Commentary
A dangerous May 26 close-in harassing maneuver by a Chinese jet fighter against an Australian patrol aircraft operating near the Paracel Islands in the South China Sea reminds us that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and its People’s Liberation Army (PLA) are prone to calculated endangerment in their pursuit of military coercion.
This derives from the CCP’s penchant for fighting “wars of decision”—initiating offensive wars that, by their shocking violence, cause fear and self-deterrence in opponents that help create future strategic options for the CCP.
In late 1950, Mao Zedong unleashed 260,000 troops to attack U.S. and allied forces in Korea, forcing a great retreat that would deter Washington from considering real attacks against his fragile revolution. By joining Joseph Stalin’s plans, Mao gained a massive windfall of then-modern Soviet military and industrial technology….