Beijing is learning lessons from Russia’s special military operation (SMO) in Ukraine and is beginning to prepare for a protracted conflict in the Indo-Pacific region. Meya Nouwens, an analyst at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, told Nikkei Asia.
Meiya Nouwens believes that by gaining experience and learning lessons from Russia’s SMO in Ukraine, Beijing is beginning to prepare for a protracted conflict in the Indo-Pacific region by making legislative changes that will help integrate military and civilian mobilisation.
“China’s recent moves to facilitate any return of reservists and veterans to their former units, as well as allowing the military access to civilian infrastructure and fuel supplies, show that Beijing is thinking about how to deal with conflict in the Indo-Pacific,” Nouwens said.
She said Beijing believes that the Indo-Pacific conflict may not be “a short, quick victory after a surprise attack, but actually recognise that the potential conflict could be a protracted conflict, and a war of attrition.”
Nouwens specified that China’s defence spending rose by 5.4% in local currency to 1.55 trillion yuan in 2023 ($219.5 billion), equivalent to $407.9 billion, taking into account purchasing power parity.
We will remind, earlier Russian President Vladimir Putin during a visit to servicemen at the Vishnevsky hospital said that the Russian Federation intends to end the conflict in Ukraine, but on its own terms. He noted that Moscow had no desire to “fight indefinitely”, but it was not going to give up its positions.