China, Russia, India: US Has Its Work Cut Out

China Crowdsources Arms Smuggling to Procure Mil Tech

• Reuters investigates China’s military buildup in its many forms.

• From the DC-based Lexington Institute, on China’s belligerence:

“Defense experts use a simple formula to represent the severity of threats to national security: capabilities multiplied by intentions. The world has been watching China’s military buildup with growing concern while hoping that Beijing’s intentions remain peaceful. Unfortunately, this is not proving to be the case.”

• CNA conducted a joint workshop [PDF] on maritime security issues in East Asia with the Sea Lanes of Communication (SLOC) Study Group from Yonsei University in Seoul. They advocate the development of regional dispute resolution mechanisms. But in the South China Sea the Chinese have clearly adopted a “divide and conquer” approach by insisting on bilateral discussions rather than multilateral ones. They were easier to work with in the settlement of their land borders in Central Asia.

• Some good news: China’s chokehold on rare earths supplies, which used to worry the Pentagon, has been loosened by market dynamics. There are still gaps in the non-Chinese supply though.