2 new lighthouses will help protect shipping lanes
Print Edition
CHINA yesterday issued its first white paper on military strategy, stressing a new “active defense” policy, while officials also announced the development of two lighthouses in the South China Sea.
The document, titled “China’s Military Strategy” and issued by the State Council Information Office, outlined a strategy of unifying strategic defense, and operational and tactical offense.
The nearly 9,000-word white paper underscored “the principles of defense, self-defense and post-emptive strikes,” while adding that China “will not attack unless we are attacked, but we will surely counterattack if attacked.”
The document also vowed to increase the country’s open seas protection and criticized some of its neighbors for taking provocative actions on its reefs and islands in the South China Sea.
China’s socialist nature, fundamental national interests and the objective requirement of peaceful development all demand adherence to active defense, the white paper said.
The shift in the navy’s focus to a combination of “offshore waters defense and open seas protection” is essential as China is facing rising challenges from the sea and the country is more reliant on maritime resources and energy.
Great importance has to be attached to managing the seas and oceans and also to protecting maritime rights and interests, the document said.
The navy will enhance its capabilities for strategic deterrence and counterattack, maritime maneuvers, joint operations at sea, comprehensive defense and comprehensive support, it said.
Defense Ministry spokesman Yang Yujun said China’s reclamation in the Nansha Islands in the South China Sea will serve both military and civilian purposes.
While the projects have some basic defense functions, they will be used for a variety of civilian purposes and enable China to better exercise its international responsibility in areas such as maritime rescue and search, natural disaster relief, scientific research, meteorological service, environmental protection, navigation safety protection and service for fishing industry, Yang told reporters yesterday.
Yang also stressed the development is within China’s sovereignty. “In terms of sovereignty, these projects on the Nansha Islands are not different from any other projects on Chinese territory,” he said.
Some countries with “ulterior motives” had unfairly characterized China’s military presence and sensationalized the issue, he said.
Surveillance in the region is increasingly common and China will continue to take “necessary measures” to respond, he said.
“Some countries are also busy meddling in South China Sea affairs. A tiny few maintain constant air and sea surveillance and reconnaissance against China,” the white paper said.
China’s air force will shift its focus from territorial air defense to both offense and defense, it said, adding that it will also build airspace defenses with stronger military capabilities.
Also yesterday, China hosted a groundbreaking ceremony for the building of two lighthouses in the South China Sea.
The facilities are designed to help maritime search and rescue, disaster relief, environmental protection and navigational security, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said.
Wu Shicun, president of the government-affiliated National Institute for South China Sea Studies, said the lighthouses were among the first of several civilian-use facilities planned for the region.
“The reefs are located near an important commercial shipping route, so there will be continued development to maintain the security of those shipping lanes,” he told Reuters.
The People’s Liberation Army’s nuclear force, known as the Second Artillery Corps, will strengthen its capabilities for deterrence and nuclear counterattack, as well as its medium- and long-range precision strikes, according to the white paper.
“China faces many complex maritime security threats and challenges and requires a navy that can carry out multifaceted missions and protect its sovereignty,” Wang Jin, a senior colonel, told reporters.
The white paper also cited “grave threats” to China’s cyber infrastructure, adding that the country will hasten the development of a cyber military force.
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