BHASKAR ROY | 2010-02-10 10:17:44 Prof. Sheng Dingli, one of China’s top strategic analysts and an adviser to the government, has made it abundantly clear that the acquisition of military bases overseas was intimately linked to the country’s security. His assessment was carried by an official Chinese media website on January 28. China’s overseas interests are expanding, Chinese personnel abroad are growing, there is a need to guarantee smooth trading conditions, prevent overseas intervention which harms the unity of the country, and defend against foreign invasion, Prof. Sheng wrote. His views reflect the current thinking at the highest levels in the country, which include the Central Military Commission (CMC) headed by President Hu Jintao. In late December last year, Admiral Yin Zhuo, publicly raised the issue of China establishing military bases abroad. A senior researcher at the PLA Navy Equipment Research Centre in Beijing, his job was to seek reactions from the international community on this issue. Both Admiral Yin and Prof. Sheng may have pertinent questions. Why can’t China have military bases abroad, when the US, UK and others do to protect their assets, interests and security? On the other hand, China must ask itself why there is so much apprehension in the international community, bar a few countries, over China’s rising military power? The answer lies in China’s lack of transparency, it’s tendency to spring surprises, its rising arrogance and increasingly overwhelming behaviour, sometimes bordering on threats. In 1995, China evolved a strategic policy to enlist the Indian Ocean littoral states through military diplomacy to encircle India. By 1999-2001 one witnessed a flurry of high level visits including by the Chinese Defence Minister, Premier and others to the Maldives. Beijing even offered a security co-operation pact. . In a top secret briefing in 1993, the Director of General Logistic Department of the PLA and a member of CMC, Gen. Zhao Nanqi had detailed strategic plans to consolidate control over the South China Sea and the Indian Ocean. In Gen. Zhao’s words, the Indian Ocean was not India’s ocean. It is here that Gen. Zhao unveiled the idea of securing military bases in the Indian Ocean region. The Gwadar Deep Sea Port (GDSP) in Pakistan was built with almost $2billion of Chinese money, engineers and workers. Pakistan’s contribution was only fifty thousand dollars, expended mainly on peripheral costs like customs duty. An extraordinary facility for China and Pakistan, connecting western China and Central Asia to the Gulf and Middle East, the Gwadar Deep Sea Port is ideally situated as a Chinese naval and military base. It is no secret that China is also seeking port and naval facilities in Bangladesh (Chittagong) and Myanmar using overland logistic routes. Hambantota port in Sri Lanka is another target. The initial Chinese strategic intention to counter the so-called “Indian hegemonic designs” in the Indian Ocean has graduated to controlling the region from East China Sea to Persian Gulf and Africa. This strategy has been debated among Chinese experts since 2004. Last year, a Chinese Admiral had unofficially sounded the head of the US Pacific Command on a rough division of the region from the Pacific Ocean to the Persian Gulf between the two countries. China’s security perception is topped by the Taiwan independence movement, the Tibetan independence movement, and the Xinjiang separatist activities. Taiwan’s position is beefed by US military assistance as per US law, the Taiwan Relations Act (TRA), over which Beijing has always protested; India along with the US and some West European countries are seen as encouraging and enabling the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan movement; the Xinjiang separatist violent activities are seen as being provoked by the US and the West. It is not clear how China will use its military to respond to most of these challenges. But it creates a threatening scenario including for India which hosts the Dalai Lama and 150,000 Tibetan refugees. No one denies China’s right to defend itself and its interests abroad. But when it is considering intervention abroad on perceived threats, then it crosses limits of international conduct. The doctrine of military intervention has been widely discussed among Chinese military experts and strategists last year. The latest doctrinal discussion in Beijing involving “audacious military diplomacy”, shaping the international security paradigm, and using its economic and military power to influence smaller countries need to be opposed firmly. The massive military power display on the 60th anniversary of the People’s Republic last year along with the largest military exercise ever, “Stride-09”, educated the world on its military power. With indigenously built diesel and nuclear and nuclear armed submarines, advanced electronic warfare technology, and the doctrine of “Forward Defence” well beyond its boundaries, China’s foreign military bases are designed to emboss their imprint on the wide Asian region. Snubbing President Barack Obama at Copenhagen, and “isolating” President Nicholas Sarkosy last year are held up officially as examples of China’s power. Countries with differences with China must understand that periodic sudden Chinese softness towards them is a strategy of deception. These developments do not inspire confidence for building an Asian century. Postscript: Ironically, Chinese leaders are known to proudly proclaim that not a single Chinese soldier will ever put his foot in a foreign country. Source: India braces for Chinese bases
its a good thing that india on its counter part is doing some home work to stand against chinese bases. though chinese claim they would not put their feet on any foreign land, it is in due interest of india to take necessary measures to be capable to fight back any infiltration bids by any foreign persons.
it is very clear that china is expanding its military power within its country and also establishing bases abroad. this is not a very good sign to india as india has some bitterness with chinese counterpart. china is a threat to indian security and indian security forces should make sure that they are ready with same military might to combat any emergencies.
india should always be ready for all kinds of threats from any side because india is prone to attacks on almost all sides.. there is pakistan on the west and north and china on the east and bangladesh as well. indian gov is always seen giving excuses for one thing or the another for any incompetence to combat any situation. atleast we should not hear such answers from indian military, so they should be always in trained mode to combat any insurgency or attacks.
India should have its own strategic plans and tactics to counter such issues. Since all the countries are growing and expanding their frontiers such issues are ought to crop up and we should be ready to take on them whatever might they be. India should also expand its bases at the borders which are tender and more prone to infiltration.
China is actively expanding its bases to pakistan and other small islands and this is something which India should not forgo. If China continues to expand its bases and build a new nexus with Pakistan and Sri Lanka, it could possibly give a tough time to India. Moreover China is also trying to start Oil mining in the Indian ocean bed which could mean exploitation of Indian resources.
