China’s military parade: get the message right
- By Fan Jishe
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E-mail China.org.cn, September 11, 2015
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Bethune international medical phalanx attends a parade in Beijing, capital of China, Sept. 3, 2015. China on Thursday held commemoration activities, including a grand military parade, to mark the 70th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War. [ Photo: Xinhua] |
Many China watchers are used to living with a militarily weak China for the past several decades. Thus, each time in the recent 10 years when China showcases its new military capabilities in the military parade, they see an emerging China threat. Military transparency is frequently demanded by them, even though China believes it has tried very hard to be transparent in strategic intentions and capability by publishing National Defense White Papers. When China shows its strategic intentions and capability, they argue about China threat again.
From the commentaries articulated by many China watchers immediately before and after the military parade commemorating the WWII victory, we can tell that kind of Western pride and prejudice remain largely unchanged.
Overall, China’s increasing and increased military might is the key concern held by China watchers, and missiles nuclear and conventional, ballistic and cruise, top those concerns. In the military parade, China displayed ballistic missiles, such as DF-15B, DF-16, DF-21D, DF-26, DF-31A, DF-5B, and cruise missiles. Most of those military capabilities displayed in the military parade are not new for most China watchers, and China’s missile capability is developed very much in line with the policy articulated in China’s National Defense Papers as well. Then, why they feel so much concerned or even very much alerted? Obviously, they intentionally or unconsciously misread the message conveyed by the military parade.
First, it is a parade of national pride for China. Four Modernizations have been China’s strategic goal for several decades. By opening up to the external world and reforming internally starting from late 1970s, China has roughly achieved the three modernizations, namely, industrial modernization, agricultural modernization, science and technology modernization at the expense of national defense modernization. It is not until late 1990s when China started to increase its investment in military modernization, and the military capability showcased in the military parade indicated China is achieving its fourth modernization. China has traveled a long way to achieve today’s stability, security and prosperity, and China rightly takes pride in its achievements. The military parade is in essence a parade of national pride.
