Politics
10:57, 02-Aug-2017
'China doesn't need to pick a fight with anybody': The PLA's combat capability 90 years on
[]
Share
Copied
By CGTN's Dialogue
Since its foundation on August 1, 1927, the People’s Liberation Army has been developing its capacity to safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity against a full range of challenges.
As part of the celebrations for its 90th founding anniversary, the military parade at the Zhurihe training base on Sunday was closely watched at home.
Addressing the question of whether not having been involved in any war for the past three decades was a disadvantage for the PLA's combat readiness, Zhou Bo, a Senior Colonel at the Ministry of National Defense, said there’s no direct link between the two.
“To answer your question directly, that is the blessing for the world because China doesn’t need to pick up a fight with anybody. In the last 20 years, China certainly has gone through many crises, from the bombing of China’s embassy in Yugoslavia, from the collision of aircraft," he explained.
"But China actually has managed all these with restraint, with rationale, with reason. It doesn’t mean that you haven’t gone through these wars, then you are not capable. Let me give you another example that US has been involved in wars nonstop for the last 20 years. So what? Does that mean they become stronger? Not necessarily. ”
As to the question of whom China regards as its primary enemy, retired Major General Zhu Chenghu from the PLA National Defense University gave a candid answer.
“Number one, in my understanding, according to the strategic policy of China, secessionist forces in Taiwan should be the primary enemy. Number two, Chinese do not want to be the enemy of the United States. But if the Americans want to turn China into its primary enemy, we will have to follow. We’ll try to be a qualified enemy of the United States.”
Dialogue with Yang Rui is a 30-minute current affairs talk show on CGTN. It airs daily at 7.30 p.m. BJT (1130GMT), with rebroadcasts at 3.30 a.m. (1930GMT) and 11.30 a.m. (0330GMT).