VIF Information Alerts - 06 December 2019

China's defence budget increases 850 per cent over 20 years: Top Pentagon official
Published: The New Indian Express

06 Dec 2019

China's defence budget has grown 850 per cent in the last 20 years from USD 20 billion to USD 170 billion in 2018, a top Pentagon official told lawmakers on Thursday.
It continues to add to its capabilities and is increasingly provocative, such as its activities in the South China Sea and in Africa, where China established its first overseas base ever in Djibouti in 2017, said Under Secretary of Defense for Policy John C Rood.Click here to read... [2]

China's neighbors fret over Beijing's military and economic might: poll
Published: The Japan Times

06 Dec 2019

China’s neighbors feel threatened by the country’s overseas investments and military might, even though people in many countries around the world view the Asian power’s economic growth positively, a poll showed Thursday.
While just over half of people in Japan agreed that China’s economic growth was a good thing, a huge 75 percent perceived investment from China in their country negatively, a survey by Washington-based Pew Research Center found.Click here to read... [3]

Maldives to restructure Chinese debt, says Foreign Minister
Published: The Hindu

05 Dec 2019

The Maldives will seek to restructure the $1.4 billion-debt it owes China, and the island nation’s “India first” policy will not come in the way of negotiations with the Asian giant, Maldivian Foreign Minister Abdulla Shahid said on Thursday.
China has been a “generous donor” to the Maldives and the relationship between the two countries “is on a stable footing”, the Minister told Colombo-based foreign journalists.Click here to read... [4]

India gifts patrol vessel to Maldives as net security provider of region
Published: The Economic Times

05 Dec 2019

India on Wednesday gifted a ‘Made in India’ Patrol Vessel named "KAAMIYAAB” to the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) as part of Delhi’s efforts to be net security provider in the region amid China’s increasing forays in the Indian Ocean Region.
The brand-new vessel will be manned by eight Maldives personnel trained in India and will be a asset for Maldives in enhancing its maritime security, fostering its blue economy and safeguarding its tourism industry. India is a key supplier of defence equipment to Maldives and also trains its military personnel.Click here to read... [5]

Past decade of ‘exceptional heat’ likely to be hottest on record: Report
Published: The Indian Express

05 Dec 2019

The decade 2010-2019 is likely to go down as the warmest on record due to exceptional global heat driven by greenhouse gas emissions, a report by World Metereological Organisation has found. The agency also said that 2019 is well on its way to be the second or third warmest year.
“As the ocean warms, sea levels rise. This rise is further increased by melting of ice on land, which then flows into the sea. In autumn 2019, the global mean sea level reached its highest value since the beginning of the high-precision altimetry record (January 1993),” the report noted.Click here to read... [6]