[War] PRC: "Friends in Strange Places"

[Michael Downey]

"Friends in Strange Places"
President Xiao Wu
People's Republic of China
15 April 2006
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"I must say, I am not totally sure about this proposal," said Premier
Gao Kewncho. While Kewncho was a staunch ally of Wu, that was the
whole reason he WAS Premier, the newest proposal put forth by the
President did not sit well with Gao.

"I can understand the trepidation you feel, and it is indeed justified
in many respects," answered Wu. He accepted and encouraged debate and
feedback from the other members of the State Council, not wanting to
be an absolute dictator like Mao. "But I say with great confidence
that involving ourselves in the Iraq conflict on the side of the
Americans will do much not only to elevate our status in the eyes of
the United States and the Europeans, and the arms companies located in
those nations, but earn China more respect as an international power."

Wu had made the rather bold and surprising suggestion to the State
Council that the PRC offer military supplies and equipment, much of it
donated for free, to the new Iraqi Army being constructed by the
Coalition and for the PLA to send one of its SOF regiments to Iraq as
part of the Coalition to help train the IA and fight the insurgency.

The first step was not actually a bad idea in the eyes of the State
Council members. As much as China wanted to buy American and European
weapons, with no offense meant to their close ally Russia, the PRC
also wanted o muscle its way into the lucrative arms industry. If
there was one thing the world always needed, it was more guns, tanks,
bombs and fighters. Supplying weapons to the Iraqi Army would be a big
PR boone for the Chinese military.

"The Coalition wants to build an army of half a million men, so I
propose we offer the Americans that we will give the Iraqi Army half a
million QBZ-97 assault rifles, free of charge" stated Wu. "The QBZ-97
is no XM8, but it is still a superior weapon to the old AK-74 and
AK-47 weapons the Iraqis are stuck with." The QBZ-97 was an export
version of the PLA's Type 95 assault rifle, chambered for NATO
standard 5.56mm ammo. "We can also offer them, at-cost, as many Type
88 sniper rifles and JS sub-machine guns as they or the Coalition is
willing to buy. In fact we'll donate seven thousand SMGs and three
thousand sniper rifles just so the Iraqis can test the designs out.
All of those designs are very capable and modern, and at the very
least superior to the late Cold War-era junk the Iraqis are using now.
Added to that, we can donate ten thousand QSZ-92 pistols for use by
their police and officer corps."

To Wu it seemed very generous for China to pretty much equip all the
small arms, or at least the assault rifles and pistols which were the
meat and potatoes of any army, free of charge. The offer of at-cost
sniper rifles and pistols was also a good deal, and one he hoped the
Coalition would take him up on.

"To further show the Coalition China's eagerness to see stability in
Iraq and for the new Iraqi Army to succeed, we will donate forty of
our new Type 99 MBTs to the Iraqi Army, and offer to sell up to a
hundred and fifty more to them, again at-cost. We will further donate
fifty Type 92A APC vehicles. Again, a very generous and helpful
contribution on our part."

As Wu suspected, no one seemed opposed to this. Granted China would
loose many tens of millions of dollars with the donations of thousands
of small arms, forty battle tanks and fifty APC, with everything else
being offered to Iraq at-cost. But if Iraq, and more importantly the
Coalition and its American leaders, accepted then China would be doing
a great deal to assert itself as a world exporter in weapons and
garner the Coalition's appreciation.

"Our main concern is still sending troops into that American
quagmire," stated Foreign Minister Zhoau. "Sending Marines to the
Sudan peacekeeping operation is one thing. The initiative has the
backing of the UN, and has had so for some time. Iraq could very well
be a lost cause, and a black eye for the Americans. Do we want to link
ourselves to what could be a disaster?"

"With Britain, Germany and Canada lending more and more aid and
soldiers to the operation and the creation of the new Iraqi Army, I
feel the predictions of Iraq falling apart to be diminishing," replied
Wu. "We want the Americans as allies, or at the very least willing to
sell us their marvelous weapons technology, don't we? If heavily
outfitting much of the Iraqi military at little to no cost does not
make them adore us more, then perhaps sending a thousand special
forces troops will. Again, we want to be more respected as a global
military power, and this is our chance. The PLA's SOF regiments have
been getting our best training and equipment, and with the exception
of our new Marine units, are the most sophisticated and capable troops
we have. This is our chance to impress the Americans, flex our
military muscles to the world, and gain valuable combat experience for
our forces."

Once again President Wu presented a strong argument, but still
ambivalence hung over the heads of the State Council. Iraq was still
dangerous, and casualties were a given when sending 1000 troops to
fight the insurgents and help train the IA.

"If that does not convince you," noted Wu, "then think of this: we
have a growing need for oil, and an unstable Iraq will limit our
sources and supply."

That was a pragmatic enough reason, and the other men in the room all
began to nod their heads in approval. The risk and cost could be
great, but so too were the benefits. Whether or not the Americans, the
key power in all of this, would accept remained to be seen. President
Hazen seemed far more suspicious and disdainful of China than Wu had
hoped, and it was a distinct possibility that Washington would reject
China's aid. However such things could not be helped, and they would
not know if they did not offer.
---

Actions:
1) Offer to give the Iraqi Army 500 thousand QBZ-97 assault rifles, 10
thousand QSZ-92 pistols, 7000 JS sub-machine guns, and 3000 Type 88
sniper rifles free of charge. Should they choose so, more of these
designs will be sold to Iraq at-cost.
2) Offer to donate 40 Type 99 tanks and 50 Type 97A APCs to the Iraqi
Army, and the same offer of at-cost sails should they want to purchase
more.
3) The People's Liberation Army is willing to send a full SOF
regiment, 1000 troops, to Iraqi to fight with the American Coalition
and help train the Iraqi Army.

References:
http://www.sinodefence.com/army/special/armyspecial.asp
http://sinodefence.com/army/armour/wz551.asp
http://sinodefence.com/army/tank/type99.asp
http://www.sinodefence.com/army/small_arms/jssmg.asp
http://world.guns.ru/assault/as39-e.htm
http://sinodefence.com/army/individual/pistol.asp
http://world.guns.ru/sniper/sn68-e.htm