China marks the 60th anniversary of its founding, displays sophisticated new weaponry; PLA official, after meeting Deputy Secretary Steinberg, hopes US would create conducive “conditions for the stable development of military-to-military relations”
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    • China marked the 60th anniversary of its founding on October 1 with a grand military parade at the Tian'anmen Square displaying more than 50 types of new weaponry, including nuclear-capable missiles. These included the indigenously-built Kongjing-2000 airborne early warning and control (AEWC) system aircraft. Chinese media reported that the technology was deployed after decades of embargoes by Western countries and unsuccessful attempts to acquire such equipment from Russia and other sources.1 Ten UAV’s were also shown. Beijing reiterated that its weapon systems were mainly to serve the country’s “active defense” strategy.2

    In a meeting with the US Deputy Secretary of State James Steinberg, the Deputy Chief of PLA General Staff Ma Xiaotian hoped that the US would create conducive “conditions for the stable development of military-to-military relations” and that it would cautiously handle issues of arms sales to Taiwan and American surveillance activities.3

    Reports meanwhile noted that as part of its new recruitment policy, the PLA will focus on college students-turned-soldiers for selection to its officer corps. The PLA had selected about 36 exceptionally good college-student soldiers as officers in the last two years. PLA officers generally are selected and recruited from the following four channels: graduates of military academy; graduates of regular higher learning institutions; civilian technical and professional personnel; and reserve officers and personnel from non-military departments in war time.4

    Similarly, as part of the new military talent cultivation system, the PLA and the Armed Police Force have tasked a total of 117 colleges and universities to recruit national defense students. Over 40,000 out of the 80,000 selected students from these institutions have graduated and started their military services. The PLA also sends 1,800 technical officers of the three services to seek master’s degrees every year and has expanded avenues of international personnel exchange. Since 2003, over 1,700 officers have studied abroad and over 600 senior officers of divisions and brigades have received training or have undertaken study tours abroad. At the same time, around 100 foreign military delegations have visited China since 2003.5

    In a related development, an official of the National Defense Patent Bureau of the PLA’s General Armaments Department stated that “presently, 20,000-odd national defense patent applications have been accepted in China”, indicating to the robust state of innovation in the PLA.6

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