As I see it | Defence transparency: why China should stop being so secretive about its military strategy and take a leaf out of US’ playbook

There is growing anxiety in Australia and the West about Beijing’s defence strategy, and a think tank this week said the Asian power could have as many ICBMs as the US and Russia by 2030

Some experts say China should – like some other nations – ‘aspire to standard where it makes clear what it is about in terms of capabilities, and why it’s developing them’

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New People’s Liberation Army (PLA) recruits attend a send-off ceremony in China’s Jiangxi province in March. Photo: via Reuters

Published: 10:30am, 16 Jun 2023Updated: 8:10am, 19 Jun 2023

Is it time for China to put out a memo to the world about its military build-up, ending anxieties once and for all?

I am no defence expert but having heard more whispers of concerns about Chinese military expansions at the recent Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, I could not help but wonder if Beijing needs to spend more time in its complaints department.

For instance, Australian Defence Minister Richard Marles asked China at the dialogue for more military transparency, saying Beijing’s stockpiling of military weapons was worrying Canberra.

The Australian defence minister was alluding to the steadily increasing focus on defence – and procurement of weapons – by China in recent years, even though the cost of its military expansion pales in comparison to the world’s top defence spender, the United States.

When asked how China should provide more assurances to the world, Marles pointed to the communications strategy of Aukus, Australia’s security tie-up with the UK and the US.

Marles said Australia and Aukus made clear what the pact’s nuclear-powered submarines were for, that is, to promote peace in the region.