Defense/Military - 65. page

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. 

An Outlook Weekly article states that China should leverage its military forces. “Peaceful development means that growth is not accomplished through war. However, peace does not necessarily exclude the use of military means. If in the course of peaceful development there were no military means to support it, there would be no peaceful development to speak of. Development will not take place in peace.” The author favors China’s recent practice of using military force, citing the ‘Peace Ark’ hospital ship, part of the East China Sea Fleet of the PLA, which left China on August 31, 2010, and visited five Asian and African countries. Author Han Xudong is a professor at China’s National Defense University.

Source: Outlook Weekly, July 4, 2011
http://big5.chinanews.com:89/gn/2011/07-04/3155353.shtml

China Review News (CRN) recently reported on an interview with a Chinese naval military expert regarding the hot topic of China’s first aircraft carrier. The report revealed that the first Chinese aircraft carrier, which is just a refit of the long-retired Ukrainian aircraft carrier “Varyag,” arrived in China in 2002. However the Chinese top leadership did not make up their minds on China’s aircraft carrier strategy until 2004. There was a two year delay due to the decision making process. There were reports suggesting the “Varyag” is just a training carrier, but the expert disagreed, “The first aircraft carrier is indeed a combat warship, although it is not very capable.” The expert expressed the wish that China would have at least three aircraft carriers. The report also covered various technical topics regarding an aircraft carrier. The Chinese expert used U.S. aircraft carriers to make all of his comparisons. Chen Bingde, head of Chinese Army’s General Staff Department (the PLA’s Joint Chiefs of Staff) suggested that Chinese aircraft carrier technology is 20 years behind the U.S.

Source: China Review News, June 25, 2011
http://gb.chinareviewnews.com/crn-webapp/doc/docDetailCreate.jsp?coluid=4&kindid=18&docid=101744878&mdate=0625105159

PLA Daily (People’s Liberation Army Daily) recently reported that the Chinese Army’s General Staff Department made an important organizational change. Authorized by Chairman Hu Jintao and the Central Military Commission, the Communications Unit of the General Staff Department (GSD) has now become the Information Technology Unit. The establishment of the new unit is seen as a symbol of enhancing centralized information technology improvements. Chen Bingde, head of the GSD, (equivalent to the chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff), attended the ceremony and delivered a speech. Chen suggested that the new unit is not a simple name change; it is a strategic move with global, fundamental, and comprehensive impact.

Source: PLA Daily, June 30, 2011
http://www.chinamil.com.cn/jfjbmap/content/2011-07/01/content_61382.htm

An article in People’s Daily’s overseas edition defends China’s development of an online blue army. The article said, “With today’s rapid development of information technology, we need to effectively defend our country’s network information security. To achieve that goal, an excellent online blue army is required.”