US and the art of exaggeration

The surge in anti-war sentiments in the US over the past few years spurred the call to end the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. But the withdrawal of American troops from Iraq - and Afghanistan next year - has hurt the vested interests such as the Pentagon and arms manufacturers and suppliers. So portraying a rising China as a simulated enemy will divert the attention of the US' strategic failures and help the Pentagon to get Congress approval for its budget and arms dealers to secure their orders.

The US army has been leading the fight against terrorism for years undermining the role of the navy and air force. So the report's emphasis on access- and area-denial capabilities of the Chinese military is aimed at laying the ground for the US military to acquire resources to translate its air-sea battle concept into reality.

The report suggests that the US' policy toward China still wavers between containment and engagement. Despite the in-depth structural differences between the two countries, the US is fully aware of the need to secure China's support and cooperation in a wide range of regional and global issues. That is why the report, despite portraying the Chinese military as a threat, acknowledges China's growing international influence and highlights the principles that should be adhered to in military-to-military contacts between the two countries.

Such exchanges, according to the report, should help enhance the two militaries' ability to interact on a tactical or operational level, foster mutual understanding, clear misconceptions and allow the two countries' leaders to address global security challenges. This perhaps is the only redeeming feature of the US report.

That the US has come up with sensational speculations on China's military is not new. For instance, the 2004 US report said the Chinese mainland might launch a "decapitation strike" on Taiwan. And the 2006 report alleged that China's military development had already undermined the US' strategic capability to intervene in Asia-Pacific regional issues.

But with China growing in confidence and becoming more transparent in military affairs, the international community has gained far deeper knowledge about China's military development. And this will make the US false accusations and groundless speculations less eye-catching in the future.

The author is a senior colonel and deputy director of the Center for China-America Defense Relations, the Academy of Military Science, PLA.

(China Daily 05/13/2013 page9)