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The CCP Advocates Building a Strong Army

[STATE-RUN MEDIA REPORTS]
An article advocating a strong army appears in the Chinese Communist Party media.

[Editor’s note: The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has recently advocated again for building a strong army. The Party’s official magazine, Quishi, published an article in July to emphasize that a "strong army" is one of the essential prerequisites for China’s development. The article maintains that the hostile Western forces do not want to watch the emergence of a strong socialist China in the East, and they try very hard to contain and suppress China’s development. The article points out that there is still a big gap between China’s overall military strength and its counterparts in the developed countries, while elements of instability and uncertainty are growing and the pressure to safeguard China is increasing. The article says that China, as a major socialist power, needs a strong army to explore the global markets, utilize global resources, and protect national interests.

The state media Xinhua News Agency soon republished a condensed version of the article to further disseminate the message to the general public. Below is a translation of this report: "China’s Prosperity Needs a Strong Army as a Guarantee."]

China’s Prosperity Needs a Strong Army as a Guarantee

According to a recent article in Quishi magazine, China is at a critical stage in planning its important strategic opportunities for the first 20 years of the century. The need to balance the development of China’s military with its economy is both urgent and practical. National security and development are the most fundamental requirements of any country since a prosperous economy and a capable military are the two basic prerequisites for a strong nation. They are also China’s two strategic goals for achieving a society of modest means.

"The Quishi article says that China has made tremendous achievements in its economic development since the ‘Opening-up’ policy was first adopted. In particular, its overall economic strength and level of modernization have made rapid improvements. Nevertheless, compared to developed countries, there is still a big gap. Because they possess a leading edge in economic technologies, the Western-developed nations are putting great pressure on China. Such pressure will persist for a long time. In order to resolve its major social conflicts, the only correct choice for China is to liberate and develop its productive forces and constantly improve its economic strength. Continuous, rapid, balanced, and healthy development of China’s national economy is the top priority for achieving the goal of a wealthy society, and it lays the material and technological foundation for the development of a solid national defense. Therefore, China must focus on economic development, take it as a top priority for our government, and firmly take advantage of this important, strategically opportune period to develop its economy. The development of the national defense must yield to and serve this top priority, and the military must plan for its own development by following this top priority.{mospagebreak}

"According to the article, in order for the development of the national defense and the army to serve the big picture of the overall development of the country, a certain level of national defense capacity is a prerequisite. Only when the army possesses the necessary capability for actual combat and the deterrence of force can it provide a guarantee of security for the country’s peaceful development, while laying down a solid defense foundation to take advantage of this strategically opportune period. Today there is still a big gap between China’s overall military development and its counterparts in the developed countries. Therefore China’s military is urgently in need of moving a giant step forward to improve its defensive capabilities in the increasingly hi-tech world of combat. A balanced development of China’s economy and its military is an urgent requirement for the latter to accomplish its mission at this stage in the new century.

"Economic development is the foundation for the strength and development of the country, reports the Quishi article, while military development is the country’s guarantee of stability and security. Without a strong economic base, there can be no modernization of the military. On the other hand, without a strong military, the environment for economic development cannot be protected. The prosperity of the country must be protected by a strong military, while a strong military requires the prosperity of the country. Only with the balanced strength of its military and economy can various risks and challenges be handled proactively.

"The Quishi article states that the global situation has been undergoing profound and complex changes, while the role of military factors on the global structure is escalating. In this environment, our military capability will play an ever more important role in protecting our national security and interests. While peaceful development is still the theme of this period, the elements of instability and uncertainty that affect peaceful development are growing. These elements greatly affect China’s security and highlight the great importance of protecting national security.

"Whether or not China can accomplish peaceful development depends on the establishment of a peaceful, secure, and stable environment. As history shows, the article continues, peace does not come from someone else’s offer. Only with a strong military and a solid national defense can we build a protective screen, provide reliable strategic support for development, maintain a stable external environment, and achieve the longest possible period of time for peaceful development.

"This strategically opportune period is the golden age for development as well as a period with many security threats and challenges. The hostile Western forces do not want to see the emergence of a strong socialist China in the East. They try very hard to contain and suppress China’s development. The political and military situation in China’s neighboring regions is rather complex, with increasingly more unpredictable elements. Stubbornly in favor of splitting the motherland, pro-Taiwan-independence forces have become a significant hidden danger to China’s security.{mospagebreak}

"The Quishi article notes that, as China’s involvement in economic globalization grows and its open-door policy accelerates, its requirements for exploring global markets, utilizing global resources, and protecting its national interest become higher and higher. Today, military innovations and the use of information technologies in the military are widespread. In fact, they are rapidly changing the world’s military forces. In the face of such a complex global environment and the ever increasing demand at home for national defense, China, as a major socialist power that follows an independent foreign policy of peaceful development, must possess a strong military to protect its national security and safeguard the smooth development of socialist modernization."

Translated byCHINASCOPE from July 2006 issue of Qiushi magazine http://news.xinhuanet.com/politics/2006-07/26/content_4878748.htm