On March 2nd, it was reported by both People’s Daily and the semi-official Hong Kong China News Agency (HKCNA) that the J-10 jet fighter is to be showcased in the “Peace Mission 2007” joint military exercises between China and Russia. The weeklong drill, scheduled to begin on July 18th in the Chelyabinsk Oblast, east of the Ural Mountains, is to be attended by presidents Putin and Hu Jintao. It will mark the J-10’s maiden appearance on foreign soil. This announcement comes less than two weeks after the first overseas deployment of the American F-22, to Kadena Air Base in Japan. The HKCNA report cites analysts as saying that with a changing global security environment, joint military drills such as these can help promote understanding among the armed forces of different nations. The report acknowledges that the last joint exercise between the “two former socialist states”–Peace Mission 2005–had led to concern that the exercise was targeted at the United States and Japan. A February 12th posting on the Xinhua website cites Russian sources as saying that Moscow was not receptive to the Chinese proposal of dispatching 2,000 troops to “Peace Mission 2007,” as only 450–500 Russian military personnel were expected to participate. The posting went on to say that details were to be hammered out in March. The J-10 project received on February 27th the prestigious 2006 Special State Scientific and Technological Progress Award at an elaborate ceremony in Beijing. One day before the award ceremony, the cutting edge Southern Metropolis Daily, best known for its investigative reporting, carried a commentary titled “The J-10 Fighter Plane and Diplomatic Clout.” The author, Ni Lexiong, professor of political science at the Shanghai Institute of Political Science and Law, suggested that advances in defense technology should enable China to adopt a more assertive diplomatic posture. Quoting the ancient Chinese philosopher Lao Zi, who said that “one should not reveal one’s sharpest weapon to the world; what one shows the world should not be one’s sharpest weapon,” Ni suggested that the high-profile unveiling of the J-10 should be regarded as a sign that there are more deadly weapons in the pipeline. He speculated that it may be as few as five years before the sophistication of Chinese jet fighters is on a par with that of the most advanced world powers. Ni went on to say that “land domination and maritime domination both rely on air domination. Developing at an accelerated pace advanced jet fighters and other aeronautical weaponry is an intelligent defense strategy.”
The J-10
