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First shopping for gold mines, and now taking jungle eco-tours:
stratfor.com
China Military Trying To Improve Both Image and Capabilities
12 July 2002
Summary
A Chinese defense delegation is in Suriname to discuss military cooperation and the possible use of the South American country as a jungle-warfare training base for Chinese soldiers. The proposal is part of China's larger initiative to improve its military's image at home and abroad while building up its strength.
Analysis
A high-level Chinese defense delegation July 11 arrived in the South American country of Suriname -- located between Guyana and French Guiana -- as part of a follow-up to a visit by the Surinamese defense minister in April 2001. One of the topics on the agenda is the potential use of Suriname's rainforest by Chinese troops for jungle warfare training, according to local media reports cited by Agence France-Presse.
The possibility of Chinese troops training in the United States' backyard certainly will raise some eyebrows in Washington. More immediately, the proposal links into a larger move by the Chinese government and its People's Liberation Army to retool the country's military -- cultivating an improved foreign image while building up its fighting strength and political power.
China's military relations with Suriname, which originated nearly a decade ago, have consisted primarily of mutual exchanges of defense delegations and the selling of Chinese equipment to the country. The suggestion that Beijing wants to step up the links to include possible joint military training exercises matches reports that the next Chinese defense white paper, which is currently under final revision, will call for more military exchanges with other countries and even Chinese participation in multilateral defense exercises.
These changes are part of a broader campaign to reshape the PLA both in capability and in image. China's military remains technologically out-classed by the United States and even several of its Asian neighbors. Beijing has been cutting large numbers of soldiers and focusing on developing specialized teams and tactics to create a more modern, streamlined PLA. But an improvement in China's military capabilities also raises concerns from other Asian countries, which are wary already of Beijing's expanding economic clout.
In order to address such concerns, Beijing also is experimenting with new levels of transparency regarding its military doctrine, equipment and plans. This is why the government is pressing for more military-to-military contact between its army and that of nations in Asia and the rest of the world.
Even more recently, Beijing opened two military bases to foreign journalists, offering them a tour and a glimpse into Chinese military life. Chinese officials assured the guests that their government harbors no imperial ambitions, and, even if it did, its military is not technologically advanced enough to pose a real threat.
Yet for all its newfound openness, Beijing's military enhancement still raises concerns from its neighbors. A "highly classified" Philippine military report, published by Japan's Kyodo news service July 12, warned that China continues to fortify its bases in the disputed Spratly Islands, using the lure of negotiations to keep other claimants -- Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam -- occupied while Beijing tightens its control over the strategically and potentially economically important islands in the South China Sea.
For Beijing, adding some level of transparency to its military -- even if simply through staged tours and more open defense cooperation -- is better than trying to remain secretive and thus guaranteeing that everyone remains suspicious of its intentions. The PLA is intent in changing its image, both internationally and at home, to get beyond the stigma of Tiananmen Square and accusations that it engages in missile proliferation. With a leadership transition rapidly approaching in Beijing, the PLA wants to ensure that its image does not hold back its political influence. |
