China's navy delivers Thanksgiving spoiler
By Wu Zhong, China Editor
HONG KONG - Right before the American Thanksgiving holiday, the Chinese
People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) said it would conduct military exercises
in the Western Pacific this month.
The announcement has aroused wide attention, speculation and concern in the
region. [1] There is some suspicion that this is China's tit-for-tat response
to US President Barack Obama's announcement earlier this month of strengthening
the US military presence in Asia-Pacific, including an increase in the number
of US military troops in Australia - which raised protests by the Chinese
government.
The planning required for such naval exercises almost certainly
rules that out, yet the "naval games" can be seem as a breakthrough in the
development of China's naval expertise towards its goal of turning the navy
from a coastal defensive force into a blue-water power.
Beijing's statement said the war games are "routine" and "not directed at any
specific nation". The Ministry of National Defense said in a two-line statement
on its website (www.mod.gov.cn) on November 23 that "This is an annual,
planned, routine drill. It is not directed at any specific country or target
and is in keeping with relevant international laws and practices.
"China's freedom of navigation and other legal rights should not be
obstructed," it said, without giving further details about where the drills
would occur. [2]
On the same day, Japan's Ministry of Defense said six Chinese naval vessels
navigated through waters between Okinawa and Miyako islands from November 22
through November 23. The fleet includes an intelligence-gathering vessel,
missile frigates and supply ships, Japanese defense officials said, adding that
the warships sailed from the East China Sea toward the Pacific Ocean at a speed
of 25 kilometers per hour. While the passage of the naval ships did not violate
international maritime law, Japan's naval and air forces kept close watch on
the fleet's movement, Japanese news media reports said. [3]
Concern was immediately aroused in the region. The Australian carried a story
headlined "China Raises Tension with Pacific War Games." It said: "Anxiety in
the region about China's naval ambitions is likely to be fueled by yesterday's
announcement that Beijing plans to conduct naval exercises in the western
Pacific next week ... But Australian strategic experts last night played down
the notion the Chinese move was a deliberate response to US President Barack
Obama's assertion last week that the US intended to remain a dominant Pacific
power." [4]
From a long-term perspective, there are ample reasons for the US and its allies
in this region to become concerned at the PLAN drill.
The Chinese navy has, since it was formed on April 23, 1949, remained the
weakest of the PLA's three forces. During the Cold War era, China's weak
economy could hardly support an ocean-going navy, and at that time, China's
access to the world's oceans was blocked by the "island chain" built up by US
and its allies - from South Korea and Japan in the north, through Taiwan down
to Thailand and the Philippines. Thus for a long time, the Pacific had been
regarded as the backwater of the US, and a "restricted zone" for the Chinese
military. As a result, China had to based its naval strategy on "near-shore" or
coastal defense.
In view of such historical background, the significance of the current naval
drill lies in that it symbolizes that China now can break the blockade of the
"island chain" and enter the "backwater" of the US. Practically this means the
PLAN now is able to sail and operate in the Pacific. This marks a significant
strategic change.
From now on, when necessary, the PLAN can launch offensive operations in the
Pacific instead of engaging in passive coastal defense - in line with the
tradition of fostered by Mao Zedong for the People's Liberation Army that "the
best defense is a good offence".
Beijing believes it is inevitable that PLAN will be turned into a blue-water -
or ocean-going navy - as China's interests spread globally, the country needs a
strong naval force to protect its "blue water" interests. For China, this may
also be a natural development. For apart from possible terrorist attacks in
Xinjiang in the far west and land territorial disputes with India, China faces
more possible military confrontations at seas: in the immediate area alone, it
faces the Taiwan problem, territorial disputes with Japan in the East China
Sea, and with some Southeast Asian countries in the South China Sea.
The PLAN took the first symbolic step toward becoming an ocean-going force in
late 2008 when it began to deploy a fleet to the coast of Somalia to fight
pirates and escort Chinese commercial ships. With this month's naval drill in
the Western Pacific, the PLAN shows the world that it now can operate in both
the Indian and Pacific Oceans.
In recent years, China has kept upgrading the PLAN's "hardware" to help it
become a blue-water navy. To mark the navy's 60th birthday in April, 2009,
China for the first time showed off its nuclear-powered submarines, alongside
21 other ships from 14 foreign countries, including the United States and
Russia, in a parade demonstrating growing confidence in the rapid modernization
of its sea-going power. [5]
The 225,000-member PLAN now operates up to 10 nuclear-powered submarines and as
many as 60 diesel-electric vessels, more than any other Asian country. China's
second-generation, nuclear-powered Jin- and Shang-class submarines are
considered just a notch below cutting-edge US and Russian crafts.
In June this year, China confirmed a long-time speculation that it was
developing its own aircraft carriers. The first one is the refitted
67,500-tonne ex-Soviet aircraft carrier Varyag, which started its first
sea trial in early August.
All in all, the fast growing muscle of the PLA, including its navy, is now a
major factor the US has to take into account in implementing its
"return-to-Asia" strategy as outlined by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and
President Obama, especially if Washington really intends to see Beijing as an
adversary in the region.
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