US urged to halt criticisms of China's military buildup 

By Wang Min (PLA Daily)

08:17, August 31, 2011

Edited and translated by People's Daily Online

The U.S. Department of Defense released the report titled "Military and Security Developments Involving the People’s Republic of China 2011" on Aug. 24, which made irresponsible remarks on China’s normal military development and played up the "China threat theory." The move made by the United States is simply against both the objective facts and the trend of the times. 

The report has criticized China's normal defense and military despite stressing that the United States welcomes a strong, prosperous and successful China that contributes to international rules and norms and enhances security and peace around the world and also recognizing China's great contributions to global peacekeeping, humanitarian aids and the fight against pirates. 

For instance, the report has raised concerns that China's pursuit of a modern military will likely increase its "capabilities that could increase Beijing's options to use military force to gain diplomatic advantage, advance its interests or resolve military disputes in its favor," played up China's "military threat" to Taiwan and groundlessly questioned China's cyberspace and network security policies. 

In terms of the military transparency issue, the report said that China's military transparency has "continued to improve but progress is limited." Furthermore, the report has continued to make excuses for monitoring China through warships, aircraft and other means. According to the report, although China's growing military power can advance the cooperation between China and the United States on their common goals, it will increase the risk of misunderstanding and miscalculation. 

Therefore, strengthening the military-to-military ties of the two countries has become a major part of the strategy of the United States to influence China. To support the strategy, the United States will continue to monitor the development and strategy of China's military and will keep on working with its allies to "maintain a stable security environment in East Asia." 

Obviously, the report has ignored the fundamental fact and trend of the times. Every country of the world invests money in its national defense construction, and it is completely reasonable for China to develop some armaments according to its own economic development. China completely has the right to do it, and the United States has no right to criticize it unreasonably. In addition, China's actions of upgrading the modernization level of its armed forces are completely within a proper self-defense scope and do not threaten any country, and compared to developed countries, China's armaments are still much less developed. 

Regarding the issue of military transparency, the efforts made by China in recent years can be seen by all the people of the world. In July of 2011, Mike Mullen, Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff visited China's army, navy, air force and Second Artillery Force, and he also went into the cockpit of a Su-27 fighter. Did it not reflect China’s sincere wish to strengthen its military transparency? 

During the visit, Mike Mullen said with a sigh that the development of China's military technologies was quite transparent and natural. In fact, for any country, it is possible to exhibit some of its weapons, but impossible to exhibit all of its weapons. Can the United States reveal all its high-tech weapons to the world? The improvement of military transparency depends on the mutual trust between the two sides, and the Untied States should show its sincerity and actual practices in strengthening the China-U.S. mutual trust. 

As is known to all, the United States used to release annual reports on the military strength of the Soviet Union during the Cold War, but has turned its attention to China after the dissolution of the Soviet Union. The U.S. Department of Defense has been releasing annual reports on China's military almost every year since 2000. As a product of the Cold War mentality, the report is against most Asia-Pacific countries' common pursuit of peace and development, as well as global pursuit of peace and cooperation. 

The United States released this irresponsible report when China-U.S. military relations were warming up thanks to the joint efforts of both sides. This report on China's military is not in line with the consensus reached by the presidents of the two countries to build a cooperative partnership based on mutual respect and mutual benefit, the warming trend in China-U.S. military relations, or the evolving relationship between Taiwan and the Chinese mainland. As healthy, stable and reliable military relations are an important part of China-U.S. cooperative partnership, the United States should work with China to boost bilateral military ties. 

No matter how the United States plays up China's military buildup or the so-called "China military threat theory," China will adhere to the road of peaceful development, the defensive national defense policy, and its fine tradition of good-neighborliness and friendship. China's pursuit of peace will be proven over time, and those who fabricated the "China military threat theory" will eventually shoot themselves in the foot.

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