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        <title>Lowyat.NET: Latest topics by news channel</title>
        <description></description>
        <link>http://forum.lowyat.net/</link>
        <lastBuildDate>Thu, 18 Jun 2026 17:00:18 +0800</lastBuildDate>
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            <title>Do you feel sad coz Chinaman company becoming</title>
            <link>http://forum.lowyat.net/topic/4299436</link>
            <description>I feel sad coz Proton should be completely sold to anyone.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Proton is our nation burden.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Proton is a sharp knife keep hurting ourselves monetarily.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;We can get cheaper import cars if not for proton..&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;* * *&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Judging from this deal in which the Chinaman company only becoming minority stakeholder, more future problem will happen.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;If something gone wrong in South China Sea or there is a need for drastic local prince support, suddenly there is *hero&amp;#33;* coming from UMNO fanning nationalism and this minority shareholder will be the sacrificial lamb.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;* * *&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Wait... will this become Bandar Malaysia v2? &lt;!--emo&amp;:idea:--&gt;&lt;img src='http://static.lowyat.net/style_emoticons/default/icon_idea.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='icon_idea.gif' /&gt;&lt;!--endemo--&gt; &lt;br /&gt;</description>
            <author>news channel</author>
            <category>The Museum Of Kopitiam</category>
            <pubDate>Wed, 24 May 2017 14:25:46 +0800</pubDate>
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            <title>China Chinese tells the truth: US vs Communist PRC</title>
            <link>http://forum.lowyat.net/topic/4299314</link>
            <description>Only cronies and CCP love PRC Communist China.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Ironically some PRC celup here still dreaming about their motherland. Their imagination is strong. No thanks to MCA and all C schools.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Click the source and see the video. I can sense the joy of her liberation and that is priceless. I expect she will leave that dirty China very soon (her own word,&lt;b&gt; China is dirty&lt;/b&gt; and Chinese there being oppressed).&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The way I see is PRC China is never become a first world nation despite more than 5000 years of existence.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;* * *&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;img src='https://pictr.com/images/2017/05/24/HjM6D.jpg' border='0' alt='user posted image' /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;A Chinese student &lt;span style='color:blue'&gt;(&amp;lt;&amp;lt;&amp;lt; China Chinese. Malaysia&amp;#39;s Chinese don&amp;#39;t perasan OK)&lt;/span&gt; in the US who praised America’s fresh air and freedom of speech in her graduation speech has apologized after Chinese internet users accused her of belittling her own country and told her never to return to China.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style='font-size:16pt;line-height:100%'&gt;Yang Shuping studied at the University of Maryland and delivered her speech on Sunday celebrating the freedom of speech and democracy she enjoyed in the United States.&lt;span style='color:red'&gt; (&amp;lt;&amp;lt;&amp;lt; communist Chinese and those MY local celup gonna butthurt +9999)&lt;/span&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“People often ask me, why did you come to the University of Maryland. I always answer, fresh air,” she began, prompting laughter.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“I grew up in a city in China where I had to wear a face mask every time I went outside, otherwise I might get sick. However the moment I inhaled and exhaled outside the airport, I felt free … at the University of Maryland.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Read more, watch video and credit: &lt;a href='http://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/2095319/chinese-student-who-praised-us-freedoms-apologizes-after-backlash#comments' target='_blank'&gt;http://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/art...cklash#comments&lt;/a&gt;</description>
            <author>news channel</author>
            <category>The Museum Of Kopitiam</category>
            <pubDate>Wed, 24 May 2017 11:21:24 +0800</pubDate>
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            <title>Bandar Malaysia project shows realities of China</title>
            <link>http://forum.lowyat.net/topic/4295345</link>
            <description>If Bandar Malaysia failure is any indicator, then MY-SG bullet train project will not feature any Chinese supplier.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;* * *&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The recent Belt and Road Summit held in Beijing is considered China’s biggest diplomatic event since 1949. But holding a successful meeting is one thing, making it happen is another.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;For example, the Bandar Malaysia project, led by China Railway Engineering Corp. (CREC) and once hailed by the infrastructure builder as the “shining pearl of China’s high-speed rail network”, was canceled by the Malaysian government last week.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;In January last year, a consortium led by CREC reached a deal with the Malaysian government to take a 60 percent stake in the project, marking the first time for China to sell its high-speed railway equipment and technology to Malaysia.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The centerpiece of the Bandar Malaysia project is a terminal station for the high-speed railway from Kuala Lumpur to Singapore.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Once the bullet train service is up and running, it can drastically cut travel time between the two places to only 50 minutes from the current five hours, much to the benefit of the two countries’ economies.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The project would also mean a big step forward for China’s ambitious plan to build the Trans-Asian Railway that starts from China’s Kunming, runs through Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore and potentially extend to Indonesia at a later stage.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Located at the southern edge of downtown Kuala Lumpur, the Bandar Malaysia project will also be a huge property venture covering financial and commercial hubs, cultural and tourism facilities as well as high-end residential flats. The whole project is expected to cost over US&amp;#036;40 billion, and it will take 15 years to build.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;But suddenly, Malaysia announced early this month that it is officially seeking a new master developer for the project, citing its Chinese counterpart’s failure to meet payment obligations as the reason.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Local media said the deal collapsed for a number of reasons.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;First, the CREC-led consortium intends to export too much stuff, from raw materials to equipment, but Malaysia wants the project to use more local resources.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Second, the Chinese side wants both the majority ownership and operation rights of the project. The request has been rejected by the Malaysian government which does not want a foreign party to control such a strategic asset.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Read more and credit: &lt;a href='http://www.ejinsight.com/20170519-bandar-malaysia-project-shows-realities-of-one-belt-one-road/' target='_blank'&gt;http://www.ejinsight.com/20170519-bandar-m...-belt-one-road/&lt;/a&gt;</description>
            <author>news channel</author>
            <category>The Museum Of Kopitiam</category>
            <pubDate>Sat, 20 May 2017 16:49:07 +0800</pubDate>
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            <title>China is evil. Xi JinPing defies court ruling &amp;amp;</title>
            <link>http://forum.lowyat.net/topic/4295259</link>
            <description>China president Xi Jin Ping threaten war over its bogus 9 dash line.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Malaysia gotta be careful. 9 dash line is a time bomb. We do not know when it will be exploded. Think twice when dealing with PRC Communist China. Your investment, your business, etc.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Thumbs down to China.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;img src='https://pictr.com/images/2017/05/20/HoPju.jpg' border='0' alt='user posted image' /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;* * *&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;(The Philippines) President Rodrigo Duterte for the first time said on Friday that Chinese President Xi Jinping had threatened war if the Philippines insisted on pressing its claims in the South China Sea, parrying criticisms that he had been weak in pushing the issue and failing to use the arbitral ruling as leverage.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“I really said, ‘It’s ours. I’d like you to listen for a while.’ I said,  ‘Mr. Xi Jinping, I would insist that that is ours and I will drill oil there,’” Mr. Duterte said in a speech at the National Convention of the Philippine Coast Guard Auxiliary in Davao City.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;China may claim ownership, but he said his view was that he could drill for oil because that area, which the government calls the West Philippine Sea, belongs to the Philippines.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style='font-size:16pt;line-height:100%'&gt;“They replied to me, ‘We are friends. We do not want to quarrel with you… We want to maintain the present warm relationship. But if you force the issue, we’ll go to war,’” Mr. Duterte said.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“What more could I say?” he added.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;img src='https://pictr.com/images/2017/05/20/Ho03g.md.jpg' border='0' alt='user posted image' /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Communist China president Xi Jinping that threaten war that kills millions of people.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon said the meeting between the two leaders took place in Beijing during the President’s visit to China earlier this week for the One Belt, One Road initiative, an international trade conference.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Mr. Duterte said he had insisted to China that the International Arbitral Tribunal had invalidated Beijing’s expansive claims over the South China Sea, but that the Chinese government replied that its claims were historical.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;China also said it would be forced to tell him the truth if he pressed the issue.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“What’s the truth? We will be forced to go to war,” he said.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Read more and credit: &lt;a href='https://globalnation.inquirer.net/157008/duterte-china-threatened-war' target='_blank'&gt;https://globalnation.inquirer.net/157008/du...-threatened-war&lt;/a&gt;</description>
            <author>news channel</author>
            <category>The Museum Of Kopitiam</category>
            <pubDate>Sat, 20 May 2017 15:49:12 +0800</pubDate>
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            <title>China&amp;#39;s One Belt One Road is doomed to fail.</title>
            <link>http://forum.lowyat.net/topic/4295138</link>
            <description>&lt;span style='font-size:16pt;line-height:100%'&gt;WHY CHINA’S ‘ONE BELT, ONE ROAD’ PLAN IS DOOMED TO FAIL?&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;i&gt;Eerie similarities with Japanese scheme 20 years ago suggests a future of white elephants, wasted money and corruption on a scale never seen before&lt;/i&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;By Tim Holland&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;img src='https://pictr.com/images/2017/05/20/HfX2c.jpg' border='0' alt='user posted image' /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;i&gt;Japanese PM Keizo Obuchi had a similar, ill fated idea to China&amp;#39;s One Belt One Road in the 1990&amp;#39;s.&lt;/i&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Facing a deep slowdown after years of investment-fuelled growth that culminated in a huge property and stock market bubble, the leaders of Asia’s largest economy come up with a cunning plan. By launching an initiative to fund and construct infrastructure projects across Asia, they will kill four birds with one stone.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;They will generate enough demand abroad to keep their excess steel mills, cement plants and construction companies in business, so preserving jobs at home. They will tie neighbouring countries more closely into their own economic orbit, so enhancing both their hard and soft power around the region. They will further their long term plan to promote their own currency as an international alternative to the US dollar. And to finance it all, they will set up a new multi-lateral infrastructure bank, which will undermine the influence of the existing Washington-based institutions, with all their tedious insistence on transparency and best practice, by making more “culturally sensitive” soft loans. The result will be the regional hegemony they regard as their right as Asia’s leading economic and political power.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;If you think you’ve seen this movie before, you probably have. That could be an outline of China’s “One Belt, One Road” initiative, launched last year to great fanfare, and relentlessly promoted by loyal officials ever since. But it’s actually a description of a strikingly similar plan rolled out by Japanese prime minister Keizo Obuchi in the 1990s. That too promised to provide work for Japan’s recession-hit construction sector by building Japanese-funded infrastructure projects around Asia. And it even included a proposal – never realised – to establish an Asian Monetary Fund to lend to regional governments on easier terms than either the IMF or World Bank.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Unfortunately for Beijing, the precedent is hardly encouraging. From the start the scheme was plagued by bickering over conditions and allegations of corruption. A handful of infrastructure projects did get built, but the reality fell woefully short of Tokyo’s grandiose dreams. Far from cementing Japan’s economic ascendancy across Asia, the project left a legacy of bad blood, and marked the beginning of a financial retreat from around the region that Japan has only recently begun to reverse.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;img src='https://pictr.com/images/2017/05/20/HfOiG.png' border='0' alt='user posted image' /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;All the signs are that China’s One Belt, One Road plan will similarly fail in its main objectives. First, the idea that infrastructure projects in Central and South East Asia could absorb a sizeable portion of China’s excess industrial capacity is simply unrealistic. Consider steel. Currently China’s steel mills can turn out some 1.1 billion tonnes of the metal annually. Yet even with economic stimulus efforts in full swing, no one expects domestic demand to exceed 700 million tonnes this year. It is hard to imagine China building enough roads, ports and pipelines across Asia to use up the extra 300 million tonnes of capacity, especially when you consider that the World Steel Association forecasts demand in the European Union, the world’s largest economy, to be just 150 million tonnes this year.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Beijing could try. But if it did, it would run into another problem. Asia needs infrastructure development, but the region’s capacity to absorb new projects is limited. As China has learned at home, building a new high speed rail line or state of the art airport is easy enough given plentiful funding. But building a high speed rail line that is economically viable is altogether more difficult. Inevitably, if Beijing attempts to pursue projects at a pace and in a number sufficient to make a dent in its excess capacity, it will end up building white elephants, wasting money, and encouraging corruption on a scale never before seen.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;These constraints mean China’s ambition of using lending tied to the One Belt, One Road initiative to help promote the yuan as Asia’s international currency of choice is also destined to fail. What policy-makers had in mind was something akin to the Marshall Plan, by which the United States pumped money into Western Europe in the late 1940s to fund post-war reconstruction, so confirming the US dollar’s position as the world’s dominant reserve currency. But 1940s Europe was very different from Central Asia today. Europe’s physical infrastructure may have been destroyed by war, but its know-how and institutional strength in depth were largely intact. Rebuilding on such foundations was relatively straightforward.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Developing Asia’s foundations are still under construction. But while physical capital like a new port or railway can be built in just a few years, building the human and institutional capital that allow that port to operate efficiently and to contribute effectively to economic and social progress is a slower process. The two need to go hand in hand, which is why multi-lateral lenders like the World Bank lay such heavy stress on best practice. The senior officials charged with implementing China’s grand plan appreciate these capacity constraints, and appear to be scaling down their ambitions. That’s sensible, but it means the One Belt, One Road initiative will fall far short of its original objectives, just as its Japanese forerunner did almost 20 years ago.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;img src='https://pictr.com/images/2017/05/20/HfkIP.jpg' border='0' alt='user posted image' /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Bandar Malaysia &lt;!--emo&amp;:tongue:--&gt;&lt;img src='http://static.lowyat.net/style_emoticons/default/rclxs0.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='rclxs0.gif' /&gt;&lt;!--endemo--&gt; &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Credit: &lt;a href='http://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/1999544/why-chinas-one-belt-one-road-plan-doomed-fail' target='_blank'&gt;http://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/arti...lan-doomed-fail&lt;/a&gt;</description>
            <author>news channel</author>
            <category>The Museum Of Kopitiam</category>
            <pubDate>Sat, 20 May 2017 14:12:29 +0800</pubDate>
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            <title>TPPA still on. Now it&amp;#39;s being called TPP 11</title>
            <link>http://forum.lowyat.net/topic/4289562</link>
            <description>BARI, ITALY – With U.S. President Donald Trump tapping into populist anger at globalization and withdrawing from the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal, Japan has been exploring ways to move the pact forward with the 10 remaining members.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Calling the TPP “a thing of the past” for the United States, Vice President Mike Pence signaled an eagerness to start negotiations on a bilateral free trade agreement with Japan, given Trump’s preference to handle trade issues bilaterally to better reflect the interests of U.S. industry and workers.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The trade ministers of the now 11 TPP countries are planning to meet later this month in Vietnam in a test of their resolve to bring the high-standard agreement into force amid concerns about protectionist sentiment being fanned by Trump’s “America First” policy and Britain’s decision to exit the European Union.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Preceding that meeting, the Group of Seven finance chiefs apparently failed to narrow the gap between the Trump administration’s call for “fair” and “reciprocal” trade and other members’ concerns about its stance, which is widely viewed as protectionist.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“We don’t want to be protectionist, but we reserve our right to be protectionist to the extent that we believe trade is not free and fair,” U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin told reporters Saturday after two days of talks with his counterparts from Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy and Japan in Bari, Italy.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Given Washington’s stance, discussions among the “TPP 11” will be closely watched because they could affect dealings between Japan and the United States on trade, especially as Tokyo is cautious about the Trump administration’s call for a bilateral FTA.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Trump administration officials have criticized Japan’s import tariffs on farm products and accused Tokyo of maintaining nontariff barriers in its automobile market, in an effort to reduce the hefty U.S. trade deficit with Japan.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Citing Japan’s fear that a two-way deal would expose it to U.S. pressure to further open politically sensitive sectors such as agriculture, James Schoff, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, a Washington think tank, said, “I don’t think a bilateral FTA is feasible in the near term, but perhaps the U.S. and Japan can quietly negotiate elements of the TPP at a bilateral level and implement them.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“A lot depends on how TPP 11 proceeds,” Schoff said. “If it gains momentum, that will put pressure on the U.S. to deal with Japan more along the lines of the original deal.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Finance Minister Taro Aso has expressed hope the United States will return to the TPP, saying there is “no guarantee” that the Trump administration would win better terms under a bilateral pact with Japan because a multilateral framework like the TPP allows members to offset concessions made with one country with advantages gained from another.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Read more and credit: &lt;a href='http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2017/05/14/national/politics-diplomacy/actions-tpp-11-likely-influence-japan-u-s-trade-talks/' target='_blank'&gt;http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2017/05/1...-s-trade-talks/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;New Zealand ratifies TPPA&lt;br /&gt;source: &lt;a href='http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2017/05/11/business/new-zealand-ratifies-tpp-despite-u-s-withdrawal/' target='_blank'&gt;http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2017/05/1...u-s-withdrawal/&lt;/a&gt;</description>
            <author>news channel</author>
            <category>The Museum Of Kopitiam</category>
            <pubDate>Sun, 14 May 2017 23:34:35 +0800</pubDate>
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            <title>USA: Another missile test by North Korea could</title>
            <link>http://forum.lowyat.net/topic/4274193</link>
            <description>Guys, we might see &amp;#39;fireworks&amp;#39; within 24 hours. Either nuke or ballistic missile test will cause the US intervention. &lt;!--emo&amp;:(--&gt;&lt;img src='http://static.lowyat.net/style_emoticons/default/sad.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='sad.gif' /&gt;&lt;!--endemo--&gt; &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;* * *&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;Another missile test by North Korea could prompt U.S. military action&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Another ballistic missile test from North Korea could prompt a military reaction from the United States, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley said Monday morning.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Speaking from Washington where she and other members of the UN Security Council will meet with President Donald Trump later Monday, Haley told NBC’s “Today” show that “we are not going to do anything unless he gives us reason to do something.” But should North Korea continue its recent pattern of saber-rattling, Haley said the U.S. is prepared to respond with military force.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“If you see him attack a military base, if you see some sort of intercontinental ballistic missile, then obviously we’re going to do that,” Haley said in response to a question about what activity from North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un might prompt a response from the U.S. military. “But right now, we&amp;#39;re saying don&amp;#39;t test, don’t use nuclear missiles, don’t try and do any more actions and I think he&amp;#39;s understanding that and China’s helping us really put that pressure on him.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Read more and credit: &lt;a href='http://www.politico.com/story/2017/04/24/nikki-haley-north-korea-military-action-237519' target='_blank'&gt;http://www.politico.com/story/2017/04/24/n...y-action-237519&lt;/a&gt;</description>
            <author>news channel</author>
            <category>The Museum Of Kopitiam</category>
            <pubDate>Mon, 24 Apr 2017 22:38:37 +0800</pubDate>
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            <title>North Korea expected to launch next nuclear test</title>
            <link>http://forum.lowyat.net/topic/4274179</link>
            <description>North Korea expected to launch next nuclear test within 24 hours. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Dangerous time ahead. Please check for breaking news.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;img src='https://pictr.com/images/2017/04/24/HaIPP.jpg' border='0' alt='user posted image' /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Read more and credit: &lt;a href='http://www.dailystar.co.uk/news/latest-news/606940/North-Korea-Nuclear-War-Missile-US-Donald-Trump-Pyongyang-Bomb-Carl-Vinson-Carrier-Group' target='_blank'&gt;http://www.dailystar.co.uk/news/latest-new...n-Carrier-Group&lt;/a&gt;</description>
            <author>news channel</author>
            <category>The Museum Of Kopitiam</category>
            <pubDate>Mon, 24 Apr 2017 22:15:43 +0800</pubDate>
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            <title>Sorhai China Navy open fires on fisherman boat</title>
            <link>http://forum.lowyat.net/topic/4274089</link>
            <description>&lt;i&gt;Under the Mutual Defense Treaty between the Philippines and the United States, an attack on a Philippine vessel in Philippine waters is an attack on the United States.&lt;/i&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;KNN Communist regime really sorhai.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;img src='https://pictr.com/images/2017/04/24/HaYxB.jpg' border='0' alt='user posted image' /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;It was China’s Navy and not its Coast Guard that fired shots to drive away Filipino fishermen from Union Banks in the heavily disputed Spratly archipelago on April 9, making the incident more unsettling than previously thought, a lawmaker said on Sunday.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“According to the initial reports, it was the Chinese Coast Guard that was involved in the Union Banks incident. However, in our meeting with the fishermen themselves, we [learned] that it was actually a Chinese Navy ship [that was involved],” Magdalo Rep. Gary Alejano said in a statement.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Alejano, a former Marine officer, expressed concern that China’s aggressive action in the Spratlys was carried out by a “gray ship.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The term “gray ship” refers to the navy of any country. “White ship” refers to the coast guard.&lt;br /&gt;Different missions&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Alejano emphasized the difference between the missions of the navy and coast guard.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The coast guard is tasked with enforcing maritime law and to conduct search and rescue, while the navy is tasked with fighting for the country at sea during war, he said.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Alejano warned: “The aggressive act of the Chinese Navy could trigger the Mutual Defense Treaty and there is a danger that the situation may escalate.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Under the Mutual Defense Treaty between the Philippines and the United States, an attack on a Philippine vessel in Philippine waters is an attack on the United States.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The United States has repeatedly said its commitment to defend the Philippines is “ironclad.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Read more and credit: &lt;a href='https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/891373/chinas-navy-harassed-ph-fishers-says-lawmaker' target='_blank'&gt;https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/891373/chinas...s-says-lawmaker&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;[B]US-Philippines Mutual Defense Treaty&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The overall accord contains eight articles and dictates that both nations would support each other if either the Philippines or the United States were to be attacked by an external party.[2]&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;As stated in Article I of the treaty, each party is to settle international disputes in a peaceful manner so that the international peace is not threatened, and to refrain from the threat of the use of force in any manner that is inconsistent with the purpose of the United Nations.[2] Article II states that each party either separately or jointly through mutual aid may acquire, develop and maintain their capacity to resist armed attack. Article III states that from time to time the parties will consult one another through the use of their secretaries of state, foreign ministers or consuls in order to determine the appropriate measures of implementation.[2] The parties will also consult one another when either party determines that their territorial integrity, political independence or national security is threatened by armed attack in the Pacific.[2] Article IV states that an attack on either party will be acted upon in accordance with their constitutional processes and that any armed attack on either party will be brought to the attention of the United Nations for immediate action.[2] Once the United Nations has issued such orders, all hostile actions between the signatories of this treaty and opposing parties will be terminated.[2]&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Article V defines the meaning of attack and its purpose which includes all attacks by a hostile power will be held as an attack on a metropolitan area by both parties or on the island territories under its jurisdiction in the Pacific or on its armed forces, public vessels or aircraft in the Pacific.[2] Article VI states that this treaty does not affect, impede, or shall not be interpreted as affecting the rights and obligations of the parties under the Charter of the United Nations.[2] Article VII states that the treaty shall be ratified in accordance with the constitutional processes set delineated by the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of the Philippines.[2] Lastly, Article VIII stipulates that the treaty terms are indefinite until one or both parties wish to terminate the agreement. If the agreement is to be terminated, either party must give one year advance notice.[2]&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;source wiki&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;[@LTZ] please comment. Is Navy permitted to open fire against small harmless fisherman boat</description>
            <author>news channel</author>
            <category>The Museum Of Kopitiam</category>
            <pubDate>Mon, 24 Apr 2017 19:56:08 +0800</pubDate>
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            <title>KNN Communist China keep intruding Malaysia water</title>
            <link>http://forum.lowyat.net/topic/4273443</link>
            <description>PRC Communist China is not your friend anymore.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;* * *&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;KUALA LUMPUR: Despite the great relations between China and Malaysia, Chinese coastguard vessels continue to maintain a presence around the Luconia Shoals, claimed by Malaysia, in the South China Sea.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The irony is that Malaysia last November said it had agreed to buy four littoral mission ships from China to patrol the very sea into which the Chinese vessels are intruding.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The Guardian reported that during the first two months of 2017, three Chinese ships patrolled the Luconia Shoals, an area that is 145km from Sarawak and more than 1,600km from mainland China.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The Guardian report said the ships were tracked by the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative (Amti) , part of Washington’s Center for Strategic and International Studies, and the non-profit Center for Advanced Defense Studies (C4ADS).&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The US-based groups said the patrols were not unusual and that they were consistent with regular rotations of up to 11 China patrol ships Amti had traced in the area since late 2015.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The Guardian quoted Amti and C4ADS as saying that in January and February this year, only one Malaysian government vessel patrolled the shoals, and that it came as close as four miles to a Chinese ship, indicating that its purpose was likely to monitor the Chinese vessel.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The Guardian said Malaysia’s ministry of defence did not respond to a request for comment.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;There have been reports in the past few years of China coastguard vessels intruding into Malaysian waters around the shoals and chasing away Malaysian fishermen. Malaysia has, in the past, registered diplomatic protests with China over these incidents.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Although Prime Minister Najib Razak has taken Malaysia closer to China, and trade and business have increased tremendously, the dispute over territorial claims in the South China Sea, including the Luconia Shoals and the Spratly Islands, remains a sore point in relations.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The report said, following protests from Malaysia, the Chinese vessels were said to have withdrawn in late 2015 but that Amti and C4ADS said “it appears that Chinese ships returned almost immediately”.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;In March 2016, Malaysia summoned the Chinese ambassador to explain why a large number of China-flagged boats were in Malaysian waters.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Last month, Foreign Minister Anifah Aman said Malaysia’s stand was that “all geographical aspects or maritime features which are within Malaysia’s maritime jurisdiction belong to Malaysia”, a clear indication that it rejects China’s claim on the Luconia Shoals.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Read more and credit: &lt;a href='http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2017/04/06/china-ships-patrol-malaysian-territory-despite-better-ties/' target='_blank'&gt;http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/...te-better-ties/&lt;/a&gt;</description>
            <author>news channel</author>
            <category>The Museum Of Kopitiam</category>
            <pubDate>Sun, 23 Apr 2017 20:22:40 +0800</pubDate>
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            <title>SCS dispute: Malaysia got nuclear power backup</title>
            <link>http://forum.lowyat.net/topic/4273428</link>
            <description>&lt;i&gt;In a significant development for India, the countries patrolling the Straits of Malacca are expected to give their consent for India to join the patrolling of the straits connecting the Indian Ocean with the Pacific Ocean very soon. The Malacca Straits also links the Indian Ocean to the South China Sea.&lt;/i&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;img src='https://pictr.com/images/2017/04/23/HaHsx.jpg' border='0' alt='user posted image' /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;India nuclear missile&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;New Delhi (Sputnik) – Government sources told Sputnik that India has managed to receive a positive response from member countries of the Malacca Straits Patrol Framework and will join the group.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand launched the Malacca Straits Patrol (MSP) in 2006 to ensure the security of the Straits of Malacca and Singapore. MSP comprises the Malacca Straits Sea Patrol (MSSP), the &amp;quot;Eyes-in-the-Sky&amp;quot; (EiS) Combined Maritime Air Patrols, as well as the Intelligence Exchange Group (IEG). MSP was initiated in the wake of an upsurge in pirate attacks on ships in the region in the early 2000s. This is the route through which 80% of China’s crude and oil imports from the Middle East and Africa must pass. Japan and South Korea are also dependent on this route for trade.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Strategically, India can monitor the movement of the Chinese Navy in the Indian Ocean as well because India’s Andaman and Nicobar islands are also some 100 km from the western edge of the Malacca Straits.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Indian Navy’s Boeing P-8 maritime surveillance and strike aircraft have been deployed in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands near the Malacca Straits and it may add some more in the near future as the deployment of Chinese submarines in the Indian Ocean since 2013 have caused disquiet in Delhi.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;On March 29, Indian Navy has also commissioned first of its eight Landing Craft Utility (LCU) at Andaman and Nicobar Command at Port Blair, very near the Malacca Straits. The LCU will play a significant role in the transportation of 145 tons of military equipment like main battle tanks, armored vehicles with the addition of 165 fully equipped troops. India has started the laying of 1450 miles dedicated submarine Optical Fiber Cable between mainland (Chennai) and Port Blair and five other islands viz. Little Andaman, Car Nicobar, Havelock, Kamorta and Great Nicobar at a cost of &amp;#036;165 million last year. Once India is authorized to patrol Malacca Straits, real-time data of commercial ships and naval platforms will be available.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Read more and credit: &lt;a href='https://sputniknews.com/asia/201704111052519338-south-china-sea-india/' target='_blank'&gt;https://sputniknews.com/asia/20170411105251...hina-sea-india/&lt;/a&gt;</description>
            <author>news channel</author>
            <category>The Museum Of Kopitiam</category>
            <pubDate>Sun, 23 Apr 2017 19:58:55 +0800</pubDate>
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            <title>KNN Communist China tembak fisherman boat 7 times</title>
            <link>http://forum.lowyat.net/topic/4273423</link>
            <description>MANILA: A group of Filipino fishermen have accused China&amp;#39;s coast guard of shooting at their vessel in disputed South China Sea waters.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Philippine officials said they were investigating the reported attack on the Princess Johann boat, which the crew said occurred near a Chinese-occupied section of the Spratly archipelago on March 27.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;There were no casualties, authorities added. &amp;quot;(The Princess Johann) was reportedly fired upon seven times by a Chinese speedboat with seven Chinese coast guards on board,&amp;quot; said the Philippine Coast Guard.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The armed speedboat approached the Filipino vessel after it dropped anchor about 3.7km off the Chinese side of the Union Banks atoll, it said. &amp;quot;The crew hid and eventually cut their anchor line and fled the area,&amp;quot; the statement added.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The Chinese Foreign Ministry said it could not comment until facts are ascertained.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;In a separate development, Philippine Defence Secretary Delfin Lorenzana flew to a disputed South China Sea island yesterday. &amp;quot;This is just a normal visit within our territory, which we believe and we know is (our) territory,&amp;quot; the minister told reporters.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Mr Lorenzana said construction would start &amp;quot;within the next few weeks&amp;quot; for a quay on Thitu where construction materials will be landed for repairs on an existing airstrip on the largest of nine Philippine-garrisoned outcrops in the Spratly archipelago.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;As the military transport plane bearing Mr Lorenzana and local officials of Palawan island prepared to land, the pilots received a warning from Chinese forces on Subi that the aircraft was illegally entering Chinese territory, a routine for all Philippine aircraft landing on the Thitu airstrip since China reclaimed Subi.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Mr Lorenzana said his pilots disregarded the warning.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&amp;quot;That&amp;#39;s their protocol. That&amp;#39;s procedural. We reply that we are flying over Philippine territory.&amp;quot; - AFP&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Credit: &lt;a href='http://www.tnp.sg/news/world/philippine-fishermen-accuse-china-firing-vessel' target='_blank'&gt;http://www.tnp.sg/news/world/philippine-fi...a-firing-vessel&lt;/a&gt;</description>
            <author>news channel</author>
            <category>The Museum Of Kopitiam</category>
            <pubDate>Sun, 23 Apr 2017 19:44:10 +0800</pubDate>
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            <title>PRC China cornered&amp;#33; World top 7 richest nations</title>
            <link>http://forum.lowyat.net/topic/4271365</link>
            <description>&lt;img src='https://pictr.com/images/2017/04/20/HxjYD.jpg' border='0' alt='user posted image' /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;MANILA, Philippines — The foreign ministers of the Group of Seven (G7) advanced economies reiterated its opposition to the militarization of disputed features in the South China Sea.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The ministers of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States maintained their commitment to maintaining a rules-based maritime order based on international law, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&amp;quot;We consider the July 12, 2016 award rendered by the Arbitral Tribunal under the UNCLOS as a useful basis for further efforts to peacefully resolve disputes in the South China Sea,&amp;quot; the G7 joint communique read.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The UN-backed arbitral tribunal based in the Hague, Netherlands had ruled that China&amp;#39;s nine-dash line claim does not have a legal basis and that Beijing violated its commitment under the UNCLOS for building artificial islands in the Philippines&amp;#39; exclusive economic zone.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Beijing, however, refused to honor the ruling of the arbitral tribunal and insisted that they have indisputable sovereignty over the South China Sea.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The G7 ministers urged all parties involved in the South China Sea dispute to stop the militarization in the region.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&amp;quot;We reiterate our strong opposition to any unilateral actions which increase tensions, such as the threat or use of force, large-scale land reclamation, building of outposts, as well as their use for military purposes and urge all parties to pursue demilitarization of disputed features and to comply with their obligations under international law,&amp;quot; the G7 ministers said.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;This statement follows reports that Beijing is nearly finished with its construction of military facilities in three islands in the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea. These facilities will allow Beijing to deploy military assets in the region at any time.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;img src='https://pictr.com/images/2017/04/20/HxCKA.jpg' border='0' alt='user posted image' /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Read more and credit: &lt;a href='http://www.philstar.com/headlines/2017/04/19/1691830/g7-ministers-call-implementation-hague-ruling-south-china-sea' target='_blank'&gt;http://www.philstar.com/headlines/2017/04/...south-china-sea&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;</description>
            <author>news channel</author>
            <category>The Museum Of Kopitiam</category>
            <pubDate>Thu, 20 Apr 2017 18:54:03 +0800</pubDate>
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            <title>Economist: Tongsan money has stopped flowing to MY</title>
            <link>http://forum.lowyat.net/topic/4232707</link>
            <description>&lt;span style='font-size:16pt;line-height:100%'&gt;many housing projects catering to Chinese buyers would end up being abandoned.&lt;/span&gt; &lt;!--emo&amp;:idea:--&gt;&lt;img src='http://static.lowyat.net/style_emoticons/default/icon_idea.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='icon_idea.gif' /&gt;&lt;!--endemo--&gt; &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;* * *&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;PETALING JAYA: An economist has predicted that China will prolong its capital flight control measures, which is bad news for Chinese real estate developer Country Garden and its Forest City project in Johor.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Hoo Ke Ping, the author of several books on international economics, told FMT the outcome of the recently concluded G20 meeting could result in China’s decision to maintain those measures for an indefinite period.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“At the G20 meeting, the finance ministers of the major economies didn’t renew their stance against protectionist measures,” he noted.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“So what you are likely to see is the United States implementing protectionist measures, which will in turn affect China’s trade. If this happens, China’s foreign reserves will dwindle and Beijing is likely to prolong capital control measures.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;He said this would mean those who bought properties in Forest City might not be able to repay their bank loans because they would be prevented from taking their money out of China.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Forest City is a RM100 billion futuristic smart city project that caters mainly to investors from China.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Hoo said Forest City wouldn’t face tough times if all the Chinese buyers had bought their units with cash or if they had stashed a lot of money outside China. But this wasn’t the case with most Chinese investors, he added.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Hoo’s latest comments come less than a month after a press interview in which he predicted that many housing projects catering to Chinese buyers would end up being abandoned.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;For now, he said, Country Garden’s best hope was to seek the help of the Chinese ambassador to Malaysia, Huang Huikang.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;He said the company could ask Huang to appeal to Beijing to relax regulations for buyers of Forest City units, such as allowing those who have already repaid half of their loans to continue servicing them.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;But he said the outcome of the recent G20 meeting made it unlikely that Beijing would accommodate such an appeal.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;It was recently reported that some buyers of Forest City properties were seeking refunds after failing to raise money from banks in China following Beijing’s imposition of its strict measures to control capital flight.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Credit: &lt;a href='http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2017/03/24/bad-news-for-forest-city/' target='_blank'&gt;http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/...or-forest-city/&lt;/a&gt;</description>
            <author>news channel</author>
            <category>The Museum Of Kopitiam</category>
            <pubDate>Fri, 24 Mar 2017 14:34:17 +0800</pubDate>
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            <title>China Premier broke protocol (= kurang ajar)</title>
            <link>http://forum.lowyat.net/topic/4232006</link>
            <description>Emperor Xi&amp;#39;s macai is getting worse everyday. &lt;!--emo&amp;:x--&gt;&lt;img src='http://static.lowyat.net/style_emoticons/default/doh.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='doh.gif' /&gt;&lt;!--endemo--&gt; &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;* * *&lt;br /&gt;&lt;img src='https://pictr.com/images/2017/03/23/529c2e714d79a81c9d22a37cb8447c92.jpg' border='0' alt='user posted image' /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Li Keqiang&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The Chinese premier, Li Keqiang, has warned China does not want to see a new cold war, emphasising that throughout his country’s history, peace has “always been the most precious thing”.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;With increasing tensions in the South China Sea a significant backdrop to his visit to Australia, Li told parliamentarians in Canberra on Thursday that China did not want to see countries “taking sides, as happened during the cold war”.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Li used a lunchtime address to say Beijing pursued an independent foreign policy of peace, and pursued “national development paths suited to our traditions”.&lt;span style='font-size:16pt;line-height:100%'&gt; &amp;lt;== tributary tradition like The Imperial Chinese tributary system (Chinese: 朝貢體系) ?  &lt;!--emo&amp;:mega_shok:--&gt;&lt;img src='http://static.lowyat.net/style_emoticons/default/mega_shok.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='mega_shok.gif' /&gt;&lt;!--endemo--&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;He said China respected Australia’s chosen foreign policies and that “as long as they are consistent with the United Nations charter and international rules – we will work together to maintain them”.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style='font-size:16pt;line-height:100%'&gt;Li’s explicit warning against taking sides could be interpreted not only as broad ranging diplomatic advice to his host ( = kurang ajar already)&lt;/span&gt;, but a rebuke to Australia’s foreign minister Julie Bishop, who recently argued the United States remained the pre-eminent global strategic power in Asia, and the “indispensable strategic power in the Indo-Pacific”.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Read more and credit: &lt;a href='https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/mar/23/chinese-premier-warns-australia-taking-sides-could-lead-to-new-cold-war' target='_blank'&gt;https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/mar/...to-new-cold-war&lt;/a&gt;</description>
            <author>news channel</author>
            <category>The Museum Of Kopitiam</category>
            <pubDate>Thu, 23 Mar 2017 15:55:57 +0800</pubDate>
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            <title>TQ BN again, Malaysia stresses military spending</title>
            <link>http://forum.lowyat.net/topic/4231972</link>
            <description>&lt;!--emo&amp;:hmm:--&gt;&lt;img src='http://static.lowyat.net/style_emoticons/default/hmm.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='hmm.gif' /&gt;&lt;!--endemo--&gt; &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;* * *&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;March 22 (UPI) -- Claimants in South China Sea territorial disputes are not standing down as Beijing rapidly militarizes islands in international waters.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Southeast Asian nations like Malaysia are modernizing their naval fleets as China&amp;#39;s military buildup draws condemnations from non-claimants like the United States.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Malaysian newspaper The Star and other local news sources reported Wednesday that Prime Minister Najib Razak said the government plans to allocate &amp;#036;5.87 billion toward strengthening national defense.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The Royal Malaysian Navy&amp;#39;s modernization program, known as &amp;quot;15-to-5,&amp;quot; will take top priority, according to news sources.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The program includes plans for restructuring the deployment of 15 types of ships, including Malaysia&amp;#39;s littoral combat ship, offshore patrol vessel, littoral mission vessel, multi-role support ship and five kinds of submarines.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The plan will also introduce 50 new vessels.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Najib said defense and security are vital to the defense of Malaysia&amp;#39;s territory and sovereignty, while adding plans are under way to continuously increase Malaysia&amp;#39;s defense spending.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The Malaysian prime minister also emphasized the need to upgrade military equipment, although the country&amp;#39;s defense budget is being reduced by 12.7 percent owing to an economic downturn.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;But while Malaysia disputes China&amp;#39;s exclusive claims to the Spratly and Paracel islands, the two countries have previously cooperated on naval vessels, including on Malaysian purchases of China-made littoral mission ships -- a contract between Kuala Lumpur&amp;#39;s defense ministry and China&amp;#39;s State Administration for Science, Technology and Industrial for National Defense of China, signed in November 2016.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Malaysia&amp;#39;s neighbor Indonesia also has been steadily increasing defense spending.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Jakarta plans to spend &amp;#036;20 billion in the next 10 years on arms procurement, according to South Korean news agency Yonhap.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Credit: &lt;a href='http://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2017/03/22/Malaysia-stresses-military-spending-amid-South-China-Sea-dispute/5431490184787/' target='_blank'&gt;http://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/201.../5431490184787/&lt;/a&gt;</description>
            <author>news channel</author>
            <category>The Museum Of Kopitiam</category>
            <pubDate>Thu, 23 Mar 2017 15:28:24 +0800</pubDate>
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            <title>Bodoh has spoken: Please tax my salt &amp;amp; make</title>
            <link>http://forum.lowyat.net/topic/4231812</link>
            <description>Click the source and see the bodoh face &lt;!--emo&amp;&amp;lt;_&amp;lt;--&gt;&lt;img src='http://static.lowyat.net/style_emoticons/default/dry.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='dry.gif' /&gt;&lt;!--endemo--&gt; &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;* * *&lt;br /&gt;PETALING JAYA: It is high time salt is taxed, say consumer groups concerned over the deteriorating health of Malaysians.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Malaysia Consumer Movement president Darshan Singh Dhillon said any move to introduce tax on the item would have the support of the group.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“Taxing the item may not be a popular move but it will definitely have a long-term tangible benefit, and we would support the move,” he told FMT.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Darshan said studies showed that over-consumption of salt had adverse effects on health.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“Most Malaysians are not health conscious, and that is causing us to become an obese nation.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“It also costs the government billions of ringgit in healthcare for the people when the money can be put to other important uses.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Darshan said those in the food business should also play a role in safeguarding the health of consumers.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“The food industry has an equal responsibility to ensure that safe and healthy food is made available.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Health Minister Dr S Subramaniam last June said about 6.1 million Malaysians suffered from hypertension and 9.6 million had a high cholesterol level. He said 3.3 million Malaysians were obese.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;All three diseases are linked to a high intake of sodium chloride, also known as salt.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Salt, along with sugar and cooking oil, is an essential item that is not subjected to the GST.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The Consumers Association of Penang (CAP) said the government should impose a “sin tax” on food that contains a high amount of salt to deter consumers from consuming too much salt.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Health experts recommend an ideal limit of no more than 1,500mg of sodium per day for most adults and “one teaspoon of salt is already about 2,000mg of sodium,” said the CAP spokesman.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Sodium can also lurk in processed foods, which is why it is important to read the labels, as well as in natural foods such as cheese, seafood, olives and some legumes.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;In 2008, the World Action on Salt and Health (WASH) in the UK launched a global movement to improve the health of populations across the world by a gradual reduction in salt intake.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Most people consume nine to 12 grammes of salt daily, which is far too much. The group aims to reduce the per person salt consumption to 5g per day.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;WASH runs Salt Awareness Week from March 20 to 26 every year to highlight the importance of salt reduction.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Credit: &lt;a href='http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2017/03/23/pass-the-salt-tax-please/' target='_blank'&gt;http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/...alt-tax-please/&lt;/a&gt;</description>
            <author>news channel</author>
            <category>The Museum Of Kopitiam</category>
            <pubDate>Thu, 23 Mar 2017 12:48:00 +0800</pubDate>
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            <title>Malaysia is going to buy Rafale fighter jets</title>
            <link>http://forum.lowyat.net/topic/4231807</link>
            <description>LANGKAWI, Malaysia: France&amp;#39;s Rafale fighter jet is emerging as the frontrunner as Malaysia looks to replace its aging fleet of combat aircraft, a source in the Southeast Asian nation&amp;#39;s defence ministry said on Wednesday, despite narrowing its defence spending this year.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;French President Francois Hollande was expected to make a pitch for the Rafale, made by Dassault Aviation SA, when he and his team visit Malaysia next week, the source said.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&amp;quot;The ministry&amp;#39;s top leadership have been promoting the Rafale,&amp;quot; said the source, who was not authorised to speak to media on the negotiations.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&amp;quot;It&amp;#39;s been done in promotional material for LIMA, and even at top government meetings,&amp;quot; the source said, referring to this week&amp;#39;s biennial Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace Exhibition.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Malaysia was looking to buy up to 18 jets in a deal potentially worth more than &amp;#036;2 billion, the source said.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Defence Minister Hishammuddin Hussein was reported in media as saying that the race for new fighter jets has narrowed down to the Rafale and the Eurofighter Typhoon, built by BAE Systems.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The plan is to replace the Royal Malaysian Air Force&amp;#39;s (RMAF) squadron of Russian MiG-29 combat planes, nearly half of which are grounded.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Dassault, which declined comment when approached, has kept a low profile in the race. BAE has been on a consistent and public campaign over the past six years to win the Malaysia contract, even establishing a regional office in the capital, Kuala Lumpur.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Steve Osborne, BAE&amp;#39;s sales director for military air and information for the Asia Pacific region, said the Typhoon had a good chance of landing the deal as the company already supplied defence equipment to Malaysia.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&amp;quot;We believe this gives the government of Malaysia the confidence in us that they may go with us...,&amp;quot; said Osborne.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;An industry and a government source with knowledge of the negotiations said any decision would take at least two more years, as Prime Minister Najib Razak is focused on more domestic concerns in the run up to national polls that must be held by 2018.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Malaysia cut its total defence budget by 12.7 percent to 15.1 billion ringgit (&amp;#036;3.41 billion) this year, as Najib grapples with growing public discontent over rising living costs.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Besides Dassault and BAE, other suitors courting Malaysia are Russia&amp;#39;s Sukhoi and Sweden&amp;#39;s SAAB, which is selling its single engine Gripen.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Two industry sources said Sukhoi was also in talks with Indonesia, potentially to deliver up to two full squadrons of the new SU-35 planes. An Indonesian ministry official said in November that the ministry was looking to buy &amp;quot;nine or 10&amp;quot; of the planes, though the award had not been finalised.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;SAAB, which is proposing a lease arrangement with Malaysia for use of the Gripen, is also in the running for a deal to deliver 36 single engine multi-role combat aircraft to the Philippines, according to an industry source who has direct knowledge of the negotiations.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&amp;quot;We&amp;#39;re expecting a decision by the Philippine government between 2018 and 2020. Their procurement process is scheduled to happen between 2021 and 2024,&amp;quot; the source said.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Defence spending in the Asia Pacific region is expected to hit &amp;#036;250 billion from 2016-20, IHS Janes Defence Weekly said in December, spurred by rising tension in the South China Sea where China has created several islands, worrying the United States and some of China&amp;#39;s neighbours.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;China claims most of the South China Sea, through which &amp;#036;5 trillion in ship-borne trade passes every year. The Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Taiwan and Brunei also have claims.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Credit: &lt;a href='http://www.thestar.com.my/business/business-news/2017/03/23/rafale-appears-in-the-lead-as-malaysia-seeks-new-fighter-jets/' target='_blank'&gt;http://www.thestar.com.my/business/busines...w-fighter-jets/&lt;/a&gt;</description>
            <author>news channel</author>
            <category>The Museum Of Kopitiam</category>
            <pubDate>Thu, 23 Mar 2017 12:40:23 +0800</pubDate>
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            <title>It&amp;#39;s official: Malaysia does not recognize</title>
            <link>http://forum.lowyat.net/topic/4231743</link>
            <description>Communist Regime in PRC China gonna butthurt.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Those PRC celup too.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;anyway, TQ (thankyou) BN.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;* * *&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;KUALA LUMPUR — China and Malaysia do not have overlapping territorial claims in the South China Sea, Malaysia&amp;#39;s Foreign Minister Anifah Aman said on Monday (March 20).&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style='font-size:16pt;line-height:100%'&gt;Mr Anifah said that Malaysia and other Asean nations, who are claimants to the territory also claimed by China, do not acknowledge the republic&amp;#39;s &amp;quot;nine-dash line&amp;quot; argument as it was not in accordance with international laws, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) 1982.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&amp;quot;Malaysia is also of the stand that there does not exist any overlapping claims or territorial disputes between Malaysia and China in the South China Sea.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style='font-size:16pt;line-height:100%'&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&amp;quot;Malaysia is also of the stand that all geographical aspects or maritime features which are within Malaysia&amp;#39;s maritime jurisdiction belong to Malaysia,&amp;quot; Mr Anifah said.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;He added that the presence of Chinese military in one of the world&amp;#39;s most important sea routes does not involve Malaysia&amp;#39;s maritime areas.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&amp;quot;Therefore, to my understanding, this does not give a direct impact on the (national) interest and national security.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&amp;quot;However, China&amp;#39;s actions can potentially increase regional tensions and change the geopolitical dynamics on South China Sea,&amp;quot; Mr Anifah added.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;He said that Putrajaya has continuously channelled special attention towards issues relating to the South China Sea, one of the world&amp;#39;s most resource-rich waters.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&amp;quot;I would like to stress that the government will never, ever compromise on matters which can affect the territory&amp;#39;s strength and national interest,&amp;quot; he added.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Mr Anifah was responding to a question by DAP&amp;#39;s Stampin MP Mr Julian Tan Kok Ping, who had asked him to state the government&amp;#39;s stand on the South China Sea territorial dispute which also includes Sarawak waters.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Mr Tan asked for a detailed explanation on the existence of China-owned vessels which have docked in Sarawak&amp;#39;s waters without permission, demanding to know the status of the ships and how long such a case has existed.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;China claims nearly all of the strategically vital sea, even waters approaching the coasts of the Philippines and other South-east Asian nations such as Brunei and Philippines, Indonesia, Vietnam, and Taiwan.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Manila filed a case with an international tribunal in The Hague in 2013 challenging China&amp;#39;s claims to its territory. China refused to participate in the hearings and vowed to ignore the verdict delivered in favour of Philippines that invalidated China&amp;#39;s claims. MALAY MAIL ONLINE&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Credit: &lt;a href='http://www.todayonline.com/no-territorial-disputes-between-malaysia-and-china-south-china-sea-malaysia-minister' target='_blank'&gt;http://www.todayonline.com/no-territorial-...laysia-minister&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;</description>
            <author>news channel</author>
            <category>The Museum Of Kopitiam</category>
            <pubDate>Thu, 23 Mar 2017 11:34:40 +0800</pubDate>
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            <title>War&amp;#33; China to Bar Foreign Ships From Passing</title>
            <link>http://forum.lowyat.net/topic/4200108</link>
            <description>&lt;span style='font-size:16pt;line-height:100%'&gt;War&amp;#33;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;China claims 9 dash lines as its&lt;b&gt; territory&lt;/b&gt;.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Large part of Malaysia EEZ is within the 9 dash lines.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Now China is going to bar certain foreign ships from passing through its &lt;b&gt;territorial waters&lt;/b&gt;.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Malaysia going to lose its EEZ if no intervention from third party against this invasion.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;It&amp;#39;s against the freedom of navigation. Is China asking for war?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;* * *&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Officials in Beijing have announced plans to revise a 34-year-old maritime safety law that would permit relevant authorities to “&lt;span style='font-size:16pt;line-height:100%'&gt;bar some foreign ships from passing through Chinese territorial waters&lt;/span&gt;,” according to Chinese state media outlets.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;China and the US have maintained a consistent tension over US ships transiting the South China Sea under the banner of &amp;quot;freedom of navigation&amp;quot; patrols, and the revised law could provide China with the legal firepower to restrict access to waters it claims as its own. It is not clear what means China would use to enforce a revised version of the 1984 Maritime Traffic Safety Law.&lt;br /&gt;Ladd Reef, Spratly Islands, South China Sea&lt;br /&gt;© REUTERS/ Reuters&lt;br /&gt;Beijing Warns US Against Planned Maritime Patrols in South China Sea&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&amp;quot;The draft would empower maritime authorities to prevent foreign ships from entering Chinese waters if it is decided that the ships may harm traffic safety and order,&amp;quot; a recent article in the Global Times stated. On Tuesday, the Legislative Affairs Office of the State Council revealed that it would accept public commentary before final revisions are made.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The changes will accord with the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, in addition to Chinese laws on the seas, adjacent areas, and exclusive economic zones, the office said.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Yang Cuibai, a Chinese legal scholar, told the Global Times that, &amp;quot;The revisions will strengthen China’s management over territorial waters in a new era when the country’s communication and trade with foreign countries in the waters have sharply increased.&amp;quot; Yang also suggested that China should take the lead on establishing legal order in the Yellow Sea, East China Sea and South China Sea.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Submarines operated by non-Chinese nations would be required to transit the maritime area on the surface of the water, as well as display national flags, and report movements &lt;span style='font-size:16pt;line-height:100%'&gt;within Beijing-claimed territory  (&amp;lt;==== 9 dash lines. Malaysian scorpene submarines and navy warships also need to report to China if they are operating in Malaysia EEZ) &lt;/span&gt; to the country’s maritime management administration, the draft states.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Read more and credit: &lt;a href='https://sputniknews.com/asia/201702161050764407-china-bar-ships-passing-waters/' target='_blank'&gt;https://sputniknews.com/asia/20170216105076...passing-waters/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style='font-size:16pt;line-height:100%'&gt;It&amp;#39;s invasion. It&amp;#39;s new imperialism. No world war 3&amp;#33;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href='https://pictr.com/image/EoRDc' target='_blank'&gt;&lt;img src='https://pictr.com/images/2017/02/18/bae0ec5f8a88bf0d97aa4273d0012039.png' border='0' alt='user posted image' /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style='font-size:16pt;line-height:100%'&gt;It is time for Malaysians to unite against the invader. Also for Malaysian mandarin speakers to tell China to stop its evil plan similar to world war 2 in the past.&lt;/span&gt;</description>
            <author>news channel</author>
            <category>The Museum Of Kopitiam</category>
            <pubDate>Sat, 18 Feb 2017 12:51:02 +0800</pubDate>
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