COUNTRY REVIEWS

East Asia

China
[December 13-26, 2010]

• China and Australia held 13th Sino-Australian defence strategic consultation; Jordanian General visits China; Ma Xiaotian describes Bangladesh as a ‘neighbor’ of China; Mongolia and China will deepen defence cooperation; Singapore and China are satisfied with the pace and state of defence cooperation; Afghanistan looks for military ties with China; Israeli admiral Eliezer Marom and Chinese Defence reiterate the bilateral military cooperation; General Ma Xiaotian visits Cuba; Chinese naval formation pays wraps up the good-will visit to Bahrain; The PLA organizes a seminar on terrorism for the officers from the SCO countries; The eleventh peacekeeping contingent of the PLA headed for Liberia; A two-day seminar on two-years of China’s taskforces in the Gulf of Aden held; New technologies enhance its battlefield medical aid capabilities; The PLA improves its logistics tremendously; A project on image-making passes evaluation

Japan
[December 13-26, 2010]

• Japan refuses to accept Russian proposal to make four disputed islands off Hokkaido a bilateral free-trade zone; Reports: Japan seeks to promote civil nuclear cooperation with Egypt and Saudi Arabia; Japan welcomes the establishment of new government in Iraq; Prime Minister Kan regrets UNSC's failure to issue statement condemning North Korea; Japan, China and South Korea to establish a permanent secretariat in 2011; Reports: Tokyo should refocus its defense strategy on the rise of China and not on the cold war threat of Russia; Japan will suspend its coast guard member who leaked video between Chinese and Japanese vessels near the disputed Senkaku Islands

Central Asia & Russia

[December 13-19, 2010]

• Ahead of ratification in the US Senate, Russia cautions US lawmakers that any change in the new START treaty between the two countries could destroy the pact; Central Asia's first parliamentary democracy materialized as Kyrgyzstan's parliament approves a new government; Kazakh company KazTransGas and China’s Trans-Asia Gas Pipeline Co. Ltd. to establish a partnership to implement the Beineu – Bozoy – Shymkent Gas Pipeline; Kazakhstan resumes crude supplies to Ukraine

[December 20-26, 2010]

• Russian President Medevedev visits India; India and Russia sign a 23 billion Euros contract to jointly develop a design for a new fifth-generation multirole fighter (FGFA); Discussion on civil nuclear cooperation held between the two sides; Two countries set a target of doubling bilateral trade to 15 billion Euros by 2015; India-Russia sign several bilateral agreement during the visit

West Asia

Iran
[December 13-19, 2010]

• President Ahmadinejad dismisses Foreign Minister; Iranian leaders blame west for suicide bombings in Southeast Iran

[December 20-26, 2010]

• US treasury department accepts business with Iran though it calls permitted trade was inconsequential compared with the broad scope of US sanctions; Iran’s arms smuggler detained by NATO

Iraq

[December 13-19, 2010]

• UNSC withdraw international sanctions against Iraq

[December 20-26, 2010]

• Gunmen killed Brigadier General in Baghdad

Oman

[December, 13-19, 2010]

• Montek Singh Ahluwalia visits Oman to discuss bilateral issues

USA

• Satellite Sentinel Project to be launched to "watch" Sudan for war crimes using satellites, before a January 9th referendum

ENERGY REVIEWS

• Coal India Ltd. plans to work in two Mozambique blocks; India’s Minister of state for energy criticizes the railway ministry for announcing hike in freight by 4%