On December 7, 2010, Beijing Daily published an article by Professor Zhang Zhaozhong from China’s National Defense University explaining why China should build up its Coast Guard like Japan, the U.S., and India have done. Here are the reasons given by Prof. Zhang:

1. The Coast Guard can be a retractable fist.
2. Excess force used by the Coast Guard usually does not lead to an armed conflict or a war.
3. Once an armed conflict or a war breaks out, the Coast Guard can quickly be transformed into a branch of the Navy, obeying the Navy’s orders.

Source: Beijing Daily, December 7, 2010
http://bjrb.bjd.com.cn/html/2010-12/07/content_345003.htm

On December 6, 2010, Chinese military scholar Cai Zenzhao published an article on Study Times that discussed the trend of future wars. Cai observed that recent local wars in the world suggest that combat ability based on information systems determines both the battlefield position and the outcome of the war. Cai believes that informationization is the core of the development of the modern combat system; future wars will be information wars. Therefore, the effectiveness of a combat system based on an information system becomes more obvious. Cai suggested that interaction between the military and civilians is an important avenue for the development of the information system, since it is the common responsibility of the Party, the nation, and the military to develop an information combat system.

Source: Study Times, December 6, 2010
http://www.studytimes.com.cn:9999/epaper/xxsb/html/2010/12/06/07/07_38.htm

On December 7, 2010, Xinhua reported on the Chinese military’s participation in the design and planning of China’s high speed railway. Military requirements have become part of the rail development. In the Chengdu Railway Bureau, 14 military officers have been appointed to lead positions in key departments and at major stations. “Military transportation departments are riding the momentum and proactively coordinating railway planning, design, construction, and other departments. They propose the timing of the requirements and track the implementation. Military requirements were incorporated into the planning even before the start of construction. The high speed rail links Chengdu, Xi’an, Lanzhou, Guiyang, Kunming, Wuhan, Beijing, Tianjin, the Pearl River Delta, and the Yangtze River Delta.

Source: Xinhua, December 7, 2010
http://news.xinhuanet.com/mil/2010-12/07/c_12853822.htm