China holds high-profile display of advanced warplanes, weapons at airshow, 'deters Taiwan secessionists, external interference forces'

China's Red Eagle Aerobatic Team performs at Airshow China 2022

China's J-20, J-16 fighter jets wow spectators at Zhuhai Airshow

 China's J-20 and J-16 fighter jets impressed the spectators at the ongoing 14th China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition, or Airshow China 2022, on Tuesday in South China's Zhuhai City with thrilling performances.

 

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Highlights from Airshow China 2022 Editor: Feng Qingyin/GT Graphic: Xu Zihe/GT

J-20 fighter jets of the Chinese People's Liberation Army Air Force deliver dazzling flight performances at the opening day of Airshow China 2022 in Zhuhai, South China's Guangdong Province on November 8, 2022. Photo: Cui Meng/GT

 

J-20 fighter jets of the Chinese People's Liberation Army Air Force deliver dazzling flight performances at the opening day of Airshow China 2022 in Zhuhai, South China's Guangdong Province on November 8, 2022.

A Z-20 utility helicopter of the People's Liberation Army releases flares during a flight performance at the opening day of Airshow China 2022 in Zhuhai, South China's Guangdong Province, on November 8, 2022.Photo: Cui Meng/GT

A YU-20 aerial tanker releases all three of its aerial refueling baskets during a flight performance at the opening day of Airshow China 2022 in Zhuhai, South China's Guangdong Province, on November 8, 2022.Photo: Cui Meng/GT

 

When the six-day Airshow China 2022 kicked off on Tuesday in Zhuhai, South China's Guangdong Province, spectators were greatly amazed by the country's most advanced J-20 fighter jets' outstanding flight performances with challenging maneuvers of tactical significance in a very humid weather, as well as their landing before the general public for the first time, which experts said, together with flight performances of the YU-20 aerial tanker and the J-16 heavy fighter jet among others, constituted a confident and high-profile move that not only showed the capabilities of the aircraft, but also served as a deterrence to "Taiwan independence" secessionist and external interference forces.

After consecutive days of bad weather in Zhuhai, rainfall stopped on Tuesday, the first day of the airshow, blessing all the aircraft with a cloudy weather condition barely okay for the delivery, and maybe more importantly, the crowd's proper audience, of flight performances.

Despite some strict COVID-19 prevention and control measures, the spectators found it all worthwhile when four J-20 fighter jets of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Air Force appeared from afar in a diamond formation and flew across the event site.

After some circling, two J-20s faded away into the clouds, and the other two dazzled the crowd with many challenging maneuvers with high Gs that tore the air apart, with the wakes distinctly visible because of the high humidity.

While people already know that the J-20s would land on the ground for the first time at an airshow due to an earlier rehearsal, the audience still stood on their toes to get a clearer view on them. Many gathered as closely as they can to take pictures of the J-20s or have their photos taken with the J-20s, as this was their first opportunity to do so.

"Thrilling, satisfying" are some of the words many spectators told the Global Times describing the event. When the J-20 performed its first landing at the show, many viewers shouted, "It is coming! It is like we are about to celebrate the Chinese lunar spring festival. Bravo! The Chinese PLA Air Force!"

One of the last moves in the J-20s' performance was a rolling while ascending, with the aircraft's nose kept changing the direction it was pointing to. This shows that the J-20 has excellent mobility and very flexible aim, which can give it advantages in air combat, Zhang Xuefeng, a Chinese military expert, told the Global Times on Tuesday at the airshow site.

The J-20 can perform supersonic cruise and has subsonic super maneuverability at the same time. This is realized thanks to the J-20's unique aerodynamic design of lifting body with strakes and canards, plus domestically developed engines, Zhang said.

A four-aircraft formation of the J-20 is a large tactical unit with high combat-oriented significance, Song Zhongping, a Chinese military expert and TV commentator, told the Global Times on Tuesday.

The J-20's first static display at the airshow displayed China's confidence in the aircraft, reflecting that many warplanes of this type are already in service and have formed complete combat and logistics support capabilities, and that this advanced stealth fighter is no longer "mysterious," Song said.

Besides the J-20, the YU-20 aerial tanker also delivered its first flight performance to the public, as it released all three of its aerial refueling baskets, showing its capabilities to host aerial refueling for two small aircraft simultaneously or for a large aircraft.

The J-16 heavy fighter jet was another main combat aircraft of the PLA Air Force that performed at the airshow. The J-16 released flares while performing a combat roll, as the beautiful move led many on the ground to express admiration.

The PLA Army for the first time sent the Z-20 utility helicopter, the Z-10 attack helicopter and the Z-8L transport helicopter to conduct flight performances at the Airshow China.

Other equipment like drones also attracted attention.

"This is the third Airshow China I have visited. This year, I was looking forward to seeing new aircraft like the H-20 bomber or the J-35 fighter jet. Now that they did not come, what I'm interested next is drone development," Atsushi Okudera, chief of Japanese newspaper The Asahi Shimbun's Guangzhou/Hong Kong bureau, told the Global Times at the airshow on Tuesday. 

Photo: Cui Meng/GT

 

Sending a warning

Many of the aircraft on display at the airshow, including the J-20, the J-16 and the YU-20, participated in a large-scale military exercises around Taiwan island in August following US house speaker Nancy Pelosi's provocative visit to the island that seriously violated China's sovereignty.

Other first-time exhibits, including the KJ-500A early warning aircraft with in-flight-refuel capability, a JH-7A2 fighter bomber carrying what seems to be a stealth air-to-surface cruise missile and an H-6K bomber carrying two what seems to be air-launched ballistic missiles that analysts said can target aircraft carriers, can also play vital roles over the Taiwan question, observers said.

The PLA Army's Z-20 utility helicopter, the Z-10 attack helicopter and the Z-8L transport helicopter are also a perfect combination in a potential horizontal landing mission when operated from a Type 075 amphibious assault ship of the PLA Navy, as the Z-20 will lead the assault under the escort of the Z-10, followed by the Z-8L, analysts said.

These weapons and equipment are not aimed at Taiwan compatriots, but "Taiwan independence" secessionists and external interference forces, Song said.

If it comes to that, the PLA will use the best weapons and equipment there are to counter Taiwan secessionists and end a potential military conflict with the smallest cost; it is also important to show external forces like the US what the PLA is capable of, Song said. "The PLA will put the moves, performances and capabilities displayed at the airshow into practice," he said.

Both new missiles carried by the H-6K bomber and the JH-7A2 fighter bomber are stand-off weapons that can contribute to the PLA's potential anti-access and area denial missions against external military interference, Song pointed out.

With the YU-20 aerial tanker that can extend the range and endurance of fighter jets, bombers and early warning aircraft, the PLA Air Force can more easily break the first island chain created by the US in an attempt to contain China, analysts said.

The PLA's main combat aircraft, including the J-10C fighter, the J-15 carrier-based fighter, the J-16 heavy fighter, the J-20 stealth fighter, the KJ-500A early warning aircraft and the H-6N long range strategic bomber, are capable of receiving aerial refueling, according to media reports. 

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Glaring Airshow

The Airshow China 2022 kicked off on Tuesday in Zhuhai, South China's Guangdong Province with a higher-than-expected number of exhibitors - more than 740 companies from 43 countries and regions - and state-of-the-art exhibits that cover land, sea, air, aerospace, electronics and cyber applications. With China's latest achievements in aerospace and national defense on display, the expo demonstrated China's strength, strategies, and wisdom in promoting the development of global aerospace science and technology, facilitating international exchanges and cooperation, and safeguarding peace. Follow this infographic to check the most attractive exhibits at Airshow China

Not the best for weight

 Although BMI is widely used as a measure of weight, it is not very accurate and can lead to the mistreatment of obesity and eating disorders.

Measuring a person’s waistline might give a better representation of their health than their bmi, as those with abdominal obesity are prone to developing certain chronic medical conditions. — Photos: TNS

 

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PEOPLE who seek medical treatment for obesity or an eating disorder do so with the hope their insurance plan will pay for part of it.

But whether it’s covered or not often comes down to a measure invented almost 200 years ago by a Belgian mathematician as part of his quest to use statistics to define the “average man”.

That work, done in the 1830s by Adolphe Quetelet, appealed to life insurance companies, which created “ideal” weight tables after the turn of the century.

By the 1970s and 1980s, the measurement, now dubbed body mass index (BMI), was adopted to screen for, and track, obesity.

Now it’s everywhere, using an equation – essentially a ratio of mass to height – to categorise patients as overweight, underweight or at a “healthy weight”.

It’s appealingly simple, with a scale that designates adults who score between 18.5 and 24.9 as within a healthy range.

But critics – and they are widespread these days – say it was never meant as a health diagnostic tool.

“BMI does not come from science or medicine,” said Dr Fatima Stanford, an obesity medicine specialist and equity director of the endocrine division at Massachusetts General Hospital in the United States. 

She and other experts said BMI can be useful in tracking population-wide weight trends, but it falls short by failing to account for differences among ethnic groups, and it can mislabel some people, including athletes, as overweight or obese because it does not distinguish between muscle mass and fat.

Still, BMI has become a standard tool to determine who is most at risk of the health consequences of excess weight – and who qualifies for often-expensive treatments.

Cut-offs for coverage

Despite the heavy debate surrounding BMI, the consensus is that people who are overweight or obese are at greater risk for a host of health problems, including diabetes, liver problems, osteoarthritis, high blood pressure, sleep apnoea and cardiovascular problems.

The BMI measure is commonly included in the prescribing directions for weight-loss drugs.

Some of the newest and most effective drugs, such as semaglutide, limit use to patients who have a BMI of 30 or higher – the obesity threshold – or a lower level of 27, if the patient has at least one weightrelated medical condition, such as diabetes.

Doctors can prescribe the medications to patients who don’t meet those label requirements, but insurers might not cover any of the cost.

While most insurers cover some forms of bariatric surgery for weight loss, they might require a patient to have a BMI of at least 35, along with other health conditions, such as high blood pressure or diabetes, to qualify.

With medications, it can be even trickier.

US national health insurance programme Medicare, for example, does not cover most prescription weight-loss drugs, although it will cover behavioural health treatments and obesity screening. Coverage for weightloss medications varies among private insurance plans.

“It’s very frustrating because everything we do in obesity medicine is based on these cut-offs,” said Dr Stanford.

Over and under

Critics say that BMI can err on both ends of the scale, mistakenly labelling some larger people as unhealthy and people who weigh less as healthy, even if they need medical treatment.

For eating disorders, insurers often use BMI to make coverage decisions and can limit treatment to only those who rank as underweight, missing others who need help, said Serena Nangia.

Nangia is the communications director for Project Heal, a US non-profit organisation that helps patients get treatment, whether they are uninsured or have been denied care through their insurance plan. 

“Because there’s such a focus on BMI numbers, we are missing people who could have gotten help earlier, even if they are at a medium BMI,” she said.

“If they are not underweight, they are not taken seriously, and their behaviours are overlooked.” 

Dr Stanford said she too often battles insurance companies over who qualifies for overweight treatment based on BMI definitions, especially some of the newer, pricier weight-loss medications, which can cost more than US$1,500 (RM7,114.50) a month.

“I’ve had patients doing well on medication and their BMI gets below a certain level, and then the insurance company wants to take them off the medication,” she said, adding she challenges those decisions.

“Sometimes I win, sometimes I lose.”

Not accurate for health

While perhaps useful as a screening tool, BMI alone is not a good arbiter of health, said Dr Stanford and many other experts.

“The health of a person with a BMI of 29 might be worse than one with a 50 if that person with the 29 has high cholesterol, diabetes, sleep apnoea, or a laundry list of things,” said Dr Stanford, “while the person with a 50 just has high blood pressure.

“Which one is sicker? I would say the person with more metabolic disease.”

Additionally, BMI can overestimate obesity for tall people and underestimate it for short ones, experts say.

And it does not account for gender and ethnic differences.

Case in point: “Black women who are between 31 and 33 BMI tend to have better health status even at that above-30 level” than other women and men, Dr Stanford said.

Meanwhile, several studies, including the long-running Nurses’ Health Study, found that Asian people had a greater risk of developing diabetes as they gained weight, compared with whites and certain ethnic groups.

As a result, countries such as China and Japan have set lower BMI overweight and obesity thresholds for people of Asian descent.

Other measurements

Experts generally agree that BMI should not be the only measure to assess patients’ health and weight.

“It does have limitations,” said David Creel, a psychologist and registered dietitian at Cleveland Clinic’s Bariatric and Metabolic Institute.

“It doesn’t tell us anything about the difference between muscle and fat weight,” he said, noting that many athletes might score in the overweight category, or even land in the obesity range due to muscle bulk.

Instead of relying on BMI, physicians and patients should consider other factors in the weight equation.

One is being aware of where weight is distributed.

Studies have shown that health risks increase if a person carries excess weight in the midsection.

“If someone has thick legs and most of their weight is in the lower body, it’s not nearly as harmful as if they have it around their midsection, especially their organs,” he said.

Dr Stanford agreed, saying midsection weight “is a much better proxy for health than BMI itself”, with the potential for developing conditions like fatty liver disease or diabetes “directly correlated with waist size”.

Patients and their doctors can use a simple tool to assess this risk: the tape measure.

Measuring just above the hipbone, women should stay at 35 inches or less, and men at 40 inches or less, researchers advise.

New ways to define and diagnose obesity are in the works, including a panel of international experts convened by the prestigious Lancet Commission, said Dr Stanford, a member of the group.

Any new criteria ultimately approved might not only help inform physicians and patients, but also affect insurance coverage and public health interventions.

She has also studied a way to recalibrate BMI to reflect gender and ethnic differences.

It incorporates various groups’ risk factors for conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol.

Based on her research, she said, the BMI cut-off would trend lower for men, as well as Hispanic and white women.

It would shift to slightly higher cut-offs for Black women.

(Hispanic people can be of any race or combination of races.)

“We do not plan to eliminate the BMI, but we plan to devise other strategies to evaluate the health associated with weight status,” she said. – Kaiser Health News/tribune News Service

Although BMI is widely used as a measure of weight, it is not very accurate and can lead to the mistreatment of obesity and eating disorders.

Kaiser Health News (KHN) is a US national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues. Together with Policy Analysis and Polling, KHN is one of the three major operating programmes at Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF). KFF is an endowed non-profit organisation providing information on health issues to the US. 

-The Star Malaysia By JULIE APPLEBY 

 

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China's cyberspace whitepaper highlights cooperation, 'fundamentally different' from US' proposition

 

 cyberspace Photo:VCG 

China releases white paper on jointly building a cyberspace community

China's State Council Information Office issued a white paper titled "Jointly Build a Community with a Shared Future in Cyberspace," which is fundamentally different from the US' earlier release "Declaration for the Future of the Internet," as China advocates that cyberspace is the common home of humankind instead of creating division and confrontation by ideology.

The Office released the white paper during a news conference on Monday morning in Beijing, which introduces the achievements of China's Internet development and governance practices over the past decade and puts forward the Chinese proposition of building a community with a shared future in cyberspace.

As problems of unbalanced development, unsound rules and unreasonable order in the cyberspace are becoming increasingly prominent and cyber hegemony poses a new threat to world peace and development, effective solutions and joint efforts are needed to address the problems, officials said.

China's white paper is fundamentally different from the US and its partners' joint release "Declaration for the Future of the Internet," said Qi Xiaoxia, director general of the Bureau of International Cooperation of the Cyberspace Administration during Monday's news conference.

The "Declaration for the Future of the Internet" attempts to impose its own standards on others, draw ideological lines in the cyberspace, draw "small circles," create division and confrontation and violate international rules, Qi said. These actions have seriously undermined the unity of the internet family and affected the stable development of the global internet.

In the US' vision, it has abandoned multilateral platforms such as the UN and is keen to form various exclusive cliques instead, in an attempt to draw ideological lines and undermine the global rules of Internet governance by touting its unilaterally-defined principles, trying to create an exclusive bloc in the name of democracy, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said in May.

Instead, China advocates openness, cooperation, tolerance and mutual understanding, he said.

"We believe that cyberspace is the common home of humankind, and that the future of cyberspace should be in the hands of all countries in the world, not by a single country or a few countries."

China advocates that the UN play the role of the main channel in the international governance of cyberspace, and that the international community adhere to the principles of common consultation, construction and sharing, strengthen cooperation and jointly develop international rules for cyberspace, Qi said.

China is willing to deepen cooperation with countries around the world, promote the reform and construction of the global internet governance system, she said.

However, contrary to China's vision of mutual benefit, there are many restrictions on the development of Chinese companies in some countries while they are actively exploring the international market.

"Chinese enterprises have carried out international research and development cooperation, and provided a large number of safe, reliable, high-quality and inexpensive products and services to the world, which are widely welcomed," Qi said.

"Chinese enterprises have actively fulfilled their corporate social responsibility and provided a large number of employment opportunities for the countries and regions where they operate."

Qi pointed out that the reason is clear for the development restrictions of some Chinese enterprises including Huawei in overseas market.

"On the pretext of 'national security,' certain countries have abused export control measures to maliciously block and suppress Chinese enterprises, which undermines the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese enterprises and causes serious disruptions to the stability of the global industrial supply chain," she said.

The Chinese government opposes politicization of technical issues and abuse of state power to suppress and curb other countries' enterprises by any means in violation of market economy principles and international economic and trade rules, said the white paper.

Besides, Qi denied that China's cybersecurity build-up would affect foreign companies' operations in China.

"Such worries are totally unnecessary," Qi said, responding to a question raised by a foreign reporter. "What is foreseeable is that China's open door will only get wider."

Data show that the number of foreign-funded enterprises in China has exceeded 1 million, which shows that foreign enterprises are very confident in China's business environment. The Chinese government has always been committed to creating a market-oriented, rule-of-law business environment, encouraging more enterprises to operate and develop in accordance with the law, and treating both Chinese and foreign enterprises equally, Qi said. 

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Multi-coalition govt may make a return, paving the way for unity government?

 

 

 

"Aku Malaysia" series - Patrick Teoh

No single party has the strength to secure a strong majority in GE15, says observers

 KUALA LUMPUR: With many political observers predicting that no single party or coalition has the strength to secure a strong majority in the 15th General Election (GE15), the return of a government formed by two or more coalitions and parties is on the cards.

The three main coalitions – Barisan Nasional, Perikatan Nasional and Pakatan Harapan – are each facing a tough battle ahead to wrest control of at least 112 seats in Parliament, the simple majority needed to form a government.

Malaysia’s political landscape has changed tremendously since Barisan’s defeat in GE14 after ruling the country for 60 years.

The subsequent political instability saw three prime ministers being sworn into office over a period of four years or so.

Barisan, however, is confident of a victory in the coming polls based on its achievements in the by-elections in the parliamentary constituencies of Cameron Highlands, Tanjung Piai and Kimanis, and the state seats of Slim and Rantau, as well as recent state polls in Melaka and Johor.

According to political analyst Prof Datuk Dr Shamsul Amri Baharuddin, Barisan’s recent performance is not an indicator that it will win GE15 with a comfortable margin similar to that before GE14.

“No single party (or coalition) will emerge as the dominant winner (in GE15)... This is what many political observers are predicting now.

“Although Barisan won several by-elections and two state elections (after GE14), there was no political stability. So, it’s not impossible for a multi-coalition or multi-party government to be formed once again,” he said.

Nusantara Academy for Strategic Research senior fellow Dr Azmi Hassan also expects the formation of a multi-coalition or multi-party government after GE15, pointing out that the prevailing political situation might see three- to five-cornered fights in many seats.

“Although it is being said that Barisan may win the most seats, the number may not be enough to form a government.

“Post-GE15, I expect Barisan to be the dominant coalition (in the government), together with Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) and Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS).

“This is why (prime minister and Umno vice-president) Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob has put forward the idea of creating two deputy prime minister posts – one each for Sabah and Sarawak... This could possibly be Barisan’s new alignment with GPS and GRS,” the geostrategist commented.

Following GE14 on May 9, 2018, Pakatan – then comprising PKR, DAP, Bersatu and Amanah – had formed the federal government with the support of Warisan after winning a simple majority.

Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad was subsequently appointed the seventh prime minister of Malaysia.

But 22 months later, on Feb 24, 2020, the Pakatan government collapsed after Dr Mahathir resigned as prime minister and Bersatu left the coalition.

On March 1, the nation’s first multi-coalition and multi-party government was formed, comprising Bersatu, PAS, Barisan, Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS), and the Sabah-based Parti Solidariti Tanah Airku (Sabah STAR).

Five months later, Perikatan was formed, consisting of Bersatu, PAS and Sabah STAR, with the Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) and Gerakan joining the alliance later.

The Perikatan-led administration survived for only 17 months, following which a multi-coalition and multi-party government comprising Barisan, Perikatan, GPS and PBS came into being on Aug 30, 2021.

Besides Barisan, Pakatan and Perikatan, GE15 will also see the participation of a newly-formed unofficial alliance, Gerakan Tanah Air (GTA), which is led by Dr Mahathir’s Pejuang and which is expected to field candidates in 121 constituencies.

On the anti-hopping law that came into effect on Oct 5, Azmi said its effectiveness in bringing about political stability would only be known after GE15.

“With this law in place now, it will not be possible for one or two MPs to bring down the government. In the event of a defection, the whole party will have to exit the government,” he said.

Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia senior lecturer in political science Dr Jamaie Hamil agreed, saying that laws prohibiting an MP or individual from doing something that could undermine the stability of a government were not new in this country.

According to him, the Internal Security Act (ISA) was enforced during the Barisan era to prevent people or politicians from saying or doing things that could disrupt public order and harmony.

“It may look different, but it is the same as the anti-hopping law that’s aimed at ensuring a government’s stability,” he said.

The provisions for the anti-hopping law are enshrined in the Constitutional (Amendment) (No. 3) Act 2022, under which any MP who leaves a political party to join another will lose his or her seat.

Jamaie has a few recommendations just in case GE15 leads to the formation of a multi-coalition or multi-party government.

Among them is the signing of a memorandum of understanding between the ruling government and the Opposition, similar to what was carried out during Ismail Sabri’s administration. This would ward off conflicts that could threaten the nation’s stability.

He also suggested that the prime minister’s post be rotated among the parties in the multi-coalition or multi-party government.

He said to ensure the long-term stability of such a government, there must be strong political will and understanding among the partners so that decisions are made and implemented by consensus.

Jamaie also said that having a strong and stable multi-coalition government was crucial, considering the possibility of a global recession next year.

He added that the newly-elected leaders should also revive the racial tolerance the country used to enjoy under the leadership of the first prime minister, Tunku Abdul Rahman.

Azmi hopes the appointments of the new Cabinet ministers will be made in accordance with their expertise and not merely on the basis of fulfilling party quotas. — Bernama 

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