This year marks the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II - or in China's case the conclusion of the War of Resistance Against Japan. To commemorate this historic event, China plans to relive the moment by staging a "grand military parade" - which has implicit strings attached, of which the most symbolic is China's eye on Japan.
It is argued that by showcasing its military prowess, China primarily aims to frighten Japan and declare to the world China's determination to maintain the post-war world order.
China's foreign minister this week said it will
welcome all national leaders to the military parade, a strong indication that
it could invite wartime enemy Japan. On March 19, the two countries are to hold
their first security talks in four years, suggesting some improvement in ties
that have become increasingly strained since Shinzo Abe took over as Japan's
prime minister.
In this context, it becomes imperative to take a note of China's motive behind its plans for the military parade.
It is customary for China to hold a grand military parade every 10 years on October 1 to mark the anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The last such military parades were held in 1999 and most recently in 2009 under then president Hu Jintao.
Though Beijing justifies that the public display of China's military might is not directed at anyone nor is it intended to intimidate, there remains some latent signals. Non-conforming to its traditional behavior, China under the leadership of President Xi Jinping plans to hold a military parade on September , in Beijing to commemorate the end of World War II.
What is striking is that for the first time, China intends to assert its political voice with that of military might - that is, holding a military parade not linked to the founding of the PRC. The other noteworthy factor is that many foreign state leaders are expected to attend the war commemoration - making it another first in Chinese tradition.
In this context, China's non-conforming behavior compared with the past tends to hold great significance and symbolism.
Most noteworthy is that, with its rapid growth in military capabilities, China seems encouraged to reconsider Deng Xiaoping's "24-Character Strategy" of "keeping a low profile" (tao guan yang hui), which means to - "Observe calmly; secure our position; cope with affairs calmly; hide our capacities and bide our time; be good at maintaining a low profile; and doing something worthwhile".
China's call to celebrate the World War II centenary by its "military parade" therefore proves to be a departure from Deng Xiaoping's low-key strategy.
At this juncture, China's "grand military parade" is heavily weighed with symbolism. In regard to the 2015 military parade, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying has stated:
In this context, it becomes imperative to take a note of China's motive behind its plans for the military parade.
It is customary for China to hold a grand military parade every 10 years on October 1 to mark the anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The last such military parades were held in 1999 and most recently in 2009 under then president Hu Jintao.
Though Beijing justifies that the public display of China's military might is not directed at anyone nor is it intended to intimidate, there remains some latent signals. Non-conforming to its traditional behavior, China under the leadership of President Xi Jinping plans to hold a military parade on September , in Beijing to commemorate the end of World War II.
What is striking is that for the first time, China intends to assert its political voice with that of military might - that is, holding a military parade not linked to the founding of the PRC. The other noteworthy factor is that many foreign state leaders are expected to attend the war commemoration - making it another first in Chinese tradition.
In this context, China's non-conforming behavior compared with the past tends to hold great significance and symbolism.
Most noteworthy is that, with its rapid growth in military capabilities, China seems encouraged to reconsider Deng Xiaoping's "24-Character Strategy" of "keeping a low profile" (tao guan yang hui), which means to - "Observe calmly; secure our position; cope with affairs calmly; hide our capacities and bide our time; be good at maintaining a low profile; and doing something worthwhile".
China's call to celebrate the World War II centenary by its "military parade" therefore proves to be a departure from Deng Xiaoping's low-key strategy.
At this juncture, China's "grand military parade" is heavily weighed with symbolism. In regard to the 2015 military parade, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying has stated:
"By hosting commemorative events with other
counties, China is to awaken each and every virtuous man's desire for and
commitment to peace, to refresh people's memory of the history and love for
peace, and to showcase China's staunch position of upholding the victory of
WWII and the post-war international order, and safeguarding world peace".
From the
above statement, certain facets of China's motives can be traced, whereby the
underpinnings of the oriented goals are: First, in a more specific undertone,
the parade signals a warning to Japan, as Beijing sees a more assertive Japan
under rightwing Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who seems eager to reconsider Tokyo's
pacifist constitution.
To avoid the resurgence of its past humiliation, China's parade signals a strong warning to Japan to refrain from changing the status quo of the post-war order. The parade is seen to act as a deterrent against Japan. China's concerns are based on Japan's attitude towards the history of its aggression.
China believes Japan needs to take history as a mirror to look into the future. Here, history signifies China's humiliation under the brutal aggression of Japan, which even today haunts the China-Japan relationship. Therefore, the military parade is a clear threat to Japan to restrain any revisionist activity, notably in regard to the two countries' differences over the Diaoyu/Senkau Islands, visits to the Yasukuni Shrine by Japanese leaders, the content of history textbooks among other issues.
Keeping this view, Hu Zhanhao, in an article for People's Daily, notes that: "Only by showing its military capabilities can [China] show Japan its attitude and determination and let it know that whoever dares to challenge the post-war order related to China and touch China's core interests is its enemy and must be psychologically prepared for China's strong counterattack."
Second, in general, the military parade aims to display to the world China's military power. It augments China's stature as a major and strong player in the international system. It is the opportune time for China to showcase its military might, or rather its national strength, to the global actors. In this aspect, it can be seen as a clear signal to the hegemon - the United States.
And lastly, the "Xi factor", which symbolizes Xi Jinping's commanding position as the General Party Secretary of the CPC, the Supreme Military Commander and the primary head of the People's Republic. The military parade will attach great importance to Xi's profile and mostly his vision of the "Chinese Dream".
The parade will display Xi's tough personality to the world, thereby signaling a warning to global leaders - but mostly directed to Japan's Shinzo Abe, who on the commemoration seems intent on moving away from the usual Japanese "apologetic behavior" of his predecessors and their expressions of remorse over the country's wartime history. This is a crucial factor as China is very sensitive to any Japanese action to revise their mutual history.
In this matrix of symbols and signals, China's military parade marking the anniversary of World War II seems to hold considerable significance for the world and for China-Japan relations as it signifies China's victory in Japan's War of Aggression. It is therefore a pointer as to how China will unfold its military might both literally and figuratively and most specifically in regard to what awaits for Japan.
Amrita Jash is a Doctoral Candidate and a Junior Research Fellow under the Government of India at the Centre for East Asian Studies (Chinese Studies), School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi - India. Her research interests are: China's Foreign Policy, China - Japan relations, China's Politics, Security and Strategic Studies
To avoid the resurgence of its past humiliation, China's parade signals a strong warning to Japan to refrain from changing the status quo of the post-war order. The parade is seen to act as a deterrent against Japan. China's concerns are based on Japan's attitude towards the history of its aggression.
China believes Japan needs to take history as a mirror to look into the future. Here, history signifies China's humiliation under the brutal aggression of Japan, which even today haunts the China-Japan relationship. Therefore, the military parade is a clear threat to Japan to restrain any revisionist activity, notably in regard to the two countries' differences over the Diaoyu/Senkau Islands, visits to the Yasukuni Shrine by Japanese leaders, the content of history textbooks among other issues.
Keeping this view, Hu Zhanhao, in an article for People's Daily, notes that: "Only by showing its military capabilities can [China] show Japan its attitude and determination and let it know that whoever dares to challenge the post-war order related to China and touch China's core interests is its enemy and must be psychologically prepared for China's strong counterattack."
Second, in general, the military parade aims to display to the world China's military power. It augments China's stature as a major and strong player in the international system. It is the opportune time for China to showcase its military might, or rather its national strength, to the global actors. In this aspect, it can be seen as a clear signal to the hegemon - the United States.
And lastly, the "Xi factor", which symbolizes Xi Jinping's commanding position as the General Party Secretary of the CPC, the Supreme Military Commander and the primary head of the People's Republic. The military parade will attach great importance to Xi's profile and mostly his vision of the "Chinese Dream".
The parade will display Xi's tough personality to the world, thereby signaling a warning to global leaders - but mostly directed to Japan's Shinzo Abe, who on the commemoration seems intent on moving away from the usual Japanese "apologetic behavior" of his predecessors and their expressions of remorse over the country's wartime history. This is a crucial factor as China is very sensitive to any Japanese action to revise their mutual history.
In this matrix of symbols and signals, China's military parade marking the anniversary of World War II seems to hold considerable significance for the world and for China-Japan relations as it signifies China's victory in Japan's War of Aggression. It is therefore a pointer as to how China will unfold its military might both literally and figuratively and most specifically in regard to what awaits for Japan.
Amrita Jash is a Doctoral Candidate and a Junior Research Fellow under the Government of India at the Centre for East Asian Studies (Chinese Studies), School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi - India. Her research interests are: China's Foreign Policy, China - Japan relations, China's Politics, Security and Strategic Studies
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