A Global Times opinion column reports Dec. 12 on a video circulating on X of U.S. Marine Corps Commandant General Eric M. Smith claiming at the Dec. 6-7, 2024 Reagan Defense Forum that the U.S. military has built a “culture of warfighting” through its participation in wars, such as those in Iraq and Afghanistan. In contrast, he suggested that China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) lacks warfighting experience, and insisted that it “can only bluster.”
“The advantage lies with us, because our last combat was captured on somebody’s iPhone 14. The Chinese’s last combat was captured on oil and canvas, and they should not forget that,” Smith said. Global Times responds: “Not to mention how ignorant such remarks are of history, the fact that a U.S. military commandant would use the U.S.’ frequent wars, particularly its experience in killing in Afghanistan and Iraq, to belittle the PLA shows his narrow vision. The U.S. military officer’s remarks are another manifestation of U.S.’ belligerent tradition. However, to wear warfighting records as ‘a badge of honor’ and to brag about war records as an achievement is out of tune with a world yearning for peace. Since ancient times, the most fundamental wish of humanity has been for peace and development. Currently, the awareness among people in countries around the world of valuing peace and resisting war has significantly increased.”
Global Times then references a Chinese saying: “A warlike state, however big it may be, will eventually perish; the world in peace, if relaxing vigilance against war, will face danger.” They add: “U.S. belligerence has already created a lasting and destructive impact on world peace and development. The country has never stopped clamoring for war and peddling its weapons and equipment. Its preference for using force to solve problem is often viewed by the international community as ‘expansionist’ and ‘hegemonic.’”
They furthermore quote from a symposium on the ancient Chinese military strategist Sun Tzu and his renowned work The Art of War that took place in Beijing last week, with over 350 delegates from nearly 30 countries attending the event. “The ideas in this book, written more than 2,500 years ago, still resonate widely around the world, largely because of its ‘peace gene.’ Amid the frequent conflicts in international hot spots and escalating militarism, Sun Tzu’s ideas that emphasize the prevention of conflicts rather than resorting to war hold great significance for the maintenance of lasting global peace.”
They ask: “What about the U.S.’ ‘culture of warfighting'? Can such a militaristic ideology that has already brought tragedies to the world have a vitality of more than 2,500 years? The answer is self-evident. Perhaps some U.S. military officers should start reading Sun Tzu’s Art of War, instead of living in their bubble and priding themselves on the blood-stained ‘badge of honor’ of the U.S. as the world’s ‘No.1 warmonger.’”
