China's display of military might much more than mere muscle-flexing
Sonny Lo says the line-up of modernised weapons and announcement of cuts to the PLA reflect the internal and external complexities of a new diplomacy
China's military parade last week had significant implications for its military diplomacy: for the first time, it is using its military modernisation to achieve two seemingly contradictory goals.
On the one hand, the military will become more elite, with a better balance of land, naval and air forces. Simultaneously, Beijing will shift demobilised soldiers to the paramilitary police force, which will be integrated into a newly formed national security guard. Clearly, part of the modernisation is to upgrade the national security guard, which will play a major role in safeguarding domestic security, especially dealing with riots and terrorism. In terms of protecting domestic national security, the move is a watershed.
On the other hand, the trimming of the People's Liberation Army was aimed at sending a signal to the outside world that China remains militarily defensive and that a peaceful path of development continues to be the hallmark of its foreign policy.
While some foreign countries view China's military parade as a move to flex its military muscles, they fail to see that China remains internally fragile, particularly given the recent stock market turmoil and its economic downturn that is affecting consumer spending of mainland Chinese, both domestically and regionally. That is having a significant effect on the economies of Macau and Hong Kong.
The showcasing of Chinese-made weapons, while demonstrating the fruitful result of military modernisation, was also aimed at the potentially huge export market
While critics argue that China should be looking forward, history remains extremely important in the minds of the top Communist Party leaders.
Internally, the parade took on significance after the extensive purges of corrupt generals in recent months. The new military leadership that led the troops in the parade signalled to the people that the era of an uncorrupt, elite and modernised military is looming.
