| China’s Military in 2007 |
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| Written by CS Staffer | |
| Saturday, 01 March 2008 | |
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Page 1 of 5 Based on published Chinese language media reports and website articles, this article attempts to give an overview of the Chinese military in 2007 from three perspectives: the Sino-US military relationship, geo-strategic development, and enhanced weapons systems. In summary, 2007 saw a cooperative yet prickly military relationship between the US and China. At the same time, the Chinese People’s Liberation Army has conducted joint military exercises with countries in Asia and Europe. Advanced military weapons systems and technologies expand the PLA’s ability to attack around the globe, in outer space, and in cyberspace. The Sino-US Military Relationship The military relationship between US and China in 2007 was one of abrasive cooperation. On the one hand, army commanders exchanged multiple visits and a hotline mechanism is under discussion. On the other, several incidents drew serious concerns from the US side. On March 22, 2007, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff US Marine General Peter Pace visited China soon after taking office. Two weeks later, on April 3, Chinese Navy Commander Wu Shengli made a trip to Washington. On May 10, Admiral and Commander of US Forces in the Pacific Timothy Keating arrived in Beijing to develop an “open and candid” relationship with China. On November 5, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates met with his Chinese counter part, Cao Gangchuan, during his first Asia trip after his swearing in. A month later, Lt. Gen. Ma Xiaotian, Deputy Chief of Staff for Foreign Affairs, led a Chinese delegation to participate in a strategic nuclear dialog in Washington, DC. In early June, at the sixth Asia Security Summit, also known as Shangri-La Dialogue, Secretary Gates and Major General Zhang Qinsheng, Assistant Chief of Staff of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), discussed setting up a military hotline to prevent possible misjudgments. On September 6, US President Bush and Chinese President Hu Jintao further confirmed the military hotline at the APEC meeting in Sydney. However, the bilateral military exchanges were overshadowed by several unpleasant incidents. On January 11, 2007, Beijing sent a ballistic missile to destroy an aged meteorological satellite positioned 537 miles above earth. The United States logged a formal diplomatic protest and fretted over China’s anti-satellite technology. In November, Beijing blocked the US aircraft carrier Kitty Hawk from making a long-scheduled port visit to Hong Kong. The Pentagon issued an official protest over the incident. The US military also criticized China for blocking a port visit days earlier by the two minesweepers that had sought to avoid a storm but were turned away in violation of long-standing naval tradition. |