THE AIR DEFENSE SYSTEM DEAL WITH CHINA AND THE CRISIS
WITH NATO
By Gallia Lindstrauss via INSS
TURKEY’S
announcement that the CHINESE company CPMIEC had won the tender for the
purchase of a long range air defense system came as a surprise to TURKEY’S NATO
partners – even though prior rumors had indicated this would be the decision –
and was met with much disapproval. While TURKISH President Abdullah Gul said
that the decision was not final and the deal had yet to be finalized and
signed, the terms of the tender obligate TURKEY to move ahead with CHINA. Thus,
it seems that it will take more than the current level of condemnation by NATO
members to persuade TURKEY to change its mind. At the same time, the deal,
along with previous examples of TURKEY-CHINA military cooperation, should not
be viewed as proof that TURKEY and CHINA are establishing strategic relations,
as they have fundamental political and strategic differences of opinion that
prevent any real partnership.
ERDOGAN: THE BRILLIANT TACTICIAN?
The
CHINESE manufacturer outbid an AMERICAN company (the makers of the Patriot
system), a RUSSIAN company (the maker of the S-300 and S-400), and an ITALIAN-FRENCH
consortium (the maker of the SAMP/T Aster-30). Moreover, the decision was made
at the Defense Industry Executive Committee, chaired by TURKISH Prime Minister
Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and this indicates his full support for the decision.
According to TURKEY, three main
reasons led it to opt for the CHINESE bid. First of all, finances: the price
quoted by the CHINESE company was some $1 billion less than the others (the TURKS
stipulated a maximum of $4 billion for the deal; the CHINESE bid came in at
$3.4 billion). Second, CHINA is willing to include the transfer of technology and
some of the production to TURKEY as part of the deal, something TURKEY has been
very keen on in recent years, given its desire to strengthen its self-reliance
in the defense realm. And finally, expected delivery time: TURKEY estimates
that CHINA will supply the systems in a relatively short period.
Critics
of the TURKISH decision are concerned about several issues. Buying the system
from CHINA means that TURKEY will be limited in its interoperability with the
defense systems of other NATO members, which is liable to affect TURKEY’S defensive
capabilities; it also raises the concern about friendly fire due to the lack of
synchronization with the alliance’s friend-or-foe identification systems.
Second, the CHINESE system has reportedly not been tested under real conditions
and is inferior to the RUSSIAN S-400 proposed to the TURKS. Third, NATO
officials are worried not only that the systems, once in place, could serve for
intelligence gathering by the CHINESE espionage, but that even at the stage of
joint development the CHINESE would have access to information and data NATO
members would rather not reveal. Furthermore, CPMIEC is subject to AMERICAN sanctions
for violations of the IRAN, NORTH KOREA, and SYRIA Nonproliferation Act. In
response to some of these reservations, TURKEY claims it is planning to develop
an independent friend-or-foe identification system, and that there is no
comprehensive requirement that NATO members purchase defensive systems
compatible with those of other alliance members. In fact, the proponents of the
deal point to GREECE, also a NATO member, which bought the S-300 from RUSSIA
(note, however, that this was a compromise purchase after TURKEY vetoed the
intention of the Republic of CYPRUS to buy the system, which instead was placed
on GREEK soil).
TURKEY’S POLICY OF COUNTERWEIGHT
At
the broader political level, Ankara is criticized for its willingness to
cooperate in a sensitive strategic field with one of the biggest competitors of
TURKEY’S longstanding close ally, the UNITED STATES. In practice, the
possibility of TURKEY working with CHINA in the military realm as a
counterweight to or substitute for the UNITED STATES is not new. In the late
1990s TURKEY bought rockets and imported rocket technology from CHINA (known in
TURKEY as the T-300 Kasirga and J-600T Yildirim) after talks with the UNITED
STATES on purchasing an advanced rocket launcher system fell through. In 2010, TURKEY
held joint aerial maneuvers with CHINA after Washington canceled its
participation in an exercise with TURKEY in response to Ankara’s rejection of ISRAEL’S
participation. The upgrading of the TURKISH army’s armored vehicles (FNSS ACV)
was also a joint TURKISH-CHINESE project.
Background Information: TURKEYS PIVOT TO THE EAST
DOES
TURKEY REALLY NEED THE EU?
In the near future the EUROPEAN UNION
might need TURKEY more than TURKEY the EUROPEAN UNION http://geopoliticsrst.blogspot.com.ar/2011/06/does-turkey-really-need-eu.html
CHINA’S LAND BRIDGE TO TURKEY CREATES
NEW EURASIAN GEOPOLITICAL POTENTIALS
CHINESE - TURKISH geopolitical and
economic ambitions coincide http://geopoliticsrst.blogspot.com/2012/05/china-and-turkey.html
TURKEY AND CHINA AT ODDS OVER 10 MILLION TURKISH UYGHUR
MINORITY LIVING IN CHINA
At
the same time these moves, including the newest deal, should not be viewed as
proof that TURKEY and CHINA are establishing strategic relations, as they have
fundamental political and strategic differences of opinion preventing any real
partnership. Among these are CHINA’S efforts to subvert international steps
against the Assad regime; TURKEY’S enormous trade deficit with CHINA (currently
about $18 billion annually); and TURKEY’S critique vis-à-vis CHINA’S policy
with regard to its UYGHUR minority (a population of some 10 million, according
to CHINESE official statistics), which shares ethnic, cultural, and historical
ties with the TURKISH people. See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uyghur_people
Background Information: TURKEYS’ COSMOPOLITAN TRAIL
ERDOGAN: THE WITTY
TACTICIAN? http://geopoliticsrst.blogspot.com/2013/10/growing-turkish-influence-in-balkans.html
TURKEY: EVERYONE’S ENEMY? http://geopoliticsrst.blogspot.com/2012/05/turkey-everyones-enemy.html
COOLING RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN TURKEY AND THE USA ARE
SUPERFICIAL
In
the background are also the complex historical relations between the nations
that for decades cast CHINA’S image in TURKEY in a negative light. In addition,
recent developments, especially the escalating tension between TURKEY and SYRIA,
have highlighted TURKEY’S dependence on NATO. Despite some cooling in the
relationship with the UNITED STATES, partly due to TURKEY’S disappointment with
AMERICA’S decision not to intervene militarily in SYRIA and a chill between
Erdogan and President Obama, NATO nations hurried to deploy Patriot missile
batteries near the TURKISH-SYRIAN border after it seemed that relations were
deteriorating. It is also clear to TURKEY that until it makes progress in the
long process of developing independent anti-missile defenses it will remain
highly dependent on NATO members on this issue.
TURKEY’S DESIRE TO DEVELOP AN INDEPENDENT
TECHNOLOGICALLY-ADVANCED DEFENSE INDUSTRY
Therefore
the explanation for the deal must be found in the particular current
circumstances and complementary interests of TURKEY and CHINA. First, there is TURKEY’S
desire to develop an independent technologically-advanced defense industry,
which is probably Ankara’s main reason for choosing CHINA as its defense system
supplier. This goal is entirely comprehensible to Beijing, which has been
driven by similar considerations since the founding of the modern CHINESE
state.
Both
nations view the AMERICAN and EUROPEAN refusal to transfer to TURKEY
manufacturing technology connected to anti-missile defense systems as a way to
perpetuate the superiority of the developed nations over the developing nations
and leave the latter’s dependence on the former firmly in place. Second, given TURKEY’S
complicated relationship with the UNITED STATES and the WEST – for example, TURKEY’S
anger over the US refusal to act in SYRIA, the hurdles the EUROPEAN UNION has
set for TURKEY’S acceptance into the EU, and the suspicion that NATO members
are exploiting TURKEY’S dependence on them in the realm of air defense – it is
convenient for Ankara to show that it has an alternative of sorts to its
alliance with the WEST.
A “WIN WIN” SITUATION FOR BOTH COUNTRIES?
As
for CHINA, even if it is aware of the limits to its relations with TURKEY, the
current deal serves its interests well by creating an opportunity to gain a
foothold in the MIDDLE EAST weapons market, widen the split between Turkey and
the United States, and strengthen its ties with an important regional power.
This
development has some implications for ISRAEL. Despite the difficulties TURKEY
has raised in recent years regarding the relationship between NATO and ISRAEL,
ISRAEL would like to see TURKEY continue being a loyal NATO member. Thus, the
current development will likely arouse concern in Jerusalem. Additional
evidence of the difficult state of TURKISH-ISRAELI relations is that TURKEY has
currently chosen to pursue procurement independence via a partnership with
problematic actors such as CHINA instead of cooperation with ISRAEL.
Background Information:
CHINA, ISRAEL and TURKEY
ISRAELI EXPORTS
TO TURKEY RISE 42% TO EQUAL EXPORTS TO GERMANY
TURKEY – ISRAEL TRADE REMAINS STRONG
DESPITE TENSIONS http://www.voanews.com/content/turkey-israel-trade-remains-strong-despite-tensions/1777241.html
ISRAEL’S RED SEA AND MEDITERRANEAN GAS
TRANSFER LINK ENHANCES CHINA'S EXPORT TO SOUTHERN EUROPE AND THE BALKANS http://geopoliticsrst.blogspot.com/2012/05/china-and-israel-enter-dragon.html
Finally,
the TURKISH choice of the CHINESE defense system shows that even if the
system’s quality and performance are inferior to those of its competitors, it
is still good enough so that a nation that sees itself as threatened would
choose it. This implies improvements in the CHINESE defense industry and the
possibility of it entering the MIDDLE EAST military arena as an important
player.
Relying on other means of financial security should be prioritized in case of another Government shut down.
ReplyDeleteTurkey will soon turn pro-Iranian in it's hate for the Kurds and will join Iran, Assyria (Iraq & Syria after Iran controls them) and Russia in an invasion of Israel and soon after Egypt and Edom (Saudi Arabia)
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