Katoch, Prakash

Abstract
Answering a question on Taiwan by a visiting Indian delegation from the National Defence College in year 2000, a Chinese military official said that merging Taiwan with China was their top priority and China cannot wait for 100 years. Questioned further when that would happen, the response was “soon”. However, China perhaps realizes that declaration of independence or not Taiwan is a full-fledged nation whose citizens enjoy the fruits of democracy. It is also perhaps becoming apparent that western response to China attacking Taiwan in whatever form will in all probability be accompanied by asymmetrically destabilizing China internally; West being adept in this form of warfare.
What China doesn’t realize is that the highly restrictive policies of the CCP, thrust upon the Chinese populace, are assisting future destabilization. At the same time, recent reorganization including command and control structure of the PLA, ushering tighter control of the CCP, actually indicates a latent sense of CCP’s insecurity on account of growing public restiveness, brouhaha of Space Force, Rocket Force and Strategic Support Forces notwithstanding. Xinhua’s assertion that “CPC has absolute leadership of the armed forces and military will be the armed wing of the CCP remaining independent of the government” fails to hide the softening underbelly of the dragon.
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