Dragon De-Mystified: Understanding People's Republic of China by P. K. Singh

Author:P. K. Singh [Singh, P. K.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Technology & Engineering, Military Science
ISBN: 9789386457783
Google: O923uQEACAAJ
Goodreads: 40153514
Publisher: VIJ BOOKS INDIA
Published: 2018-10-02T00:00:00+00:00

Though the new Chinese ‘transparency’ is welcome, the situation on the ground is quite different from what it is professed in the WP, whether one looks at the situation in the South China Sea or on the LAC with India, in the high Himalayas.

Beijing believes that ‘nobody can tell China what to do’. The South China Morning Post noted: “Beijing has hit back at the US criticism of its land reclamation operations around the Nansha Islands in the South China Sea, saying, “No one has the right to instruct China on what to do.”22 The China Daily quotes a Chinese ‘expert’ who warned: “Washington is playing with fire as it has adopted an increasingly high profile over the South China Sea situation in recent months.”

Beijing does not seem to be in a mood to relent on any front. A few days ago, it turned down the Indian proposal to clarify the Line of Actual Control (LAC), a move which seems most reasonable and logical.

At the same time, it is clear that, on the seas, India can’t match China’s fast paced development of its Navy, whether it is in terms of speed and quantity, but a smaller, disciplined and well-equipped Indian naval force could be a deterrent factor. The Indian Government probably realises that it can’t stop the rise of the Middle Kingdom, neither on land, nor on seas, but in the years to come, a professional and well-trained Indian Navy could indeed ‘balance’ the fast growing Chinese Navy and its expanding aspirations beyond its shores.

Endnotes

1 The full text of the 2015 White Paper (China’s Military Strategy’) is available on different Chinese official websites; for example, China Daily, May 26, 2015; see: http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2015-05/26/content_20820628.htm

2 Overview of all China’s white papers on national defence, China Military Online, May 27, 2015; see: http://eng.mod.gov.cn/TopNews/2015-05/27/content_4587121.htm

3 See reference for note 1.

4 Overview of all China’s white papers on national defence, China Military Online, May 27, 2015; see: http://eng.mod.gov.cn/TopNews/2015-05/27/content_4587121.htm

5 Ibid.

6 Op.Cit 1.

7 Ibid.

8 Ibid.

9 Defence Ministry briefs foreign military attaches on white paper, China Military Online, May 27, 2015; see http://eng.mod.gov.cn/Press/2015-05/27/content_4587116.htm

10 MoD unveils military strategy, op.cit.

11 The PLA Navy: New Capabilities and Missions for the 21st Century, Office of Naval Intelligence, April 10, 2015; see: www.oni.navy.mil/.../china.../2015_PLA_NAVY_PUB_Interactive.pdf.

12 Ibid.

13 China promises not to join nuclear arms race, Xinhua, May 26, 2015; see: news.xinhuanet.com/english/2015-05/26/c_134271147.htm

14 China to speed up building a cyber force, english.news.cn, May 26, 2105; see: http://english.gov.cn/news/top_news/2015/05/26/content_281475115069380.htm

15 China hasn’t any overseas military bases: Spokesperson, Xinhua, May 26, 2015; see http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/923615.shtml

16 China Mulls Building Naval Base in Namibia, Namibian Times Says, Bloomberg, November 27, 2014; see: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2014-11-27/china-mulls-building-naval-base-in-namibia-namibian-times-says

17 China cares little for other countries’ territorial claims, The Guardian, May 30,2015; see: http://www.theguardian.com/world/commentisfree/2015/may/30/beijing-policy-south-china-sea

18 China dismisses U.S. views on South China Sea as incomplete, lack of jurisprudential evidence, Xinhua, May 30, 2015; see: http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2015-05/30/c_134283714.htm

19 China’s foothold in South China Sea: analysts reveal endgame to Beijing’s reclamation efforts, South China Morning Post, May 30, 2015; see: http://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/1813082/chinas-foothold-troubled-waters?page=all

20 PLA Navy will have 415 warships in near future: US expert, WantChinaTimes, May 26, 2015; see: http://www.wantchinatimes.com/news-subclass-cnt.aspx?id=20150526000161&cid=1101

21 The PLA Navy: New Capabilities and Missions for the 21st Century, op.

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