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China's National Defense in 2004
Updated: 2004-12-28 09:52
Chapter I The Security Situation
The current international situation continues to undergo profound and complex
changes. Peace and development remain the dominating themes of the times.
Although the international situation as a whole tends to be stable, factors of
uncertainty, instability and insecurity are on the increase.
The trends toward world multipolarization and economic globalization are
deepening amid twists and turns. New changes are occurring in the balance of
power among the major international players, with the process of their
realignment and the redistribution of their interests accelerated. New and
profound readjustments have taken place in the relations among the world's major
countries. While cooperating with and seeking support from each other, they are
checking on and competing with one another as well. With their overall strength
continuing to rise, the developing countries have become important players in
promoting a multipolar world and democratized international relations. The
United Nations is playing an irreplaceable role in international affairs.
Economic globalization and technological advancement have generated new
opportunities for development. As a result of accelerated global industrial
restructuring, and the continued development of regional economic cooperation,
world economy has witnessed new growth, with interdependence among nations
deepened and their common interests increased. However, a fair and rational new
international political and economic order is yet to be established. Tendencies
of hegemonism and unilateralism have gained new ground, as struggles for
strategic points, strategic resources and strategic dominance crop up from time
to time. The Iraqi War has exerted a far-reaching influence on the international
and regional security situations. The imbalance in world economic development
has worsened, with the North-South gap continuing to widen, and economic
security confronting new challenges.
The military factor plays a greater role in international configuration and
national security. Worldwide Revolution in Military Affairs (RMA) is gaining
momentum. The forms of war are undergoing changes from mechanization to
informationalization. Informationalization has become the key factor in
enhancing the warfighting capability of the armed forces. Confrontation between
systems has become the principal feature of confrontation on the battlefield.
Asymmetrical, non-contiguous and non-linear operations have become important
patterns of operations. The world's major countries are making readjustments in
their security and military strategies and stepping up transformation of their
armed forces by way of developing high-tech weaponry and military equipment and
putting forth new military doctrines. As a result, the generation gap in
military technology between informationalization on the one hand and
mechanization and semi-mechanization on the other is still widening, and
military imbalance worldwide has further increased. The role played by military
power in safeguarding national security is assuming greater prominence.
Traditional and non-traditional security issues are intertwined with the
latter posing a growing threat. Some regional hot-spots have cooled down.
Security cooperation at the regional level has deepened. The worldwide campaign
against terrorism has made progress. International cooperation in the fields of
information security, energy security, finance security and environment security
has been enhanced. And international efforts to crack down on transnational
crimes, prevent epidemic diseases, and reduce the impact of disasters have been
intensified. However, world peace remains elusive. Geopolitical, ethnic,
religious and other conflicts interact with political and economic
contradictions, resulting in frequent outbreak of local wars and armed
conflicts. International terrorist forces remain rampant. It seems rather
difficult to eliminate completely the root causes of terrorism, making the fight
against terrorism a long and demanding task before the international
community.
The Asia-Pacific region enjoys basic stability in its security situation. As
the world's most dynamic region economically, most nations in the region have
made development the centerpiece of their policy. Major country relations
continue to improve and grow. Peaceful consultation has become the basic
approach to the settlement of disputes. Security dialogue and cooperation of
various forms have become more animated. Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation
(APEC) is playing an important role in promoting common development. The
institutionalization of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) has been
basically accomplished. The SCO is incessantly expanding and deepening its
cooperation in the political, security, economic, humanitarian and other fields.
The SCO is playing a greater role in promoting peace, stability and development
in the region. China has established a strategic partnership with the
Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) dedicated to peace and prosperity
in the region, and engaged in comprehensive cooperation that has seen rapid
expansion. Cooperation in East Asia, with the ASEAN and China, Japan and the ROK
as the main players, keeps expanding, leading to greater economic development
and political and security trust in the region. The ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF)
as the most important official channel for multilateral security dialogue in the
Asia-Pacific region, plays a positive role in promoting security cooperation in
the region. The nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsula has been brought onto the
track of peaceful settlement through dialogue, and the process of the Six-Party
Talks has made progress in the discussion of substantive issues and the
institutionalization of the process. Tensions between India and Pakistan have
been eased, and the two countries have maintained the momentum of peaceful
dialogues.
Meanwhile, complicated security factors in the Asia-Pacific region are on the
increase. The United States is realigning and reinforcing its military presence
in this region by buttressing military alliances and accelerating deployment of
missile defense systems. Japan is stepping up its constitutional overhaul,
adjusting its military and security policies and developing the missile defense
system for future deployment. It has also markedly increased military activities
abroad. The foundation for the Six-Party Talks is not solid enough as uncertain
factors linger in the settlement of the nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsula.
The threat posed by terrorism, separatism and extremism is still grave. Such
transnational crimes as smuggling, piracy, drug trafficking and money laundering
are rampant. Many countries are confronted with the formidable task of
eliminating poverty, achieving sustainable development and enhancing security in
the area of public health.
The situation in the relations between the two sides of the Taiwan Straits is
grim. The Taiwan authorities under Chen Shui-bian have recklessly challenged the
status quo that both sides of the Straits belong to one and the same China, and
markedly escalated the "Taiwan independence" activities designed to split China.
Incessantly trumpeting their separatist claim of "one country on each side,"
they use referendum to engage in the separatist activities aimed at "Taiwan
independence," incite hostility among the people on the island toward the
mainland, and purchase large amounts of offensive weapons and equipment. They
have not given up their attempt at "Taiwan independence" through the formulation
of a so-called "new constitution for Taiwan." They are still waiting for the
opportune moment to engineer a major "Taiwan independence" incident through the
so-called "constitutional reform." The separatist activities of the "Taiwan
independence" forces have increasingly become the biggest immediate threat to
China's sovereignty and territorial integrity as well as peace and stability on
both sides of the Taiwan Straits and the Asia-Pacific region as a whole. The
United States has on many occasions reaffirmed adherence to the one China
policy, observance of the three joint communiques and opposition to "Taiwan
independence." However, it continues to increase, quantitatively and
qualitatively, its arms sales to Taiwan, sending a wrong signal to the Taiwan
authorities. The US action does not serve a stable situation across the Taiwan
Straits.
China's national security environment in this pluralistic, diversified and
interdependent world has on the whole improved, but new challenges keep cropping
up. The vicious rise of the "Taiwan independence" forces, the technological gap
resulting from RMA, the risks and challenges caused by the development of the
trends toward economic globalization, and the prolonged existence of unipolarity
vis-a-vis multipolarity -- all these will have a major impact on China's
security. Nevertheless, China is determined to safeguard its national
sovereignty and security, no matter how the international situation may evolve,
and what difficulties it may encounter, so as to join hands with the people
around the world in advancing the lofty cause of peace and development for
mankind.
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