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| Chinese Navy Warships (File Photo) |
By Shannon Tiezzi
China envisions a global role for its military –especially its navy — to protect overseas interests.
On May 26, China’s State Council Information Office unveiled a new white paper in a press conference. The paper, entitled “China’s Military Strategy,” is the ninth such white paper focused on China’s military to be released since 1998, but it’s also unique. Defense Ministry spokesperson Yang Yujun noted a stronger strategic and forward-looking focus in this year’s white paper compared to its predecessors.
The Diplomat has already looked at the new white paper, with Franz-Stefan Gady providing an overview and Ankit Panda noting the continued focus on Taiwan. But there’s another aspect on the broad strategic and forward-looking level noted by Yang deserving of attention: China’s vision for a more global role for its military.
The white paper started with an emphasis on the positive: “world war is unlikely and the international situation is expected to remain generally peaceful.” That being said, however, China also sees a variety of threats to both world peace and China’s specific national interests: “power politics” and international competition for influence, “neo-interventionism,” terrorism, and “ethnic, religious, border and territorial disputes” leading to possible and on-going small-scale wars.
In the words of the white paper, “the national security issues facing China encompass far more subjects, extend over a greater range, and cover a longer time span than at any time in the country’s history.” The greater range of threats necessitates of a greater range of response: “In response to the new requirement coming from the country’s growing strategic interests, the armed forces will actively participate in both regional and international security cooperation and effectively secure China’s overseas interests.”
Read the full story at The Diplomat