China Herald: NATO

Wendell Minnick

When NATO member Turkey selected long-range missiles from China, a shock went through the industry. But the purchase might not yet be a done deal, writes defense expert Wendell Minnick in Defense News.

Wendell Minnick:

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan told reporters Oct. 25 that Ankara would be open to new offers if talks with China Precision Machinery Import Export Corp. (CPMIEC) fail. “Currently, I don’t know if there are different proposals from the other parties. If there are, they could be considered,” Erdogan said.

A senior procurement official said the decision to select CPMIEC may not be the end but rather the beginning of a fresh round of competition. “The game is certainly not over yet. We would enthusiastically assess rival bids if they make sense in terms of costs and the level of technology transfer we require,” he said.

Turkey announced Sept. 26 that it selected CPMIEC to build the country’s first long-range air defense architecture, sparking a major dispute over whether the Chinese-built system could be integrated with the NATO air defense assets stationed in Turkey.

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China Weekly Hangout

How do China’s media work? The China Weekly Hangout is going to focus Thursday 7 November on the case of journalist Chen Yongzhou, the reporter of the New Express in Guangdong, and try to figure out how media in China work. Chen got arrested for articles he wrote on the state-owned company Zoomlion, developed into a hero for press freedom. Until he apologized for getting paid for those articles. Two scenario’s are still possible: a hero or a cheater, or even more scenario’s. You can read or announcement here, or register her for the event.

Not only its military, also China's internet companies go global, asked the China Weekly Hangout on September 5. Should Facebook, Twitter and Google+ worry now Tencent, Baidu, Sina, Alibaba and Xiaomi have plans to expand globally. Not yet, said investor +William Yung, media-expert +Paul Fox and +Tech in Asia editor +Steven Millward. Well, maybe Whatsapp should. Moderation by +Fons Tuinstra of the China Speakers Bureau.