Published by: World Tibet Network News, Monday, October 28, 1996

BEIJING, Oct 28 (AFP) - China published a defence Monday of its military modernisation programme, citing the need to protect overseas economic interests and the possibility of armed conflict over Taiwan and Tibet.

"China's economic construction, the violation of China's marine rights, safe marine transportation and protection of overseas assets have become the ever-important security issues China has to face," said Yan Xuetong, director of foreign policy at the Institute of Contemporary International Relations.

Despite an easing of tensions along China's frontiers in the past 10 years, sources of potential conflict remain, Yan said, pointing specifically to Taiwan and Tibet.

"The possibility cannot be ruled out that Taiwan's separatists could cause a military confrontation," Yan said, accusing the Taiwanese authorities of covertly supporting the nationalist island's independence movement with the military backing of the United States.

Beijing views Taiwan as a renegade province and has never renounced the use of military force in the event of the island declaring independence.

"The second concern is the Tibet issue," Yan said in an article published by the China Daily.

"With the political and economic support of the West, the Tibetan separatists headed by the Dalai Lama have made more efforts to split Tibet from China," he said.

Yan also stressed the need for a strong military to assist in the war against smuggling, piracy, the drug trade and organised crime.

"Active defence is China's top strategic principle after the Cold War era," he said, while stressing that the ultimate goal was "not winning a war, but ending it."

Despite China's repeated assurances that its military modernisation is solely for defence purposes, the upgrading of the country's war machine has been viewed with considerable unease by regional neighbours, especially amid an officially orchestrated resurgence in Chinese nationalism.

"Only with military strength and good military relationships with other countries could the chance of war and military confrontations be effectively reduced," Yan said.