Peaceful development?

A piece in the New York Times brings to light China’s worrying so called, “peaceful development”. Yet this phrase is hard to believe when they persist in claiming the entire South China Sea as their own and at the same time build a “new” aircraft carrier.

The piece notes how the Chinese authorities have “announced a double-digit increase in military spending”. The article goes on to mention that the increase, “reported to be 11.2 percent, is in step with the increased pace of military spending by China over the past decade, but the official statement did not give details of what weapons systems China is developing or offer a description of military strategy beyond protection of the country’s sovereignty”

However, it is notoriously difficult to gauge accurately whether the increase is even accurate such is the secrecy surrounding the actual defence spending in the PRC. The article goes on to note that “China, which is heavily dependent on imported energy, has shown that it wants greater control of the sea lanes off its coast and wants to protect the heavily populated and increasingly wealthy cities on its east coast”. A Chinese official responded that the increased spending “was relatively low, as a percentage of gross domestic product, compared with other countries, specifically the United States and Britain. The total defense budget for 2012 would be increased to $106 billion from $95.6 billion last year”.

Unsurprisingly the article mentions how the “Chinese Navy, Air Force and the Second Artillery Corps, which runs the strategic nuclear forces, benefit most from the increased defense spending, experts in both countries say. Among the navy’s acquisitions are a new class of nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines and more sophisticated radar systems that allow for improved over-the-horizon targeting”.

As expected the article confirms the fear of many when it notes that “the Pentagon estimated that China would spend $160 billion instead of the announced $95.6 billion”.

It is expected that country who is currently centre stage should increase its military power, yet, there is a worrying question that few seem able to answer, why does China need all this equipment? It is certainly not to bring order to an anarchic world as the United States does. America and the rest of the world should continue to balance against China for the sake of good order.