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China's military cautiously tries out new openness
Tue Jul 28, 2009 7:41am EDT
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By Lucy Hornby
BEIJING (Reuters) - The Chinese soldiers shot down targets, overpowered black-clad terrorists and then lined up at attention in front of journalists.
"Now you are invited to conduct individual interviews!" announced the commander of the Third Guard Division, wrapping up a rare media tour of a Beijing military base on Tuesday designed to show the Chinese military's modernity and openness.
The People's Liberation Army's new mantra of transparency and public diplomacy is partly meant to reassure outsiders about China's rising military strength.
"The degree of openness is an expression of national confidence," said security expert Ma Zhengang, president of the China Institute of International Studies.
"For example, a rich household is very willing to welcome guests, but a poor family would be embarrassed."
In a small step for openness but a giant leap for the Chinese military, the Ministry of Defense also plans to debut a website on August 1, the official China Daily reported this month.
"The point of the website is to explain the People's Liberation Army better to the rest of the world," ministry spokesman Hu Changming said.
"It's a way to increase understanding between countries and raise trust between militaries."
China's military is the world's largest, and reported budget spending has grown by double digits in recent years.
But the secrecy of China's political system makes its Asian neighbors and Washington wary about the rising power's military intentions. Rivals worry that China is spending more than its reported $70 billion this year for instance, which is dwarfed by the Pentagon's budget of more than $500 billion.
China largely relies on its own adaptations of Russian military technology since the U.S. and Europe will not sell it top-notch military hardware because of the crackdown on pro-democracy protesters in Beijing in June 1989.
BRAVE NEW WORLD
For 60 years, retaking self-ruled Taiwan was the obsession of China's military. An air and sea assault on Taiwan could only succeed if U.S. troops could not quickly reinforce from South Korea, Japan and Guam, Chinese military strategists say.
But warmer economic and political ties make an invasion of Taiwan less likely and allow China to focus on new priorities.
Indeed, China's increased strength brings new vulnerabilities. Continued...
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