Beijing’s Doctrine on the Conduct of “Irregular Forms of Warfare”

[RobSentse]

Read this Foreign Affairs article, http://www.foreignaffairs.com/articl...chinas-dilemma and then read the PLA document from …. 1999!!
"Chinese Unrestricted Warfare" (Beijing: PLA Literature and Arts Publishing House, February 1999, Qiao Liang and Wang Xiangsui)
www.c4i.org/unrestricted.pdf

Page 6 of this document says:

When people begin to lean toward and rejoice in the reduced use of military force to resolve conflicts, war will be reborn in another form and in another arena, becoming an instrument of enormous power in the hands of all those who harbour intentions of controlling other countries or regions.

Put this together with “The Tyranny of Metaphor” document http://www.foreignpolicy.com/article...ny_of_metaphor

This document, a must read!, talks about three enduring illusions (mis)leading the USA White House policy (and maybe this is not an USA privilege), one of which:

A belief in the surefire effectiveness of military strength in containing opponents, whatever their ability to threaten the US.

Now have a look a the Chinese effort in Africa, in the Mediterranean countries (Greece, Italy) and in Afghanistan (analyze where this effort consists of, just read HOW China is influencing behavior)) and compare this with the current Western “non-comprehensive military solution”.

China is pumping a massive amount of money and support in the form of infrastructure like medical facilities into Afghanistan. The cooperation between China and Africa has grown with an enormous speed (for instance: building a huge road network in Kenya). China is helping the deteriorating Greek economy (China will double their 5 Billion trade with Greece in the coming 5 years and will support the extension of Greece harbor facilities).

“Cosco”, a Chinese company, has a close cooperation with the Greece Piraeus harbor and shows interest in the Thessaloniki harbor. China sees these harbors as the “gateway to Europe”. The economical gateway.
Italy and Turkey will be the next countries to be embraced by China’s economic support.

Wouldn’t it be interesting to analyze this all beginning with the Why question? Followed by Why and How “other powers” can “blend in”, including these steps as part of “their” own strategy? Why should “we” shape conditions to support the Chinese economic growth? How can this “strategy” be beneficial for “us”. Why?

Let´s have a look at the PLA document again, page 189:

All of these things are rendering more and more obsolete the idea of confining warfare to the military domain and of using the number of casualties as a means of the intensity of a war. Warfare is now escaping from the boundaries of bloody massacre, and exhibiting a trend towards low casualties, or even none at all, and yet high intensity. This is information warfare, financial warfare, trade warfare, and other entirely new forms of war, new areas opened up in the domain of warfare. In this sense, there is now no domain which warfare cannot use, and there is almost no domain which does not have warfare's offensive pattern.

In August Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao delivered a prominent speech warning that China’s economy and national modernization process would be jeopardized if the country failed to undertake systemic political reform.

Broadening the FA article I would suggest that now Europe and the United States should persist in seeking common ground on issues such as energy, global trade and finance, and regional security while continuing to reassure Beijing that the “West” does not oppose the growth of a peaceful China.

So, how to support China with their domestic political reform?

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