The article goes into great detail about what China should do to “contain the US” on each of the subjects. India is not mentioned: It is probably not considered worth ‘containing’, China being aware that India has garnered decades of expertise for shooting itself in the foot (look at Kashmiri leaders ‘offering’ Aksai Chin to China, or the Foreign Minister reading another Ambassador’s speech in the Security Council). About the “military exercises and simulated warfare”, the Communist Party publication is explicit: “No doubt the US military exercises challenge China’s strategic bottom line. China should certainly actively respond, but the issue is how to respond skilfully. Wherever the US chooses to conduct its military exercises, let’s pick another location for our military exercise”. The strategy should be ‘Besieging Wei to rescue Zhao’.
This is one of the famous Thirty-Six Strategies from ancient China. It refers to an incident that occurred in 354 BC and involved Sun Bin (a descendent of Sun Zi, the author of the Art of War). One day in the court of the Wei State, a Minister jealous of Sun Bin denounced him as a spy; Sun fled to the State of Qi. Several years later, the king of the State of Wei attacked the capital of the State of Zhao whose king immediately appealed to the State of Qi for help.
Also read: The China factor in Kashmir
Sun Bin recommended: “To intervene now between two warring armies is like trying to divert a tidal way by standing in its path. It would be better to wait until both armies wear themselves out.” The king followed his advice and waited. A year later Sun Bin decided the time was ripe to help Zhao: “Since most of Wei’s troops are out of the country engaged in the siege, their defences must be weak. By attacking the capital of Wei, we will force the Wei Army to return to defend its own capital, thereby lifting the siege of Zhao while destroying the Wei forces in an ambush.” The plan worked perfectly.
“No doubt the US military exercises challenge Chinas strategic bottom line. China should certainly actively respond, but the issue is how to respond skilfully”¦”
The article suggested that China should follow this strategy: “There is no need for China to fear the US aircraft carrier. During the Korean War, when the contrast in military strength was much greater than it is now, we were not afraid; why should we be now? Facts prove that America is a paper tiger that cannot even handle Iraq or Afghanistan, not to mention China”.
On February 8, 2011, the US Department of Defence published the National Military Strategy of United States of America 2011. Inter alia, it asserted: “We remain concerned about the extent and strategic intent of China’s military modernisation, and its assertiveness in space, cyberspace, in the Yellow Sea, East China Sea, and South China Sea”. Washington added that the US “will be prepared to demonstrate the will and commit the resources needed to oppose any nation’s actions that jeopardise access to and use of the global commons and cyberspace”.
The Chinese news agency Xinhua immediately answered through a series of articles analysing the US document. It noted that for the first time a US report lists “coping with the threat of an Internet war” as a separate military strategy. The US strategy is meant to target China, Xinhua affirmed: “The report didn’t overtly mention China, but China’s influence is obvious in the text… Even when it’s not talking about Asia, the main focus is not too far away from China’s military expansion.”
Once again, the Chinese leadership forgets that it started the cyber war. In 2008, the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission reported: “US computer security authorities detected a series of cyber intrusions in 2002 into unclassified US military, Government, and Government contractor Websites and computer systems. This large-scale operation, code named Titan Rain by the US Government, was attributed to China. Targeted locations included the US Army Information Systems Engineering Command, the Naval Ocean Systems Center, the Missile Defence Agency, and Sandia National Laboratories.”
Obviously, the US and other nations have to defend themselves. It is their civilisational right. One old friend used to tell me: “To be loved, you have to be lovable”. Beijing should perhaps meditate on the subject instead of promulgating new guidelines to select reincarnated Lamas.
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