Build confidence in China's robust defenses
- Source: Global Times
- [03:13 October 02 2009]
- Comments
As a formation of amphibious assault vehicles rumbled through the heart of Beijing during the grand military parade Thursday to mark the 60th birthday of New China, not all spectators knew that the troop composing the formation was the same heroic army division that participated in the Nanchang Uprising on August 1, 1927. The uprising was later seen as the initial move to establish New China's army.
It wasn't the only troop with historic resonance participating in the event Thursday.
Of the 56 military formations in the parade, which featured more than 8,000 soldiers with roughly 500 advanced weapons, as well as 151 pieces of aircraft, many were composed of troops with a long tradition all across the nation.
The People's Liberation Army (PLA) has come a long way, transforming from a peasant army skilled at guerrilla warfare into a sophisticated modern military using smart weaponry both conventional in nature and of strategic deterrent capability.
In the past six decades, the army has safeguarded New China's national security, sovereignty, and territorial integrity, and has been increasingly important in maintaining regional and world peace.
And thanks to the well-equipped army, China's territory is no longer encroached on by foreign invaders, as it was before the founding of New China in 1949.
With that historical scenario in mind, it is easy to understand why the largest military parade in New China's history caused a swell of national pride among the Chinese people. They are justifiably proud of New China's 60th birthday and the military parade showcasing the army's domestically-produced weaponry.
Should the military parade be misinterpreted as a manifestation of New China's desire to show off its ballistic missiles, tanks, or fighter jets at its birthday party, or as another piece of evidence of China's global military power projection, it would be either out of ignorance of China's past and present, or belief in a stereotype about a "cold war mentality." Needless to say, other nations have military parades on important dates, too.
"The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting," goes the traditional Chinese wisdom. While China realizes the crucial role played by a strong army to the survival of the nation, as with any other nation in the world, the Asian giant has adopted a self-defense strategy for the army, and reiterated its pledge to pursue peace in the world.
Though the past 60 years have seen China change from a poor nation into a global economic powerhouse, continuous efforts have been made since the 1970s to reduce the number of army soldiers by half to about 2.3 million. And China's military spending, though raising eyebrows with some Western politicians, is still only a fraction of that of the US.
By sending thousands of soldiers on UN peacekeeping missions, and participating in anti-pirate patrols off Somalia, the Chinese army has been catching up in its journey toward being a more transparent, modern force that plays an important role in maintaining world peace.
When the rows of Chinese soldiers, dressed in green, white and blue ceremonial uniforms, spoke loudly "We serve the people!" in Thursday's military parade, they really meant it.
Coming a long way from the days of protecting the just-born New China to a time when peace and development are irresistible trends, the Chinese army has been very clear about its role and its intent to pursue military modernization.
A robust defense is crucial to the national interest of China, and the interest of the whole world.
