PLA troops in Hong Kong. China's military build-up is purely defensive, the deputy chief of the world's biggest standing army said Saturday, amid US concerns over Beijing's intentions(AFP/File)
Posted on 06/01/2007 10:06:26 PM PDT by NormsRevenge
SINGAPORE (AFP) - China's military build-up is purely defensive, the deputy chief of the world's biggest standing army said Saturday, amid US concerns over Beijing's intentions.
"Strategically, we adhere to self-defence and would win only by striking after the enemy has struck," Lieutenant General Zhang Qinsheng, deputy chief of the general staff of the People's Liberation Army (PLA), told an international defence forum in Singapore.
"China shall never fire the first shot. Such an approach is consistent with the ancient Chinese thought to use caution before getting into a war, use force only for a just cause, put people first and cherish life."
Zhang was speaking to an audience that included US Defence Secretary Robert Gates, US Director of National Intelligence Mike McConnell, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Peter Pace and the head of the US Pacific command, Admiral Timothy Keating.
His remarks followed a recent Pentagon report on Chinese military power which detailed Beijing's drive to acquire modern warships, aircraft and missiles in what appeared to be part of a longer-term strategy to deny US forces access to the region.
Although Taiwan is the immediate focus of China's overhaul of its military, Beijing appears to be amassing military capabilities to project power well beyond the nationalist-ruled island, driven in part by a desire to protect energy supply lines, the report said.
China considers Taiwan part of its territory awaiting reunification.
But General Zhang, the most senior Chinese official ever to attend the annual Shangri-La Dialogue gathering of analysts, defence and national security officials, emphasised the defensive nature of the build-up.
China's defence budget is small given the size of the country and the geopolitical environment in which it has to operate, he pointed out.
The world's most populous nation has no intention of joining an arms race, he said, adding that despite possessing nuclear weapons, Beijing will not be the first to use them.
"We develop but only limited nuclear capabilities, adhere to no-first-use policy, and will not use, or threaten to use, nuclear weapons against nuclear weapons-free countries and zones," he said.
China's military modernisation is designed to "achieve limited military power" and Beijing is committed to "developing a smaller but highly capable military force in a unique Chinese way," he added.
US defence chief Gates, in a speech to the Singapore conference earlier Saturday, expressed optimism about relations between the two nations.
He downplayed past US rhetoric on China's military might, alluding only in passing to the recent Pentagon report on Beijing's drive to reshape its armed forces.
"We are concerned about the opaqueness of Beijing's military spending and modernisation programmes -- issues described in the annual report on the Chinese armed forces recently released by the US government," he said.
"But as General Pete Pace, our Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, pointed out, there is some difference between 'capacity' and 'intent.' And I believe there is reason to be optimistic about the US-China relationship."
The conference, organised by the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies, an independent think tank, is taking place at a hotel surrounded by concrete barricades and guarded by special Nepalese Gurkha police armed with shotguns and submachine guns.
PLA troops in Hong Kong. China's military build-up is purely defensive, the deputy chief of the world's biggest standing army said Saturday, amid US concerns over Beijing's intentions(AFP/File)
fyi
In so much as incinerating Taiwan may be considered a vital defensive move...
"We develop but only limited nuclear capabilities, adhere to no-first-use policy, and will not use, or threaten to use, nuclear weapons against nuclear weapons-free countries and zones," he said.
China's military modernisation is designed to "achieve limited military power" and Beijing is committed to "developing a smaller but highly capable military force in a unique Chinese way," he added.
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In so much as incinerating Taiwan may be considered a vital defensive move...
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Well, China did invent fireworks after all..
Right, and I'm the King of France.
There, apparently the whole missile buildup facing Taiwan is a defensive move to keep Taiwan from invading the mainland. LOL
“.... put people first and cherish life”
Coming from a regime that imprisons and tortures its own people for political (or religious) beliefs, those words are a sick joke and an outrageous lie.
Yep...that's just what they were saying as they crossed the Yalu.
That part about cherishing life, that's just what they told their conscripts at chosin too.
This means, now they are.
We’re just planning to defend our California beachhead against incursions by Americans.
The calling card of Commies throughout history.
I’ve heard it said that Asian generals don’t have the same short-term mindset that Westerners do. They are said to think in terms of decades and centuries, not months and years.
Can anyone comment on this?
Surrrrre! Taiwan is about to attack communist China.
Thanks for posting.
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