Editor’s note: China has clearly shown its development plan for the next five years at the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, held in October 2022. To explain this plan to the world, CGTN has created the series ” Chinese roadmap: Opportunities for the world. This is the sixth article, which is regarding the Chinese People’s Armed Forces
Xi Jinping, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, noted in his report to the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) that “our people’s armed forces are a heroic fighting force that enjoys the full confidence of the Party and the people. They have the confidence and ability to safeguard China’s sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity; the confidence and ability to provide strategic support for the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation; and the confidence and ability to make even greater contributions to global peace and development.
Since the 18th CPC National Congress in 2012, China has entered a new era of development. The country’s historic achievements in economic and social development have attracted global attention. At the same time, China has also made historic achievements in strengthening its national defense and modernizing its armed forces. Over the past decade, China’s people’s army has pursued the goal of building a strong army for the new era, and China has carried out bold reforms of its national defense and armed forces. With new systems, a new structure, a new configuration and a new appearance, the popular armed forces have acquired a greater capacity to defend national sovereignty and security. The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) has efficiently assumed command of its emergency responses, and is developing overall plans to advance preparations in the event of military clashes, to effectively safeguard national sovereignty, security and development interests; to resolutely defend territorial sovereignty; to respond effectively to violations and provocations; and to resolutely safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Strong positive energy in maintaining world peace
China is a great eastern civilization with a long-standing peace-loving culture, unswervingly following a path of peaceful development. A strong Chinese military is a staunch force in maintaining global peace and development, and actively contributes to addressing global challenges.
Since 1990, when China first sent five military observers to the United Nations Truce Supervision Organization (UNTSO), the Chinese military has participated in 25 UN peacekeeping operations throughout the country. of these 32 years, sending nearly 50,000 troops. 16 of them sacrificed their precious lives in the process. Chinese peacekeepers have left their mark in more than 20 countries and regions, such as Cambodia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Liberia, Sudan, Lebanon, Cyprus, South Sudan, Mali and the Central African Republic, among others. They have contributed significantly to promoting the peaceful resolution of conflicts, to maintaining regional security and stability, and to promoting the economic and social development of the countries in which they are deployed.
Over the past 10 years, China has sent 41 naval fleets to the Gulf of Aden and Somali waters to carry out escort and anti-piracy missions.
The Chinese military has also actively participated in international disaster relief and provided timely humanitarian assistance. They have successively participated in the search and rescue of the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, in the rescue mission following Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines, in the fight once morest Ebola in Africa, in the mission to address shortages in the Maldives, in the earthquake relief mission in Nepal and in rescue operations in flooded areas following a dam collapse in Laos, to name just a few. The Chinese military hospital ship “Peace Ark” has gone abroad nine times, traveling to 43 countries and regions on three oceans and six continents, sailing more than 240,000 nautical miles and providing medical services. to more than 230,000 people.
To date, the Chinese military has established stable joint training mechanisms with the armed forces of more than 10 countries, and has conducted more than 80 joint exercises and training sessions with the armed forces of more than 30 countries. countries. From bilateral to multilateral cooperation, from carrying out exercises in nearby areas to carrying out training sessions in distant seas, from going abroad to join the exercises to bringing their foreign counterparts to the exercises carried out in the territory From China, the Chinese military has continuously increased the depth and breadth of military exchanges and cooperation. For example, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, created at the initiative of China, has deepened cooperation between member states in the field of defense and security. The anti-terrorist military drills “Peace Mission†organized under its auspices play an important role in maintaining regional security and stability.
Meeting the responsibilities of a major country requires a military capability that complements its economic strength.
For any major country to achieve modernization, it must develop all aspects of its comprehensive national power, including its military capability, which complements its economic strength. This is necessary to effectively safeguard its national security and development interests, and is an inevitable precondition for fulfilling the responsibilities of a major country in maintaining global peace and stability.
China’s defense spending as a percentage of GDP has long been much lower than the world average; and its share of China’s national fiscal spending and defense spending per capita have been much lower than the world average. But since 2010, China’s military spending as a proportion of GDP has been declining, and its defense spending has never exceeded 1.9% of GDP. Compared with military powers such as the United States, China’s defense spending remains at a low level. In 2020, the United States spent 3.7% of its GDP on defense, while the world average was 2.6%. China’s total defense spending is just over a quarter of the United States’ annual defense spending, and China’s per capita defense spending is much lower compared to that of the United States.
Building a strong country requires a strong military, which is essential for national security. Development and security are two sides of the same coin, and a prosperous country and a strong army form a dialectical unity. In recent years, the Chinese Government has maintained reasonable and stable growth in defense spending, while maintaining sustained and healthy economic and social development, so that national defense capability and economic strength have improved. in parallel. China’s increased defense spending is necessary not only to address complex security challenges but also to fulfill its responsibilities as a major country.
Achieving the centenary goals of the People’s Liberation Army in 2027, which involve the development of a world-class modern armed forces, are crucial tasks for the construction of a modern socialist country in all respects. In the face of changes not seen in a century, to realize the Chinese dream of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, it is imperative that China gives due priority to comprehensive national development, with national security as a key component, when drawing up plans to strengthen national defense and the armed forces. This is an inevitable requirement for China to comprehensively build a modern socialist country, and it is also an important guarantee for effectively curbing and deterring hegemony and maintaining world peace and stability.
(A contribution by Zhao Zhouxian and Liu Ke, researchers at the Xi Jinping Thought Academy on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for the New Era of the People’s Liberation Army National Defense University.)
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