Defence expert: China not a threat to West

LONDON: China is not a threat to the West and the former’s military build up is a natural course for a rising country, according to one expert on defence and security in Asia.

“This fact (China’s military build up) does not mean that China represents a threat to Europe in any way, or that China is a threat to the West,” Anthony Glees, professor and director of the Centre for Security and Intelligence Studies at the University of Buckingham said in an interview with China’s Xinhua news agency.

“China is acting as one would expect a great power to behave while also offering some stability and continuity in Asia Pacific. As such, China must be taken seriously.

“All states must attend to their own security. We should not expect China to act differently from how the United States acts or how, in a much smaller way now, Britain acts. We in the West will want to work to secure ourselves. and should not be surprised that the Chinese will also want to secure themselves. We will use the same tools.”

Glees stressed that it is natural for all countries to think about how to protect their own interests.

“What is crucial is that these goals do not generate conflict and are properly managed, and that sources of tension are defused before they become causes of conflict.”

As to the future, he said “the best thing to do is to work together for peaceful relations and prosperity to be achieved through trust and confidence building measures.” — Bernama