Hello Finn, I am not picking on you and other posters have made equally relevant and good remarks, but you do actually identify the key areas of "Perception" that I believe this is all about.
You are quite right about the Uighur groups, but If you go back to the Ambassadors letter, you will read that his "target" were those European Governments and NGO's that support them rather than the groups themselves. It is the fact that other Governments choose to support small rebel groups rather than the sovereign Chinese Government is the issue that the CCP is seeking to redress.
So the PLA roll ins in force and roars along the valley roads, swarms over the hills, Fighters swoop low and H6 Bombers drop heavy ordinance on mountain sides, Artillery booms and the Chinese Armed Forces generally make their presence known. People have very reasonably asked what if they don't find anybody? Well of course they will find somebody, its unthinkable that they would not as that is the notional reason for them going in. The people they find may not necessarily have been there before hand of course and may already be sitting in PAP Jail, but come the day they will be found along with whatever paraphernalia or literature is considered necessary and appropriate. China will tell the world that this has been found and the world will have no option but to accept it. That is the first Perception that China will present to the world.
It will of course as you say upset NATO, but this is also intended. Nobody will come to blows, there will be check points and forces will glare across at each other, but nobody is going to actually shoot at each other. The whole event will make great TV back in Europe however, where the perception will be that shooting could very easily start. Many EU nations have forces in Afghanistan and many of them are in the relatively quiet back water of Eastern Afghanistan. Public Opinion in most of these countries is highly wary of this very unpopular deployment and are very unhappy about the current rate of casualties from fighting the Taliban. How then do you think Public Opinion will react to the Perception of the risk of having to fight the Chinese Army? especially if documents found by the Chinese during their security operation appear to cast the actions of their Governments in a "questionable" light. The answer of course is that it would rock public opinion and support to its very core and threaten to reopen the very real and unresolved divides that exist in NATO and which we saw so glaringly in the aftermath of Russia,s Georgian operation last year.
The Chinese Action and the necessary reactive Stance form NATO will cause fear and consternation at home, shake the foundations of NATO and reinforce to the Capitlals of the EU the message that supporting China's overseas rebels is not a low risk activity. This is the second Perception that China will present to the world.
Through all this, the CCP will be able to tick all its boxes, the public at home will cheer as the PLA "fearlessly protect the nation from its enemies without and within" and forces NATO to watch and curse. The public of Europe will receive a rude awakening as to the reality of China and their Governments will need to seriously reappraise many of their policies regarding the support of Rebel/Dissident Chinese Groups based in the EU. In addition the Chinese view of the situation will receive a higher profile and greater recognition than it currently does and this, will be the third Perception that China will present to the world.
Ultimately Finn, simply refer to your own sig and appreciate perhaps a bit deeper what is meant by the word manoeuvre in this context.
