Russia, China Kick Off Military Exercises

[sintax]

Russia, China Kick Off Military Exercises

Thursday August 18, 2005 12:01 PM

By BURT HERMAN

Associated Press Writer

VLADIVOSTOK, Russia (AP) - Russia and China began unprecedented joint military exercises involving air, sea and land forces Thursday, as commanders from both nations insisted the war games weren't meant to intimidate other countries.

The United States isn't sending observers to the exercises, which symbolize the bolstered ties between Russia and China since the end of the Cold War, but the U.S. has said it hopes they don't shake regional stability.

``Our exercises don't threaten any country,'' Gen. Yuri Baluyevsky, the head of the Russian armed forces general staff, told a news conference at Russia's Pacific Fleet command in the Far East city of Vladivostok.

Gen. Liang Guanglie, chief of the general staff of the Chinese People's Liberation Army, said the exercises were taking place in accord with U.N. principles and would serve to boost the countries' common interests and ``protect peace and stability in our region and the whole world.'' He said they took part in the context of the ``fight against international terrorism, separatism and extremism.''

http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,1280,-5218140,00.html

[maxrandb]

1. Ole' George Really is a "Uniter"

This is NOT GOOD! NOT GOOD! At all!

The Chinese are kicking our asses economically and are rapidly becoming a bigger consumer of limited natural resources. The Russians are increasing their economic and technological production as well.

They are not stupid! Anyone with half a brain can figure out that this is a message from China and Russia to the United States. That message seems to be

"Back-off Cowboy. You won't be the biggest kid in town for very long"

This could be pretty darn scary. We don't have the manpower, or the firepower (short of nukes) to take on Russia AND China.

And the American people asked: "How much damage could be do in 4 years?"

[emad]

2. "I think a man in my position must know how it all happens": Putin

President Putin dresses up to play war games
By Nick Allen in Moscow
(Filed: 18/08/2005)

President Vladimir Putin donned navy uniform to watch a missile launch at sea yesterday, hours after dressing as a pilot and flying in a supersonic bomber.

"I think a man in my position must know how it all happens," the president said after a five-hour flight on a giant TU160 strategic bomber to test-fire a cruise missile over northern Russia.


President Putin holds a model of a Tupolev TU160 strategic bomber
He then boarded the cruiser Peter the Great in the Barents Sea to watch a missile launched from the nuclear submarine, Yekaterinburg.

It hit a target 5,000 miles away in Russia's far east, helping to offset the failed missile launches when he attended his country's largest naval exercises in two decades last year.

The former KGB spy is a regular guest at lavish demonstrations of his country's military might. As well as a missile launch, yesterday's flight involved mid-air refuelling and a low-level pass just 200 yards above the sea's surface at 560mph.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2005/08/18/wputin18.xml&sSheet=/news/2005/08/18/ixhome.html

What an asshole. Must have gone to the same finishing school as Shrub & Poodle.

[Beetwasher]

3. Russia+China=Bad News for US

n/t

[raccoon]

4. This really isn't a surprise, though.

How long are other countries going to allow the Bush junta to do whatever they want, wherever they want? They have to protect "their interests" too.