{"id":3930,"date":"2021-08-22T06:00:55","date_gmt":"2021-08-22T00:30:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/55nda.com\/blogs\/anil-khosla\/?p=3930"},"modified":"2024-12-27T16:06:28","modified_gmt":"2024-12-27T10:36:28","slug":"flavours-of-chinas-military-reforms","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/55nda.com\/blogs\/anil-khosla\/2021\/08\/22\/flavours-of-chinas-military-reforms\/","title":{"rendered":"171: Flavours of China\u2019s Military Reforms"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; color: #993300;\">China has given priority to translate science and technology achievements into military capabilities.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; color: #333300;\">China\u2019s military capability enhancements in the new era are characterized by an emphasis on new security domains.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; color: #003366;\">On the one hand China has improved its long-distance force projection and precision strike capabilities in the respective domains of the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Rocket Force.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; color: #800000;\">On the other hand, it has attached importance to new security domains, such as space, cyber, electromagnetic, and Information, as key fields for influencing the fate of future warfare.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; color: #008000;\">China aims to overtake developed country\u2019s militaries by making concentrated investments in state-of-the-art technologies and deepening military-civil fusion.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; color: #0000ff;\">It hopes to achieve superiority in these fields and thereby overturn its inferiority in overall military capabilities.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; color: #800080;\">China has already achieved the status of a major military power by 2021 (100th anniversary of its founding Chinese Communist Party).<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; color: #ff0000;\">The Xi Jinping administration has set ambitious goals to further establish China as a global power by the next centenary in 2049 (marking the 100th anniversary of the founding of the People\u2019s Republic of China).<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; color: #003366;\">It aims to be leader in overall military capabilities by becoming a cyber-power, a space power, and a manufacturing power of defence hardware and software.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; color: #993366;\">While \u201cactive defence\u201d as a military strategic concept has been consistently advocated by the PLA, its content has evolved reflecting changes in China\u2019s national power, the international environment, and industry structure, as well as advances in military technology.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; color: #993300;\">Its active defence strategy has changed from the tenet of \u201cstriking only after the enemy has struck,\u201d (i.e. luring the enemy into one\u2019s territory and then making a counterattack), to offensive actions of active defence.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; color: #000080;\">Active defence is expected to take on a more offensive nature in the military strategy in the new era.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; color: #003300;\">China has prepared itself for future \u201cunrestricted warfare\u201d, across a variety of domains.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; color: #800000;\">To achieve vital information dominance, especially in cyberspace, China has promoted her informatisation and reviewed her cyber strategy.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; color: #008000;\">In the space domain, China gives weight to securing space dominance by maintaining its use of space, denying use of space by adversaries, and providing information support from space.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; color: #800080;\">China has steadily increased the number of satellites that can be used for military purposes, its space access capabilities, and its space situational awareness capabilities. It also develops capabilities for interfering with an opponent\u2019s use of space through anti-satellite (ASAT) weapons, electronic jammers, and other means.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; color: #ff0000;\">The Government of China, which prioritizes the role of S&amp;T in the military, has established the \u201cmilitary-civil fusion strategy\u201d as a national strategy.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; color: #993366;\">Under this strategy, the government makes concentrated investments in S&amp;T in new security domains, facilitates military use of advanced technologies, and promotes indigenization of core technologies.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; color: #003366;\">The Xi Jinping administration established the Central Commission for Military-Civil Fusion Development, a CCP organ that has been given powerful authority. Under the commission, the administration aims to build a management system through which organizations of the state, military, and society cooperate with each other for executing military-civil fusion policies.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; color: #993300;\">Military-civil fusion efforts place particular emphasis on the cyber, space, and maritime domains.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; color: #003300;\">The PLA\u2019s informatisation of the military system and increased reliance on space assets in military operations have created vulnerabilities that accrue from attacks on these systems.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; color: #993300;\">China has made a rapid rise in S&amp;T, but it is still in the developing stage. Especially with regard to talent and specific core technologies.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; color: #0000ff;\">The enhancement of China\u2019s military capabilities in new security domains has fuelled international competition over core technologies and technological infrastructure.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; color: #800080;\">The PLA has expanded its operational domains in parallel with the rise of its military capability, and is reinforcing the offensive element of active defense.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;\"><strong><u>Implications for India<\/u><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; color: #000080;\">As it prepares for intelligentised warfare in this context, the PLA is likely to test operate new technologies and capabilities.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; color: #800000;\">In the near future, besides other countries, India will also face confronting situations and be compelled to respond to them.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; color: #993366;\">In the long run, fulfilling the \u201cChinese Dream\u201d of \u201cthe great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation\u201d would include resolving the disputes with neighbouring countries in a manner consistent with China\u2019s wishes.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; color: #008000;\">Enhancement of the PLA\u2019s military capabilities, and belligerent attitude of China, would necessitate enhancement of India\u2019s military capabilities on priority.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; color: #ff0000;\">Looking ahead to the medium and long term trends of military technology, India needs to invest in technology infusion into its military.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; color: #003366;\">India needs to re-orientate and reorganise to develop capability of warfare in strategic domains of space, cyber, electromagnetic, and information.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-family: 'comic sans ms', sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; color: #ff0000;\">Thought<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; color: #ff0000;\">Time has come to spend on Military capability enhancement even if it is at the cost of development.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #800080; font-size: 14pt;\">Do You Agree?<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; color: #0000ff; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">For regular updates please register here &#8211;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; color: #0000ff; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\"><a style=\"color: #0000ff;\" href=\"https:\/\/55nda.com\/blogs\/anil-khosla\/subscribe\/\">https:\/\/55nda.com\/blogs\/anil-khosla\/subscribe\/<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline; font-size: 10pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">References<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">NIDS China Security Report 2021.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">https:\/\/thediplomat.com\/2021\/04\/chinas-military-has-a-hidden-weakness\/<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">https:\/\/www.lowyinstitute.org\/the-interpreter\/is-china-speeding-up-military-modernisation-it-may-but-its-not-yet<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Modernization_of_the_People%27s_Liberation_Army<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">https:\/\/www.cfr.org\/backgrounder\/chinas-modernizing-military<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>China has given priority to translate science and technology achievements into military capabilities. &nbsp; China\u2019s military capability enhancements in the new era are characterized by an emphasis on new security domains. &nbsp; On the one hand China has improved its long-distance force projection and precision strike capabilities in the respective domains of the Army, Navy, &hellip; <\/p>\n<p class=\"link-more\"><a href=\"https:\/\/55nda.com\/blogs\/anil-khosla\/2021\/08\/22\/flavours-of-chinas-military-reforms\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;171: Flavours of China\u2019s Military Reforms&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[19,25,71,74,78,28,73,115,94],"tags":[6,24,47,67,46,39,52,30,40],"class_list":["post-3930","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-article","category-china","category-grey-zone","category-higher-defence-organisation","category-military-capability","category-technology","category-theaterisation","category-war-and-warfare","category-weapons","tag-airpower","tag-china","tag-defence-services","tag-grey-zone","tag-higher-defence-organisation","tag-india","tag-strategic-thinking","tag-technology","tag-world-order"],"post_mailing_queue_ids":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/55nda.com\/blogs\/anil-khosla\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3930","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/55nda.com\/blogs\/anil-khosla\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/55nda.com\/blogs\/anil-khosla\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/55nda.com\/blogs\/anil-khosla\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/55nda.com\/blogs\/anil-khosla\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3930"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/55nda.com\/blogs\/anil-khosla\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3930\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8663,"href":"https:\/\/55nda.com\/blogs\/anil-khosla\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3930\/revisions\/8663"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/55nda.com\/blogs\/anil-khosla\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3930"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/55nda.com\/blogs\/anil-khosla\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3930"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/55nda.com\/blogs\/anil-khosla\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3930"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}