LIMA 2015, Malaysia's best maritime & Aerospace show so far

Impressive : Najib (centre) with (from left) Liow, China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation deputy general manager Bill Ren, China Ambassador to Malaysia Huang Huikang, Armed Forces chief Gen Tan Sri Zulkifeli Mohd Zin and China Defence Attache Senior Colonel Chen Wei looking at an aircraft carrier model at the corporation’s booth at LIMA 2015.

Najib: Best maritime show

LANGKAWI: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak hailed this year’s edition of the Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace Exhibition (LIMA 2015), which sees the participation of a record-breaking 512 companies from 36 countries, as the best since its inception in 1991.

A total of 110 planes and 78 vessels are also on display.

He said the number of participating companies this year exceeded the 433 registered for the last edition two years ago.

“LIMA 2015 has seen many firsts and, with the much diverse exhibition this time around, it is the best LIMA we have ever had,” he said at the opening ceremony at the tarmac of the Langkawi International Airport here.

He said LIMA had come a long way since its inception in 1991 when he, as the defence minister then, was tasked by former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad to organise the first LIMA show.

Najib quipped that he had had a far more difficult task organising the first edition of LIMA than the present Defence Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein had experienced in organising the latest edition.

“I had to build from ground zero, including ensuring that a hotel was constructed in 50 days,” he said, drawing laughter from the audience.

Najib also launched the Malaysian Aerospace Industry Blueprint (2015-2030), and signed a plaque which symbolised its launch, which focuses on the country’s aspirations to become the leading aerospace nation in South-East Asia by 2030.

Najib said Malaysia’s aerospace industry is projected to contribute RM32.5bil in revenue and provide 32,000 high-income jobs by 2030.

“Last year, the industry generated RM19bil in revenue, RM4.2bil in investment and provided over 19,500 jobs.

“To underline the Government’s commitment to this vision, the Cabinet recently approved the establishment of the National Aerospace Coordinating Agency.”

The agency will be tasked with implementing the blueprint and will become the new secretariat for the Malaysian Aerospace Council, he said.

Najib also said that in 2013 alone, the shipbuilding and ship repair industry recorded a turnover of RM8.36bil.

Also present during the opening ceremony were Dr Mahathir, Cabinet ministers, including Transport Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai and other dignitaries.

Female PLA pilots put up memorable aerobatic show



LANGKAWI: All eyes were on China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) aerobatic team when the all-female pilots of the republic’s air force performed stunts in their Chengdu J-10 fighter jets here.

In the spotlight: (from left) Xiali, Yu Xu, Yifei and Jiali taking a break under the shade on the tarmac at LIMA 2015.

The four women were excited to take part in the world-famous aerospace and maritime venue of Langkawi.

Yu Xu, Tao Jiali, He Xiaoli and Sheng Yifei, all 28, promised that they would give a memorable show to the audience.

He said LIMA was a good platform for them to learn from the pilots from other countries.

“It’s an eye-opening experience for us,” she said in an interview yesterday.

The four pilots are part of PLA air force’s August First aerobatic team. Langkawi is the second of their overseas show after Moscow’s International Aviation and Space Salon in 2013. It is also the four pilots’ maiden flight overseas.

China has deployed seven J-10 jets to LIMA 2015.

Having joined the air force in 2005, Yu, Tao, He and Sheng have accumulated more than 800 hours of flight experience.

“We train hard for our performance and flying the fighter jets requires us to be extremely fit,” Yu said.

“Being women, we have to put in more effort and go the extra mile in our physical training to be able to withstand the stress on our bodies.”

“The stunts in aerobatic display are highly challenging and risky. We have to be precise and calm when executing the moves.”

The Star/Asia News Network

Related:

China's first female J-10 pilots make overseas debut - CCTV ...

More

Four female fighter pilots from China pose for photos in Langkawi, Malaysia on Mar 17, 2015. (Xinhua/Zhang Wenzong) 【1】【2】【3】【4】【5】【6】【7】【8】【9】【10】【11】【12】 Female fighter  pilots claim their half of sky

China calls for peace & stability, patrols in Asian seas legitimate

East meets West: China’s People’s Liberation Army deputy chief of general staff, Lieutenant General Qi Jianguo (right), welcomes US Navy Admiral Samuel Locklear, the commander of US forces in the Pacific region, to a meeting on the sidelines of the 12th International Institute for Strategic Studies Asia Security Summit: The Shangri-La Dialogue, in Singapore on Sunday. Reuters/Edgar Su


Play Video
The 12th Shangri-la Dialogue, also known as the Asia-Pacific Security Summit, has concluded in Singapore. China’s representative has insisted that its development is peaceful and poses no threat to the Asia-Pacific region.

Instead of focusing on conflicts, this year’s Shangri-la dialogue has taken the theme of cooperation. That theme was evident in a speech delivered by Lieutenant General Qi Jianguo, deputy chief of general staff of the People’s Liberation Army of China.

Qi Jianguo, Deputy Chief of General Staff, PLA, said, "China will always follow the road of peaceful development and remain committed to peaceful, open, co operative and mutually beneficial development. China’s development and prosperity is a major opportunity rather than a challenge or even a threat to countries in the Asia-Pacific region. China seeks cooperation and mutual benefit, and just its own exclusive development."

Qi also said that China encourages dialogue and consultation to resolve disputes in the region, but it will not waiver in its determination to safeguard national interests.

"China’s hope for sustained peace and stability in this region, and its stress on dialogue and consultation for the sake of peace by no means denotes unconditional compromise. Our resolve and commitment to safeguarding core national interests always stands steadfast."

In 2012, the US officially laid out a strategy of rebalancing its presence in the region. One year on, its relationship with China has become a center of attention at the Dialogue. US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said the US welcomes the rise of a powerful and responsible China.

Chuck Hagel, US Defense Secretary, said, "We have interests here too, just as China and Russia and other nations have interests all over the world. We don’t want miscalculations and misunderstandings. The only way you do that is to talk to each other. You got to be direct with each other. You have to share with each other. I think we are on track with that. We’ve made progress on that. I think we’ve made continued progress and we’ll make more progress."

The Shangri-La Dialogue was launched in 2002. It aims to provide a platform for Asia-Pacific military and government officials to foster practical security cooperation in the region. - (Source: CNTV.cn)

Chinese patrols in Asian seas legitimate 

Chinese warships will continue to patrol waters where Beijing has territorial claims, a top general said Sunday, amid simmering rows with neighbouring countries over the South China Sea and islands controlled by Japan.

Lieutenant General Qi Jianguo, deputy chief of the general staff of the People's Liberation Army, defended the patrols as legitimate and said his country's sovereignty over the areas could not be disputed.

"Why are Chinese warships patrolling in East China Sea and South China Sea? I think we are all clear about this," Qi told the annual Shangri-La Dialogue security conference in Singapore.

"Our attitude on East China Sea and South China Sea is that they are in our Chinese sovereignty. We are very clear about that," he said through an interpreter.

"So the Chinese warships and the patrolling activities are totally legitimate and uncontroversial."

Qi was responding to a question from a delegate after giving a speech in which he sought to assure neighbouring countries that China has no hegemonic ambitions.

"China has never taken foreign expansion and military conquering as a state policy," he said.

One delegate however said there appeared to be growing regional scepticism over China's peaceful intentions because it was inconsistent with moves to send naval patrols to waters where other countries also have claims.

China is locked in a territorial dispute with Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam in the South China Sea.

The four states have partial claims to islands but China says it has sovereign rights to nearly all of the sea, including areas much closer to other countries and thousands of kilometres from the Chinese coast.

China also has a dispute with Japan over the Senkaku islands, which Beijing calls the Diaoyus, in the East China Sea.

"I do hope the statements of the good general today will be translated into action," Philippine Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin told reporters.

He said Qi's remarks about China having no hegemonic ambitions were "far from what is happening" in the sea.

Manila last month protested at what it called the "provocative and illegal presence" of a Chinese warship near Second Thomas Shoal, which is occupied by Philippine troops.

Among the other moves that have caused alarm were China's occupation of a shoal near the Philippines' main island last year, and the deployment in March of Chinese naval ships to within 80 kilometres (50 miles) of Malaysia's coast.

Competing claims have for decades made the area -- home to rich fishing grounds and vital global shipping lanes and believed to sit atop vast natural gas deposits -- one of Asia's potential military flashpoints.

China and Vietnam fought in 1974 and 1988 for control of islands in battles that left dozens of soldiers dead.

The US-China strategic rivalry also loomed large during the conference, with US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel on Saturday accusing Beijing of waging cyber espionage against the United States.

But General Qi on Sunday allayed concerns that China had dropped a pledge not to be the first to use nuclear weapons in a conflict.

Omission of the "no-first-use" pledge in a recent defence white paper had created ripples in military circles and sparked speculation that China may have abandoned the policy.

Qi also distanced his government from claims by some Chinese scholars that the Ryukyu Islands, which include Okinawa, do not belong to Japan.

"This is only an article of particular scholars and their views on these issues... it does not represent the views of the Chinese government," he said.

- Source: AFP France