US Think Tank “Three Major Weaknesses in China, Alliance and Collaboration”

The United States and its allies must attack China’s three military weaknesses and disperse the resources of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) across land borders and offshore disputes, preventing them from expanding to the world.

Cover of the US Center for Strategic and Budgeting (CSBA) report Seizing on Weakness: Allied Strategy for Competing with China’s Globalising Military.

This is the latest proposal from an American think tank. He also stressed that it should raise the costs necessary to prevent China from securing military bases abroad, and send a clear signal that if China invades, it will face a united response from its allies. In January, the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments (CSBA) in Washington announced that Seizing on Weakness: Allied Strategy for Competing with China’s Globalising Military. The titled 122p report was published and customized policies were proposed according to China’s three major weaknesses.
The first weakness is China’s strategic terrain. China is in a’two-sided dilemma’, besieged by large and middle powers on both land and sea. In the past, in order to cope with the SME disputes against land enemies, the US and China had no choice but to choose Detent with the US maritime forces.

A map showing the powerful and middle-powered countries surrounding China. Areas marked by dots on land are territorial disputes. The American flag marks allies. Capturing the US Center for Strategy and Budget (CSBA) report Seizing on Weakness: Allied Strategy for Competing with China’s Globalising Military p.23

Second, the borders spanning 22,000 km are the gunpowder of the conflict. Moreover, Russia, India, Pakistan and North Korea are nuclear powers. It is difficult to focus on overseas military operations in order to cope with the sudden situation in the East China Sea, South China Sea, and Taiwan, which are struggling with maritime territorial disputes. The report pointed out that it is a “tax” that must be paid for the Chinese military’s global advancement.
Third, for smooth overseas military operations, the gap in weak military capability must be resolved. In order for China to have a network of overseas military bases and logistics networks, it must develop its political, diplomatic, legal, economic, and operational know-how.
The report’s co-authors Yoshihara Toshi and Jack Bantz argued, “If you take advantage of China’s weaknesses and leverage them, you can create a’strategic dividend’.” It is an indication that’reward’ could be returned to US allies and partners.
The report’s key proposal is to hold back China. “The US and our partners should pursue a strategy that forces China to put limited resources in the near and far seas and around the continents as much as possible,” he said. “The US and its alliances are in line with China’s oceanic fleet, forward deployment forces, and maritime communications networks “We need to reliably show off our ability to endanger the supply of overseas Chinese troops that maintain the Chinese economy.” Still, he was wary of optimistic evaluation. “Allies should not settle for China’s weaknesses,” he said. “Waiting for or hoping for China’s failure is not an option” (p.5). “The US and its allies must act now, leveraging China’s weaknesses that are still available to manipulate and exploit” (p.6).

A map of the deployment of US troops in the Asia Pacific region produced by the South China Sea Research Institute in China. Blue is America’s allies, green is a traditional partner country, and yellow is an emerging partner country. Capturing the US Center for Strategy and Budget (CSBA) report Seizing on Weakness: Allied Strategy for Competing with China’s Globalising Military p.39

China devalued the report’s claims. Beijing military analyst Zhou Chun-ming told Hong Kong South China Morning Post (SCMP) on the 7th, “Such strategy could be the best way to get China into trouble. However, due to some misjudgments, the effect will be limited.” It explains that China’s approach to territorial disputes is mainly bilateral negotiations, avoiding the use of force. The logic is that if China increases the capabilities of the People’s Liberation Army, there will be fewer competitors for military clashes, so China does not have to devote enormous military resources to surrounding disputes. In addition, China explained that its purpose to expand overseas in the near future will focus on trade and economic interests rather than military projection, so it will not have to pay for securing overseas military bases.
◇Blingen-Yangjetsu’s first call to battle for coup in Myanmar
On the 5th (local time), US Secretary of State Anthony Blincoln and Yang Jietsu, head of the Chinese Central Foreign Affairs Commission’s Chamber of Justice, made the first call after 17 days of the inauguration of Biden’s US administration. The heads of diplomatic relations between the two countries, Blingen and Yang Zetsu, fought a fierce battle without concessions over a coup in Xinjiang, Taiwan, Hong Kong, as well as Myanmar (Burma). Shortly after the call, State Department spokesman Ned Price issued a short three-sentence statement. First of all, Minister Blincoln, who greeted the Lunar New Year, said, “The US will support human rights and democratic values ​​in Xinjiang, Tibet, and Hong Kong.” “China should join the international community criticizing the military coup in Burma (Myanmar).” Pressured.
After the announcement of the White House, China refuted it with eight sentences through the state-run Xinhua History. “The United States has urged a constructive role for peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region,” said Yang Jetsu. I do” he emphasized. China will not engage in the Myanmar coup, so the US should not interfere.
Blincoln said, “I will hold China accountable for threatening stability in the Indo-Pacific, including the Taiwan Strait, and destroying the international order based on rules.” Yang Zetsu responded, saying, “What countries around the world must protect is an international system with the United Nations as the core,” and “it is not an international order that some countries are based on so-called rules.” He said, “China will steadily walk the path of Chinese socialism,” and “No one can stop the realization of the great revival of the Chinese people.”
Even in the preliminary workshop on the day of the head of diplomatic relations between the US and China, Chinese experts evaluated it as a positive signal. Luxiang, an American expert at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said, “Arguing is better than no conversation.” Meanwhile, the Beijing diplomat predicts that as the two countries’ diplomatic heads had made a call, coordination for the first call between Biden and Xi Jinping would have been made.
Beijing = correspondent Shin Kyungjin [email protected]