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Taiwan plans first stage of jets upgrade
Taiwan plans to complete the first stage of a project to upgrade its fighter jet force by the end of 2013, in an effort to maintain a credible deterrent against the mainland into the 2030s. Some 60 of Taiwan's Indigenous Defence Fighters (IDFs) will be upgraded and ready within 12 months, according to a defence ministry report. The aircraft will be equipped with enhanced radar, avionics and electronic warfare capabilities, along with a locally produced cluster bomb, according to the report. The remainder of its 127-strong fleet of IDFs will be upgraded by 2017, the report said. AFP
 
Japan frees Chinese fishing boat captain
Japan yesterday freed the captain and crew members of a Chinese fishing boat that entered its waters near Kagoshima prefecture over the weekend, Xinhua reported, citing the Chinese consulate general in Fukuoka. The boat's captain, Lin Shiqin, and two of the vessel's crew members, were released after being brought in for questioning on Saturday for illegal fishing. Bloomberg
 
Ministry plays down Hainan boarding zone
Contentious new rules allowing Chinese police to board vessels deemed breaking the law off the southern island of Hainan are only valid within a narrow coastal zone of 12 nautical miles, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said yesterday, seeking to calm regional tensions. The new regulations sparked widespread concern in Southeast Asia that China was taking a tougher line on the disputed South China Sea. Hainan administers Sansha , a city in the disputed Paracel Islands. Reuters
 
Anger at delay on news of work site deaths
A week-long delay in the emergence of information about a construction accident that killed at least eight workers in Shanxi has triggered an outcry from internet users. Many called for acting provincial governor Li Xiaopeng to be held accountable. The Shanxi government issued a statement yesterday denying that up to 60 workers were killed in the accident during work on a railway tunnel in Linfen . Choi Chi-yuk
 
Simple hotel meal with pickles for Xi Jinping
The campaign to highlight the non-extravagant lifestyles of the new leaders continued with a Xinhua reporter snapping a picture of the dinner menu for party general secretary, Xi Jinping , at a hotel in Suping county in Hebei . Instead of a lavish banquet, Xi had some pickles, four dishes and a soup. Zhuang Pinghui


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Xi Jinping

Briefs, January 1, 2013

Xi Jinping (centre) was happy with a simple meal. Photo: Xinhua

News

China

Taiwan plans to complete the first stage of a project to upgrade its fighter jet force by the end of 2013, in an effort to maintain a credible deterrent against the mainland into the 2030s. Some 60 of Taiwan's Indigenous Defence Fighters (IDFs) will be upgraded and ready within 12 months, according to a defence ministry report. The aircraft will be equipped with enhanced radar, avionics and electronic warfare capabilities, along with a locally produced cluster bomb, according to the report. The remainder of its 127-strong fleet of IDFs will be upgraded by 2017, the report said. 
