Extending China’s Joint Military Exercise in East Asia

This article tries to suggest a policy recommendation for China in reducing the fear of PLA (People Liberation Army) modernization in the East Asia region. The article will start with the explanation of PLA modernization. Then it continues to describe China threat perception in the East Asia region. Finally, it will recommend China to extend its joint military exercises with all countries in the East Asia to reduce anxiety over PLA modernization and China rises.

Since the early 1950s, China has begun to modernize its military force. It started by purchasing weapons through Soviet military aid and assistance, reorganized PLA organization with Soviet-style military organization, and developed into the National Defense Council, Ministry of National Defense, and 13 military regions. And now, this modernization has been on track to develop China’s own high technology "new-generation" weapons.

PLA modernization, hence, has generated anxiety for the international community, particularly countries in the East Asia region, from Japan in the north to Indonesia in the south. This modernization has motivated East Asian countries to take actions in response to the PLA modernization.

In 2004, Japan published its National Defense Program Guideline and noted China as one of the potential threats in the region, “China, which has a major impact on regional security, continues to modernize its nuclear forces and missile capabilities as well as its naval and air forces. China is also expanding its area of operation at sea. We will have to remain attentive to its future actions”. There are, at least, two reasons to explain why Japan noted China as a potential threat in East Asia. First, Japan considers any potential conflict in Taiwan straits. Second, is the possibility of China intruding Japan’s national interests, especially in East Asia.

In Southeast Asia, this anxiety can be seen in their reasons to modernize its military capability. Experts noted that one of the reasons why Southeast Asian countries modernize their military capability is to respond to China rising in the region.

As a result, those actions produced uncertainty in the region. Hence, China has tried to damp responses by several ways. First, China offered a new security concept, strategic partnership and other initiatives to fashion a new set of norms to govern interstates relations and prevent conflict among Asian nations. Second, China began engaging with ASEAN. Third, in 1995, China began holding annual meetings with ASEAN’s senior officials. Fourth, China signed important agreements with ASEAN countries, namely the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation (TAC), and Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea 2002. However, to East Asian countries’ the China threat perception has yet to disappear. Subsequently, China still needs other instruments to ease this negative perception.

Extending China’s Joint Military Exercises
Threat perception can be reduced by several instruments of confidence building measures (CBM's). CBM's can be military, diplomatic, cultural, or political. However, military and diplomatic measures are the most commonly used in building confidence among parties involved in protracted conflict. One of the CBM mechanisms that China should have is to do joint military exercise with its neighbors in East Asia.

China’s defense white papers (2004, 2006 and 2008) have noted that China has had several joint military exercises with its neighbors. However, most of the joint military exercises were done out of the East Asia region. In East Asia region, China only has one partner of military exercise, specifically Thailand.

While, comparing to U.S., it has seven partners of military exercise in East Asia: Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, Philippines, Japan, and South Korea and does joint exercises with each country frequently. This U.S. joint military exercise has made mutual security understanding between countries in East Asia and the U.S. and makes East Asian countries feel safe and comfortable with the presence of the U.S. in this region. Even, East Asian countries see the U.S. as a security umbrella that gives a guarantee for regional stability. So, China must learn from what U.S. has done in this region and can start to extend its joint military exercise to other countries in East Asia.


wendy a. prajuli