December 26:
The Ta Kung Pao reports that after years of "groping to catch up with the level of the West," the People's Liberation Army's (PLA) Navy has deployed the 052C Luhai-class guided missile destroyer, the so-called "China Aegis," for battle with Somali pirates. The Hong-Kong based newspaper reports that the 052C has the same basic hull design as its predecessor, the 052B, China's first "stealth destroyer," which boasted a variety of noise reduction measures including an air bubble curtain noise reduction system on the hull bottom, high-skewed five-bladed low noise propellers, sonar anechoic tiles on the bow, and nanometer stealth paint. The 052C's most valuable addition is four large, fixed, phased-array radar antennas installed on all four sides of the forecastle, a "brick panel array" configuration similar to that of the U.S.' Arleigh Burke-class Aegis destroyer. China's main source for the "brick panel array" technology was Ukraine, which has had naval cooperation with China since 1999. The 052C also features the Haihongqi-9 air defense missile system, which can simultaneously control six missiles attacking three to six targets and can employ two missiles one after the other in a repeat attack against an airborne target, with a launch interval of about five seconds. The Haihongqi-9's 1300kg missile maximum range is 120km and its maximum speed is Mach 6 for a total of 48 missiles.
December 29:
For the first time a military hotline has been established between Beijing and Moscow, the BBC reports. The phone link is designed for "timely communication on significant issues," since in huge bureaucracies it is not always easy to get to the right person in a timely fashion. Beijing can now pick up the phone when in the midst of a crisis and speak directly with the Russian leadership. By contrast, although President Bush and President Hu first agreed to set up a military hotline nearly three years ago, and despite a further deal signed between the two defense departments in February, progress on establishing a hotline between China's armed forces and the Pentagon appear to have stalled.
December 30:
The official People's Daily newspaper has written an article entitled "'Accountability' Downfall of Many Officials in 2008" detailing the year's various high level corruption scandals and the Communist Party of China's (CPC) efforts to combat them. Among those mentioned are Li Changjiang, former director of the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine, who stepped down in September in the tainted milk scandal, days after the resignation of Shanxi Governor Meng Xuenong following a deadly landslide triggered by the collapse of an illegal mining dump. In early December, the director of the construction bureau of Shijiazhuang, capital of Hebei Province, was removed from his post after six bureau officials were found gambling during work time. In southwestern Yunnan Province, 864 officials have been punished so far this year, while at least 279 in the northeastern Jilin Province have been punished since last November. The article notes that in response the Communist Party of China has cracked down. The CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection said in late December that authorities are drafting rules to intensify the accountability system. "There should be someone held responsible for serious infringement of public interests," said Han Yu, professor in the Party School of the CPC Hebei Provincial Committee.
December 31:
President Hu Jintao has become the first Chinese head of state to call for direct military exchanges with Taiwan. "The two sides can pick the right time to engage in exchanges on military issues and explore setting up a military and security mechanism to build mutual trust," Hu said in comments carried by Agence France Presse. This would help "improve the situation in the Taiwan Strait and lessen military and security concerns" he said in a speech broadcast live on national television. Taiwan's defense ministry gave no immediate reaction to Hu's remarks, but Taiwan's ruling party, the Kuomintang, issued a statement welcoming the remarks: "We have never relaxed in our efforts to seek the expanded space that Taiwan needs for its international activities, establishing a cross-Strait military confidence-building mechanism, and reaching a peaceful agreement," said the statement. In the speech Hu also urged Taiwan's pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party, the island's main opposition force, to "clearly understand the situation and stop secessionist activities. If the party could abandon its 'Taiwan independence' stance, we would make a positive response," he said. The DPP rejected Hu's overtures, saying Beijing's position had long been the stumbling block in relations. In a statement, the party said: "We think the biggest problem dividing Taiwan and China is not what the DPP has been advocating, but is the Taiwanese people's feelings towards China – Beijing's military threat, its attempts to block Taiwan in the international community and its continued efforts to reduce Taiwan's international status. If China sincerity wants to have a dialogue with the DPP, it should not have imposed pre-conditions, nor asked us to alter our stance."