May 20:
During a trip to Washington, DC, General Chen Bingde, chief of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) general staff, called for direct attacks on pirate bases along the Somali coast to end piracy in the Indian Ocean. “For counter-piracy campaigns to be effective we should probably move beyond the ocean and crash their bases on the land. It is important that we target not only the operators, those on the small ships or crafts conducting the hijacking activities, but also the figureheads,” Chen said in comments carried by the South China Morning Post. The two sides also discussed possible joint maritime exercises, including against piracy in the Gulf of Aden. The PLA Navy has been rotating three-ship deployments around the Horn of Africa since December 2008 - its first naval foray in centuries into potential conflict beyond home waters. Despite their presence, however, two Chinese-owned vessels were captured and held for several months before heavy ransoms were paid. Ransoms have risen from an average of $150,000 in 2005 to more than $7.5 million, payments that are fuelling a surge in the number of pirates and increased violence.
[Editor’s Note: A military mission against the pirates would carry big risks, as heavily armed pirate lairs present tricky targets, particularly amid the anarchy in Somalia, a failed state. A Chinese lead attack would be the first use of PLA force far from China’s borders – a watershed moment – yet there are suggestions that China’s Foreign Ministry was not given prior notice of Chen’s remarks.]
May 21:
Military investigators have told the Philippine Star that two MIG-29 Fulcrum jet fighters from China’s PLA Air Force “buzzed” two Philippine Air Force OV-10 Bronco aircraft on a routine reconnaissance patrol near the Spratly Islands; an area both countries claim. The advanced Chinese fighters engaged the two propeller-driven Philippine aircraft over the Reed Bank Basin, where the Philippine government in partnership with foreign investors is conducting oil explorations. Roilo Golez, the country’s former national security adviser, and now a member of its Congress said the incident amounted to China’s “bullying” and “harassment” of its Southeast Asian neighbors. “We're not just talking about encroaching on our airspace, but buzzing, which is very dangerous and put the lives of our pilots in danger. These MIGs that fly at supersonic speed caused turbulence that could have sent our subsonic Broncos spiraling out of control,” Golez said.
[Editor’s Note: In March, when the Philippines announced plans to drill for oil in disputed waters, Beijing publicly warned Manila against it. Soon after two PLA Navy gunboats threatened Philippine research vessels conducting studies in the Reed Bank and forced them to leave. The incident prompted the Philippine government to file a diplomatic protest, which Beijing dismissed, saying the area is China’s territory. Beijing maintains that any oil and gas exploration in the waters without its consent would be considered illegal and invalid.]
May 23:
A rich debate is underway in China over a stiff new drunk driving law first implemented this month. Previously, drunk driving was an administrative offense, resulting in up to a 15-day detention. Even if someone died in an accident, the drunk driver was subject to a maximum of seven years in prison or 15 years for a hit-and-run. Now, as part of the new “dangerous driving” criminal charge, all drunk drivers are fined and receive up to six months in jail, regardless of whether an accident took place. Since the law went into effect on May 1, China’s authorities have cracked down hard, sentencing each offender to at least two months in jail. Within half a month, police have handled 2,038 cases of drunk driving and prosecuted 646 of them, the South China Morning Post reports. The reform has drawn praise for high-profile convictions, but some question whether it is realistic to imprison every drunk driver in China. Still others worry that the current crackdown is a short-lived effort. Officials are also debating the law’s implementation. The Ministry of Public Security said that all drunk driving cases would be criminally investigated, but last week the deputy chief of the Supreme People’s Court, Zhang Jun, said drunk driving should not automatically lead to criminal punishment. Sichuan lawyer Shi Jie, a Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference delegate, said: “People are worried that if drunk driving is not automatically a crime, there will be room for abuse in favor of the powerful. This is a worry over judicial justice. The law itself is clear enough.”
May 26:
A farmer disgruntled with the local legal system has detonated three explosions in the small city in Fuzhou, Jiangxi province killing himself, at least two other people and injuring six more. The first bomb exploded at the local prosecutor’s office, the second at another government building, and the third at a food and drug administration office (see YouTube video). A journalist from the South Metropolitan Daily newspaper said the farmer e-mailed him shortly before the explosions and explained his actions. In the note, he said that a well-connected local official had taken land from him without fair compensation and that he had been fighting the action in court for 10 years to no avail. “I want to take concrete action to kill the rotten person for all those who have been wronged,” his e-mail said, according to the Washington Post.
