Drug Trafficking through Xinjinag province

I recently saw from Chinese press that entry points from the Golden Crescent countries (Afghanistan, Iran and Pakistan) to Chinese Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region (XUAR) have now become prime trade routes for international drug dealers. Forty such suspected drug traffickers were arrested in the month of June. Most of them were from Pakistan, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and Kazakhstan. Chinese news agencies Xinhua and Zhongguo Xinwen She reported that Urumqi customs officials cracked a transnational drug trafficking case in which two Pakistanis were arrested. Chinese border defence forces have taken a serious view of it and demanded Pakistani customs to prevent drug smuggling from its side.

China orders relocation of Myanmar's villagers

Chinese oil company, PetroChina, has ordered to relocate the residents of the Myanmar’s village, Agu Maw, and other nearby islands. Nearly 100 engineers of the Chinese oil company are presently engaged in oil/natural gas exploration work in Agu-Maw village, 25 miles North from Sittwe in Arakan State, Myanmar, bordering Bangladesh. Heavy drilling machines and other equipment has been brought from China, and the village has been completely cordoned off by ‘Na-Sa-Ka’, the border security force. The Chinese company has so far identified 15 places with gas/oil reserves in Agu Maw. Earlier, four small islands near Agu-Maw village were fenced off by the Myanmar authorities following discovery of gas deposit by Chinese company.

My sources also said that Myanmar military authorities have banned since mid-June all mining activities by Chinese nationals in Laiza and Namsan-Yang areas, 50 miles southeast of Myitkyina, Kachin state. The ban followed charges of illegal gold mining by Chinese nationals. Chinese gold miners are now forcing local authorities through bribes to issue pre-dated permission letters.

China strengthens its naval presence in Coco Islands for Indian Ocean surveillance

Chinese naval delegation led by Col. Chi Ziong Feng, accompanied by their Myanmarese counterparts headed by Brig. Gen. Win Shein, visited the Coco Islands in the Indian Ocean on June 25, 2008. Brig. Gen. Shein is the Commander of Ayeyarwaddy naval headquarters which control the Island. China has built naval facilities there to monitor shipping movements in the Indian ocean. Beijing is concerned about the security of sea lanes of communications as a major part of its oil and gas supplies transit through the Indian Ocean.
The two delegations decided to (a) increase the strength of Naval troops on the Coco islands (b) construct two more helipads and storage facilities for arms and ammunition and (c) upgrade the communication equipment on the island.
Construction of more helipads indicates Chinese intentions of increasing airborne surveillance of the sea lanes.