Defense/Military - 63. page

On August 11, 2011, PLA Daily published an article suggesting China should “dare to” use its aircraft carrier to solve territorial disputes. The article is no longer available on the official web site, but several other sites have picked it up. The article pointed out that China made a large investment in building the aircraft carrier, and it was not built “just for display.” The author expressed that putting a military warship into a field of combat is the logical next step when China’s territorial seas are under threat or attack. The article also suggested that China is ready to fight the challenging countries even without the aircraft carrier. However the new aircraft carrier “only reinforces and enhances the confidence and the determination” of defending China’s territory. The article did acknowledge that there might be a long way to go before the new aircraft carrier can obtain actual combat capability; it has more political value that military value at the moment.

Source: DWNews, August, 12, 2011
http://china.dwnews.com/news/2011-08-12/58006109.html

China’s first Internet military game, “Mission of Honor,” co-developed by the Nanjing Military Region and Wuxi Network Science and Technology Corporation (WNSTC), was delivered to the Chinese army in June 2011. China Software Evaluation Center acclaimed the product as “China’s first large intranet military game developed as domestic intellectual property.” It was reported that the Chinese military authorized WNSTC to develop a commercial version of the game for civilian use. The new game is projected to hit the market by the end of 2012.

Chinese experts proposed the development of the civilian version of the game in order to help the younger generation of gamers inherit (the CCP’s) military tradition, promote patriotism, foster an interest in the military among adolescents, and enhance the concept of national defense.

According to a VOA report, “Mission of Honor" displays images of Chinese soldiers firing at an imaginary “enemy” with the obvious appearance of American soldiers and American military equipment, including an Apache helicopter.

Source: People’s Daily online, August 11, 2011
http://military.people.com.cn/GB/15386978.html

On August 5, 2011, the International Herald Leader, a newspaper under Xinhua, published an article titled “The Aircraft Carrier Is Not an Exhibit.” China’s first aircraft carrier, the former “Varyag” of Ukraine, is now being rebuilt and refurbished. According to the article, China’s dream is not about an aircraft carrier, but about the oceans. Having an aircraft carrier gives China the option of restoring its marine rights, expanding its maritime interests, and fulfilling the dream of its revival as an oceanic power. The article states,“It is impossible to have an aircraft carrier, a weapon, merely for display and show, but not target anyone.” “An aircraft carrier is a military ship by its very nature. Without the courage and will to use the ship to resolve a dispute, the ship cannot threaten anybody but the builder of the ship, as it consumes a lot of public money.”
 
The article concludes, “If all the countries that the aircraft carrier targets believe that China’s aircraft carrier is only for visiting or worshiping, it is not good news for world peace. We should not let them think so.” 

Source: International Herald Leader, August 10, 2011
http://news.xinhuanet.com/herald/2011-08/05/c_131029061.htm

Xinhua recently published a digest report based on an article by the Russian newspaper Pravda. The Pravda article stated that the U.S. has insisted on strengthening its air reconnaissance missions regardless of China’s angry protests. The article expressed the belief that China’s air defense system is fully capable of defeating all types of U.S. reconnaissance aircraft. A Russian military expert suggested that, under the current tight Asia-Pacific situation, it is very important for the U.S. military to keep a close eye on China’s military movements, especially on its strategic nuclear capabilities, as well as China’s anti-missile systems.

Source: Xinhua, July 29, 2011
http://news.xinhuanet.com/mil/2011-07/29/c_121742052.htm

In an article in Qiushi, China’s Defense Minister, Liang Guolie, a member of Chinese Communist Party’s Central Military Commission, stated that the ultimate purpose of the military-civilian integration strategy is to develop the country’s prosperity and empower the military, both being the cornerstones of the rise of China. The military-civilian integration consists of four major tasks: 1. Establish and perfect scientific research & development (R&D) of military armaments; 2. Establish and perfect a mechanism to train and retain military talent; 3. Establish and perfect information sharing by leveraging civilian information technology; and 4. Establish and perfect the national defense mobility system, including the militia and reserves.

Source: Qiushi, August 1, 2011
http://www.qstheory.cn/zywz/201108/t20110801_98732.htm

On August 2, 2011, the Central Military Commission issued “The Opinion on In-depth Study of (Party) General Secretary Hu Jintao’s Important Speech at the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP’s) 90th Anniversary Celebration.” The "Opinion" stressed that “when studying (Hu’s) speech, one should firmly stick to the fundamental political requirements to hold (high the CCP’s) banner and follow the Party’s direction, forever maintain faith in Marxism, forever maintain faith in socialism with Chinese characteristics, forever maintain the stand that the party has absolute leadership over the military, and forever maintain trust in the Party Central Committee that is under Hu’s leadership to ensure that the military resolutely follows the direction of the Party Central Committee, the Central Military Commission, and President Hu.”

The opinion requested that “Party committees at all levels in the military should put the study in a prominent position. The Party secretary should fulfill the responsibility of the person-in-charge to carry out the mission."

Source: Xinhua, August 2, 2011
http://news.xinhuanet.com/politics/2011-08/02/c_121760949.htm

On July 26, 2011, Professor Han Xudong of China’s National Defense University wrote an article for Outlook Weekly, a publication under Xinhua News Agency. Han said that China has the same need to safeguard the East and South China Sea’s maritime rights as it does to protect its terrestrial rights. The article describes how the United States tries to contain China through the island chain along Japan, the Ryukyu Islands, Taiwan, and the Philippine islands. “If China cannot take good care of the East China Sea and the South China Sea, it will be impossible to break through the containment the United States and its allies have implemented in China’s coastal areas,” said Han.

Han further pointed out that almost all major world powers are maritime powers. They all highly value maritime rights, especially the United States. He concluded, “It is necessary for China to adopt appropriate mighty means to fight back against those countries that have violated China’s maritime rights and interests.”  

Source: Outlook Weekly, July 26, 2011
http://lwgcw.net/NewsShow.aspx?newsId=22292

China’s State Oceanic Administration (SOA) announced on Tuesday, July 26, that an undersea craft named Jiaolong, which carried three crew members, reached 5,038 meters (16,591 feet) below sea level in a test dive in international waters in the northeastern Pacific. The official Xinhua news agency quoted its chief engineer, Xu Qinan, who said that it is equipped with the most advanced technology, some imported from other countries, which allows the craft to freely navigate on the seabed.