The Ministry of National Defense yesterday said there is nothing new in China's 2002 defense white paper but Beijing deserves recognition for the goodwill it has tried to convey with the publication of such a report.
"That China responds positively to calls from Taiwan and other countries for the transparency of its military deserves our recognition," ministry spokesman Major General Huang Suei-sheng (黃穗生) said. "This is one of the primary motives behind the publication of China's 2002 defense white paper."
"China also aims to reduce worries about the so-called `China threat' that exist in many countries. The other motive is to highlight its military modernization," he said.
Huang made the remarks yesterday at a regular ministry press conference.
The ministry had declined to comment on the report on Monday when it was published.
Huang said there was nothing new about 2002 report, especially in respect to Taiwan.
"China still insists that it will not renounce use of force against Taiwan. This has been repeated again and again," he said.
"The only difference between the 2002 defense white paper and the three others published since 1995 is that it has a chapter on the strength of its armed forces," he said.
"This chapter roughly introduces the organization and missions of the PLA," he said.
The report is available on the Web site of China's State Council in both Chinese and English.
Some Chinese-language news-papers, quoting anonymous defense officials, have applauded publication of the report as helpful to the establishment of confidence-building measures between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait.
In the ministry's own 2002 defense white paper published in July, it called -- for the first time -- for cross-strait confidence-building measures and outlined objectives to be achieved in three stages.
The ministry said its short-term goal is to increase transparency and announce in advance any exercises.
The medium-term goal is to arrange cross-strait visits of military personnel and to establish demilitarization zones.
The long-term goal is to end hostility between the two sides and enable the signing of a peace agreement.
Those suggestions drew criticism from some military analysts who said the defense ministry is not in a position to take a leading role in that type of cross-strait confidence-building measures.
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