The modernisation of Chinese defence policy was launched as a result of the lessons learned from the first Gulf War in 1990-91. At the operational level it is largely influenced by the Taiwan factor, and at the strategic level by the ambitions of the People’s Republic of China to become a global and regional power. The budgetary resources allocated to defence by the Chinese government are certainly impressive, but should be seen in the context of the magnitude of the task of modernising a manpower-heavy defence establishment that is technologically a long way behind modern armed forces. It is essential to develop a dialogue with China which encourages transparency and cooperation, so as to head off the emergence of a ‘threat’ from a PLA whose modernisation is both legitimate and inevitable.
Chinese Defence Policy in 2007
It is a complex business to discuss China without straying into the emotional or the excessive, whether positive or negative. Any objective analysis of Chinese policy is complicated (if not made impossible) by the size of the country, the importance of what is at stake, the culture of secrecy and the limited openness of the regime. The military domain presents the ultimate challenge in this regard, such is the interest and preoccupation generated by concerns about Chinese power and modernisation of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) in a region marked by the survival of the Cold War and historical disputes, and which contains unresolved crises and situations of potential confrontation between the United States and the People’s Republic of China (PRC).
China is conscious of the menacing image and hegemonic threat which it projects, whether true or not. While pursuing the modernisation of its armed forces, for some time it has changed its tone the better to explain and justify this process, and above all to place it in the context of policies promoting stability and world peace. This is the underlying theme of the new style developed in the 5th Chinese Defence White Paper published in December 2006.(1)
In this way Chinese defence modernisation is to be set in the context of peaceful Chinese development and a harmonious society, the two guiding principles of Hu Jintao’s style of leadership.
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