By M. Taylor Fravel
In early June, an article in the New York Times quoted a TV interview with Gen.Ma Xiaotian, a Deputy Chief of the General Staff in the People’s Liberation Army.
The Times, however, did not discuss the most interesting part of what he said. The rest of the interview illuminated China’s strategy in the South China Sea, especially an emphasis on avoiding the militarization of the dispute.
As seen in the video, the interview was impromptu. A Phoenix TV reporter was following General Ma down a hallway at a conference on cyber security in Beijing. General Ma was speaking off the cuff, without prepared remarks. The reporter’s question was cut from the web clip, but here’s Ma’s full response (my rough translation):
Read the full story at The Diplomat