Global Times published a commentary article to counter the hawkish speech that U.S. Defense Secretary Carter gave on China at the Naval War College on May 25. The article suggested China build its military power to deter the U.S. military.
The article particularly singled out Carter’s words that likened the U.S.-China strategic situation to the Cold War confrontation between the U.S. and the former Soviet Union. The article said, “U.S. top military officials continuously promote the confrontation between the United States and China and have compared it, using the analogy of the ‘Cold War,’ to that between the U.S. and the Soviet Union. It has become the prominent trend in the current Sino-U.S. relations and in the South China Sea situation. Chinese officials have never made such a statement. It appears that the U.S. military is becoming the destructive force in overall Sino-U.S. relations."
“U.S. intervention has brought new signs to the militarization of the South China Sea. The U.S. not only came with warships and aircraft; the United States (or the U.S. military) also publicly expressed the strategic intention to contain the rise of China in the South China Sea. The South China Sea is entering an era of unprecedented tension, with Washington bringing in some elements and attempts totally unrelated to territorial disputes.”
“Carter’s words are the most serious threat China has ever heard since the end of the Cold War. They verified the worst situation in Sino-U.S. relations that some Chinese have worried about. The United States not only has the desire to contain China’s rise; it would really like to do so.” “The U.S. waving the big stick of a military threat cannot scare China. The South China Sea is so close to China, not to mention that the PLA can offset the quality of U.S. military equipment with its advantages in numbers and distance. We have full confidence in implementing anti-deterrence against the U.S. in the South China Sea.”
“China must accelerate the pace of building a modern national defense. We must not have any illusion on this issue. China should let the U.S. fully understand that once they take military action against Chinese targets in the South China Sea, the U.S. will pay a price it cannot afford. At the same time, China should further build a comprehensive deterrence capability against the U.S., increasing the strategic risk for the U.S.’s military threat to China. Currently, U.S. military officials are too casual to verbally bully Chinese. American society seldom feels that those generals are taking them into consideration in this risk.”
“China’s industrial output has surpassed the United States. Although its cutting-edge technology falls behind the United States, the application of military science and technological development is not slower and it has great potential. The total gap between the Chinese military and the total U.S. military should become smaller. In China’s coastal waters, the People’s Liberation Army should especially acquire overall superiority over the U.S. military. This should become China’s firm objective.”
Source: Global Times, May 30. 2016
http://opinion.huanqiu.com/editorial/2016-05/8986770.html
http://military.people.com.cn/n1/2016/0530/c1011-28389817.html