Chinese military increases transparency

It is good to learn that China is making progress in upgrading its military equipment in a bid to heighten its ability to defend its land and waters, deter possible threats and contribute to regional peace and stability.

The Ministry of Defense confirmed on Sunday that China succeeded in conducting a land-based mid-course missile interception test within its territory. This was the second time that China has announced such a missile test, the first having been conducted on Jan 11, 2010. The test involved highly complicated technologies to detect, track and destroy a ballistic missile.

In another development that is perceived as a milestone in the country's industrialization and the modernization of its outdated forces, China conducted a successful test flight of its first jumbo airfreighter on Saturday. Experts believe the Yun-20, or Transport-20, which could perform various long-distance air transportation tasks, will improve the capabilities of the country's air force.

China has stressed that these military advancements are purely defensive in nature, do not have a specific target and do not pose a threat to others, as the country sticks to a defensive defense policy and remains committed to the road of peaceful development.

The timely disclosure of these important moves in the military sphere bears testimony to China's increasing military transparency. This will make any accusation about China's military transparency collapse of itself.

In fact, over the past three decades, China has given top priority to economic development. After more than 30 years of fast growth, there has emerged a gap between the country's security needs and the limited capabilities of its defense forces. In recent years, the country has faced an increasingly complicated, sometimes worsening, peripheral security situation. The efforts China has made to improve its military capacity are only natural as the country strives to narrow that gap and actively respond to the new challenges in its security environment.