Military of China, force comment.
Military of China, force comment.

Data Figure: China’s Navy guided missile destroyer 169 and 171 tasks.

U.S. Naval Academy, “Journal,” the April article, the original question: China has changed Mao Zedong’s “active defense” to take the initiative to the Indian Ocean is the import of China’s economic development resources required for the critical sea lanes. Now beginning to achieve power of the Chinese navy in the Indian Ocean, China is into the depth of unpredictable danger, to take the country in modern times has never been an offensive gesture.

since the Opium War, China’s strategy of basic assumptions are: the country is vulnerable in any conflict in the party. To this end, the Chinese army to resort to defense, to gain time to reverse the situation, the final counter-offensive. In fact, Mao Zedong contemporary statecraft based on this principle the creation of “active defense” strategy, which is China’s coastal defense strategy, sources of ideas and names.

Time has changed the world, but Mao’s insight is now no longer applicable. Today when dealing with foreign rivals, China is not necessarily the weak side. Beijing would like to wipe out the “century of humiliation”, long-range raid represents a change in the PLA to launch a real forward-deployed, would have from the “periphery” to proceed, to overcome the disadvantages, such as the complex geographic conditions, from India to contain, in addition stick to the defensive side sits well with many advantages.

In short, since the Ming Dynasty, China’s rulers for the first time the opportunity for forward deployment to the Indian Ocean. Beijing is very clear that such action is clearly large, more dangerous, and may trade-off. If the Chinese leadership to deploy troops to the Indian Ocean, they must accept the Yellow Sea and East China Sea, Taiwan Strait and South China Sea and other areas even greater risk of non-reality. These waters belong to China’s coastal areas, the challenge is more attractive than the official distance attention.

Indian Ocean, far away, around the unfinished business there, which would restrict China’s strategy. However, advances in military technology is expected to alleviate such constraints. If you want to rely on the Chinese Navy shore fire support, offshore China and South Asia may be far in the theater will be stretched. But if China can save the deployment of troops, supported by long-range firepower backing, it will greatly reduce the risk of coastal waters. Technology is not a panacea, but can increase the strategic component.

military theorist Carl von Clausewitz that commanders have to keep against the enemy’s “center of gravity” or “all-out efforts to combat a little,” the Chinese military theorist Sun Tzu proposed resources into the indirect or “unusual” actions to fight the enemy by surprise, and commanders to save resources. Can be seen, the two theorists are opposed to wanton dispersion. But look around Beijing, there will be many issues to attract their attention. Chinese commanders everything and if you want to use the limited resources, may end up nothing.

from north to south, China faces a series of negative factors: the behavior of volatile North Korea, and Japan in the East China Sea gas dispute and the ownership of the island, the Taiwan Strait deadlock, South China Sea territorial disputes, piracy and the power contest may destruction of Malacca route. This could turn into an emergency situation, requires a lot of diplomatic energy and military resources. Therefore, the establishment of different primary and secondary theater, Beijing will be one of the major challenges facing. ▲ (R · author James Holmes and Yoshihara Jun wells are the U.S. Naval War College Strategic Studies Associate Professor Wang analyze translation)

(“Global Times” April 25, 2011 No. 06 Edition)

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