China is gearing up military theories and researching methods to
combat terrorism, conduct information warfare, and better adapt its
military force to modern-warfare scenarios.
The message was delivered on Friday by the headquarters of the
General Staff of the People's Liberation Army.
In
its annual guidelines for military training, the headquarters said
it was moving to explore new ways to combat terrorist activities
and to enhance combativeness in anti-terrorism fighting.
The moves come as a timely response to the international situation
after the September 11 terrorist attacks on the United States in
2001, which have sparked global concerns over the surging wave of
terrorist assaults in a variety of forms.
The headquarters urged army men and armed police to rejuvenate
their training with high technology and to put more priority on
nocturnal military training.
In
addition, it called for strengthened research into new theories on
non-engagement wars, which feature massive high-tech battles
without direct encounters between the warring forces. Research on
information wars and special-forces wars was also encouraged.
The rules and features of battles in a modern context should be
explored, the guidelines said.
They also called for breakthroughs in military education, and for
military institutions of higher learning to foster well-qualified
human resources.
The guidelines pointed out that senior-level military commanders
should be well-prepared to conduct warfare, organize training and
manage subsidiary staff.
(China Daily January 18, 2003)