On the eve of the 80th anniversary of the surrender of Japan in 1945 (the official signing of the capitulation agreement was on Sept 2, 1945), we are reminded of the necessity for a strong military to thwart the threat of invasion by hostile forces. History teaches us that economic prowess without a strong military to ward off such threats will invite trouble. The Song Dynasty (960-1279) was commercially vibrant and scientifically and technologically advanced; its people were world leaders in shipbuilding, and pioneered with the issue of banknotes. It was a remarkable period in many ways, noted for its poetry, art and calligraphy, and cultural developments, along with advances in astronomy, engineering and mathematics. Yet it was invaded many times. One of its emperors was even taken prisoner, and the dynasty ended with the Mongols taking over the entire country.
In South America, the Inca Empire at one time was expansive and prosperous, and had built a vast network of roads that connected people across the country. Yet its military was far inferior to the Spanish colonists, who captured and executed its king, and plundered its vast storage of gold and jewelry. According to one source, “One of the Spanish ships that sunk in 1804 was found by the Odyssey marine exploration and inside was $500 million worth of gold and silver coins.” At one time, over 300 ships crossed the oceans to Spain each year.
Invasion always causes huge suffering. It’s estimated that at least 70 million people died in World War II, out of a world population of about 2.3 billion. Casualties in China were estimated at over 35 million.
Today, two major conflicts are still going on, one in Gaza, where Israel has destroyed almost all the homes and infrastructure and has been condemned by many countries as committing a genocide against the Palestinians. The other is between Ukraine and Russia. In the former case, Israel is supported by the United States. Confronted with a formidable military power supported by an even stronger military power, the Palestinians now face the complete loss of Gaza, on top of losses over the years. In the latter case, the Western world has mostly supported Ukraine, but sadly provoked the conflict by ignoring Russia’s plea to abandon the eastward expansion of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
China’s position in both conflicts has always been clear. All countries should respect each other and live in peace alongside one another. Unfortunately, in each case, the sharp difference in military strength of the warring parties is just too huge. In particular, Israel’s military strength, even without US supplies, is already so much stronger than that of the Palestinians. With Israel enjoying strong support from the US in terms of advanced weapons and intelligence, Palestinians can hardly hit back. Sadly, unarmed Palestinian civilians lining up for food are routinely shot or bombed on a daily basis; they have no one to protect them or to hit back at the killers. In the case of Russia versus Ukraine, notwithstanding Ukraine receiving military supplies from the West, Russia is still very powerful militarily in comparison. In each case, the lack of balance is what has led to continuous fighting.
China’s pro-peace approach is deeply rooted in its culture. ... However, when warmongers push for higher military expenses, peace-loving countries need to build commensurate capability
China has over the years built a strong military plus strong intelligence that will ward off invasions. Unlike the US, however, China has not engaged in war for decades. In a 2018 article titled, China’s Military Has No Combat Experience: Does It Matter? Timothy Heath said: “The few combat veterans who remain in service will all retire within the next few years, which means the military will soon have no personnel with firsthand combat experience.” In terms of combat experience, China of course cannot compare with the US. But the People’s Liberation Army has strong morale as an army ready to serve the country and the world for defense and for a just cause. Indeed it is this strong morale that has driven the army’s technological advance and capability buildup.
Today, China and India are the only two nuclear powers to formally maintain a “no first use” policy, adopting pledges in 1964 and 1998 respectively. But unlike China, India is not a signatory to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. All this should be sufficient to show China’s commitment to peace. On every occasion, China has restated its position of preferring diplomacy over military options in resolving border and other disputes.
China’s pro-peace approach is deeply rooted in its culture. The word weapon, wuqi in Chinese, comprises two characters, wu and qi. The former is the same wu as in wushu (art of combat). The character wu includes two radicals, which means stop or prevent and war. The classic book The Art of War by Sun Tzu also takes prevention of war as the priority. Military combat should always be the last resort. However, when warmongers push for higher military expenses, peace-loving countries need to build commensurate capability.
The author is an honorary research fellow at Pan Sutong Shanghai-Hong Kong Economic Policy Research Institute, Lingnan University, and an adjunct professor at the Academy for Applied Policy Studies and Education Futures, the Education University of Hong Kong.
The views do not necessarily reflect those of China Daily.
