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Old attitude over new jet

(China Daily)
Updated: 2011-01-13 08:02

Surprisingly, China's testing of a stealth fighter has become a hot topic in some Western media.

Some have expressed exaggerated concern over the normal practice of China's defense forces. Some even imagined a link between the test flight and the visit of US Defense Secretary Robert Gates to Beijing this week.

Such excessive concern is emblematic of the Western media's over-interpretation of even a routine event in China today.

Given the Western dominance in international conversations, such unfriendly interpretations, if unchecked, could lead to misunderstanding and misinterpretation of any move China takes.

With China's comprehensive national strength growing, the rest of the world has an increasing interest in how the country will project its power regionally and internationally. Chinese leaders have reiterated on many occasions that the country sticks to the road of peaceful development and a national defense policy that is defensive in nature.

As a country with a vast territory and the largest population in the world, China actually maintains only a moderately sized military. It does not seek hegemony, military expansion, or an arms race, nor does it pose a threat to any country.

Given the country's developing nation status, the modernization of its army and weaponry lags far behind many Western powers. Judged in per capita terms, China's military expenditure is well behind many countries.

China's international role as an important force helping safeguard world peace and stability has been widely recognized by the international community. Whenever there is a major confrontation or a danger of armed conflict, China upholds the banner of diplomacy and actively pushes for peaceful dialogue and negotiations to defuse the tension.

Regrettably, due to their deep-rooted bias and paranoia toward China, some in the West have chosen to turn a blind eye to these facts and seize every opportunity to fan suspicion and even enmity against China.

The buzz surrounding China's test flight of the J-20 stealth fighter is a ready example of this unhealthy, outdated Western attitude.

China has the right to develop weaponry to safeguard its national sovereignty, security and territorial integrity. Its military hardware development, which is not directed against any other country, is entitled to change with the times.

It is absurd to associate the timing of China's test flight of its stealth fighter with the visit of the US Defense Secretary. China's stealth fighter, still in the testing stage, is years away from those possessed by the United States. It could not be intended as a showoff, let alone a show of force. Even if it's seen in that way, it bore no comparison to last year's frequent presence of US nuclear-powered aircraft carriers in waters off China's eastern coast.