The American Factor in the Evolution of China's Maritime Doctrine - Chinese Maritime and PRC Naval History, Imperialism, Cold War, Sino-Soviet, Islands, Cultural Revolution, Vietnam, East Asia by U.S. Government & U.S. Military & Department of Defense (DoD)

Author:U.S. Government & U.S. Military & Department of Defense (DoD)
Language: eng
Format: azw3
Publisher: Progressive Management
Published: 2016-06-11T04:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER VI

AFTER THE COLD WAR: 1989-1993

The political crisis in China that developed in the middle of 1989 suddenly and drastically transformed Sino-American relations. For many Americans, the sight of troops in Tiananmen Square seriously limited any hopes that China would soon be adopting American values or emulating American institutions. The appearance of an unstable central government made China a much less attractive place for American investment, scholarship, or tourism. Following the June 4th incident, the American press coupled with the sanctions imposed on China by the US Congress, and the congressional promise for further retaliation, convinced the Chinese that the United States was engaged in a program of "peaceful evolution" aimed ultimately at the overthrow of the Chinese Communist Party. [Ref. 6, p 11]

Changes in the international environment in the late 1980s and early 1990s, only intensified the impact of China's domestic crisis on Sino-American relations. The collapse of communism, first in Eastern Europe and then in the Soviet Union, only stood to reinforce the American tendency to perceive Beijing as a ruthless government. The collapse of communism in the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe further intensified Chinese concerns about the future of their relationship with the United States.

The ease at which the American military defeated Iraq in early 1991, and the equally startling disintegration of the Soviet empire in Eastern Europe, left the United States the world's only remaining military superpower. In Chinese eves, this threatened to create a unipolar world centered on Washington and increased the odds that the United States would embark on a policy of peaceful evolution aimed at Communist China.

As China developed its power projection capability through the PLAN after the Tiananmen Square incident, unresolved territorial claims in the East and South China Seas led to a more assertive political and diplomatic posture in Asia. The changing balance of power throughout the world, and China's growing economic clout, strengthened China's resolve. Since 1989, all of China's leaders have recognized the importance of economic growth and individual prosperity to the nation's stability.

The aggressive role of China has exacerbated the tensions over the Spratlys. Not only are the islands rich in natural resources but in an intangible way, China after ] 989 looked to increase its influence in the region. The PLAN had seized some islets from the Vietnamese and in doing so demonstrated a willingness to use its growing naval capability to show its resolve over the islands. A relatively modern Chinese navy enabled China to accomplish its objectives in the Spratlys and further its economic interests while at the same time projecting its political presence into the South China Sea.

A decided change in China's strategic (naval) and regional outlook occurred in 1992 when the US Navy pulled out of Subic Bay. With the American Navy no longer in the Philippines and the threat from the former Soviet naval fleet significantly reduced, China moved to increase its presence and prestige in the Western Pacific. China's expansion was designed to enhance its position in the region while giving it a more significant role in shaping any regional security arrangements.

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