China’s dream our nightmare
19 Aug 2013
India’s strategic planners must recognize the nature
of the Chinese State and make all interactions transactional
After his appointment in December 2012 to the country’s three top
positions-general secretary of the CCP Central Committee (CC), chairman of the
Central Military Commission (SMC) and President of China-Xi Jinping further
concentrated greater authority in himself. Today he heads seven of the Central
leading small groups, the most powerful bodies overseeing government and Party
affairs. He now guides and supervises all affairs relating to the national
economy, armed forces and military modernization, cyber security and domestic
security. The important point is that this has concurrently further
strengthened the CCP’s grip on the levers of State. Today, Xi Jinping is China’s most powerful leader since Mai Zedong.
Xi jinping’s concept of ‘China’s Dream’, articulated in December 2012,
has already entered the Party’s lexicon. In addition to making the people
wealthy and the nation strong, the concept envisages “rejuvenation” of the
Chinese nation, which implies the “recovery” of all former territories and
depicted by China’s maps. This concept and his speeches are central subjects in
the ‘study sessions’ held regularly by the Party and PLA.
The anti-corruption campaign spearheaded by Politburo Standing
Committee (PBSX) member and fellow ‘princeling’ Wang Qishan, as chairman of the
Central Discipline Inspection Commission (CDIC), has reinforced Xi Jinping’s
authority. The campaign has targeted a number of vice ministers and cadres at
the Party’s second highest rung of leadership, namely Politburo (PB).
Modernization of the PLA, facilitated by the consecutive double-digit
hikes in defence budget since 1993, has accelerated since the 18th
Party Congress. Reliable reports state that China;s seven Military Regions are
being merged into five. The PLA is being downsized by 800,000 persons and
elimination of the 3000,000 non-combatants is proposed within a decade. There
has been a vast infusion of funds in defence research and development in a major
effort to upgrade technology, with China expecting to operationalize its second
aircraft carrier in six years. China’s military doctrine dictates heavy
concentration of firepower in a localized area to overwhelm the ‘enemy’. This
reorganization gives the PLA a definite “outward orientation”, implying that
“recovery” of territories claimed by Beijing will be a central feature of
China’s strategic agendra and reinforce diplomacy aimed at realising “China’s
Dream”.
India’s strategic planners will be prudent to recognize the nature of
the Chinese State and make interactions transactional. Areas open to economic
engagement should have clearly defined limits. India’s defence preparedness
must be given priority.
Extract of an article by
Jayadeva Ranade, HT, 18 aug 2014
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