7/28/2011

China’s aircraft carrier program represents active move of peaceful development

China Military: For a long time, people had been holding widely divided guesses about reasons for the development of China's first aircraft carrier. According to information released from an authoritative source, China is refitting the flat-top deck of a disused aircraft carrier mainly for scientific research, experiment and training. Aircraft carriers which came to the fore in as early as the World War II are by no means novel equipment. However, this move by China still catches a lot of attention and interest of the international public.



The fact is that among the five permanent members of the UN Security Council and the BRICs, China is the only one that does not own an aircraft carrier. Even some other Asian countries go ahead of China in this regard. For China, owning an aircraft carrier to build strong naval defense is a matter of course and a reason for congratulation.

China is one of the large countries with long coastlines in the world, and maritime interests doubtlessly constitute an important component of national interests. As an old Chinese saying goes, "If the ruler wants the country to be rich and strong, he can by no means ignore the sea which presents wealth as well as danger. "From 1840 to 1949, China was invaded hundreds of times and forced to sign over 700 humiliating treaties by big powers that came by sea. The humiliation Chinese people suffered during the Opium War and the Sino-Japanese War in 1894-1895 served as a bitter lesson that China cannot do without coastal defense. China's defeat also proved true the saying of a Western strategist, "Without a navy, the will of the state that we want to express at a critical moment is reduced to be a clumsy and useless posture of a giant with feet stuck in mud. "

The 21st century is called the century of sea. The sea has already become an important space to extend national interests, and maritime security has become a major domain of national security. The fight for maritime interests is increasingly fierce. However, interests can only be guarded by power. Making efforts to build a strong navy that matches China's national status and the interests of national development is a response to the objective demand posed by the historical mission of the People's Liberation Army in the new century and the new period and an inevitable choice to safeguard China's national interests in the context of globalization.


Some people argue that China will pose threat to the world when it owns an aircraft carrier. Such argument is entirely out of ulterior motives. Whether the aircraft carrier is used for offense or defense as a combat platform essentially depends on the national defense policies and military strategies of a country.

The Chinese nation loves peace and pursues justice. To stick to the road of peaceful development is the strategic choice that the Chinese government has made according to the trend of the times and its fundamental interests. The development of China will be the development of a power committed to peace. China will never seek hegemony and never resort to military expansion and arms race at present and in the future, no matter how developed China becomes. With the passage of time China is bound to amaze the world with its prosperity.

As Deng Xiaoping said, "the more powerful China becomes, the safer the world will be", and "when China is developed, the force of peace to contain war will be stronger". Even though China may develop aircraft carriers in the future, it will not pose any threat to other countries, but will shoulder more responsibilities for world peace.

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