Over the past couple of years, there has been an increasing awareness of China’s growing economic might. Less noticed has been China’s new global reach. Although most analyses suggest that the Chinese military will not challenge the world’s most advanced militaries for decades, the Chinese are increasingly ambitious in this arena and are beginning to carve out a leadership role for themselves. Two recent events are part of this broader “expeditionary trend.”
Immediately after the earthquake in Haiti, Chinese search and rescue teams were literally among the first to arrive. China has some serious experience with earthquake rescue and recovery operations. We knew that. What we didn’t know was that they were both willing and capable of sending it across the world at a moment’s notice.
More recently, the Chinese navy has joined anti-piracy operations in the vicinity of the Horn of Africa. This too is significant for a number of reasons. First, it demonstrates that the Chinese will no longer depend exclusively on other powers to maintain order and security in international spaces far from their territory. Second, it underscores the Chinese navy’s intent to become a true “blue-water navy” capable of projecting power across the high seas.
On balance, these are good things. It was a given that the Chinese would develop this type of expeditionary capability sooner or later. What wasn’t so clear was how they would use it. So far, so good.
