Bankrupt NATO & Obama sucks thumbs as Being Moscow celebrates

[obama.bin.laden]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/...ir-Putins-biggest-coup-has-come-in-China.html


Vladimir Putin's biggest coup has come in China
Russia's President has set in motion a potentially profound change in global gas markets

Russia's new pipeline to China could increase the cost we pay for natural gas here in the EU*Photo: Getty Images
By Telegraph staff8:42PM BST 21 May 20141 Comment
Russia’s President Vladimir Putin has delt his opponents in the West a significant blow by signing one of the biggest energy deals in history.
Worth an estimated $400bn (£237bn) over a period of 30 years, the agreement with China will link gas fields deep in the wastes of Siberia via huge cross-border pipelines with some of the Asia’s fastest growing cities.
In one stroke of his pen, Mr Putin has turned the tables on the US, which had hoped to unleash its own energy weapon on Russia in the form of exporting shale gas to Europe and opening up its 700bn-barrel Strategic Petroleum Reserve. Both measures would undermine the Kremlin’s vice-like grip on European energy supply and add to the economic pressure building on Russia to backdown over Ukraine.
However, by opening up access to potentially the world’s biggest energy market in Asia by 2018, Mr Putin has also set in motion a potentially profound change in global gas markets. The economics behind many multi-billion-dollar liquified natural gas (LNG) projects aimed at feeding Asia’s energy demand suddenly don’t add up so well either. Eventually, the free flow of gas between East and West could even lead to British consumers paying more for their energy bills as utilities have to compete for gas with Asia.
Aled Jones, director of the Global Sustainability Institute at Anglia Ruskin University, has pointed out that the 38bn cubic metres per year of gas that Russia has agreed to supply China is greater than the 34bn cubic metres that Moscow currently supplies Europe annually. In effect, the deal with China reduces Russia’s dependence on Europe as the main market for its gas.

 

[obama.bin.laden]

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/apr/23/putin-military-exercises-ukraine-border


Putin's military exercises are more than a game
Russia is using military exercises along Ukraine border as a deliberate provocation, aimed at intimidation and destabilisation

Ukraine: US and Russia move troops into position

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Ewen MacAskill
Ewen MacAskill, defence and security correspondent
theguardian.com, Wednesday 23 April 2014 17.55 BST
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A Russian anti-submarine ship at a Navy base in the town of Kronstadt near St Petersburg
A Russian anti-submarine ship at a Navy base in the town of Kronstadt near St Petersburg. Photograph: Alexander Demianchuk/REUTERS

Russia announced on Wednesday it was conducting military exercises in the Rostov region, bordering Ukraine. But this is no exercise, rather the use of military muscle, a deliberate provocation and the latest in a series of such manoeuvres by the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, aimed at intimidation and destabilisation.

The days when Russia conducted military exercises or played war games simply to get their troops in a state of readiness have long gone. The manoeuvres in Rostov were announced soon after a snap naval exercise in the Caspian Sea. Both are aimed at heightening tension and come after weeks of "exercises" along the Ukrainian border.

Other countries too use military exercises and war games to send messages, exert pressure or to issue threats. The US sends its fleets all round the world, from the Persian Gulf to the South China Sea, and North Korea conducts regular war games, and there is nothing playful about them.

Russia's Rostov exercises border the most troubled part of the Ukraine, close to areas of unrest such as Donetsk. According to Russian military analysts, it is not a traditional area for manoeuvres.

Military exercises date back to at least Frederick the Great in the 18th century. He is famous for the repeated drilling that made the Prussian army so formidable.

During the cold war, both Russia and Nato conducted large-scale military exercises in preparation for a possible world war three. With the end of the cold car, and with the US and other Nato forces engaged in real wars – in Iraq and Afghanistan – the need for elaborate war games diminished.

But Putin has made military exercises part of his Ukraine campaign, a "disguised warfare" strategy that sees troops massed along the border combined with stirring unrest among Russian sympathisers, possibly backed by Russian special forces. It has led to the annexation of the Crimea and is helping to destabilise population pockets in eastern Ukraine.

A former Nato commander, retired US admiral James Stavridis, said in the New York Times: "It is a significant shift in how Russian ground forces approach a problem. They have played their hand with great finesse."

One of the advantages of military exercises, like the use of special forces, is that the real intent is deniable. Putin can claim that they are simply conducting drills.

Ian Morris, author of the newly-published War: the Role of Conflict in Civilisation from Primates to Robots, told the Guardian: "Military exercises can be whatever you want them to be. Sometimes they're a way to send a message, a bit like the Mafia putting a horse's head in your bed. Sometimes, though, 'exercises' are a cover for mobilising for an invasion, as the Russians have recently shown."

Morris, a professor at Stanford University in California, said that such war games can be risky, leading to uncertainty over whether they are designed to keep troops on their toes or cover for mobilising for an invasion.

"The problem is that it can be hard to tell which is which. They came close to nuclear war in November 1983 because the Soviets thought a Nato exercise was a warm-up for an attack," Morris said.

Stanislav Petrov, the Russian deputy chief for combat algorithms at Serpukhov-15, the nerve centre of the Soviet Union's early warning system, had to make a decision about whether to launch a counter-strike after computers showed supposed incoming missile attacks. In reality, it was a war game by the US exploring the opening exchanges of a nuclear war.

Brigadier Ben Barry, an army specialist at defence thinktank the International Institute for Strategic Studies, which has offices in Washington and London, said confidence-building measures had been put in place since the 1980s. But there were no such confidence-building measures today on the Korean Peninsula, one of the most dangerous flashpoints in world.

South Korean forces conduct joint exercises with the US and "this can spook the North Koreans because some of the things done are picked up by North Korean intelligence and can look like a surprise attack," Barry explained.

In March, North Korea fired shells into South Korean waters and announced plans to conduct military exercises along the territorial boundary.

But Barry saw one hopeful sign. "Unlike the burst of rhetoric from North Korea before last year's joint US-South Korean exercises, the North Koreans had notified the South Koreans of the area where they planned to fire. It was a useful thing to do in terms of de-escalation," Barry said.

The US and its Nato allies, including Britain, carry out regular joint military exercises with partners around the world, where the aim is to build good relations, learn more about different regions and to be better prepared for when a crisis arises.

But Putin has shown the limitations of this. The problem for the US and its Nato partners is that Putin can use the strategy he has employed in the Ukraine elsewhere, over and over again.

The Caspian Sea naval war games expand the crisis beyond the border of Ukraine, throwing up a new threat, the potential to create trouble in Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan, or at the very least, there is the potential disruption of oil supplies.

The US is sending 600 troops to Poland and the Baltic countries, also for "exercises". But the US and Nato lack the will or manpower to do much in response to the Ukraine crisis other than impose economic sanctions and conduct joint military exercises of their own, which do not hold the same sense of menace as Putin's.

 

[obama.bin.laden]

http://english.cri.cn/6909/2014/04/30/2702s824422.htm

China, Russia to Hold War Games Around Diaoyu Islands
2014-04-30 11:37:23 CRIENGLISH.com Web Editor: Mao

China and Russia have agreed to conduct a joint naval drill at the end of May in the East China Sea, according to a Russian media report.

A Russian military commission has arrived in Shanghai to have a final consultation on details of the operation.

The "Joint Sea-2014" drill marks the first time the two countries have agreed to hold military exercises in waters off the Diaoyu Islands.

Twenty-odd warships, including a Russian missile cruiser, a destroyer, a comprehensive supply ship and one ocean tug, will take part in the war games.

Both Russian and Chinese armed forces will polish their skills in joint air-defense, anti-submarine and maritime replenishment.

Russian fleets will set out from Vladivostok in mid-May around the time when Russian President Vladimir Putin visits Shanghai

 

[obama.bin.laden]

http://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1516768/china-russia-start-joint-naval-exercise

China, Russia start joint naval exercise

naval-rucn-a.jpg

Chinese President Xi Jinping (left) and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin shake hands with members of the naval forces from both sides before the launch ceremony of the China-Russia Joint Sea-2014 exercise at Wusong naval port in Shanghai. Photo: Xinhua

China and Russia started a week-long naval exercise in the politically sensitive East China Sea yesterday.

Chinese and Russian units taking part in the Joint Sea-2014 drill will be combined rather than operating separately during the exercise, the first time the Chinese navy has worked so closely with a foreign maritime force, according to Beijing-based naval expert Li Jie. "The mixed confrontation and drill means the exercises will operate more like a real battle," said Li. "It shows the two countries' strategic partnership has entered a high level of cooperation and coordination, even though both Beijing and Moscow insist they are not military allies."

Macau-based military observer Antony Wong Dong said China and Russia had learned from the example of Western countries' joint naval drills, including Nato, where forces were mixed together. It indicated that trust between Beijing and Moscow was increasing.

The drill, in the northern part of the East China Sea, ends on Monday. Forces including 14 ships, two submarines, nine fixed-wing aircraft and six shipboard helicopters will take part, according to a report on the PLA Navy's website.

China and Russia has launched a week-long joint naval drill in the East China Sea, where China has territorial dispute with its neighbouring country Japan. Photo: Xinhua

China and Russia have sent ships including the Chinese navy's latest-generation Zhengzhou and Ningbo missile destroyers as well as Moscow's Varyag missile cruiser. The Type-052C destroyer Zhengzhou is the first PLA warship to be equipped with long-range missiles and detection equipment to combat enemy aircraft and military vessels.

The warships would be divided into three flotillas, with submarines and ships confronting each other, Tian Zhong , the officer directing the drill for China's navy told Xinhua.

The PLA Navy conducted a similar mixed-forces drill last month with seven countries in waters off the coast of Qingdao in Shandong province, but Li said the exercises were more a symbolic gesture of cooperation rather than full-blown naval manoeuvres. Nineteen ships and seven helicopters were divided into three forces during the exercises.

China and Russia's naval units would practise defensive and attacking manoeuvres, carrying out escorts, search and rescue operations, and storming hijacked ships, Xinhua reported.

They will also hold a joint operation to identify aircraft flying over the East China Sea, where Beijing announced an air identification zone in November.

Li said the training showed Russia supported China's move to set up the zone, which requires overseas aircraft to alert the Chinese authorities of their flight plans.

Wong said this was overstated as it was routine to practise aircraft identification during naval drills to ensure civilian planes were not targeted.

"What is a fact, is that both China and Russia have upgraded the annual Joint Sea drill since it was first started three years ago," said Wong.

Beijing and Tokyo are embroiled in an increasingly bitter dispute over the ownership of a group of eight uninhabited islands in the East China Sea, called the Diaoyus in China and the Senkakus in Japan.

Vladimir Putin (left) thanked Jiang Zemin for his contributions to Sino-Russian ties.

Putin meets former Chinese president Jiang

Russian President Vladimir Putin held talks yesterday with his retired Chinese counterpart Jiang Zemin. The meeting in Shanghai happened after Putin met current leader Xi Jinping in the morning.

The reappearance of Jiang on the diplomatic scene comes at a sensitive time, as Xi has been pushing a widespread anti-corruption campaign that is perceived to be targeting some former Communist Party elites and their protégés. In recent weeks, many retired senior political figures have made public appearances - a gesture often meant to show support for current leaders or to reassure their own protégés.

By early last night, there was no media report or official statement about what Jiang had said to Putin. But in July, Jiang, 87, gave Xi his full backing during a meeting with former US secretary of state Henry Kissinger.

Putin thanked Jiang for his contribution to Sino-Russian relations during the meeting and said his policy would be inherited by the current Chinese leadership, according to RIA Novosti's Chinese website.

"I would like to thank you once again for having given such an influential stimulus to bilateral ties," Putin was quoted as saying. "Hu Jintao and Xi Jinping have done a great deal for the development of bilateral relations."

The Voice of Russia also said Putin told Jiang that Russia and China saw eye-to-eye on most issues. "We have no disagreements. On the contrary, we have vast plans that we are fully determined to translate into reality," Putin was reported to have said.

Hu is not scheduled to meet Putin.

Zhang Ming , a political commentator affiliated with Renmin University, said Jiang's experience studying in Russia and ability to speak Russian made him closer to Putin. He said Jiang had deviated from the norm for retired leaders by meeting Putin. "But he did, as a gesture to show he remains in political power," Zhang said.

Another Beijing-based commentator, Zhang Lifan , said Jiang may need to make such appearances to signify that his faction, the "Shanghai clan", was not losing power. "Jiang's appearance may also be a signal that Xi is still not completely in control of everything,"

Staff Reporters

 

[steffychun]

Obama has no balls while Xi and Putin has combined testicles.

 

[frenchbriefs]

damn right with russia military power and china economic might,the battle of cold war has only just begun!!!!

[video=youtube;9WqwFhX6Cqg]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9WqwFhX6Cqg[/video]

 

[vtran2684]

damn right with russia military power and china economic might,the battle of cold war has only just begun!!!!

[video=youtube;9WqwFhX6Cqg]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9WqwFhX6Cqg[/video]

no longer Cold. super hot.

 

[rodent2005]

Oh pls don't blame Obama bin Laden, after all he is just a community organizer, what does he know about adult stuff?

To rescue the 400 Christian girls kidnapped by Boko Haram, he unleashed the deadliest response ... HASHTAG! So in response to Putin's move, he could come here and post something real nasty about Putin. Yup, that ought to do the trick.

 

[tonychat]

These 2 countries , although still developing, but got more power than USA...wahahhaha

 

[laksaboy]

Putin vs Obama:

http://www.tomatobubble.com/putin_obama.html

Putin sits like a man:

Obama...

 

[Cestbon]

These 2 countries , although still developing, but got more power than USA...wahahhaha

Money $$$ talk. Russia and China have more money and surplus budget every year.
USA is technically bankrupt country. Every year need to issue IOU(bond) >> future cheque may be bounce cheque in future.

 

[Sinkie]

Support China and Russia......no regrets.

 

[steffychun]

Oh pls don't blame Obama bin Laden, after all he is just a community organizer, what does he know about adult stuff?

To rescue the 400 Christian girls kidnapped by Boko Haram, he unleashed the deadliest response ... HASHTAG! So in response to Putin's move, he could come here and post something real nasty about Putin. Yup, that ought to do the trick.

he's sending 80 troops.

 

[steffychun]

Support China and Russia......no regrets.

PAP doing that...LKY gets Russian award, LKY invite PRCs here.

 

[ILovePAP]

PAP doing that...LKY gets Russian award, LKY invite PRCs here.

Izzzit? :oIo:

 

[devilblue]

Support China and Russia......no regrets.

Technically, the US knew it has left with only 10+ years of global advantage over China. Therefore, be expected to see more of US and China sour & sweet relationship affairs one after another. The US will try all sorts of funny, desperate and weird tricks to contain China that you could ever imagined.

The US empire exceed in playing in boxing ring or cowboy's duet revolver games where raw and brute force is visible. However, once the ring or revolver is removed, US becomes dis-orientated.

Things shall simmered down when US finally realised they are no more absolute global number one, they become withdrawal and focused more rebuilding domestic affairs.

 

[steffychun]

US still has nuclear weapons but dare not use them. Russia and China will dare.

 

[devilblue]

US still has nuclear weapons but dare not use them. Russia and China will dare.

Nuclear weapon is only good for nation boundary demarcations and prestige showing. Neither US or Russia or China will dare to be the first user in any conflict.

It is best effective when shown on pictures or videos. North Korea, Pakistan, India and Israel knew this very well.

 

[ILovePAP]

US still has nuclear weapons but dare not use them. Russia and China will dare.

Your Cheebye can fire Nuclear weapons ah :oIo:

 

[winners]

Russia is the loser end of this deal. They are getting much lesser price for their gas from China than from the EU, despite the longer pipelines needed to be constructed. The Chinks are taking advantage of the current desperate fund raising by Putin by pressing their bargaining prices even lower. Even the Russian gas company is contemplating for a listing on the SGX to raise funds. Oh, those poor Russians being taken for a ride by the Chinks now. History has proven that Commie countries can never collaborate for the long term as both have the same objective to take advantage of the other where possible.

What price 'cheaper' gas from Russia?

Moscow could reap gains in the long term from Chinese investment, energy market
Published on May 23, 2014 1:40 AM


By Grace Ng China Correspondent In Beijing

CHINA is likely to have driven a hard bargain for cheaper gas from Russia before sealing a long-awaited deal, but the Russians could reap longer-term benefits from gaining a new market for their energy exports and Chinese investment in power infrastructure.

Both sides can also expect to garner some approval back home for securing an arrangement that allows them to diversify away from a reliance on Western markets amid rising geopolitical tensions, say analysts.

The details of the 30-year contract inked on Wednesday, which will see Russia supply 38 billion cubic metres of gas to China annually, have not been released. Russian President Vladimir Putin did say that both sides were "pleased by the compromise reached on price and other terms".

The deal had been in limbo for about a decade even though both sides recognised the need for such a partnership.

"Russia has a huge resource base in its east, and right across the border in China is a complementary huge energy demand. The fact that this deal hasn't happened for 10 years is what is surprising," said Ms Holly Morrow, a Fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School's Geopolitics of Energy Project.

"I think the Chinese have been frustrated that they have not been able to get more energy cooperation from Russia," she added, noting that China needs natural gas to fuel its economy and help wean its people off highly polluting coal.

The sticking point in negotiations had been the pricing: Beijing held out for the cheapest possible cost, and leveraged on its relatively low-priced import deals signed earlier with Central Asian suppliers such as Kyrgyzstan - reportedly averaging about US$200 (S$250) per 1,000 cu m.

But Moscow wanted a price equal to or higher than what it was charging Europe, its primary market. It cited the higher cost of delivering the gas across rough terrain from Siberia to China's coastal hubs via a pipeline still to be built, the Beijing News Daily reported.

The daily quoted researcher Sun Yongxiang at the Development Research Centre of the State Council as saying that Russia asked for US$388 per 1,000 cu m while the Chinese offered US$380, which is also roughly the price for European customers.

But industry estimates cited by Reuters put the final price as closer to US$350. The gas contract will cover a little more than half of the 70 billion cu m envisaged under a bilateral framework agreement in 2009.

Some analysts question whether even a US$350 price represents the most favourable term for Beijing, given that the full details of the agreement are unknown, and China would only start to receive gas supplies around 2020, when it would be difficult to pinpoint energy prices.

But in any case, Beijing was likely to have maximised its advantage to secure a satisfactory deal as it has the upper hand in negotiations with Russia, which is under pressure to woo new partners in the East, say some analysts.

After all, its key customers in Europe are scaling back their reliance on Russian gas after Moscow's seizure of Crimea from Ukraine prompted the West to threaten sanctions, noted analyst Ren Haoming at research house CIConsulting, adding that "Russia urgently needs China's full political and economic support".

China also will provide US$20 billion to finance development of gas and energy infrastructure.

Rather than focusing on which side gained more in economic terms from the deal, both should look at the broader implications of the partnership for their national security interests, argue experts such as Professor Lin Boqiang of Xiamen University's China Centre for Energy Economics Research.

Breaking the 10-year impasse allows China to move forward in ensuring smooth supplies of clean energy from diverse sources to reduce its reliance on the West. Last year, China consumed about 170 billion cu m of natural gas and this is forecast to rise to 420 billion cu m by 2020.

Dr Charles Ebinger, director of the Energy Security Initiative at Brookings Institution in Washington, said the deal "shows quite dramatically that the Russians are seriously looking at alternative markets".

"I think it's a setback for US foreign policy because it means any kind of sanction will have a lot less impact," he told The Straits Times.

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- See more at: http://www.straitstimes.com/premium...aper-gas-russia-20140523#sthash.6ykU9mzj.dpuf