China's defense paper stresses new military employment

China on Tuesday issued a white paper on national defense elaborating on its new security challenges in peacetime and the employment of armed forces to cope with them.

The document, the eighth of its kind issued by the Chinese government since 1998, warns that the Asia-Pacific region has become an increasingly significant stage for world economic development and strategic interaction between major powers.

"The United States is adjusting its Asia-Pacific security strategy, and the regional landscape is undergoing profound changes," the paper said.

The paper warns that China still faces multiple and complicated security threats and challenges.

The issues of subsistence and development security and traditional and non-traditional threats to security are interwoven, the document says.

"Therefore China has an arduous task to safeguard its national unification, territorial integrity and development interests," it says.

MAIN SECURITY CONCERNS

The paper lists several major security concerns of China.

Some country has strengthened its Asia-Pacific military alliances, expanded its military presence in the region, and frequently makes the situation there tenser, the paper says.

On the issues concerning China's territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests, some neighboring countries are taking actions that complicate or exacerbate the situation, and Japan is making trouble over the issue of the Diaoyu Islands, it says.

The threats posed by terrorism, separatism and extremism, are on the rise while serious natural disasters, security accidents and public health incidents keep occurring.

"Factors affecting social harmony and stability are growing in number, and the security risks to China's overseas interests are on the increase," it says.

COMMITMENT TO PEACE

In face of such challenges, China reiterates its commitment to peaceful development.

China advocates a new security concept featuring mutual trust, mutual benefit, equality and coordination, and pursues comprehensive security, common security and cooperative security, the white paper says.

"China will never seek hegemony or behave in a hegemonic manner, nor will it engage in military expansion," the white paper says.

According to the document, China will build a strong national defense and powerful armed forces which are "commensurate with China's international standing and meet the needs of its security and development interests."

The basic duty of the armed forces is to fight wars and its peacetime mission is to prepare for wars, said Wu Xihua, a senior officer with the PLA General Staff Headquarters, at a press conference held here Tuesday morning, adding that no army can be exempted from this duty.

"Chinese armed forces focus on protecting the country's sovereignty and security when it highlights capacity building under the principle of being able to fight a war and win a war," Wu said. "This is a reasonable and normal move."

But the country always sticks to peaceful settlement of international disputes and solving problems with neighboring countries through dialogue, he said.