Posted by
Randy
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March 07, 2012
Just days after the Department of Defense failed to release its annual report to Congress on China’s military power, China announced that its military spending will top $100 billion for the first time. This a double-digit increase on last year's military spending, and comes “as China’s neighbors are increasingly unnerved by the country’s growing assertiveness in pressing territorial claims,” according to the Washington Post.
The news of this increase alone fuels concerns about China’s long-term intentions. Taken within the context of DoD military power report delay, it raises significant questions about our nation’s long-term strategy, or lack thereof, for responding in an era of Chinese military modernization. The DoD report is critical for the United States to be able to evaluate its own defense strategy in light of a dramatic military buildup by China in the Western Pacific. Each day without the report is another without a necessary tool to understand the Department of Defense’s perspective on China in light of this continued military buildup. Read about the letter I sent to Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta, asking him to comply with the law and release the report on China’s military power: http://forbes.house.gov/News/DocumentSingle.aspx?DocumentID=282971
Posted by
Randy
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February 23, 2012
According to a new forecast by the research group IHS Global Insight, China is set to double its defense spending between 2011 and 2015. This increase from $119.8 billion to $238.2 billion will exceed the combined spending of the next twelve largest defense budgets in the Asia-Pacific region, solidifying China's status as a regional superpower.
Posted by
Randy
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January 19, 2012
Yesterday, the Administration announced that it had rejected plans for construction of the Keystone XL Pipeline from the tar sands of Alberta, Canada to U.S. Gulf Coast Refineries. Although several environmental studies related to construction had been completed, the Administration continued to delay issuing a final decision on construction of the pipeline. As a result, Congress issued a requirement at the end of last year that the Administration issue a decision within 60 days of the President signing the payroll tax cut extension into law. The rejection has been applauded by organizations that had resisted construction of the pipeline due to environmental concerns, but has also been opposed by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and other business organizations that point to the estimated 120,000 jobs and steps toward energy independence the pipeline would create. TransCanada, the corporation seeking the permit to construct the pipeline, must now find another recipient for its 830,000 barrels of oil a day it plans to export. In November, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper indicated that China may be interested in procuring the North American energy.
Question of the Week: Do you support the Administration's decision opposing construction of the Keystone XL Pipeline? ( ) Yes, I support the Administration's decision regarding construction of the Keystone XL Pipeline. ( ) No, I oppose the Administration's decision regarding construction of the Keystone XL Pipeline. ( ) Other (share your thoughts below) ( ) I am unsure. Take the poll here. Find the results of last week's instaPoll here. Read Congressman Forbes' statement in regard to the Administration's decision here.
Posted by
Randy
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January 19, 2012
Don't miss this article I wrote for Aviation Week magazine on the need for U.S. long-term military and diplomatic effort in the Western Pacific.
Click the image to expand the article or click here.
Posted by
Randy
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January 17, 2012
The Wall Street Journal has just launched a real time “Econtracker” that provides a good snapshot of China’s economic growth. The indicators include China’s Gross Domestic Product, Fixed Asset Investment, Export, Foreign Exchange Reserves and more.
Check it out here or by clicking the chart below.
Posted by
Randy
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January 11, 2012
A new piece from The Diplomat titled “China’s 2012 Challenges” lays out twelve key challenges that the People’s Republic of China and the Chinese Communist Party will face during the next year. These challenges range from the need for economic reforms, to social instability and expected friction in the South China Sea. It is vital that American policymakers know and understand these challenges while prioritizing U.S. foreign policy initiatives. Here are three of the twelve challenges identified in the piece:
The piece can be read in its entirety here: http://the-diplomat.com/china-power/2012/01/08/chinas-2012-challenges/
Posted by
Randy
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January 05, 2012
The Chinese government revealed in a white paper a new five-year plan for space exploration that expands the nation’s goals for challenging U.S. space superiority by creating new spacecrafts, satellites and a space lab by 2016.
China’s white paper specifically says that “China will strengthen its basic capacities of the space industry, accelerate research on leading-edge technology and continue to implement important space scientific and technological projects, including human spaceflight, lunar exploration, high-resolution Earth observation system, satellite navigation and positioning system, new-generation launch vehicles and other priority projects in key fields.” The New York Times reports that “Under the new space plan, it would vastly expand its version of a Global Positioning System, which would have military as well as civilian uses. The plan shows how the government intends to draw on military and civilian resources to meet the goals, which the government is betting will also produce benefits for the Chinese economy.” I am concerned that China is looking for ways to exert its strength through space exploration, while the United States is scaling back on our own program. This is especially true as China has failed to reassure the U.S. and other nations of its peaceful intentions in space, beginning in 2007 when it destroyed an orbiting weather satellite signaling to the world that it had the capability to intentionally destroy our communications networks and certainly had the capability to unintentionally damage our assets in space with the considerable debris left behind. What kind of implications do you think China’s five-year plan will have for the United States? Weigh in below.
Posted by
Randy Forbes
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December 20, 2011
What does the death of North Korean Leader Kim Jong Il mean for North Korea, China and the surrounding region? In addition to potentially bringing a dangerous period of transition for northeast Asia as his youngest son takes the reins, an article in the Wall Street Journal points out that China “has long worried that a collapse of the regime in Pyongyang could bring South Korean and U.S. troops perilously close to its border.”
Here are three news articles from the Wall Street Journal that discuss the impact of the North Korean leader’s death, particularly as it relates to China and the surrounding region. North Korean Leader Kim Jong Il is Dead http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204791104577107922829964182.html Pyongyang's Uncertainty Hangs Over Region http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204879004577107932871454536.html China Reactions to Kim Jong Il's Death http://blogs.wsj.com/chinarealtime/2011/12/19/the-emoticons-have-it-chinese-reactions-to-kim-jong-ils-death/?mod=WSJBlog&mod=chinablog
Posted by
Randy
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December 13, 2011
The Wall Street Journal reports today that U.S. intelligence agencies have identified many of the Chinese groups that are responsible for cyberspying in the U.S., including groups connected to China's People's Liberation Army and other non-military groups.
The article notes that "the National Security Agency has determined the identities of individuals working in these groups, which is a critical development that provides the U.S. the option of confronting the Chinese government more directly about the activity or responding with a counterattack, according to former officials briefed on the effort.” Read the full article here. A separate piece in the New York Times this weekend detailed how Chinese spies have infiltrated and undermined the U.S. government over the last 15-20 years, asserting that our intelligence agencies must "rethink their priorities and shift their focus, resources and energy eastward to counter China’s spies. If not, more secrets like the W-88 nuclear warhead will continue to find their way to Beijing.” Weigh in with your thoughts on these articles. How do you think Washington's priorities must shift to address China's cyberspying efforts?
Posted by
Randy
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December 12, 2011
A new report from Dean Cheng and Bruce Klingner from the Heritage Foundation asserts that defense budget cuts will devastate America's commitment to the Asia-Pacific region.
Despite these facts, we face the possibility of a total of $1 trillion in cuts to national defense as a result of the Congressional “Super Committee’s” failure to reach an agreement on the federal deficit. I share the concerns outlined in this report - if these drastic defense cuts were to take place, it would cripple our commitment to the Asia-Pacific region and place China on a dangerous trajectory. |
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