中国のパキスタンでの基地関心

２６日付のパキスタン紙ニューズは外交筋の話として、中国政府が新疆ウイグル自治区の独立運動組織「東トルキスタン・イスラム運動」（ETIM）によるテロ活動を阻止するため、隣接するパキスタン北部に軍事基地を建設することに興味を示していると報じた。日経より。

中国の中央アジアコネクション

中国の胡錦濤国家主席とトルクメニスタンのベルドイムハメドフ大統領は２３日、北京で会談し、中国への天然ガス供給を大幅に増強する文書に調印した。南シナ海問題など東アジアで孤立感を強める中国はエネルギー取引で相互依存関係にある中央アジアとの連携を強化。勢力圏を「西」に広げ、対中包囲網の回避を狙う。

世界４位の天然ガス埋蔵量を持つトルクメニスタンは、欧州向けだけでなく、アフガニスタン、パキスタン、インドにつなぐ「TAPI」パイプライン構想を持つ。中国としては早めにトルクメニスタンへの関与を強め、ガスを確保しておきたい考えだ。

中国は他の中央アジア諸国への接近も強めている。カザフスタンとは国境の町ホルゴスに共同で自由貿易特区を設定、１２月１日に本格稼働の式典を開く。査証なしでヒト・モノ・カネの移動を可能にする試みだ。日経より。

パキスタンチャンス

１０月１２日の日経新聞朝刊のYKKのパキスタンのカラチ工場の生産能力を増加させる記事が気になった。新興国に鋭い眼を光らす投資家、フランクリン・テンプルトンのマーク・モビアスが以前にパキスタンも投資のチャンスがある地域だと言っていたのを思い出す。

YKKは、２００６年にパキスタンに進出している。今でも、パキスタンでは自爆テロが起きている。このような場所に投資機会を見出すYKKとマーク・モビアス。これは大抵の人がなかなか追随出来ない見方だと感じる。

Spreading contemporary art - Karachi

A exhibition was showing an artistic rebellion in Pakistan. In the 1980s of military dictatorship, Pakistani artists had to work secretly in hidden places. The article says Pakistan contemporary art is now open to public and expresses Pakistan's turbulence.

This exhibition, "The Rising Tide: New Directions in Art from Pakistan 1990-2010" took place in Karachi, made an impression in Pakistan, including paintings, sculptures, videos, and photographs.

Pakistan's art has been exclusive, but the curator of the exhibition, Naiza Khan, was decided to open contemporary art to a Pakistan public. To do so she brought back important Pakistani works from Dubai and Hong Kong and invited contributions from two young Pakistani artists who work in Australia.

The offering of the many works deal with death and violence, but Ms Khan has been careful not to overstate the violence. She looks into the conditions of a country struggling to resist a complicated internal war and then, deals with demographics, land usage and history when she choose the art.

The exhibition may prove that Pakistan is getting more public to the rest of the world.

"India's ruling party ponders leader" from Wall Street Journal

"NEW DELHI - In a nation where government decisions can take years to slink through the bureaucracy, and policy pronouncements often are riddled with jargon and grammatical errors, Palaniappan Chidambaram is an anomaly: He hates delays and he doesn't tolerate typos.

Mr.Chidambaram also is one of the most powerful politicians in India, tapped as home minister- the nation's top domestic- security position- after the November 2008 Mumbai terrorist attacks, following a two-decade career in top economic posts, including minister of finance.

In just over two years, he has formed a broad power base while managing a huge portfolio that includes combating Pakistan-based terrorists and home-grown Maoist rebels, tending to unrest in the disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir, and demanding that Research In Motion Ltd. open its BlackBerry corporate email service to wiretapping."

"Chinese equities will stand out, Mobius says" from South China Morning Post

"Apart from China, Mobius saw good investment opportunities in Thailand, India and Vietnam. "We are also in Pakistan. A lot of people think investing there is dangerous, but we don't think so." "

"A Tale of Two Ports:Chinese-Indian Rivalry Grows in the Arabian Sea" from Jakarta Globe

"Sino-Indian rivalry in the Indian Ocean and India's naval cooperation with the United States draw the world's attention, but quietly, out of sight, a contest has been building in the Arabian Sea centered between two ports, one in Pakistan and the other in Iran. The first is backed by China, the second by India. The first, located in Gwadar, is intended to give China access to the Indian Ocean; the second, Chabahar, is supposed to connect India to Afghanistan and counter the first."

"Pakistan Railways gets money to keep it running" from Sify

"Economically it will be in interest and benefit of China if it transports Afghani gold and copper to Beijing and international markets through Gwadar Port." from Daily Times

"Oman accepts Pak proposal for maritime trade, Gwadar-Muscat ferry" from Pakistan Times

"The Minister said the cooperation between the port of Gwadar and Oman's upcoming ports in Sahhar and Dukkum would create new opportunities for the traders and skilled professionals of two countries to explore the trading potential."

"U.S. brings Silk Road to India" from The Hindu

"TAPI (Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India gas pipeline project) is in actuality a Silk Road project connecting Central Asia to the West via Gwadar, which will make Pakistan the U.S.'s gateway to Central Asia."

"A key topic will be Pakistan's deep-water, strategic Gwadar port on the Arabian Sea, in which China has already invested US$200 million. The port will help Pakistan become a conduit for trade to landlocked Afghanistan and Central Asia." from South China Morning Post

"Pakistan to seek more Chinese help for Gwadar port" from Reuters

"Pakistan will seek increased Chinese involvement in the operation of a strategic port run by Singapore's state-owned PSA International Ltd, government officials said on Thursday."

"The chief minister of Baluchistan, the southwestern province where Gwadar port is located, is already seeking the cancellation of the contract with the PSA on the grounds that it is a "one-sided" deal, and the case is pending in the Supreme Court of Pakistan."

"Zhuhai air show aims at national pride with array of high-tech thrills" from South China Morning Post

"The two-yearly China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition, first held in 1996, also known as Airshow China, is the biggest air show on the mainland featuring flying displays. It is the only such show supported by the government."

"The six-day air show will include 22 minutes of flying displays everyday, starring the PLA Air Force aerobatic team, the Pakistan Air Force's Sherdils aerobatic team and the Red Eagles from the United States, air show general manager Zhou Lewei said.

Zhou said the Sherdils would fly the FC-1 Thunder jet fighter, also known as the Xiaolong, a lightweight multi-role aircraft developed jointly by China and Pakistan."

"Reliability issues mar satellite industry" from South China Morning Post

"China had just successfully launched its second lunar probe, the Chang'e-2, which is orbiting the moon, and only days later the space community celebrated the launch of the sixth satellite of an eventual 35 that will form a home-grown satellite navigation and positioning network aimed at rivalling the US-made Global positioning System.

It seems a good time for the Chinese space industry."

"So, not only is China offering satellites at a cheaper price than their Western rivals, it is also offering countries the loans they need to cover almost the entire cost of the projects.

When the deal to manufacture and launch Pakistan's first communication satellite was announced in August 2008, with a projected cost of US$212 million, news also broke that the two countries had simultaneously signed a deal for a US$200 million construction loan. Likewise, when the Bolivian deal was announced in April this year, media around the world reported that a Chinese loan would cover 85 per cent of the US$300 million project's costs, with the rest of the funding to be provided by the Bolivian government."