Little Gain From China’s Gunboat Diplomacy, Analysts Say
Beijing has been using its military to supplement its foreign policy, but it is not doing well
By: Toh Han Shih
Although China is seeking to use its military muscle to strengthen diplomatic ties with other countries, the results have been limited, according to speakers at a January 26 hearing of the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission (USCC) in Washington, DC. The USCC advises US Congress on US-China relations.
The hearings came at a time when the US and its allies are strengthening military alliances to contain China. At a meeting in Washington on January 13, US President Joe Biden told Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida that the US was fully committed to Japan’s defense and praised Japan’s new policy of increasing military spending in a departure from its pacifist policy. In London on January 11, Kishida signed a defense pact with UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.
“As the US-China competition intensifies, military diplomacy is one of the tools that China could potentially use to gain advantage in the competitive environment,” Kristen Gunness of the Rand Corporation, a US think tank, told the USCC hearing. “The PLA’s foreign engagements frequently play a supporting role in China’s efforts to build a network of partners that prioritize relations with China over the United States, including BRI partner countries.”
The Chinese leadership has indicated that it expects military diplomacy to play a larger role in contributing to Chinese national and security interests abroad, said Gunness. “However, despite efforts to use military diplomacy to support these goals, China and the PLA (People’s Liberation Army) have confronted several challenges. First, the PLA’s foreign military engagements have not necessarily led to improved overseas relations and ability to achieve China’s strategic goals.”…