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Hong Kong’s South China Morning Post reported on March 9 that the vice chairman of China’s Central Military Commission said at the National People’s Congress military representative meeting that “fake operational capabilities must be rooted out.” /SCMP
On March 11, China’s largest political event, the Two Sessions, ended. The two sessions refer to the National People’s Congress (National People’s Congress), which is the National Assembly, and the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), which is an advisory council on state affairs.
At the two sessions, Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission He Weidong, who ranks third in the military, said, “The military’s ‘fake combat capabilities’ must be rooted out,” leading to various observations about the background. This is something completely different from what we have been boasting about developing aircraft carriers and stealth fighters comparable to those of the United States. It is unusual for a high-ranking member of the Chinese military to publicly say something like this. The Central Military Commission, the highest military institution, is chaired by President Xi Jinping, and under him are Vice Presidents Jiang Yuxia and He Weidong.
When meeting with the People’s Liberation Army delegation during the National People’s Congress, President Xi also said, “We must have a new qualitative level of combat power.” There are speculations that the Chinese military’s level of equipment and training is still insufficient to achieve the long-awaited unification of Taiwan.
◇“Weapons, equipment, and military training are all defective.”
The South China Morning Post (SCMP), a Hong Kong English-language newspaper, reported on March 9 that “Vice President He Wei-dong made a remark at the National People’s Congress military delegation meeting that fake combat capabilities within the military must be eradicated.” That is what was said in the meeting minutes released to the media. However, there was no specific mention of what fake combat power meant. Chinese state media omitted this statement and reported that he said, “We must resolutely reform formalism and bureaucracy within the military.”
Experts believe that it points to two aspects: weapons and equipment issues and combat training. The issue of poor Chinese military equipment was also reported at the beginning of the year. Citing a U.S. intelligence source, Bloomberg News reported, “The liquid fuel tank for the missile deployed in the western desert area was filled with water, not fuel, and the launch cover of the underground nuclear missile hangar was broken.”
Military corruption is the main cause of poor equipment. This means that there are many commanders who fill their own pockets by selling expensive liquid fuel to external parties. They also receive kickbacks by purchasing weapons and equipment that do not meet standard performance.
Last year, the Chinese military purged about 20 high-ranking military officials, including Defense Minister Li Shangfu, Rocket Force Commander Li Yuchao, and China Aviation Technology Group Chairman Wu Yansheng, as well as high-ranking figures from state-owned defense companies. Although no official announcement has been made, it appears to be related to corruption issues within the military.
China’s intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) Dongfeng-41 appeared at the 70th anniversary celebration of the founding of China in 2019. /Chosun Ilbo DB
◇Combat power hindered by military corruption
Fu Qianshao, an equipment expert and former Chinese Air Force officer, said, “He Weidong’s comments appear to indicate that the purchase of defective weapons affects the military’s combat power,” adding, “Weapons and equipment that do not meet technical standards and whose numbers have been manipulated have been imported.” “If that happens, there will be performance problems.”
Dr. James Cha of Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University’s Rajaratnam School of International Studies also said, “It may be related to the recently revealed violation of purchasing regulations,” adding, “This means that this issue affects the Chinese military’s military hardware and battlefield combat capabilities.”
High-ranking officials from various branches of the Chinese military expressed strong confidence in the development of Chinese military weapons at these two sessions. When asked whether the fourth aircraft carrier will be a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, Admiral Yuan Huazhi, a political member of the Navy, said, “There are no technical difficulties in manufacturing the aircraft carrier,” and “an announcement will be made soon.” Vice Commander of the Air Force Wang Wei also said about the development of the H-20 stealth bomber, “It is a next-generation bomber worth bragging about and being excited about,” and added, “News will be released soon.” However, when the process for purchasing weapons and equipment is so lax, it is questionable whether such assurances can be taken at face value.
Ho Hoon-ming, former chairman of China Ship Heavy Industry Group, was sentenced to 13 years in prison by the Shanghai No. 1 Intermediate People’s Court on charges of bribery and other charges in December last year. He was responsible for the development of China’s first domestic aircraft carrier, Shandong, and was indicted on charges of receiving bribes worth tens of billions of won. /CCTV capture
◇President Xi calls for “a new qualitative level of combat power”
Another aspect of fake combat power is military training. This means that military training for show rather than proper training is rampant.
SCMP reported, “It refers to fake training that is not up to standard,” and added, “Chinese military officials also pointed out problems such as holding night training at sunset several years ago.” Fu Qianshao also said, “This may be pointing out the problem of fake training that does not meet the required level,” and added, “It means that training should be conducted according to actual demand and not be a show.”
President Xi Jinping also attended a plenary meeting of representatives of the People’s Liberation Army and Armed Police Forces on March 7 and said, “Develop combat power to a new qualitative level as quickly as possible.” This is an order to raise the level of combat power by utilizing cutting-edge technologies such as information systems.
President Xi Jinping speaking at the plenary session of the National People’s Congress military delegation on March 7. /CCTV capture
◇“It will be difficult to act rashly on the Taiwan issue.”
There must be a reason why Vice President He Weidong publicly discussed the issue of Chinese military combat power during the two sessions, when the world’s attention was focused on it. There may be an intention to allay external wariness about the invasion of Taiwan. However, it is also true that China’s concerns about the military unification of Taiwan have deepened since the Ukraine War.
William Burns, Director of the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), said at the Senate Intelligence Committee on March 11, “President Xi must have felt something while watching the war in Ukraine, especially the first year of the war,” and added, “I don’t think he will make a rash move on the Taiwan or South China Sea issues.” I said.
The prolongation of the war meant that Ukraine, which was expected to collapse easily, held on surprisingly strong, but corruption within the military held back the Russian military. The Chinese military must take a hard look at itself as it has to deal with not only Taiwan’s resistance but also the powerful US military power supported by Japan.
CIA Director William Burns appeared before the U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee on March 11. He said, “It will be difficult for President Xi Jinping to act rashly on the Taiwan issue.” /AFP Yonhap News
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2024-03-16 15:00:59
