soon vanish into thin air as a resurgent China reclaims primacy in the region. Though economically vulnerable, Beijing has lacked nothing in terms of geopolitical assertiveness. In a span of two months, China has dramatically redrawn the operational landscape in adjacent waters. China kicked off the year with a bang, conducting several test flights to its newly built airstrips in the Spratly chain of islands. This was followed by China’s decision to (once again) deploy a giant oil rig, Haiyang Shiyou 981, into Vietnamese-claimed waters in the South China Sea, just as Hanoi deliberated on a high-stakes leadership transition. W

China’s Coming Mass Layoffs: Past as Prologue? ( Source- The Diplomat / Author- Shannon Tiezzi)

Image credits- VOA / Author Source- The Diplomat Author- Shannon Tiezzi China’s minister for human resources and social security has said that China will lay off 1.8 million workers in the coal and steel sectors, part of an overall plan to reduce overcapacity and streamline state-owned enterprises. Reuters, citing anonymous sources close to China’s leadership, puts the figure much higher, at 5 to 6 million in layoffs over the next two years. Beijing is aware of the risks such massive layoffs pose for social stability, and it’s already moving to control to damage. A Chinese official recently announced that the national government will set aside 100 billion renminbi ($15.3 billion) to help find new employment for those who lose their jobs to the restructuring. On Wednesday, a spokesperson for the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, which begins its annual session tomorrow, assured journalists that the job losses would be “te

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Russia remains biggest arms supplier to India ( Source- Russia & India Report/ TASS)

Indian Army T-90 tanks ( Image credits- Wikimedia Commons / Cell105) Source- Russia& India Report / Tass Russia continues to be the largest arms supplier to India with a total value of agreements exceeding 340 billion rupees (more than $5 billion) over the past three years, the Indian Defence Ministry said in a statement on Monday. According to it, the United States ranks second, with 300 billion rupees (about $4.4 billion) allocated from India’s budget on its military products from 2012-2013 to 2014-2015 fiscal years. Russia also maintained its leading positions in the number of defence contracts signed with India within this period of time. "From 2012-2013 to 2014-2015 fiscal years, 162 arms purchase contracts were signed, among them 67 with other countries, including Russia (18 agreements), the United States (13) and France (six)," the defence ministry said. In India, a fiscal year begins on April 1 and ends on March 31. First publish

The Strategic Significance of China's Woody Island Power Play ( Source- The National Interest / Author- Ashley Townshend)

Chinese PLAAF J-11  ( Image credits- Wikimedia Commons / United States Air Force) Source- The National Interest Author- Ashley Townshend China's recent deployments on Woody Island carry a larger strategic significance. Aside from being unmistakable signs of militarization, Beijing's actions highlight both the effectiveness of its strategic expansion into the South China Sea, and the dilemma Washington and others face in crafting a response. Reports last week that China has sent J-11 fighter jets to Woody Island came less than ten days after satellite images revealed two batteries of HQ-9 surface-to-air missiles had been deployed to the disputed island. While provocative, neither deployment is entirely unprecedented. Rather, they represent the latest in a series of incremental steps that Beijing has taken to bolster its strategic foothold in the Paracel Islands.  Since late 2012, China has been steadily upgrading Woody Island's port facilities, radars a

India and the South China Sea Dispute ( Source- The Diplomat / Author- Abhijit Singh)

Malabar naval exercises ( Image credits- Wikimedia commons/ United States Navy) Source- The Diplomat Author- Abhijit Singh  The South China Sea (SCS) is witnessing a dramatic rise in maritime tensions. Last week, China landed two fighter jets on Woody island – a subset of the Paracel group of islands – just days after the PLA placed surface-to-air missiles at the same location. With a range of about 200 kilometers, the new HQ-9 missiles can target aircraft approaching China’s claimed spaces in the South China Sea. To add to regional worries, the latest satellite images of several of the Spratly Islands showed probable radar infrastructure, suggesting that the PLA may already have established full radar coverage over the SCS. Needless to say, there has been much speculation over China’s “strategic” intentions in the South China Sea. The act of placing missiles on disputed territory has been widely interpreted as a hardening of Beijing’s maritime posture – not just on a