Chapter Six
96
From this table it is possible to understand the strong position of China
in Critical Mass and even in Military Power, but its fragility in Economic
Power (50 points come from Hong Kong; and we must note that the State
of Singapore marks 40 points). We know how military power is dependent
on population and economic power, because the relation is too strong to be
ignored. A state without a healthy economy cannot sustain a long war, or
enter into dangerous disputes that could open an opportunity to start a war.
Regarding exportation of conventional arms, in the last few years, China
developed a position in this competitive market. We can see the position of
traditional traders and China, as well as in the field of importations.
Figure 6-13: Conventional Arms: Greatest Import and Export^24
Countries Export/million $ Countries Import/ million $
USA 7 888 Rep. Korea 1 292
UK 1 071 UAE 2 439
Germany 3 850 Chile 1 425
Russia 6 733 China 3 621
France 1 552
Holland 1 481
China 654
India 1 672On the field of exportations, the United States is immediately followed
by Russia and Germany. The exportations by China are only at the
beginning. In importation, China is the first country immediately followed
by the Arab Emirates. It is interesting to notice that India is the dominant
seller in Asia, with similar exportation to the UK, France and the
Netherlands; it means that producers or sellers are well established in
Asian countries.
China, in the following years, needs only to follow the path that grants
international respect, particularly in Southeast Asia. Putting cooperation in
first place and peace keeping in the region, plus a strong political elite,
will provide rewards. It is important to remark that China is not alone in
our planet and that other emerging powers are preparing themselves for a
new century of opportunities as underlined C. Dale Walton,^25 where the
chessboard is full of players, all of them with rational plans, as Karl
Deutsch, or even a futurologist Jean Marie Bouissou, would say.^26
(^24) PNUD.
(^25) Walton, Geopolitics and the Great Powers in the Twenty-First Century:
Multipolarity and the Revolution in Strategic Perspective.
(^26) Bouisson et al., Les Géants d’Asie en 2025.