Dragon’s Mind: The Chinese Strategic View continues...

CHINESE MILITARY STRATEGY IN A SINO-INDIAN CONFLICT

Having seen the background factors of Chinese strategic thought through the ages, as well as the current Chinese strategic concerns regarding India, it needs to be seen how China might actually plan on a military conflict with India, should they ever decide to. However, it needs to be re-iterated that till the overall situation changes, say in 2020-2030, the PRC definitely does not want a conflict with India to arise. They want to keep things stable, so that they can get on with attending to their own priorities, which are mainly domestic.

Intelligence: The Chinese knowledge of everything they feel they need to know, including regarding the cyber-world, will have been

painstakingly acquired over time, and should be a given.

Comprehensive Planning: The term ‘comprehensive’ is a Chinese mantra, and all arms and organisations of the PRC will be involved; diplomatic, scientific, economic-commercial, the entire spectrum of the Chinese armed forces (the PLA), high-technology weapons such as lasers in space, cyber-warfare, ballistic missiles, air force, navy, and ground forces.

The Indirect Approach: The term ‘indirect approach’ as popularized is a description by Liddel Hart, but in theory and practice many centuries old in Chinese strategic thought, operational art and in battlefield tactics. This will be planned for and used. Chinese strategy and tactics teachings over the centuries have favoured the indirect approach, wherein the objectives chosen may be other than those which seem obvious at first glance, and corresponding tactics which will offer the greatest results for the least effort. This strategy will be employed in whatever manner best possible under the specific conditions obtaining at the time. It will be aimed at causing disruption and disorientation in the minds of the Indian senior commanders.

Deception: This will be a major part of the strategic plan, built into the comprehensive planning, to be implemented by all concerned agencies of the PRC, designed to confuse the defence in case of a Chinese offensive.

To be continued...