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China’s military urged to keep focus on active defence in fighting a ‘people’s war’
- Opinion piece in PLA newspaper could offer hints on the latest thinking about strategy and how Beijing would approach conflict with US or Taiwan
- It says that in general the military should ‘not aim to achieve hegemony and aggression’ as part of its strategy to rally popular support
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China’s military should seek to ensure popular support and mobilise the civilian economy in the event of conflict, according to an article about military doctrine in the People’s Liberation Army’s official newspaper.
The PLA Daily opinion piece – which may offer clues about Beijing’s thinking in the event of conflict with the United States or an attempt to take control of Taiwan – said the country’s strategy was focused on defence and ensuring that any conflict was legitimate and could win the support of the Chinese people.
The article published on Thursday also discussed the concept of a “people’s war”, a doctrine first coined by Mao Zedong.
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It originally stressed the need to rely on the Chinese population, as well as militias and guerilla forces, but since the 1980s the military has moved away from a focus on guerilla war while keeping the doctrine of active defence.
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Inside China’s military
Inside China’s military
Last October, during the Communist Party’s national congress, President Xi Jinping called for the party to develop the people’s war doctrine and build a “strong system of strategic deterrence”.
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