Aug. 30 – China has announced this week that they have recently test-fired a new generation inter-continental ballistic missile (ICBM) that is capable of carrying up to 10 nuclear warheads. The missile, called Dongfeng-41, has a strike range of 14,000 kilometers.
The announcement, which was broadcasted on China’s state-run CCTV, said that “China last month tested a new generation of intercontinental ballistic missile, the Dongfeng-41, or DF-41, which is believed to have a maximum strike distance of 14,000 km.”
In a rare occurrence, the announcement also contained video footage of mobile missile units in action. Continue reading
Aug. 28 – Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) saw sales to China increase by 91 percent over the past three months as Chinese consumers eagerly snapped up the luxury cars. Imported into China from JLR’s UK plants, the brands comprise the best of British manufacturing expertise tied to Indian management, regional marketing knowledge and ultimate ownership – Tata Group purchased the then-struggling brands from Ford in 2008. Since then, the UK-based operations have been extensively re-financed and re-modeled. The result? Two now Indian-owned premium auto brands that China just can’t get enough of. 
Aug. 24 – Tensions between China and Japan have flared up again after heavily publicized political stunts by nationalists over uninhabited islands in the East China Sea that both countries lay claim to.
Aug. 23 – A potential ban on tiger tourism within India may devastate the population of the endangered beast. A century ago, India was home to about 45,000 tigers; in 2010 this number had been reduced to 1,706. In July, India’s Supreme Court banned all forms of tourism within the core areas of the country’s tiger parks in a bid to protect the tiger from extinction. This law, however, has been widely criticized due to it threatening not only the livelihood of the tiger population, but also those who earn their living from tiger tourism.
Aug. 18 – Sino-Japanese relations have again hit a roadblock this week with the arrest of 14 Chinese activists who were protesting the ownership of an island claimed by both countries. On Wednesday, pro-Chinese activists landed on the disputed Diaoyu Islands, or Senkaku Islands in Japan, attempting to plant a flag claiming Chinese ownership. Soon after, they were arrested by the Japanese Coast guard, who retains administrative control over the islands.
Op-Ed Commentary: Christoph Unrast