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Analysis: China's unique assets
Hong Kong (UPI) Oct 12, 2007 China's military forces have received the order to be fully prepared for engagement by the end of this year in the event of a change for the worse across the Taiwan Strait. China is highly concerned about Taiwan's plans to hold a national referendum on applying for U.N. membership in the name of Taiwan, which will happen alongside the presidential election next March if the ruling Democratic Progressive Party has its way. Beijing must decide how to react if the referendum goes ahead. If a small-scale military showdown is the chosen course of action, China is likely to face disastrous consequences from the international community. However, due to the Communist Party's autocratic nature, there is virtually no powerful anti-war faction in the country. The greatest cost in warfare is of course the sacrifice of human lives. In this regard, China's social system enjoys a unique advantage. The system does not place a high value on human life. The evidence of this may be found in the military's "Guidelines on Compensation for Casualties among Military Personnel." These guidelines provide that a disabled military officer is to receive Class A compensation of 18,900 yuan per year (US$2,500), an average of 1,575 yuan per month. Class B compensation is only 17,100 yuan (US$2,275). This is only the written standard, however. In practice, Chinese veterans who fought in the China-Vietnam War of 1979 received only 100 yuan (US$13) per month. The guidelines claim that the compensation will guarantee that the veterans' living standard will not be lower than that of local farmers. But China's Vietnam War veterans have been far from satisfied with their lot. As revealed on the veterans' Web site "Glory Tainted with Blood," most of them have led miserable lives after being discharged from the army. In 1980 China issued the "Regulations on Rewarding Revolutionary Martyrs," aimed at aiding the families of deceased servicemen. The decree did not state the standard by which compensation was to be awarded to the families, however. Article 64 of the National Defense Law lightly touches upon this issue, stating that the state and society should provide special treatment and compensation to the families of military martyrs, assisting them with employment, housing, education, etc. During the 1979 war with Vietnam, although a large number of Chinese soldiers died in the conflict, there were no anti-war demonstrations in China. At that time, the government gave the family of each deceased serviceman 500 yuan (US$66), according to the local chronicles of Hefei city in Anhui province. Interestingly, for families living along the border who lost livestock due to the conflict, a cow for example, the government also gave 500 yuan compensation, according to accounts of residents in the border area. Civilians who lost their lives in the border conflict were entitled to the compensation, too. Article 48 of the National Defense Law provides that the county level people's government would pay appropriate compensation to residents whose facilities or tools were requisitioned for purposes of national defense. The 2001 "Hefei City Chronicles" had the following account: From 1977-1979, in accordance with the decision of the city's Revolutionary Commission, the Hefei Municipal Bureau of Civic Affairs adjusted the compensation standards. The compensation for squad leaders or soldiers who died in the war with Vietnam was 500 yuan each; it was 550 yuan for company-level commanding officers, 950 yuan for regiment-level commanding officers and 1,000 yuan for division-level commanders. At that time, the average salary for Chinese workers was around 50 yuan per month. In other words, the compensation standard at that time was 10 times the average salary of the citizens. By comparison, the average salary today is around 2,000 yuan, and the compensation standard is only a modest 20,000 yuan, or about US$2,700 for one human life. Another advantage China has is a convenient media blockade. Once conflict breaks out in the Taiwan Strait, China can control media coverage much more effectively than the Taiwanese government can. The application of modern Internet screening technologies will make it impossible for readers using general Internet browsers to learn about the progress of the war, or the real number of casualties. Moreover, the Chinese official media may provide extensive coverage of the heroes in the Taiwan Strait conflict, similar to the publicity campaigns during the China-Vietnam War. The result of this media control is that there is almost no room or social climate for any independent anti-war force to survive in Chinese society. By contrast, the capability of Taiwanese society to endure the immense cost of warfare is much lower. (The write is editor in chief of the Kanwa Defense Review.) Related Links Learn about the Superpowers of the 21st Century at SpaceWar.com Learn about nuclear weapons doctrine and defense at SpaceWar.com
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