The period of the Chinese post-Mao development is characterized by a lot of changes in all the spheres of the people’s life in the country. The sphere of the national security and military forces was also influenced by developing new progressive tendencies. The process of the military development in post-Mao China can be divided into three stages which are the periods of 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s.
In spite of the fact each period is influenced by different notions, it is possible to accentuate three key notions significant for the military development stated at the start of the process of transformations and reforms. These notions are sovereignty, modernity, and stability (Finkelstein, 1999, p. 103). The concepts of sovereignty, modernity, and stability became influential for determining the main objectives and principles of the Chinese military development during the post-Mao era.
The First Steps to the Reforms
The necessity of the reforms to modernize the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) and the military sphere in general was declared after the war with Vietnam in 1979 (Singh, 2011, p.48). The problematic issues were determined to provide the necessary changes to the sector. The accents were made on changing the outdated technologies and equipment, on developing progressive strategies, and training the personnel.
It was important to pay attention to the army’s structure and its size. In spite of the fact the proposed transformations can be discussed as typical for the process of the sphere’s development, the differences were in the country’s orientation to gaining the military superiority in the region (Fravel, 2008).
The Strategic Development during the 1990s
China adopted the strategy of the country’s military development in 1993, and the strategy is still current (Fravel, 2008, p. 126). It is stated in the strategic plan that China requires “a new type of defense establishment and a new military strategic direction” (Finkelstein, 1999, p. 108).
Thus, such strategic concepts as “nuclear deterrence, political work, forward defense, and army building” were proposed for following while developing the country’s military sector (Finkelstein, 1999, p. 130). To meet the requirements of modernizing the sphere, the definite transformations were proposed to bring changes to the army, to provide reforms in the navy and air forces.
The accents were made on the reduction of the army size, but intensification of its possibilities with references to the modernization. It was also necessary to provide the army with the high-technology equipment, to accentuate the necessity of using the new information technologies.
To guarantee the battlefield dominance, it was important to change the methods of military training and provide the reforms in the professional military education system (Finkelstein, 1999; Singh, 2011). Thus, the personnel system was also reformed according to the new strategy’s principles with references to intensifying the persons’ education in relation to the usage of upgrading information technologies (Bitzinger, 2011).
The Chinese Military Development in the 2000s
During the 2000s, the process of the military forces’ modernization developed significantly in relation to the global changes in the military sphere and progressive tendencies.
The Chinese military forces’ structure was reformed, and the orientation to the “smaller, more agile and flexible units that are designed to win regional wars in the digital era with full use of information, communications and surveillance technologies” is observed today (Singh, 2011, p.47). It is necessary to note that the further effective development of the military forces in China became possible with basing on the previous reforms and transformations implemented in the sphere (Singh, 2011).
The realization of the reforms developed according to the strategic plan led to modernizing the Chinese military forces and to improving the country’s possibilities in the sphere of defense (Bitzinger, 2011). Such areas as missile attack, precision-strike, power projection at sea and in the air, and joint operations were worked out and improved with references to using the new technologies and methods in providing the national defense (Bitzinger, 2011).
Today, the level of the Chinese military development allows speaking about the effective competition with such countries as the USA, Taiwan, and Japan as a result of implementing the modernizing reforms successfully (Bitzinger, 2011). Furthermore, nowadays China “prepares to achieve its strategic goals by strengthening or developing three general military capabilities: internal control, area denial around its periphery, and limited regional force projection” (Fravel, 2008, p. 129).
It is possible to conclude that the changes, transformations, and reforms implemented to the military sphere of post-Mao China during several decades affected the military status of the country significantly with references to changing the priorities in structuring and organizing forces and using methods of defense and attack.
The accents were made on following the strategy of modernizing the sector to achieve the leading positions in the region. The notions of sovereignty, modernity, and stability became the key points for working out the principles and aspects of the Chinese military development according to the national military strategy. Today, China continues following the strategy to accentuate the superior positions and local dominance.
References
Bitzinger, R. (2011). Modernising China’s military, 1997-2012. China Perspectives, 4(88), 7-15.
Finkelstein, D. (1999). China’s national military strategy. Web.
Fravel, M. T. (2008). China’s search for military power. The Washington Quarterly, 31(3), 125-141.
Singh, J. V, (2011). Chinese defence forces: Modernisation after 1980. Web.