Don't overstate or understate China's military strength with ulterior motives

Senior Captain Zhang Junshe, researcher with the Naval Military Studies Research Institute

Only by viewing and commenting on China's national defense construction and military development from an objective, fair and rational perspective can a report be persuasive.

The US and Britain issued respectively reports on China's military development almost at the same time on February 11, 2015, namely The Military Balance 2015 by the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) and China's Incomplete Military Transformation: Assessing the Weaknesses of the People's Liberation Army by the Rand National Security Research Division.

According to the US report, with the support of sustained economic growth, military modernization remains the core goal of Asian countries in 2014. It is a prominent regional issue in Asia whether these countries can prevent tensions from escalating into military conflicts through self-restraint.

The US report said that in recent years, the Chinese navy has entered into a new era featuring large-scale vessel manufacturing. China's military spending witnessed significant growth and little transparency.

"China's defense expenditure continues to grow at a rate more than those of neighboring countries. China accounts for about 28% of the total military expenditure in Asia in 2010, which increased to about 38% in 2014." China's military procurement plans will continue to attract attention, the report added.

The British report is devoted to outlining and depicting the various "Achilles' heels" of China's military power, including serious weaknesses in system and mechanism, command structures, quality of personnel, professionalism, strategic airlift capabilities, fleet air defense and anti-submarine warfare, and shortcomings of limited numbers of new equipment and difficulties in integration of the new and old equipment, etc. It sounds as if China's military power were not able to withstand a single blow.

It appears difficult to grasp the latent purposes of the two seemingly contradictory reports from the US and Britain top think tanks. Why do the two western think tanks draw such contradictory conclusions for the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA), an army of objective existence?

In fact, the answer is obvious. The two reports published almost at the same time truly reflect the current fact that western countries don't take an objective attitude toward China's national defense construction and military development.

In recent years, western countries such as the US and Britain have published a lot of China-related military reports, but mainly for political purposes. Most of the reports are compiled according to publications or even Internet rumors, which are of little credibility and even tend to distort the facts out of political needs.

For instance, when it is necessary to magnify China's military threat or to apply for military fund, they will recklessly exaggerate the equipment advantages and combat capability of the PLA. However, when it needs to support the allies and show off the US military power, they will disparage the Chinese army.

In fact, China consistently pays attention to controlling the expenditure on national defense, sticking to the guideline of coordinated development of national defense and economy. China's defense expenditure scale is reasonable.

In 2014, China's military expenditure accounted for less than 1.5% in the GDP, lower than major countries in the world and the world average of 2.6%. As for the national defense expenditure per capita, it was even lower, accounting for only 1/22 of that of the US, 1/9 of that of Britain, and 1/5 of that of Japan.

Meanwhile, China's national defense budget is included in the draft of state budget and subject to the approval of national people's congress. The whole process is transparent and available to the public.

The sum and composition of China's military expenditure are also open and transparent. According to the requirements of laws and regulations such as the National Defense Act and the Budget Act, China adopts strict financial appropriation on national defense spending. And Chinese military also strictly follow, inspect and use such budget.

China has been sticking to a path of peaceful development and pursuing a national defense policy defensive in nature. Chinese military adopts an active defense strategy. The development of China's national defense strength is not only necessary for safeguarding its own national sovereignty, territory integrity and development interest, but also requisite for maintaining international and regional peace and security. It will not threaten any other country.

As Chinese military building proceeds and improves, Chinese military is able to undertake the mission entrusted by the state and people and is fully capable to safeguard national core interests.

Again, only by regarding and commenting China's national defense construction and military development in an objective, fair and reasonable way can a report be persuasive.

(By Zhang Junshe, researcher with the Naval Military Studies Research Institute)