Chinese Foreign Policy: A Chronology April - June 2009 - Defence ...

warnings and information disclosure in the financial services. Indian political scientist SKGupta told Xinhua that the BRIC leaders are expected to discuss such issues as the futureorientation of cooperation and ways of handling future financial crises with less reliance onthe US dollar. Indian political analyst Ajay Singh said the BRIC countries are playing a moreimportant role in reshaping today's global economic structure. Lev Frainkman, an expert atRussia's Institute for the Economy in Transition warned that the world's emerging economies,including the four BRIC countries, would have conflicts of interests with the developednations. Sergei Aleksashenko from Moscow's Higher School of Economics (HSE), said thatthe BRIC countries could pool their respective resources to seek common development insuch areas as the aviation industry and software development. In a report in 2003, JimO'Neill (global head of economic research at Goldman Sachs) predicted that the worldeconomic structure would have been reshuffled by 2050, and the BRICs would overtakemost developed Western nations such as Britain, France, Italy and Germany and wouldstand with the United States and Japan to be the world's six major economies.14 June 2009 Beijing – Selling Jian-10 fighter jets overseas is discussed on CCTV-7"Defence Review Week", a 30-minute panel discussion programme on national defenceissues, by host Tang Jian, Air Force expert Song Xinzhi, and Associate Professor Li Li fromthe National Defence University. Song denied a report that China will offer its J-10 fighters ata discount - Song said it is just speculation on the part of the Americans, reflecting theirconcerns on the issue. Li added that the J-10 could be sold at a much cheaper pricecompared to other fighters with similar performance produced by western countries, whichwill hit the potential market for US fighters. She claimed the J-10 possesses manyoperational superiorities, such as its stronger mid-air mobility and ground attack capability,which are good for close-range encounter and joint army, navy and air force operations. Licited the US estimation that orders of up to 100 F-16 fighters may be affected. Li claimed thatof more importance to the United States will be the detrimental impact to its 'hegemony,' as itwill no longer be able to use arm sales to gain political control. Li further claimed that there isa potential market for 3,800 fighters in the next 10 years. She said such a huge market willbe taken by other nations if China does not do anything. After the Zhuhai Airshow in October2008, “many countries requested to purchase J-10 after being impressed with itsperformance”. Song was much less optimistic – he pointed out that the United States andRussia have occupied the bulk of the market for third-generation fighters, and it isquestionable if countries already owning such fighters would want to buy from China. Inaddition, China will also have to add in the R&D expenditure for J-10 when selling it to theother countries, just as the United States does. Song does not believe the US claim thatChina will export J-10 and subsequently enjoy a substantial market share.15 June 2009 Yekaterinburg - President Hu Jintao met his Pakistani counterpart Asif AliZardari: both agreed to push forward the China-Pakistan Strategic Cooperative Partnership.China has decided to provide 60 million yuan (about $8.82 million) in additional aid to helpthe Pakistani government settle homeless civilians. China had previously offered $1 million incash as well as materials worth 30 million yuan (about $4.4 million) in humanitarian aid toPakistan to help the settlement of homeless civilians. Hu made clear that China appreciatesPakistan's support on issues concerning China's national security and core interests. Inreturn, Zardari emphasised that his government attaches “great importance to concerns ofthe Chinese side and Pakistan remains firmly opposed to terrorism”. This suggests that adeal has been made concerning China’s muslim terrorist-members of ETIM, whom Chinaaccuses of having participated in training camps in Pakistan. Pakistan has previouslyreturned detained suspects to China.President Hu Jintao discussed bilateral ties with Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiev. Humade clear that the two sides also work together, to combat the “three evil forces ofterrorism, separatism and extremism in order to facilitate regional security”. Bakiev said thatKyrgyzstan appreciates China's aid for its economic and social development.108