china intentions :: essays research papers

Osama bin Laden has done Communist China a favor. Because the minds of President crotch hair and congressional leaders are so concentrated on the war on terrorism, they have all but ignored Beijings aggressive multitude buildup. A strong possibility exists that by focusing so closely on Iraq, a focus that is understandable considering how unsettled the situation is, the United States could miss developments that could fall upon its standing in the rest of the world.Among the many uncertainties of the Asian security environment, none is more compelling than that surrounding the modernization program of the Chinese Peoples Liberation Army. For round observers, the combination of economic growth and force improvement signals Beijings intention to establish regional supremacy. Others acknowledge that the PLA can spoil the United States interests however, Beijings interest in regional stability, and the growing conventional capabilities of other regional powers, they tend to discount a PLA military threat. Chinese secrecy compounds the difficulty. Chinas armed forces may not be a direct threat to the United States, but are good enough to cause plenty of trouble in their region and will be offend in the future. China is one of the few nations to increase its defense spending in the post cold-war world, and is engaged in a major effort to come along its weapons capability for a possible quick strike on Taiwan. Taiwan would face an enormous challenge in repelling a determined Chinese attack. The island is too close to the mainland and too inferior in forces to hold out indefinitely. Its technological advantages would enable it to prolong the struggle, but not defeat China. If the United States were to accomplish involved, it would face a nuclear-armed adversary capable of striking its American shores. That is not possible to happen, but it has to be kept in mind.China has greater military power today than it did a decade ago. If Beijing were willing to pay the price, the PLA could wreak great damage. In assessing Chinas future threat potential, it is essential to consider the economic, political, and strategic constraints on PLA modernization. Such considerations suggest that the PLA is years away from achieving the capability to project military force in a sustained manner. Chinas likely future strategic intentions can be difficult to predict and there are many theories put forth by many different experts. self-abnegation budgets can be a useful, even a critical, indicator of national defense priorities, policies, strategies, and capabilities.