On Thursday the Chinese Government arranged for a show of Naval might in order to celebrate their 60th anniversary since the naval development. There were 56 Chinese subs, frigates, missile boats, destroyers, and planes.
One of the main events of the show was the unveiling of two of China’s nuclear powered submarines. This was the first time the Chinese Navy has unveiled their newest innovation.
Interestingly, this naval celebration took place just a few weeks after a small naval disagreement between the United States and China in the South China Sea. I believe this event was not simply in retaliation for our naval disagreement, rather I think it was a chance for China to flex their Naval muscles for the entire world to admire.
China’s President, Hu Jintao assured global leaders that the Chinese Navy was no threat to other powers. He stated, “Both now and in the future, no matter to what extent we develop, China will never seek hegemony.”
I don’t believe Hu Jintao’s statement for one minute. I think this event was simply a show of power in order to threaten the rest of the world. After all, politics dictate a certain roundabout manner. Hu would not state that he was interested in military conflict. Even if he is, why would he tell his enemies and alert them? While I do not believe China is planning to attack anyone with their navy any time soon, I think we should be weary of this military show. China is obviously trying to flex their muscles which means they are probably after something. Whether it is a better trade agreement or something else, time will soon tell.
