China must continue to develop aircraft carriers to maintain the security of its Indian Ocean routes, says People's Liberation Army hawk Yin Zhuo.
The 69-year-old rear admiral made the comments Monday, a day before the commencement of the annial "two sessions" of the National People's Congress and Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) in Beijing.
As a member of the CPPCC National Committee, China's top political advisory body, Yin said the PLA's continued development of aircraft carriers is imperative given that neighboring countries all have ongoing carrier programs in place. South Korea is still in the planning stages, though Japan already has two carriers and India will soon have three or four, he said. China on the other hand only has one, the Lianoning, commissioned in 2012.
China's seas are expansive and coupled with economic interests in distant waters, the PLA Navy's speed and power need to improve in order to catch up to those of other nations, Yin said, adding that the safety of the country's Indian Ocean routes can only be secured through more aircraft carriers.
A day earlier, Yin stated that the PLA Navy requires at least six aircraft carriers to meet strategic needs.
The rear admiral also shot down comparisons between President Xi Jinping's "belt and road" initiative to the Marshall Plan — the American initiative to aid European and Asian economics after World War II.
Such a comparison reflects an ignorance of history, he said, noting that the Marshall Plan, rejected by the Soviets, contributed to the onset of the Cold War that lasted for more than 40 years.
On the other hand, the motive behind China's Silk Road Economic Belt, a land-based belt from China via Central Asia and Russia to Europe, and 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, a maritime route through the Strait of Malacca to India, the Middle East and East Africa, is strictly one of peace and economic cooperation, Yin said, adding that the project will not alter the world's current security patterns.
