GCIS INTELLIGENCE BRIEFING: BRICS Make Move to Shove Dollar Aside

 

ISSUED BY: GCIS Communications Command Center

SOURCE: Yahoo Finance

18April2011 12:08pmEST

GCIS INTELLIGENCE UPDATE:  China and four other leading high-growth economies have taken landmark steps toward lowering the importance of the dollar in international financial transactions — part of a seminal shift in the move towards a multicurrency reserve and trading system.

Mind you, you wouldn't get an idea of anything dramatic from reading the official Chinese press on the conclusion of a summit meeting of the so-called BRICS economies (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) in the southern resort twin of Sanya in southern China last week.

"Leaders call for peace and prosperity" was the front-page headline in the China Daily. Stirring stiff. Even more striking was the prominent story the previous day that China's President Hu Jintao and visiting Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff had agreed to quicken trade procedures for "gelatin, corn, tobacco leaf, bovine embryos and semen." At least we know there's no holding back the Chinese rhetorical flourishes on these issues. (read full report)

"GCIS INTELLIGENCE UPDATE" is an intelligence briefing presented by Griffith Colson Intelligence Service, and provided to the public for informative purposes only. All subject matter is credited to it's source of origin, and is not intended to represent original content authored by GCIS, it's partners or affiliates. All opinions presented are those of the author, and not necessarily those of GCIS or it's partners.

GCIS INTELLIGENCE BRIEFING: AirSea Battle Concept Is Focused On China

 

ISSUED BY: GCIS Communications Command Center

SOURCE: Aviation Week

08April2011 9:00amEST

GCIS INTELLIGENCE UPDATE: It is no revelation that long-term U.S. Air Force and Navy planning is focused on China. But while some innovations are underway, like the unmanned combat aerial system (UCAS), U.S. options in response to Chinese threats largely do not include the rapid development and deployment of major new weapons, especially with limited research, development and procurement resources under increasing budget pressure. The emerging AirSea Battle concept, consequently, relies on the reorientation of current programs and the use of networking to ensure freedom of operation in anti-access/area denial (A2/AD) environments. (read full report)

"GCIS INTELLIGENCE UPDATE" is an intelligence briefing presented by Griffith Colson Intelligence Service, and provided to the public for informative purposes only. All subject matter is credited to it's source of origin, and is not intended to represent original content authored by GCIS, it's partners or affiliates. All opinions presented are those of the author, and not necessarily those of GCIS or it's partners.

GCIS INTELLIGENCE BRIEFING: China’s Military Self-Assurance

 

ISSUED BY: GCIS Communications Command Center

SOURCE: The Diplomat

05April2011 3:00amEST

GCIS INTELLIGENCE UPDATE:  Assessing China’s domestic achievements and reviewing the international lay of the land last October, President Hu Jintao declared to the Chinese Communist Party’s Central Committee that the country was still in a period of ‘strategic opportunity.' Almost six months later, and it’s clear from the latest defence white paper that military planners agree.

The paper, released Thursday, places significant emphasis on the importance of China’s growing economic prowess. There is inevitably the familiar lament over US arms sales to Taiwan, the United States’ involvement in the Asia-Pacific and the reinforcement of US military alliances in the region. But the watchword in what is an extremely upbeat assessment of the country’s national strength is ‘economy.’ This isn’t to say that China isn’t fully aware of the perceived threat that its unprecedented economic growth has created – it’s clear from the paper and elsewhere that it is. But it’s also hardly surprising that China is feeling ever more confident after successfully weathering the turbulent economic waters that the global economy has faced in recent years. (read full report)

"GCIS INTELLIGENCE UPDATE" is an intelligence briefing presented by Griffith Colson Intelligence Service, and provided to the public for informative purposes only. All subject matter is credited to it's source of origin, and is not intended to represent original content authored by GCIS, it's partners or affiliates. All opinions presented are those of the author, and not necessarily those of GCIS or it's partners.

GCIS INTELLIGENCE BRIEFING: Ai Weiwei Held in Crackdown

ISSUED BY: GCIS Communications Command Center

SOURCE: The Diplomat

04April2011 8:00amEST

GCIS INTELLIGENCE UPDATE:  Some are calling it the worst crackdown in a decade. And this weekend, Chinese officials continued their campaign of detaining and jailing dissidents and rights activists in an apparent effort to prevent a repeat of the democratic awakenings in the Arab world.

It began in the middle of February, after first the Tunisian president and then Egypt’s Hosni Mubarak had been swept from power by popular demonstrations. In mid-February a call went out on the Boxun website for China’s own Jasmine rallies, a call that was met with a show of force in Beijing and elsewhere at designated rally points as security forces swarmed the areas.

But not content with stamping out these proposed gatherings, reports suggest that more than 200 activists are currently under house arrest, while more than two dozen have been jailed. Dozens more have simply ‘disappeared.’ (read full report)

"GCIS INTELLIGENCE UPDATE" is an intelligence briefing presented by Griffith Colson Intelligence Service, and provided to the public for informative purposes only. All subject matter is credited to it's source of origin, and is not intended to represent original content authored by GCIS, it's partners or affiliates. All opinions presented are those of the author, and not necessarily those of GCIS or it's partners.

GCIS INTELLIGENCE BRIEFING: China clamps down further on Internet to prevent unrest

 

ISSUED BY: GCIS Communications Command Center

SOURCE: Homeland Security NewsWire

31March2011 10:02pmEST

GCIS INTELLIGENCE UPDATE: The Chinese government has eyed the protests sweeping across the Middle East and North Africa with growing unease; to quash the prospect of wide spread protests at home, the government has increasingly clamped down on the Internet and other forms of communication; access to Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter have been blocked while government agents are more carefully monitoring cellphone calls, electronic messages, and emails; residents say they have never seen such high levels of censorship before. (read full report)

"GCIS INTELLIGENCE UPDATE" is an intelligence briefing presented by Griffith Colson Intelligence Service, and provided to the public for informative purposes only. All subject matter is credited to it's source of origin, and is not intended to represent original content authored by GCIS, it's partners or affiliates. All opinions presented are those of the author, and not necessarily those of GCIS or it's partners.

GCIS INTELLIGENCE BRIEFING: 'America’s Navy and the rise of China'

ISSUED BY: GCIS Communications Command Center

SOURCE: The Washington Post

By George Will

24March2011 9:00amEST

GCIS INTELLIGENCE UPDATE: Scholars at the Naval War College here probably nodded in vigorous agreement with a recent lecture delivered at another military institution 130 miles away.

Speaking at West Point to leaders of tomorrow’s Army, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said that “any future defense secretary who advises the president to again send a big American land army into Asia or into the Middle East or Africa should ‘have his head examined,’ as General MacArthur so delicately put it.” This underscored Gates’s point that “the most plausible, high-end scenarios for the U.S. military are primarily naval and air engagements — whether in Asia, the Persian Gulf or elsewhere.”

Here at this 127-year-old college, where the American practice of war-gaming began in 1887, the faculty members are professional worriers, especially about Asia, meaning China. Its naval doctrines, procurements and deployments invite inferences about its geopolitical intentions. Faculty members noted that when Libya descended into chaos, China sent a frigate through the Suez Canal to be in position to assist Chinese nationals in distress. This was the first time the People’s Republic had positioned a high-end combatant ship for a possible evacuation. (read full report)

"GCIS INTELLIGENCE UPDATE" is an intelligence briefing presented by Griffith Colson Intelligence Service, and provided to the public for informative purposes only. All subject matter is credited to it's source of origin, and is not intended to represent original content authored by GCIS, it's partners or affiliates. All opinions presented are those of the author, and not necessarily those of GCIS or it's partners.

GCIS INTELLIGENCE BRIEFING: Heavy Police Presence Thwarts Call for Anti-Government Protests in China

ISSUED BY: GCIS Communications Command Center

SOURCE: Global Security

28February2011 6:58pmEST

GCIS INTELLIGENCE UPDATE: China put on a display of force Sunday following an on-line call for anti-government protests across the nation. Several foreign journalists were physically assaulted and detained, including two VOA reporters. Security officials are determined to put down any signs of the kind of unrest that has shaken the Middle East.

Chinese security forces were deployed following the second on-line call in a week urging peaceful protests against Communist Party rule.

Hundreds of uniformed and plain-clothed police officers patrolled expected protest sites in China's two main cities, Beijing and Shanghai.

Police removed five men gathering at a planned protest site in Shanghai.

In Beijing's main shopping and tourist district, close to Tiananmen Square, several foreign journalists were physically assaulted and detained. Many were ordered to destroy film footage and photographs. (read full report)

"GCIS INTELLIGENCE UPDATE" is an intelligence briefing presented by Griffith Colson Intelligence Service, and provided to the public for informative purposes only. All subject matter is credited to it's source of origin, and is not intended to represent original content authored by GCIS, it's partners or affiliates. All opinions presented are those of the author, and not necessarily those of GCIS or it's partners.

GCIS INTELLIGENCE BRIEFING: China says population has passed 1.34 billion

ISSUED BY: GCIS Communications Command Center

SOURCE: Federal News Radio

28February2011 8:30amEST

GCIS INTELLIGENCE UPDATE: BEIJING (AP) – China says its population grew to more than 1.34 billion people last year.

The figure marks a rise from 2000's tally of 1.295 billion people, which failed to count migrant workers living in cities for less than six months.

In the 10 years since, there has been an extensive shift in the population base as tens of millions of migrant workers have poured into urban areas looking for work. (read full report)

"GCIS INTELLIGENCE UPDATE" is an intelligence briefing presented by Griffith Colson Intelligence Service, and provided to the public for informative purposes only. All subject matter is credited to it's source of origin, and is not intended to represent original content authored by GCIS, it's partners or affiliates. All opinions presented are those of the author, and not necessarily those of GCIS or it's partners.

GCIS INTELLIGENCE BRIEFING: China sends navy ship to protect Libya evacuees

ISSUED BY: GCIS Communications Command Center

SOURCE: Canadian Press

26February2011 2:00pmEST

GCIS INTELLIGENCE UPDATE: BEIJING, China — China is taking the unprecedented step of dispatching a navy ship to protect its citizens being evacuated from conflict-ridden Libya — underscoring the navy's growing capabilities and Beijing's need to protect its citizens abroad.

The missile frigate Xuzhou was ordered to break off from anti-piracy patrols in the Gulf of Aden and is sailing toward Libya, the Defence Ministry said in a notice reported by state media Friday. It's orders are to protect ships carrying Chinese expatriates to safety, the notice issued Thursday said. No details were given.

The ship's mission, approved by the Central Military Commission headed by President Hu Jintao, marks the first time China's entaglement-wary leaders have ever sent a navy ship to take part in the evacuation of civilians.

Traditionally, China has shied away from missions that could be interpreted as projecting military power abroad, although such qualms began to melt away in Dec. 2008, when it dispatched the first of seven naval squadrons to the Gulf of Aden to take part in anti-piracy patrols around lawless Somalia. (read full report)

"GCIS INTELLIGENCE UPDATE" is an intelligence briefing presented by Griffith Colson Intelligence Service, and provided to the public for informative purposes only. All subject matter is credited to it's source of origin, and is not intended to represent original content authored by GCIS, it's partners or affiliates. All opinions presented are those of the author, and not necessarily those of GCIS or it's partners.

GCIS INTELLIGENCE BRIEFING: China Rattled by Middle Eastern Events

ISSUED BY: GCIS Communications Command Center

SOURCE: Israel National News

25February2011 5:00pmEST

GCIS INTELLIGENCE UPDATE: Coverage of the tumultuous events in the Middle East in the official Chinese press has gone through a few iterations. At first, the policy was no coverage or at best laconic coverage. Lately, due to internet postings and official nervousness the tone has changed to ' why it can't happen here' and 'why it must not happen here'.

Anonymous groups have posted comments on Chinese dissident websites outside of China calling for a Jasmine Revolution in China. China's web censors, or what is unlovingly referred to as the "Great Chinese firewall," have managed to keep the site off-limits to most of the population, but where there are geeks there is a way. The wannabe Chinese revolutionaries have denounced the trampling of constitutional rights, the corruption and the cronyism endemic in China.

China's leaders were so alarmed that Chinese President Hu Jintao told party leaders that it was necessary to exert greater control over "virtual society" and provide guidance in "healthy directions". (read full report)

"GCIS INTELLIGENCE UPDATE" is an intelligence briefing presented by Griffith Colson Intelligence Service, and provided to the public for informative purposes only. All subject matter is credited to it's source of origin, and is not intended to represent original content authored by GCIS, it's partners or affiliates. All opinions presented are those of the author, and not necessarily those of GCIS or it's partners.

GCIS INTELLIGENCE BRIEFING: 'China ready to go to war to safeguard national interests'

ISSUED BY: GCIS Communications Command Center

SOURCE: IntelliBriefs

14February2011 12:10pmEST

GCIS INTELLIGENCE UPDATE:  BEIJING – Terming US attempts to woo India and other neighbours of China as "unbearable," an article in a Communist party magazine has said that Beijing must send a "clear signal" to these countries that it is ready to go to war to safeguard its national interests.

The article published in the Qiushi Journal, the official publication of the ruling Communist Party of China (CPC) said China must adhere to a basic strategic principle of not initiating war but being ready to counterattack.

"We must send a clear signal to our neighbouring countries that we don't fear war, and we are prepared at any time to go to war to safeguard our national interests," the article said, suggesting an aggressive strategy to counter emerging US alliances in the region. (read full report)

 

 

"GCIS INTELLIGENCE UPDATE" is an intelligence briefing presented by Griffith Colson Intelligence Service, and provided to the public for informative purposes only. All subject matter is credited to it's source of origin, and is not intended to represent original content authored by GCIS, it's partners or affiliates. All opinions presented are those of the author, and not necessarily those of GCIS or it's partners.

GCIS INTELLIGENCE BRIEFING: US seeks expanded military ties with India, China

ISSUED BY: GCIS Communications Command Center

SOURCE: Hindustan Times

09February2011 8:55amEST

GCIS INTELLIGENCE UPDATE: The United States, as part of a new military strategy, is seeking "expanded military cooperation with India" and a "positive, cooperative, and comprehensive relationship with China", the world's "two rising powers." "As military capability and capacity increases in Asia, we will seek new ways to catalyse greater regional security cooperation," said the revised National Military Strategy calling for redefining leadership in a changing world.
The document released here Tuesday is the first revision since 2004 of the ways and means that the military will advance US national interests.

A senior military official speaking on background said the Asia-Pacific will be of greater importance. "There are two rising powers – India and China – and a number of regionally powerful nations," he said.

There may be a migration of US capabilities in the region. "That may not necessarily mean more troops, but the distribution may change," he said. (read full report)

 

 

 

"GCIS INTELLIGENCE UPDATE" is an intelligence briefing presented by Griffith Colson Intelligence Service, and provided to the public for informative purposes only. All subject matter is credited to it's source of origin, and is not intended to represent original content authored by GCIS, it's advertisers or affiliates. All opinions presented are those of the author, and not necessarily those of GCIS or it's partners.

GCIS INTELLIGENCE BRIEFING: China's New Super-City Will Merge Nine Urban Centers into a Single, 16,000-Square-Mile Megatropolis

ISSUED BY: GCIS Communications Command Center

SOURCE: POPSCI

31January2011 5:03pmEST

GCIS INTELLIGENCE UPDATE: If you’re going to build the world’s biggest megatropolis in the world’s most populous country, you don’t start from scratch. You take nine existing population centers and merge them. At least, that’s the thinking behind the “Turn the Pearl River Delta Into One” initiative, which aims to do exactly that. Merging nine cities, China plans to create a 16,000-square-mile urban swath populated by 42 million people in the southeast near Hong Kong.

In terms of geography, the new mega-city will be roughly twice as big as New Jersey. More than 150 infrastructure projects costing some $300 billion will link the nine cities together over the next six years, reducing redundancies and bringing nearly ten percent of China’s economy under a single umbrella. (read full article)

The Pearl River Delta The new super-city will take in all the cities above (excepting Macau and Hong Kong), as well as Zhaoqing (due West of Foshan but out of frame. Croquant via Wikimedia