Charles R. Smith
Thursday, Mar. 18, 2004

The joint Sino-French exercises occurred at the end of a five-day visit to the port city of Quingdao by the French anti-submarine destroyer "Latouche-Treville" and the light frigate "Commandant Birot."

The Chinese destroyer "Harbin" and the tanker "Hongze Lake" joined the French warships in eight hours of military tactical operations. The Sino-French exercise included offensive helicopter tactics; ship refueling at sea and simulated search-and-rescue missions.

"It's hard to say if this is more than the usual French inclination to irritate America while prostituting itself for perceived financial gain," stated a North American national security analyst.

"Bonjour Saddam Hussein. Voulez vous achetez les Mirages jets avec la capacite de poison gas?" remarked the analyst.

"Then again, perhaps progressive forces within the Chinese navy were seeking French naval expertise on how best to scuttle a fleet following surrender. Either way, America needs to take notice that their main global rival is successfully courting former allies, some of whom have conveniently short memories."

Chinese Sub Force

The joint sea missions are the start of a very good year for the Chinese People's Liberation Army-Navy or PLAN. The PLAN just took command of its latest Song class (Project 039) advanced diesel submarine. The new submarine means that the Chinese Navy is now the second largest sub force in the world.

A recent Pentagon report to Congress on Chinese military modernization concluded that France is assisting the PLAN build its advanced submarines.

"A new version of the Song-class conventional submarine is expected to incorporate advanced Air Independent Propulsion. This report details other Song innovations: a skewed seven-blade propeller, submerged anti-ship cruise missile launch capability, and flank array sonars of French design," noted the U.S. military report.

China has also flexed its newly found undersea muscles. Chinese submarines have been spotted operating as far as inside the Japanese home waters, a violation of Tokyo's territorial sovereignty, and just off the coast of Taiwan.

French Weapons on Chinese Ships

Of course, France has been supplying weapons to China despite the so-call ban imposed by Paris due to the human rights record of Beijing. In fact, Chirac's Navy should find it easy to communicate with the Chinese Navy.

The Chinese Navy currently employs a version of the French Tavitac, a modified version of the U.S. NIDS (Naval Tactical Data Systems) Link 11 secure communications network. The Link W system employed by China is an unlicensed copy of the U.S. Link 11 supplied to France. Chirac, in turn, sold the Link 11 to the People's Liberation Army Navy.

France has also supplied surface to air missiles and anti-aircraft radars to the Chinese Navy. Two Luda-series destroyers, the "Zhangjang" and the "Zhuhai" completed modifications in 2003. Both destroyers are armed with eight round HQ-7 point defense surface to air missile systems, a Chinese version of the French Crotale.

The first project 054 frigates, the "Ma-Anshan and the "Wenzhou" were both launched from the Shanghai shipyards in September 2003. The two 054 warships were followed by two more in November.

According to the U.S. Naval Proceedings, the 054 class warships "bear many of the modern design marks of frigates being built in Europe, including the first significant Chinese efforts at radar signature reduction."

In fact, the new Chinese warships are powered by license built SEMT-Pielstick diesel engines. SEMT-Pielstick is currently headquartered in Paris, France.

New Chinese Landing Craft

Even more disturbing is the fact that two new classes of landing ships have appeared at the Shanghai shipyards. Hull numbers 913, 933 and 994 are larger versions of the Yuting and Yukin class of landing ships built for the PLAN during the 1990s. A smaller vessel of the same landing ship configuration has also been completed at Shanghai.

In addition, three new medium class-landing ships have been completed at Shanghai. Hull numbers 3315, 3316 and 3232 are triple bow formatted landing ships with an estimated capability of beaching a load of over 250 tons each.

The dedicated effort to build a blue-water fleet by China is not just aimed at reuniting - by force - with Taiwan. China is now very concerned about its own sea-lanes of control.

According to a recent article in the Washington Times, China is starved for energy resource and, is likely to become an expansionist power in the coming years as a way to gain access to oil and gas reserves.

Chinese Troops in Sudan

David Hale, an economist who specializes in Chinese affairs, warned that the People's Liberation Army has deployed about 4,000 troops to southern Sudan. Hale stated in a recent speech that the Chinese troops are there to protect an oil pipeline.

The news that China is expanding its overseas forces in Sudan comes as no surprise to Eric Reeves, a human-rights activist and Professor at Smith College.

"There are certainly a considerable number of Chinese troops or armed workers in southern Sudan, especially in Eastern Upper Nile. This area has been much less accessible than Western Upper Nile, site of the major producing consortium.

But it is also worth nothing that Amnesty International reported (May 2000) that they had received accounts from Western Upper Nile of armed Chinese workers, who appeared ready to use their weapons (see www.amnesty.org)," stated Reeves.

"China will continue to search out new supplies of oil for the foreseeable future; petroleum consumption grows by approximately 10% a year, even as the present state of the Chinese economy makes it especially sensitive to volatility in oil prices. They are desperate for secure off-shore oil sources," noted Reeves.

"Given China's utterly ruthless behavior in southern Sudan, future extraction ventures-whether in Africa or elsewhere- should be a major human rights concern," said Reeves.

The first link in the chain of Beijing's oppression is to garrison 4,000 troops in Sudan to control the access to oil. The next link is to control the seas in order to acquire the oil.

Oil Imports and Sea Lanes

Beijing has made it clear that its recent military efforts are centered on maintaining its sea-lanes of control. The Chinese government recently stated that it has strategic interests over oil supply routes and would use naval force to control these critical shipping lanes.

According to the Hong Kong-based, PRC-owned Wen Wei Po newspaper, Zhang Yuncheng, a specialist in the government-run Institute of Contemporary International Relations, said that China would face an energy crisis if its oil supply lines at sea were attacked. Zhang stated that whoever controls the Strait of Malacca and the Indian Ocean could interdict China's oil transport route.

Around four-fifths of China's imported oil travels through the Strait of Malacca, located between Indonesia and Malaysia, linking the Persian Gulf and Indian Ocean to the South China Sea.

Chinese President Hu Jintao recently commented that the "Malacca dilemma" is a key element to China's energy security. Hu stated, "Certain powers (the United States) have all along encroached on and tried to control the navigation through the strait."

The Wen Wei Po, citing a Chinese military expert, recommended both defensive and offensive options for a new naval strategy:

"One (option) is making quick reactions, including military reaction, when a crisis occurs... to display the strength for safeguarding the country's interests. The other is the capability of reciprocal deterrence.

This means if you can threaten my international shipping route, I can also threaten your security in various fields, including your international shipping route security."

French Weapons Face U.S. Navy

The massive build up of Chinese warships and submarines is backing up these open threats. Chinese warships and submarines built to challenge the domination of U.S. forces on the high seas.

It is a fact that America faced French weapons in Iraq. It is likely that if any conflict occurs in the near future between the U.S. and China, then America will once again face French weapons.

French President Chirac demonstrated that he is willing to put his Euros where his mouth is. France wants to sell weapons to red China. The recent joint Sino-French naval exercise is a clear demonstration that Paris cares little about human rights, or global peace.

The nation that claims liberty, fraternity and equality are its trademark on civilization is again turning its back on slavery, brutality and injustice. French President Jacques Chirac has made it clear that he considers the brutal regime in Beijing to be good enough to buy weapons from the French arms industry.

After all, Chirac supported the brutal dictator in Baghdad and ignored Saddam's covert efforts to maintain his French made weapons of war. Why should China be any different?

RADIO APPEARANCES

The Charlie Smith Show on the American Freedom Network on Friday, 3/19/4, at 11 a.m. Eastern time. Show information at http://www.amerifree.com.

The Jerry Hughes show on Friday, 3/19/4, at 3 p.m. Eastern time. Show information at http://www.cilamerica.com.