The Pentagon sent its annual report (PDF) on China’s military to Congress Wednesday, highlighting American areas of concern about China’s growing military power. The main points come as no surprise – the Pentagon is wary of China’s ambitions for a ‘great power’ navy, impressed with the speedy rise of China’s ability to project power far from its own shores, and eager to push for further transparency and military-to-military ties.
Cyber warfare gets some attention, with a warning that the phishing and data-theft attacks seen so far are producing useful experience for ‘computer network attacks’ that could take down operational systems – while the PLA has just been on CCTV apparently attacking a Falun Gong web site.
China’s military, the report argues, is modernizing rapidly, moving toward long-range sea and air power and is already far along the road to access denial capability in its ‘near seas.’ Space, the report concludes, is also a major battleground in the minds of PLA planners, who aim to strike data systems before fighting battles. While decades away from being able to think about fighting wars far overseas, China may soon be able to plausibly demand the United States get out of its back yard.
The report concludes that the PLA’s mission still primarily focusses on Taiwan, although it’s gearing up to go farther afield in order to protect China’s economic interests as well as its borders. A case in point is China’s newly-renovated Soviet aircraft carrier, superfluous for attacking an island 100 miles away, which the Pentagon expects will be succeeded by a ship built in China from the ground up by 2015. The report also devotes substantial attention to China’s involvement in peacekeeping missions, a key means for countries without active wars to get experience operating overseas.
This year’s report has provoked little response in China, except a rebuttal from Xinhua, which dismisses concerns over China’s growing power in Asia as ‘a cock and bull story...based on a wild guess and illogical reasoning.’ While the report largely avoids criticizing China’s intentions, Chinese leaders have long objected to the annual report, which is required by US statute, as part of an American ‘containment’ strategy.
Reddit
Digg
StumbleUpon
Delicious
Technorati
Yahoo
Google
Plurk
Passerby
@David Cohen
“…the annual report, which is required by US statute, as part of an American ‘containment’ strategy…”
Very interesting! Your colleague, Mr. Richard Weitz, in his most recent article right here on the Diplomat, emphasizes that “…As for China, the United States isn’t pursuing a military containment strategy against China…” (see http://the-diplomat.com/2011/08/21/why-us-needs-south-korea-base/2/ )
Is Mr. Weitz being so uninformed? or you are being hawkish? or the US government is lying with a straight face? (although I understand that telling lies is a standard practice, without exception, for all governments in the world when it comes to geopolitics).
Tired
Haha…!
Telling lies might be standard practice, but hypocrisy (i.e., being the bad guy for all intents and purposes but still want to look good on media) is a major characteristic of Western governments and Western journalists like Messrs. Cohen and Weitz.
SimonSays
I am afraid you have yet to fully understand the concept of democracy. Democracy is rule of the majority where there are many different opinions. That means different people can have conflicting views. In a free country, this is encouraged and there is an active public debate….like the academics on The Diplomat.
John Chan
@SimonSays:
It seems you are the one have yet to fully understand the concept of democracy, because you equate democracy to free country, it is totally not true.
1. First of all, democracy in the West is about procedures, not justifiable and equitable ends. Therefore western democracy is rule of the majority but it does not guarantee liberty and justice. Prohibition was put in place and repealed as constitutional amendments. McCarthyism suppressed freedom of speech in the name of anti-Communism.
2. In the western legal systems, all laws, regardless the status of the law, can be changed as long as the changes follow proper procedures. Again the western legal system does not guarantee liberty and justice. Look at how Germany was changed by the Nazi’s. Nazi Germany was a product of democracy.
3. The western judicial systems are not about right or wrong, it is about whether the laws are followed or broken, therefore the judicial system does not guarantee liberty and justice. OJ Simpson murdered his wife, Bill Clinton got away with adultery.
Angel
I wonder if the US is intent on maintaining a disproportionate military lead over China because she knows that she may have to concede the economic competition sooner or later. Having a crazy superficially unassailable military lead is one way of maintaining geopolitical equilibrium.
Albeit from a pure infinite time horizon optimization perspective, it is not the most efficient strategy since an economic base is eventually needed to support the military. So what is the time horizon that the US is planning on? Long enough for China to become a democracy?
SimonSays
To be fair, the US had a disproportionate military lead over the entire world since WWI, not since the rise of China.
Furthermore, America’s military spending is only 20% of total US Government spending. US could make bigger savings by cutting bureacracy, simplifying the tax code, reforming healthcare (instead of compromising), eliminating money from politics etc.
Canucklehead
China is a rogue state on steroids and represents a massive threat to world peace and stability; the country seeks to establish hegemony and exorbitant-privilege. Have you been to Hancouver lately? Canada is being re-colonized and the country has been heavily infiltrated and overrun by Chinese spies. It’s just about time to re-establish a head-tax, the time to pull all stops has arrived. It’s a matter of western civilizational survival.
Passerby
To quote Jack Layton’s last letter to Canadians: ” My friends, love is better than anger. Hope is better than fear. Optimism is better than despair. “
Pierre Elliott Trudeau
“the idea of multiculturalism is my biggest regret”
John Chan
@Canucklehead:
In according to Dictionary.com, a rogue state is a state no longer controllable and answerable to morality. USA, UK, France, Canada, etc. are rogue states in according to that definition, because they have been bombing and killing innocent and helpless nations and people non-stop since WWII in the façade of democracy and human rights. They are no longer controllable and answerable to morality anymore.
On the other hand China has never done any of those westerners’ barbaric evil deeds; China has been helping developing nations with aids, infrastructure building, etc. to mend the destruction left behind by the USA, Canada, etc. rogue states.
Sure head-tax should be re-established on all non-native Americans to rehabilitate the destruction made by the uninvited Whiteman invaders to the pristine America. Clear cutting thousands years old age redwood forest, polluting Artic Tundra with toxic tar sand oil tailings pools, ripping out native’s sacred burial sites for golf courses, and endless destructions they have done to this once upon a time a land of innocent.
America belongs to American natives; if you don’t like what is happening in Canada, why don’t you go back to Norway?
Canucklehead
At John Chan: I’m 100% Métis, what am I to do? Should I return this land to the buffalo that my ancestors stole this land from, eh?! The overwhelming majority of Canada’s Aboriginal peoples understand that Canada is not a land of immigrants but a land with colonial beginnings 400 years ago, a land that has evolved with First Nations, French and British traditions into a distinct country. Please do not obfuscate the issue by attempting to create a false equality between the recently arrived and the majority/mainstream that have been here for several hundred years!
Canucklehead
At John Chan: I’m 100% Métis, where should I go, what am I to do? Should I return this land to the buffalo that my ancestors stole it from, eh?! The overwhelming majority of Canada’s Aboriginal peoples understand that Canada is not a land of immigrants but a land with colonial beginnings 400 years ago, a land that has evolved with First Nations, French and British traditions into a distinct country. Please do not obfuscate the issue by attempting to create a false equality between the recently arrived and the majority/mainstream that have been here for several hundred years!
Passerby
To put things in perspective; using facts, not emotions, and according to the Spiegel graphic on 2006-2010 major exporters of weapons (see http://www.spiegel.de/flash/flash-25416.html )
If you read German, you can view it yourself, otherwise, the translations are:
The U.S.A. is No 1 weapons exporter, dominates world market with 30.3% market share
Russia—No 2 world market 23 %
Germany–No 3 world market 11%
France—No 4 world market 7%
..
China—-No 7 World market 3%
It is clear! Who is the bully?
Armstrong
eh what’s this about canada being recolonized again? canada is a democratic country and an american ally. it’s racial composition is !@#$ irrelevant. please get that into your thick skull. even if vancouver were 100% chinese, SO WHAT?
was it lincoln or reagan who said “either the principles and laws we believe in apply to *all men* [and women], or they apply to no one at all”. if there were fewer americans like ‘canucklehead’, the chinese army would probably need to keep fewer nuclear warheads on standby.
Canucklehead
At Armstrong: The relentless, unabated neo-colonization of Canada is evident in places like Toronto, Winnipeg, Vancouver and particularly in Richmond; it’s not unlike the deliberate and systematic Hanification [ethnic cleansing] of Xinjiang or Tibet. Sometimes I really do wonder if we live in a de facto democracy because the majorities are against it. The RCMP-CSIS have even sounded the alarm about the threat that is China but they were quickly muzzled by Canada’s ruling political elite. The multifaceted threat originates with the deluge of folks flooding Canada from the PRC; rich Chinese business people, associates and relatives of China’s leadership and the Chinese Intelligence Service. The Chinese government uses these alliances to gain influence on Canadian politics by maximizing their presence over the country’s economic levers. Hence, China has been at war with Canada for decades. The idea of China’s “peaceful non expansionist” rise is cock-and-bull, a blatant lie. Evidence has shown us that China’s aggression is just far more intangible/insidious than western ways.
megakids
@Canucklehead
Agree with John Chan’s suggestion: Go back to Norway where you belong. Your kind has recently surfaced and he had the same thought. Canada, if she is not that desperate financially, could easily raise the bar of immigration. Put the min. investment amount to be USD 1.0 billion! I am sure you won’t see the scene you cried out so loud.
Canucklehead
At megakids: Please don’t hurt my feelings! What some bat$h#t crazy mass murdering religious lunatic in Norway has to do with the topic at hand is beyond me. It’s conceivable though, that a horrendous and inexcusable event like this could be used as an excuse to introduce more authoritarian or totalitarian approaches instead of allowing democratic processes to eliminate distortions that have benefited the elites.
nirvana
Deception is an integral part of the military mindset. There is nothing to be excited about this report.
On the other hand, the antagonism between US and China is not about ideology. Make no mistake, even if China were a democracy (or in the “Democracy Camp”), she would still be contained by the US if she challenges its military; which she DOES.
Against this fatality, there is only one solution: the citizens of each country must critically judge the propaganda of their state and stay on guard against the adventurism of their own military establishement.
Passerby
@nirvana
Very good points.
May I also add (and I’m paraphrasing your last sentence here,) that against this fatality, the readers and viewers of the media in each country must critically judge the exaggerations and provocations of irresponsible journalists and stand on guard against rumours, lies, fantasies, and wild speculations that in the Internet age, can cause irreparable damage to world peace.
nirvana
@Passerby,
Thank you for adding the point on the media. I basically agree with you.
But I fear that we disagree on one point. I think that the better the citizens have access to uncensured media, especially via the free Internet, the better they can form an educated judgment. I think that when citizens are allowed to blog or to debate face-to-face with their foreign counterparts that the world is safer. Because I believe that when citizens establish strong links with each other, they will understand that, very often, their military establishments want them to mistrust each other.
BTW, is The Diplomat accessible in mainland China? Is it popular?
jeff
Although I cannot speak for its popularity, I know for a fact that the diplomat is accessible in mainland China, because I am posting from there now.
Dr. Rice
China and Taiwan will merge or cool their relationships, I don’t see this being an issue in thirty years.
duke chan
I am sure the pentagon knows China better than that. They know J-20 needs decades before prototype, ex-Ukraine warship is no threat to anyone since no aircraft and can not operate in the sea more than 30 days..etc…
Pentagon’s intentions:
1- Not to cut their budget up coming years.
2- Sell F-16 to Taiwan
3- Arm races in the region which is good for the US otherwise their outdated weapons would be dumped into SCS.
nirvana
@Duke Chan,
I am sure the Pentagon even has a translation into English of the similar Chinese report on US military capability.
I am sure also that weapons are developped to be used. They are never thrown away.
Arletta Treacy
I actually was happy to discover this web-site.I wanted to appreciate it for your precious time for the great read!! I definitely loving any little bit of it all and Ive got you book marked to see new stuff you article.
MarcoPolo
Soon enough, modern China will finish the job/West that Ghenghis Khan failed to do when he conquered Eastern Europe. This time, it will be Western Europe, the americans, and little Australian.