Choosing between 'swords and ploughshares'.

"Swords or ploughshares?" This is an age-old question, the perennial challenge for countries throughout the world. For modern China, the solution lies in the harmonious union of economic development and national defense buildup.

When the People's Republic of China was founded in 1949, the Chinese economy was chaotic, and national security faced serious threats. It was difficult at that time to choose between the sword and the ploughshare. In the early 1960s, Mao compared the economy and national defense to the foot and the fist. Only when your foot is well-braced, said Mao, can your fist deliver a powerful blow. (Only when its economic foundations are solid, can a country build up a strong system of defense.)

"Unfortunately, in his old age, Mao misjudged the situation of China's national security. He overestimated the likelihood of a new world conflict, and he launched the Cultural Revolution (1966-1976). Together these combined to inflict great harm on the Chinese economy. China's national defense system was thus built on unstable foundations," Jiang said.

With the arrival of the era of Deng Xiaoping, China was freed from her 10-year turmoil. "Ploughshares" became the priority. Deng contended that there would be no major wars in the near future, and therefore China should take the opportunity to build up her economy. National defense must give way to economic development.

"Deng did the right thing. At that time, there was no other viable choice. Without this strategy, China would not have seen the rapid economic growth of the ensuing three decades, and China's national defense would not have the benefit of today's solid economic foundations," Jiang said.

In 1999, the Chinese embassy in Yugoslavia was bombed. The event gave China a sharp warning. Given that national security was still exposed to a great deal of uncertainty, China worked harder to develop its defensive power. Investment in military spending was increased. "The army has made great strides forward in the production of modern weapons and equipment, especially for Naval, Air Force and Secondary Artillery Forces, in electronic information devices, and in logistics equipment. Equipment for the country's land forces has also been greatly improved."

However, Jiang said, national defense construction cannot be sidelined, and it is wrong to invest in national defense only when you feel threatened. Defense spending - especially the pace of investment - should be guided by modern decision-making processes. Only in this way can we assure long-term peace and prosperity.

Concerning the future defense strategy, Jiang made the following observations: the people of China desire peace; China will never seek hegemony; Chinese national defense expenditure will always be for the purpose of self-defense. But this does not mean that China will refrain from pursuing national strategic interests.

For instance, in the past century, the Chinese economy has changed its structure from "domestically-oriented" to "export-oriented". The latter is dependent on sea transportation. As a result, China needs to address its attention to the protection of marine interests. The development of a marine economy is extraordinarily important to China because it has the world's largest population, but possesses only relatively small reserves of natural resources. In this context, national development requires strong strategic support to the protection of marine interests, Jiang said

(China.org.cn by Chen Xia, June 16, 2009)