Defence policy white paper focus on cross-strait tensions with Taiwan
China has increased defence spending, while the PLA is strengthening its naval, air and ballistic missile forces.
Beijing (AsiaNews/Agencies) - In a defence policy white paper released yesterday, the State Council underscored its resolve to use force to deter Taiwan from moving towards independence, describing the cross-strait situation as "grim" and "deteriorating". The paper said the "vicious rise" of the pro-independence forces was its top national security concern. "Taiwan's separatist activities have increasingly become the most serious threat to Chinese sovereignty and territorial integrity," it said.
It accused Taiwan president Chen Shuibian of pushing independence activities, stirring up the people in Taiwan against the mainland and buying huge quantities of weapons.
The paper also said that Mr Chen was poised to stage a stunt that would endanger peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region.
On Sunday, the National People's Congress Standing Committee approved draft legislation that would provide a legal basis for the mainland to use force against Taiwan should it declare independence.
The white paper also pointed a finger at Washington, saying it had sent wrong signals by selling sophisticated arms to Taiwan.
Since 1995, Beijing has released five national defence white papers, four of which have mentioned unification with Taiwan as a goal.
Although the latest edition conveyed the strongest sense of urgency, it stopped short of saying the use of force was inevitable.
Chen Zhou, a military expert who helped draft the white paper, was quoted by Xinhua as saying that the perceived threat from Taiwan reflected the collective assessment of the new leadership.
He said the paper highlighted the fact that the US was refocusing on its military presence in the Asia-Pacific region, strengthening its military alliances and stepping up the deployment of its missile defence system, while the remilitarisation of Japan was gathering force.
In Taipei, the Mainland Affairs Council criticised the mainland for issuing the white paper, saying it would only upset residents of Taiwan and drive the two sides further apart.
Council chairman Joseph Wu Jau-shieh said that if Beijing's intention was to ensure peace for the mainland, the statements in the white paper would have the opposite effect. Mr Wu said Beijing had already aimed 600 missiles at the island. "Two months ago, China succeeded in test-firing its cruise missile, and deployed the Ming-class and Yuan-class submarines to intimidate Taiwan," he said.
Such moves had already increased the resentment of the Taiwanese people, he added. Mr Wu said the People's Liberation Army had misunderstood the US policy of supplying arms to Taiwan, which was a direct result of intimidation of the island.
The white paper released yesterday says the People's Liberation Army will focus on strengthening its naval, air and ballistic missile forces next year. The paper says the PLA Navy has expanded the scope of its offshore defensive operations. It has also improved its weaponry and lifted its long-range, precision-strike capability.
The white paper says the mainland has increased defence spending to 211.7 billion yuan this year, up almost 11 per cent from last year's 190.8 billion yuan and 24 per cent from 2002's 170.8 billion yuan. It does not give a forecast for defence spending next year. Analysts have cast doubt on the size of the mainland's military budget, saying spending is much higher than the figures it discloses.
The white paper says the mainland's military spending is only 5.69 per cent of the United States' and 56.78 per cent of Japan's.
The PLA has trimmed its ranks twice since the mid-1980s, losing 1.5 million servicemen and women, but improving their professionalism. The mainland will further reduce the size of its army by 200,000 troops by the end of next year, down to a total force of 2.3 million.
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