Re: Chinese Military News Thread
this is an article that appeared on wall street journal, still perpetuating the myth that everything useful that China has is imported from the Russians.
this is an article that appeared on wall street journal, still perpetuating the myth that everything useful that China has is imported from the Russians.
China's inability to prevent this U.S. show of military strength and support
for Taiwan rankled political and military leaders in Beijing. They started to
develop what is viewed by the Pentagon as an "anti-access strategy." The
Pentagon says it is designed to limit the U.S. military's freedom of movement
in Asia and, specifically, its ability to intervene in any conflict between
China and Taiwan.
The cornerstone of China's effort is its elite submarine force. In recent
years, eight new Russian-built, diesel-powered Kilo-class submarines have been
added to the fleet, joining a growing number of new Chinese-built attack
submarines, including some powered by nuclear reactors. The Kilo subs are
especially stealthy and hard to detect when submerged.
China's navy now has nearly 60 submarines, according to U.S. estimates. Some
of the newest are equipped with Russian-made cruise missiles that fly at
supersonic speeds when they approach their targets and were specifically
designed to attack and sink aircraft carriers, according to U.S. naval
officers. Some subs also have advanced torpedoes, which home in on ships' wakes
at high speed.
"They've decided that submarines are the best way to delay a U.S. entry" into
any conflict over Taiwan by threatening U.S. aircraft carriers, says Bernard D.
Cole, a retired U.S. Navy captain who now teaches at the National War College
in Washington and studies the Chinese navy. "There's nothing harder than
finding submarines. It's a very tough business."
China is also building its own surface warships, including frigates and
destroyers, and fitting them out with Russian radars and antiaircraft weapons.
Destroyers are the largest class of surface warship in widespread use by world
navies. China's are equipped with guns and guided missiles and have a crew of
200 to 300. Frigates have similar armaments, but are smaller.
China's shipyards have been working on two new types of nuclear-powered
submarines, which are undergoing sea trials, according to Chinese naval
officers. And late last year, China received the second of two sophisticated
Russian-made, Sovremenny II guided-missile destroyers, adding to its tally of
Russian-built surface ships.
While the immediate driver of China's naval development has been the
potential for conflict over Taiwan, its longer-term goals are much broader.
Navy officers speak of developing three ocean-going fleets, one that would
patrol the areas around Korea and Japan, another that would push out into the
Western Pacific and a third that would protect the Strait of Malacca and the
Indian Ocean.
"The navy needs to be able to go wherever China has economic interests," says
one senior Chinese naval officer who spoke on condition of anonymity. "China
should have naval forces stationed at strategic points," the officer says, even
though "this would certainly push China into more direct confrontation with
developed countries."
China has helped finance and engineer the construction of a deep-water port
in Pakistan that U.S. defense planners say could be used by Chinese naval
forces in the future, giving them easier access to the Arabian Sea and Persian
Gulf region. U.S. military officers also believe China is operating listening
posts in southern Myanmar to monitor shipping traffic through the Strait of
Malacca.
China has also begun building a network of satellites that can be used to
guide navigation by its own ships at sea, as well as to keep track of other
countries' vessels. Chinese military leaders are even talking about building
aircraft carriers -- which for decades have been the mainstay of U.S. maritime
power.
Concerns over the potential cost of building and operating such an extensive
navy has prompted some national security experts in China to argue against it.
These critics say China should continue to be a so-called free rider, allowing
the U.S. and its global navy to bear the burden of policing the seas.
For now, the sea power advocates appear to be winning. China's President Hu
attended a navy conclave in Beijing in December. "We should strive to build a
powerful navy that adapts to the needs of our military's historical mission in
this new century and at this new stage," Mr. Hu told the assembled officers.
China's expanding naval presence is already being felt in the Pacific. In
October, a Chinese submarine armed with torpedoes and powerful antiship cruise
missiles surfaced within firing range of the American aircraft carrier USS
Kitty Hawk, part of the U.S. Seventh Fleet, during maneuvers in the Pacific
Ocean east of the Philippines.
The encounter ended peacefully. But the admiral commanding American forces in
the Pacific at the time, William Fallon, later told reporters that the incident
could have "escalated into something very unforeseen."
The U.S. is the only country that regularly operates aircraft carriers in
Northeast Asia. And U.S. officers feel that China's pursuit of weapons that can
be used against carriers has put U.S. forces in its sights. "When you acquire
those niche capabilities, it raises questions," says one U.S. officer assigned
to monitoring Chinese military advances. "We're a little unclear on why they
are focusing on those."
Adm. Keating, the new U.S. commander in the Pacific, says he is trying to get
a better understanding of Beijing's motives and military capabilities. He is
pushing for more access to Chinese forces and more exchanges and expanded joint
exercises by the two navies.
The U.S. is also strengthening its military posture in Asia. "I don't think
China necessarily has to be a threat. I don't think they've made up their mind
yet," says one veteran Pentagon Asia specialist. "That's why we have to take a
hedging strategy."
China, in turn, looks at these steps as all the more reason to push ahead
with its military buildup. The U.S. moves also strengthen the hand of
nationalists in China, who believe Washington and others are intent on blocking
China's development. Such views are also held in the mainstream parts of the
government.
"If we develop a strong navy with more advanced weapon systems, we have more
choices. It's possible that China will join in a cooperative system headed by
the U.S.," says Mr. Ni of the Shanghai National Defense Institute. "But we
would also be ready to fight if we have to."
