The PLA is engaged in the building of new types of combat forces. It optimizes the size and structure of the various services and arms.

The PLA works to improve the training mechanism for military personnel of a new type, adjust policies and rules regarding military human resources and logistics, and strengthen the development of new hi-tech weaponry and equipment.

The goal of deepening the military reform with Chinese characteristics is to make the armed forces lean, joint, multi-functional and efficient under the conditions of informationization.

The white paper introduces the diversified operations China's armed forces carried out recently, including combat-readiness duties, exercises and drills, emergency rescue and disaster relief, UN peacekeeping operations, vessel protection at sea and joint exercises and training with foreign armies. The area of their operations has expanded from China's territory to regions involving the country's overseas interests.

The white paper summarizes the fundamental policies and principles for the diversified employment of China's armed forces. These include: safeguarding national sovereignty, security and territorial integrity, and supporting the country's peaceful development; aiming to win local wars under the conditions of informationization and intensifying military preparedness; formulating the concept of comprehensive security and effectively conducting military operations other than war; deepening security cooperation and fulfilling international obligations; and acting in accordance with laws, policies and disciplines.

With land borders of more than 22,000 km, and a coastline of more than 18,000 km, China is one of the countries with the most neighbors and the longest land borders, and consequently has an extremely complicated security environment.

Maintaining constant combat readiness to safeguard the security of the country's terrestrial and maritime borders as well as airspace is an important guarantee for coping with various security threats and accomplishing diverse military tasks.

The latest white paper is the first of its kind with a section on the armed forces' constant combat readiness. The PLA Army strengthens the building of the combat readiness duty system. The PLA Navy performs regular combat readiness patrols. The PLA Air Force focuses its daily combat readiness on territorial air defense. The PLA Second Artillery Force has set up an integrated, functional, agile and efficient operational duty system to ensure rapid and effective responses to war threats and emergencies.

Scenario-based exercises and drills are the basic means for the PLA to accelerate the transition in military training and raise combat capabilities. The section on scenario-based exercises and drills briefly introduces confrontation between different systems and the navy's blue water training. China's island coastline is over 14,000 km long. Among all China's islands, more than 6,500 are larger than 500 square meters each.

The white paper has a section on safeguarding maritime rights and interests. In combination with its routine combat readiness activities, the PLA Navy provides security support for China's maritime law enforcement, fisheries, and oil and gas exploitation.

The armed forces actively participate in national development and play an important role in dealing with non-security threats such as emergency rescue, disaster relief and maintenance of social stability.

With the gradual integration of China's economy into the world economic system, overseas interests have become an integral component of China's national interests. Security issues are increasingly prominent, involving overseas resources, strategic sea lines of communication, and overseas Chinese nationals and legal persons.

Vessel protection at sea, evacuation of Chinese nationals overseas, and emergency rescue have become important ways and means for the PLA to safeguard national interests and fulfill China's international obligations.

The white paper introduces the PLA's accomplishments in the area of protecting overseas interests.

The Chinese Government dispatched a combined naval task force to conduct escort operations in the Gulf of Aden and waters off Somalia on December 26, 2008. As of December 2012, the Chinese Navy has dispatched, in 13 task groups, a total of 34 warships to participate in escort missions.

In February 2011, the turbulent situation in Libya posed a grave security threat to Chinese institutions, enterprises and nationals in that country. The Chinese Government organized the largest overseas evacuation since the founding of the PRC, and 35,860 Chinese nationals were taken home.

Since 1990, the PLA has dispatched 22,000 military personnel to 23 UN peacekeeping missions. So far, China is the biggest troop and police contributor among the five permanent members of the UN Security Council.

In the future, China's armed forces will continue to actively participate in international security cooperation, and contribute more to world peace and stability.

The author is director of the National Defense Policy Research Center of the Academy of Military Sciences

PLA in Numbers

China's 2.3-million-strong armed forces are composed of the People's Liberation Army (PLA), the People's Armed Police Force and the militia.

China now has about 850,000 army servicemen in 18 combined corps and additional independent combined operational divisions (brigades). The combined corps, composed of divisions and brigades, are respectively under seven military area commands of Shenyang, Beijing, Lanzhou, Jinan, Nanjing, Guangzhou and Chengdu.

The PLA Navy has a total strength of 235,000 officers and men, and commands three fleets—the Beihai Fleet, the Donghai Fleet and the Nanhai Fleet.

The PLA Air Force has about 398,000 personnel and an air command in each of the seven military area commands. It also boasts one airborne corps.

The PLA Second Artillery Force, the country's core force for strategic deterrence, is composed of nuclear and conventional missile forces and operational support units. It is equipped with a series of Dong Feng ballistic missiles and Chang Jian cruise missiles. It also has under its command missile bases, training bases, specialized support units, academies and research institutions.

(Source: The Diversified Employment of China's Armed Forces)

Email us at: yaobin@bjreview.com