China has right to own aircraft carriers 

(Guangming Daily)

16:57, August 18, 2011

Edited and Translated by People's Daily Online

The launch of China's own aircraft carrier is a long-cherished dream of generations of Chinese people, but this reasonable dream has received bitter criticisms from the United States and some other countries. They even took the chance to play up the "China threat theory" again. 

U.S. State Department spokesperson Victoria Newland recently answered several questions about China's first aircraft carrier at a daily press briefing, and hundreds of millions of Chinese people were full of righteous indignation at her hypocritical and illogical answers. Newland's arrogance and paranoia have exposed the hegemonic mentality of most Americans. 

China's aircraft carrier project suits the country's development level and meets current international security needs. Furthermore, the project is not in violation of any commitments or international conventions. 

China's first aircraft carrier, built as a "messenger of peace," will be used for safeguarding the country’s national security. At the start of the aircraft carrier's revamp project, the Chinese government said frankly that China would fulfill its international responsibilities and release information about the development of its own aircraft carrier in a timely fashion. Given China‘s frankness and transparency, whoever goes on about China’s aircraft carrier has ulterior motives. 

What Victoria Newland has frequently emphasized is "transparency." Therefore, let us seriously talk about "transparency," to which the U.S. people have paid so much attention. When a reporter of China asked that, "In the past 10 years, the U.S. military expenditure was growing faster than China's. Regarding the aircraft carrier, the number comparison was 14:0 in the past, and is only 14:1 at present." Victoria Newland said that, "Regarding specific military expenditure comparison and aircraft carrier number comparison, you'd better ask my colleagues working in the U.S. Department of Defense." 

Since she was talking about the "transparency," how could she have not made a basic preparation? How could she only require others to be transparent and evade and refuse to answer the in-depth questions regarding the "transparency" of the United States? From her, we could clearly see the ridiculous requirements and shameless face of the Untied States. 

In recent years, China has always tried hard to make its military information open and transparent, including information on China's national defense construction and expenditure, and China’s efforts have been clearly seen and widely recognized by many international communities and countries. The defense attaché from the Canadian Embassy in China once said that, in his opinion, China is doubtless trying hard to raise the level of its military transparency.

In fact, military secrets are always a core national interest for every country, and no country can guarantee 100 percent military transparency. Therefore, the United States is just trying to unreasonably criticize China’s military strength and sell its "China Threat Theory" by talking about the aircraft carrier. 

If it is not transparent that China only carries out scientific researches and education work on a disused aircraft carrier, why does not the United States take out its high-tech "weapons of mass destruction" from its arsenals and let the people of the world study them transparently? Since the military budget of the U.S. Department of Defense is over 600 billion U.S. dollars and the United States enjoys such an overwhelming military advantage, why does it still so care about China’s armament policies and defense expenditures? The United States is just using the aircraft carrier as an excuse. 

China is faced with many challenges amid today's complicated international situation. Some have always feared the ascent of China and its emergence as a prosperous and powerful country, so that they have tried all means to spread the "China threat theory," attempting to build a fence containing China’s rise. 

As a major country with a population of 1.3 billion, China's historical lesson that a backward country is vulnerable to foreign attack has made it reflect on how to preserve its national security and how to keep the vital interests of its people from being violated. China just aims to safeguard its national interests. As one of the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council, China also assumes more and more international responsibility. History and reality have showed that only a powerful country has the right to speak and can play positive roles in protecting national interests and preserving regional and international roles. 

Preserving China's maritime interests, safeguarding its long coast line and developing aircraft carriers are the resolute choices that China must make to preserve its territorial integrity and ensure national security, which must not be "reproached" by other countries.

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Leave your comment3 comments

Todd at 2011-08-19108.12.104.*

I wouldn"t tell them anything.

--- at 2011-08-18142.245.193.*

Not "most Americans" but "many American statesmen"

PD User at 2011-08-1866.118.81.*

Where exactly is the "transparency" of China been seen?

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