BEIJING, May 25: China on Thursday announced a plan to develop ‘new-generation’ weapons, reflecting a growing recognition that it must become self-reliant instead of depending on foreign purchases.
The plan calls for stepping up innovations in high and new technology weaponry over the coming 15 years to reinforce a high-tech and information-based army, Xinhua news agency said.
Some of the technology would also be used for civilian purposes, it said.
The focus would be on weapons for the space industry, aviation, ship and marine engineering, nuclear energy and fuel, and information technology, the plan said.
China would also upgrade its defence industry with digital technology, according to Xinhua. Specifics were not given.
The plan was passed by the Commission of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defence at a meeting on Thursday.
Analysts said they were not surprised, noting that China has been making efforts to improve its research and development capability, particularly in the defence industry.
“All of this is part of a self-reliance strategy that any country, particularly any major power, views as important,” said Robert Karniol, Asia-Pacific editor of Jane’s Defence Weekly in Bangkok.
“If you’re dependent on foreign sourcing for your military equipment or for spare parts to keep your military running, then you’re held hostage.”
An annual US Defence Department report said Russia was the source of 95 per cent of China’s 13 billion dollars in foreign weapons purchases from 2000 through last year.
China has been trying to diversify sourcing, targeting Israel and European countries, but efforts have been blocked by Washington.
Israel, which supplied China with HARPY unmanned reconnaissance aircraft, has begun to strengthen controls over its military exports, the US report said.
The European Union has also shelved discussions on lifting the arms embargo imposed after the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown on pro-democracy protesters.
According to China’s plan, special projects would be carried out on large aircraft, pressurised water reactors and high-temperature gas-cooled reactors, nuclear power stations, manned space missions and lunar probe programs.
The US report said China will work on modernising its aging nuclear weapons, land- and sea-based defences and emerging precision weapons.
It said China was investing in medium-range missiles, high-tech communications and guidance systems ‘to strike surface ships on the high seas or their onshore support infrastructure’.
China was also increasingly hoping to establish joint ventures with Russia, instead of buying straight off the shelf.
It expressed interest in jointly developing a new-generation fighter jet with Russia, but Moscow has voiced concerns over the protection of intellectual property rights. —AFP
