The following quotations from the American wagazine ‘Newsweek’ have been extracted from the current edition of Vietram Solidarity Bulleti which is published monthly price 6a. A subscription for 42 issues, inclusive of postage, costs 9/~ , and may be ordered frou Vietnam Solidarity Campaign
"What is remarkable ... is the speed with which the necessity for containment of China has become an axiom of U.S, fareign policy, and the almost total absence of opposition to the proposition in official circles. Within the space of a few years, China has been elevated to the status of chief menace to the security of thé U.S., a role once réserved for thé Soviet Union. © In fact, however, this proposition is open to argument. Bluntly stated, the Chinese threat is not as self evident as coumonly assumed in Washington.
"In terms of sheer numbers, the combined lend, sea and air forces of China are not, as is often thought, the largest in the world. The People's — Liberation Army (PLA), which includes all three services, totals an estimated 2.7 million men —- as compared with the Soviet Union's 3.2 million and the U.S.'s 2.8 million. In broad terms, moreover, the Chinese military machine is little more than a light infantry force; of the 150 divisions which comprise China's ground forces, only four or five aré armored, one or two are airborne ~ and three are horse cavalry. "Essentially a defensive force, the Chinese land army has not significantly shifted its strategic deployment for nearly a decade. This, according to Western military sources, reflects Peking’s unaltered view of the major external threats to Red China's security. Thas, 1 million Chinese soldiers stand guard in the southeast, facing the Nationalist forces on Taiwan; some where between 300,000 and 400,000 are stationed in the areas bordering Iacs Vietnam and Burma; another 75,000 patrol the Tibetan border with India; : 500,000 are garrisoned around Peking and Inner Mongolia; and the remaining 450,000 are deployed along the Russian border from Sinkiang to Manchuria, “another major consideration is China's simense of , ighw
. eee a mdern h & ao sea eee of the rail lines between the industrial si of FS) ine an erlands. As a result, Chine immense problems in logistics. : eer ee Oe ee ae
"The weakest branch of the armed forces is the 125,000 a:
- ~ = . ans - set “* man
of four pre-World War II Soviet destroyers, “four” deattovar satis aa tone 700 patrol craft. In addition, the Chinese are believed to have 30 suba — two Soviet G-class subs capable of firing ballistic
8 > » Bays one naval expert, ‘The Chinese ha ep~wa’ submarine experience and their subs are confined Sony to ces Se :
“China's overall wilitary posture is likal
y to remain defi bins eigen -g yong Pog Mao Sueetina's cmmiaen ait ‘peop sol As the war in Vietnam has escalated, an Ricunved 900,000 raseice aruy — somel ~~ are. instrustors to militia mits. Whereas in the past many 8 no rifles, today they under: training in laying lend mines, throving grenades and conning Gillieanetast guns. = "So far as Western analysts can detect, e U.S. invasion kind of direct wilitary confro: ° of China is the only to contemplate." onfrontation with the U.S. which Peking is prepared.