Was China’s military modernisation driven by its ‘humiliation’ in 1996?

Deliberate disruption to America’s GPS is thought to be the reason the PLA ‘lost’ two missiles during a test-firing 25 years ago, and Beijing was determined to never let it happen again
As well as building its own satellite navigation system, China has developed a modern, hi-tech fighting force

China’s military

Minnie Chan

Published: 6:00pm, 17 Apr 2021

Why you can trust SCMP

The long-running rivalry between China and the United States, including decades of confrontations over Taiwan, have been the driving force for the modernisation of the People’s Liberation Army, including the construction of an advanced naval fleet and development of a global satellite navigation system, observers say.

While Beijing has long realised its main enemy is the US – which is committed to the defence of Taiwan – a setback during missile test-firing in the Taiwan Strait in 1996 heightened the need for China to modernise its navy and learn from its adversary.

“China does not only want to narrow the gap with the US, but also grab some late-mover advantage to concentrate on the development of next-generation weapons,” said Lu Li-Shih, a former instructor at Taiwan’s Naval Academy in Kaohsiung.

“As a latecomer, Beijing has realised the need to focus on next generation weapon technology development,” he said.

“The ultimate goal for the PLA is not only to understand US combat strategies and tactics, but also to avoid letting its rival get an insight into its plan.”

Beijing regards Taiwan as part of its territory and has not ruled out the use of force to “reunify” it.

While Beijing has been preparing for decades for the possibility of having to use its military to “take back” Taiwan, it suffered a setback in 1996. In that year, the US sent a naval fleet to the Taiwan Strait as China was conducting a missile test in waters near Taiwan’s Keelung military base. During the test, two of the PLA’s missiles disappeared from the tracking system and there were suggestions the glitch was caused by the US military deliberately disrupting its Global Positioning System (GPS).

Military sources said the humiliation caused by the incident became the driving force for Beijing to develop its own satellite navigation system – Beidou – which was completed with the launch of its final probe in June last year.

The PLA can now use the system for missile guidance without any fear of disruption by an adversary.

Beijing has been preparing for decades for the possibility of having to use its military to “take back” Taiwan. Photo: Navy.81.cn

As well as Beidou, China’s military modernisation has seen the development of a space programme, next-generation aircraft, warships, hypersonic missiles and drones.

The PLA Navy is the world’s second largest after the US. It has about 350 ships and submarines, including more than 130 major surface combatants. The US Navy has 293 ships.

China has two commissioned aircraft carriers – the Liaoning and Shandong – both of which are based on the Soviet era’s Kuznetsov-class vessel. Initially equipped with more than 10 P-700 Granit naval anti-ship missile systems, the missiles were stripped out to make room for more aircraft.

Andrei Chang, editor-in-chief of the Canada-based Kanwa Defence Review, said this was because the PLA decided to learn from the US.

“Nowadays, the Liaoning and Shandong carriers are just pure aircraft take-off and landing platforms like the US aircraft carriers, but the original design of the Kuznetsov-class vessel was a cruiser with strong sea-to-sea and sea-to air offensive capabilities,” he said.

China has two fully operational aircraft carriers. Photo: CCTV

The tensions over Taiwan have continued since US President Joe Biden took office.

On Monday, 25 PLA aircraft flew into Taiwan’s air defence identification zone, which Taipei said was the largest incursion ever recorded. On April 7, the US Navy’s guided-missile destroyer USS John S. McCain sailed through the Taiwan Strait just hours after a US Air Force Ep-3E spy jet conducted a two-hour surveillance flight in an area where the Taiwan Strait meets the South China Sea.

In March, the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS John Finn, a part of the USS Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group within the seventh fleet that is operating in the Pacific, conducted the same transit of the Taiwan Strait.

Lu said the manoeuvres provided an opportunity for the two militaries to learn from one other.

“Both the US military and the PLA are using confrontation as routine training, as they are trying to test each other’s bottom lines and real combat strength,” he said.

“The PLA needs such engagements to help them come up with their own joint operation norms.”

Truck driver takes own life after BeiDou, the Chinese version of GPS, failed and resulted in a hefty police fine

Song Zhongping, a former PLA instructor, said the engagement between the PLA and US military in the Taiwan Strait could be seen as a reflection of the two countries’ technological and military rivalries.

“The Americans are putting more pressure on China, not only over the Taiwan issue, but also in the South China Sea territorial disputes, Xinjiang and other areas, pushing the PLA to strengthen its military capability,” he said.

“The PLA will use the most efficient and cheapest way to solve the Taiwan problem, and that cost will decrease as the PLA becomes a real combat-ready modern armed force.”

Andy Tian, president of the Global Governance Institute think tank in Beijing, said the US’ promotion of the mutual development of technology and its military had provided China with a model to follow.

“Its rivalry with the US keeps stimulating the PLA to re-examine its methods and direction of its military modernisation.”