DOD Report Spotlights Aggressive Chinese Military Buildup
WASHINGTON (Department of Defense PR) — The Department of Defense announces the release of its annual report on “Military and Security Developments Involving the People’s Republic of China.” The congressionally mandated report serves as an authoritative assessment on military and security developments involving the PRC.
This year’s report highlights the links between China’s national strategy and developments within China’s armed forces.
Under the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party, the strategy calls for “the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation” by 2049, including the transformation of the People’s Liberation Army into a “world-class” military.
The report comes at a time when the world is witnessing the aggressive assertion of that strategy in the Indo-Pacific and beyond, where China continues to undermine the international rules-based order to advance their own interests.
This report accounts for the PRC’s national strategy and the drivers of China’s security behavior and military strategy, covers key developments in China’s military modernization and reform, and provides new insights into China’s strategic ambitions in the Indo-Pacific and beyond.
The report also discusses China’s views of strategic competition, the broader purposes of its Military-Civil Fusion Development Strategy, and its ambitions for the PLA as a political entity of the party.
The National Defense Strategy identifies the Indo-Pacific region as the department’s priority theater. As Secretary Mark Esper noted during his recent remarks at the Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies, the department continues to take steps to address the strategic challenges posed by the PRC as we implement the NDS, including the modernization of our forces, strengthening our alliances and partnerships, and promoting interconnected security partnerships to advance our shared interests.
The report comes as the Secretary of Defense is wrapping up his trip to Hawaii, Palau and Guam, where he has met with senior leaders from across the region to address these very issues, and reaffirm the U.S. commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific.
17 responses to “DOD Report Spotlights Aggressive Chinese Military Buildup”
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The real scary part is how well the Chinese nation build overseas. Compare African nations today being colonized by China vs the treatment they got from the West in the 20th and early 21st Cen. Belt and road is not the yellow brick road, but its working good enough. Marry that with their military build up, and the Chinese have a good start at a global empire. All of course, tied to their physical ownership of the means of production on a massive scale. With know how, and tooling provided by the American business sector of course.
It will be interesting to see how India responds to China’s aggression in space given how they are on the brink of war over their border. Yes, just what we need to make 2020 complete, two space faring nations with nuclear IRBM starting a knock out drag out war….
https://www.indiatoday.in/i…
China says no Indian soldier killed in recent Ladakh conflict, calls India’s protests sign of guilty mind
New Delhi
September 2, 2020
UPDATED: September 2, 2020 15:28 IST
India is on the cusp of overflowing with Hindu extremism. They mirror us in a lot of ways. They have a perfectly functional and mostly sane upper class, but use extremist identity politics to capture votes then have to ride the wave they create. Between Pakistan, India, and China, is any good going to come of those three? Of the three, I much prefer India. But lets face it, they’re not going to get their act together, and even if they can, will they be able to keep the lid on their own runaway identity politics? If they do get their act together what’s to stop the American business sector doing in India what it did in China?
well said
I am guessing that you are not really paying attention to BRI.
They cut deals with the various nations to do something ‘with them that will help other nation’. Then china sends over Chinese companies, all staffed with Chinese ppl. But these also need Chinese goods, so other Chinese ppl are let in, with their companies that establish stores, which sells 100 % Chinese goods and are managed by Chinese, but low-level jobs are locals. Upon completion of job, all of the Chinese stores stay, with same ppl, AND those Chinese contractors building roads, dams, etc, typically stay and pick up construction, etc.
Upon completion, the nation then has to pay china for it. Of course, if economy collapses, then china insists that nation give them resources. Right now, china owns a chunk of venezuela oil, sri lanka air/naval base, air/naval base on african east coast, with several nations in africa and south America owing them bucko bucks.
China helping them? The west did more for these nations for the last 50 years. China is re-enslaving these nations, economically.
Yes, China going through one of its “Imperial” phases where it brings “civilization” to the “barbarians” so they are better able to serve the “Emperor”.
I think you’re wrong in your assessment. With the treasure fleets 1000’s of marines were landed to extract the tribute. Today China is building real infrastructure, and providing an example to the local leadership and ho-polli of what a real enterprise is, what real wealth is, and what it takes to build and maintain infrastructure. Furthermore the Chinese are creating markets for their factories back home. Those markets need to be stable and developed. If you want to sell the family car to the average African, then the average African needs to have a house, filled with Chinese goods, and a steady income to make those house and car payments, to the Chinese banks who will loan them the money. That’s not a raiding expedition from a treasure fleet.
That’s how any empire works. The British worked in just the same way. But the point is, it still improves and develops the region. The Chinese can operate that way because the local reality in Africa is so broken they still provide and teach real development for the long term.
This movie shows what nation building starting from scratch looks like. The West won’t bother itself with this kind of work anymore, and our charity organizations don’t predicate their concept of helping the under developed in this way. The Chinese are simply filling in a gap that’s been left empty for 80 years and the Africans never filled in themselves. Notice how much effort it takes just to rebuild a road the Belgians built in the 1930’s. Of course this example is quite old, the Chinese finished the road some years ago, and no doubt have rebuilt the railway by now.
Except the Chinese are not helping.
You believe that because the Chinese are not elevating the Africans to your 21st cen concepts of human development in one fell swoop. Many people in the West agree with you, and thus won’t do this kind of development. What the Chinese are doing is showing how a basic enterprise operates, and how infrastructure is made and maintained.
Andrew with the virus changing flight schedules I have done some Africa flights lately (Instructors normally dont go on overnights) …and would concur in your observations based on seeing changes from oh say four years ago when the overnight policy came into being
the Chinese are doing three things which I find impressive
1. the Chinese are building a military to support power projection
2. they are building an economy to support political projection and
3. they are developing (Africa including) a new “empire” that is changing the lives of people on the ground for the better…and they are seen as directly attributable for it
down in Tanzania where all you use to see were American destroyers…you now have a pretty heavy (I counted over 30 ship) presence of the PLN but the brand new resort level hotel we stay in now…was chinese built
I have an old friend who worked a development project in Tanzania and she had some fascinating observations of the differences between how the South Africans run enterprises in the area vs how the Chinese run enterprises in the area. The difference is stability. The South Africans hire for short periods of time and will change the currency they pay in depending on how it favors the South Africans depending on the exchange rate. A term of service is usually only two to four months. While the Chinese don’t hire locals for management jobs, they do hire them for the grunt work, but provide stability and offer to pay in South African Rand, Dollar, the local currency or in RnB. RnB of course gets the workman access to the Chinese shops and is increasingly winning over dollars and South African Rand. Terms of service are a full year long. The Chines also provide lay away plans for large purchases like taxi’s, tractors etc. So the effect is workers who sign up with the Chinese are starting to act with long term outlook and effect. Something my friend says is not the local norm.
You can also see it in the news and video feeds out of Africa. The rebellion/insurgency rate is dropping thru the floor. The Chinese are providing an easier alternative, and more constructive path to power for the African mover and shaker. They engage Africans in terms of enterprise and industry which is a hell of a step up from the way the West and the USSR engaged with them which was as an immediate means of selling arms. I think we need to take some notes on how to be good imperialists from our friends in China. They’re practicing a more advanced foreign policy than we do. I predict that within 5 years we’re going to be simply ignored and the US State department won’t be the ‘go to’ agency for someone who wants to make it big in life to associate with and work with in Africa. We’ll only attract 2nd rate, people who were rejected by the Chinese.
Andrew sorry this took so long to reply. we have just been extroadinaryly busy the last three days we are at about 65 percent of flightops with a 92 percent load factor…but the virus is under control here so well we are getting back busy 🙂
I think all of that is correct but a couple of notes.
a friend of mine in Tanzania who is an amateur radio operator and as a profession is an engineer. was recently hired to work in the Chinese ground station operation they are building there…and everything you say about how they are paid and working conditions etc were/are correct. but he is actually the manager of the local engineers who maintain the mechanics of the plant…and while he has a chinese boss…he does run the maintenance of the plant (at least he claims and I sort of believe him)
the hotel we stay in has Chinese management, you can tell them immediately but the front staff, the go to manager etc are all local… and just talking with the staff (who speak excellent English) what you are saying seems to be accurate
the Chinese furnish health care for the workers and the family and do it from both local talent and chinese medical staff, that are there for the chinese of course. the facility is first rate.
I have an amateur radio license and enjoy operating while I am at these places…and the local manager not only got the license reactivated (as I have not been there in a bit) but was kind enough to set up some facilities where I could set up the rig, my portable antennas and whenever I needed something ti always seemed to be possible to get it…although it was all made in china (ie the coax etc)
we are losing Africa…
as an aside I would also add we are losing the battle with them internationally
Thanks for those reports. It’s as I expected. As time goes on, the Chinese train the locals and allow them to climb the ladder within the enterprise. Let it stew a few more years and all of the high ranking locals will be Chinese trained and ask themselves just what the Americans have to offer them. Let it stew a few more years of the GOP types complaining about not wanting to nation build anymore, and the only thing we’ll have to offer them are guns for hard RmB.
Given the GOP’s reluctance to nation build even here at home and their desire to conduct business with someone who has money, not only will they create the power vacuum in the USA for the Chinese to walk in and fill that void, but they’ll be on the welcoming parade committee.
The Indians already have a better navy than the Chinese and they control the Indian Ocean chokepoints. Building bases in Africa and the Middle East isn’t going to be of much value to China if the PLAN isn’t able to operate with impunity between its own home ports and its new overseas bases. And the PLA has no strategic airlift as an alternative.
With China now pointlessly, and counterproductively, messing with the Indians, any outbreak of war between these two regional powers is not going to end well for the Chinese.
If the Pakis are so incautious as to throw in with the Chinese on any such project, the Indians will end them.
Its unclear how well the Indian military will do in combat today
the PLAN has a massive airlift capability
The Indian military has been fighting a low-intensity war with Pakistan in Kashmir for decades. The Indian military has a lot of recent combat experience.
The last combat experience the PLA had was over 40 years ago and the Vietnamese kicked their butts.
The PLAN has no transport aircraft larger or more capable than a Herc and all are pretty much copies of AN-12s and AN24s. The PLAAF has a couple dozen ancient IL-76s and a handful of homegrown Y-20s, neither of which is a match for the C-17. Not massive.