Every move of China’s military build-up, whether the plan to build aircraft carrier or a new model of submarine, would spark another round of “China threat” outcry from a group of grumpy countries.

It’s really nothing new, but I never realize that toy guns would generate the same sentiment. You may occasionally notice such toy guns if you look carefully enough. Among the accumulated stuffed animals, dolls, and Lego, there are some boy’s toys on display, such as fake guns or swords. They could be high end or very cheaply made depending on where you shop.

If that can be seen as sign of China’s military fetishism, well, if all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail. Or as the Chinese saying goes, every bush looks like a soldier to a nervous patroller. 

Guns and trucks are favored by boys everywhere. In China, decades ago, a wooden gun could be envied by boys in the whole neighborhood, today, toy guns have fallen out of the favor. Like everywhere else, kids here yearn for video games or the latest electronic gadgets at a very early age. 

Soldiers were once public icons, and maybe they still are. Even today, joining the army is still the best chance at getting a decent future for youngsters from poor backgrounds. Given China’s size and population, it is not surprising if one comes across people who still idolize soldiers.

Some parents buy toy guns for their kids in the hope that the boys can grow up with a sense of toughness. In a country that doesn’t have similar activities like Boy Scouts, military training on campus partly takes their place to teach young people cooperation, perseverance and stamina. 

Indeed, sometimes, real gun firing is included in the training. More regular mandatory training items are long-distance running, goose step marching and unfortunately listening to lengthy and boring speeches. There’s no need to be bothered over the possibility that a ten-bullet shooting trial can turn young students into hawks. And I don’t think it’s particularly annoying compared to where real guns are traded, let alone those countries that go to war from time to time.

China is in a process of modernizing its military, and there is increasing transparency about that process. Just like a family who has made some money and built a new house adding a few fancy household items, shouldn’t an upgraded security system be part of the construction? It isn’t really related to whether you like your neighbor or not. 

Is China under imminent military threat? That is a question difficult to answer by countries which are happy to rely on the US security protection or synchronize with the US move on almost every major international conflict. It is difficult to convey the feeling of having the aircraft carrier of another country poking around just several hundred kilometers off your sea shelf. 

China has held 14 military parades since the founding of the PRC. Military parades are actually a tradition often favored by socialist countries or developing countries of a certain size. Russia and India do the same thing.

Admittedly, it generates unity and sense of patriotism among the country’s citizens. Every country has its own form of public event that serves the same purpose. Military parades do showcase some of the modern weaponry a country is capable of producing, but by doing that, it is more about preventing war by deterrence than triggering military clashes. 

Peaceful development – a goal China claims to stick to – is difficult to sell to a doubting audience. Hu Angang, a professor at Tsinghua University told me that he doesn’t think he could convince the West of China’s intentions when we discussed his new book China in 2020: A New Type of Superpower last week. It sounds reasonable if you are facing an audience who is paranoid about toy guns. 

The author is an editor with the Global Times. lujingxian@globaltimes.com.cn