The Water Is Muddled, a Bumper Harvest for US Arms Dealers

As the United States gradually accelerates its shift of strategic focus to the East, international experts and scholars have published a large number of analyses and commentaries. One may well say that they are “different opinions,” but that isn’t to say that there is no consensus. They have a lot in common, such as the mischievous idea that the U.S. “will never be ranked second”; the impulse that the U.S. needs to restrain China; the prevention of “marginalization” in U.S. financial and economic aspects; and the “leveraging” of both U.S. allies and new partners to play with “smart power.” However, the idea that the United States needs to exert great effort in expanding the arms market is seldom discussed. Some military experts said it well: They spread the China Threat Theory simply because “one hand creates terror as one hand sells arms.” For the United States, the military in addition to finance and technology are the three pillar industries, with sales ranked first in the world. Furthermore, many leaders in the United States are bound together to the interests of arms group in innumerable ways.

In the past two years, the United States has planned non-stop “joint military exercises” where the end of one drill is directly followed by the start of another. Coming events cast shadows before them as the situation in the Asia-Pacific region brings worries and anxieties to people. Yet the U.S. arms dealers are laughing with open arms! In addition to selling a large amount of arms to Taiwan at a high price, it is uncertain whether the 2012 military spending in Asia will exceed Europe for the first time or not. In 2011, the arms procurement cost of the Japanese Self-Defense Force was approximately $18 billion. Recently, Japan has announced that it will purchase 42 F-35 fighter planes with a total value of $8 billion from the United States. South Korea has also declared that it will spend $7.4 billion to purchase a new generation of fighter planes. The Philippines has not only bought “cheap” U.S. ships that were no longer usable, but also took a fancy in the U.S.’ second-hand F-16 fighter plane. In the next five years, India plans to use $50 billion worth of new equipment to update or replace its former Soviet-era equipment. U.S. arms dealers are unable to hide their greed, striving for a greater share. The visit to India by U.S. Secretary and Deputy Secretary of Defense in June and July is no accident. Even Singapore will be increasing the cost of the procurement of arms by nearly 60 percent, up to $4 billion, in the next five years. The Financial Times said that Asia is trapped in the “typical arms race quagmire,” which coincides with the appetite of U.S. arms dealers. The water is muddled, which means a bumper harvest for U.S. arms dealers.

Nevertheless, China may let them down. Indeed, China needs to strengthen its national defense, realize its military’s modernization and obtain its own “trump card” that can deal with possible unexpected events, but China will never fall into the “arms race quagmire.” China insists on peacefully resolving both historic problems concerning relevant countries and issues related to its realistic interest, in addition to advocating a focus on peace and development, resolving problems through direct dialogue and striving for win-win cooperation. It will never, as said by some people in the United States and Japan with ulterior motives, “show off its military muscles” and “aggression” to stimulate an arms race.