Credit: DoD photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Chad J. McNeeley/Released
Carice Witte, The Diplomat: ‘The Battle at Lake Changjin’ and China’s New View of War
War was once viewed as a danger to the ruling party. Now it is perceived as a way to strengthen CCP’s position. On China’s October 1 National Day holiday, while real-life People’s Liberation Army (PLA) fighter jets and other military planes sortied into the Taiwan Straits in record numbers, many Chinese celebrated by flocking to screenings of “The Battle at Lake Changjin,” breaking all box-office records. The 3-hour war epic commissioned by China’s propaganda department depicts a battle from the Korean War, where Chinese soldiers fought against the United States in what China calls the “War to Resist American Aggression and Aid Korea” (generally known abroad as the Korean War).
The film’s massive popularity arguably stems from China’s new view of war. Entering into military combat was formerly seen as a threat to the Communist Party’s hold on power. China’s military was not in a position to win. Going to battle and losing Chinese lives, even if it resulted in a territorial gain, was seen as potentially provoking a level of domestic unrest that could undermine China’s leadership. With the potential to topple the ruling party, war was off the table. Now it is perceived as a way to strengthen the CCP’s position.
Read more ....
WNU Editor: I red flagged this growing sense of nationalism and willingness to go to war on my last trip to China a few years back. I witnessed a demonstration in Xiamen (Fujian province) where the crowd was demanding the forcible taking of Taiwan.
Fujian province is across from Taiwan, and it has deep cultural/social/and historical ties to Taiwan. To see such an openly display on the streets of a Chinese city and the support from those who saw the demonstration could only happen if the government permitted it.
And according to my friends in China, the environment has gotten worse.
President Xi has made a point of pushing Chinese nationalism but with a Chinese Communist Party flavour. This is the opposite of Marxist/Mao ideology, where nationalism is regarded like religion as a detriment to mankind's evolution. But tapping into this nationalism has paid dividends for him and the CCP.
Bottom line.
There will be no opposition among the Chinese population if the Chinese government should make the decision to go to war. In fact. They will be hungry to do so to right what they perceive are historical wrongs and humiliations.
