ID :
64044
Wed, 06/03/2009 - 16:52
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/64044
The shortlink copeid
CHINA SAYS ITS MILITARY MODERNISATION NO THREAT TO OTHER COUNTRIES
KUALA LUMPUR, June 3 (Bernama) -- China's military modernisation and
build-up should not be viewed as a threat to countries in the Asia Pacific
region, Vice Chairman of China's National Committee, Council for Security
Cooperation in the Asia Pacific, Gen (R) Yan Kunsheng said here Wednesday.
Yan said that being a big country with the world's largest population of
some 1.3 billion people, there was a need for such a modernisation to protect
the country's territorial integrity, maritime rights as well as its economic
interests worldwide.
He said that for a long time, China's military had lagged behind in terms of
equipment and modernisation and as such the ongoing rapid modernisation was also
a natural process in such a scenario.
He stressed that Beijing had no military agenda whatsoever in the region,
but would like to contribute to the peace, stability and development of the
region.
"Our modernisation is purely for self-defence and we pursue a defensive
military policy. We are a responsible country when it comes to security and
stability of the region," he told Bernama on the sidelines of the four-day 23rd
Asia-Pacific Roundtable organised by the Institute of Strategic and
International Studies (ISIS) Malaysia.
Earlier, Yan spoke on "Military Build-up in the Asia Pacific Region: Trends,
Risks and Responses".
China, which has a US$70-billion military budget for 2009, is said to be
steadily building up its strategic and conventional capabilities since the
1990s.
And recently, Australia released a 140-page Defence White Paper, among other
things pointing to China and India as the major and most imminent military
concerns in the Asia Pacific region.
Yan said the wrong perception about China's military growth was due to
China's status as a big country and also due to its maritime disputes with some
countries in the Asia Pacific region.
"But they (those claiming China to be a threat) don't understand that China
never wants to solve problems through military means but if other countries want
to use military means then we will deter and prevent that from happening. We are
not interested to use our military capability as a tool to threaten, bully or
infringe on the sovereignty of other countries. This is China's stand," he said.
Yan said China and its people were practising increasingly a more modern and
open socio-economic outlook as was evident for many years now and it was also
getting more open to the world.
"Our stand is that all disputes (between) China and its neighbours should be
solved peacefully and through negotiations. Using military means is not China's
way," he said.
Earlier, in his presentation, Yan said North Korea's nuclear and missile
tests were not in the interests of regional peace and security.
"It only heightened tensions in the Korean Peninsula," said Yan, who
stressed that the issue should be resolved through the Six Party Talks involving
China, South Korea, North Korea, the United States, Russia and Japan.
Another speaker, Dr Jim Rolfe, Senior Fellow, Centre for Strategic Studies,
New Zealand, said that contrary to the perceptions by many analysts, there was
little evidence to show any general military build-up in the Asia Pacific
region.
"Instead, there has been a steadiness or even a general decline in most
indicators (such as military capability and personnel) over the last 15 years.
"And even where there have been specific increases by some countries, these
do not seem to be the result of any strategy other than one of buying capability
because we can," he said.
However, he said, Australia might be an exception to this in that its recent
Defence White Paper announcing significant military expenditure over the next
decade was widely assumed to be aimed at the possibility that Beijing would not
only become militarily strong but would also attempt to use that strength to
achieve political goals.
Rolfe also said that the Asia Pacific region was stable compared to even 10
years ago, although there were still areas of tension and there were still
disputes.
"But the areas of tension are probably less tense today than they were in
the past, and the mechanisms for addressing disputes are considerably more
robust today than they were in the past".
-- BERNAMA
build-up should not be viewed as a threat to countries in the Asia Pacific
region, Vice Chairman of China's National Committee, Council for Security
Cooperation in the Asia Pacific, Gen (R) Yan Kunsheng said here Wednesday.
Yan said that being a big country with the world's largest population of
some 1.3 billion people, there was a need for such a modernisation to protect
the country's territorial integrity, maritime rights as well as its economic
interests worldwide.
He said that for a long time, China's military had lagged behind in terms of
equipment and modernisation and as such the ongoing rapid modernisation was also
a natural process in such a scenario.
He stressed that Beijing had no military agenda whatsoever in the region,
but would like to contribute to the peace, stability and development of the
region.
"Our modernisation is purely for self-defence and we pursue a defensive
military policy. We are a responsible country when it comes to security and
stability of the region," he told Bernama on the sidelines of the four-day 23rd
Asia-Pacific Roundtable organised by the Institute of Strategic and
International Studies (ISIS) Malaysia.
Earlier, Yan spoke on "Military Build-up in the Asia Pacific Region: Trends,
Risks and Responses".
China, which has a US$70-billion military budget for 2009, is said to be
steadily building up its strategic and conventional capabilities since the
1990s.
And recently, Australia released a 140-page Defence White Paper, among other
things pointing to China and India as the major and most imminent military
concerns in the Asia Pacific region.
Yan said the wrong perception about China's military growth was due to
China's status as a big country and also due to its maritime disputes with some
countries in the Asia Pacific region.
"But they (those claiming China to be a threat) don't understand that China
never wants to solve problems through military means but if other countries want
to use military means then we will deter and prevent that from happening. We are
not interested to use our military capability as a tool to threaten, bully or
infringe on the sovereignty of other countries. This is China's stand," he said.
Yan said China and its people were practising increasingly a more modern and
open socio-economic outlook as was evident for many years now and it was also
getting more open to the world.
"Our stand is that all disputes (between) China and its neighbours should be
solved peacefully and through negotiations. Using military means is not China's
way," he said.
Earlier, in his presentation, Yan said North Korea's nuclear and missile
tests were not in the interests of regional peace and security.
"It only heightened tensions in the Korean Peninsula," said Yan, who
stressed that the issue should be resolved through the Six Party Talks involving
China, South Korea, North Korea, the United States, Russia and Japan.
Another speaker, Dr Jim Rolfe, Senior Fellow, Centre for Strategic Studies,
New Zealand, said that contrary to the perceptions by many analysts, there was
little evidence to show any general military build-up in the Asia Pacific
region.
"Instead, there has been a steadiness or even a general decline in most
indicators (such as military capability and personnel) over the last 15 years.
"And even where there have been specific increases by some countries, these
do not seem to be the result of any strategy other than one of buying capability
because we can," he said.
However, he said, Australia might be an exception to this in that its recent
Defence White Paper announcing significant military expenditure over the next
decade was widely assumed to be aimed at the possibility that Beijing would not
only become militarily strong but would also attempt to use that strength to
achieve political goals.
Rolfe also said that the Asia Pacific region was stable compared to even 10
years ago, although there were still areas of tension and there were still
disputes.
"But the areas of tension are probably less tense today than they were in
the past, and the mechanisms for addressing disputes are considerably more
robust today than they were in the past".
-- BERNAMA
