Nov. 3 (Bloomberg) -- China’s top political adviser Jia Qinglin has urged the study of a 2,500-year-old Chinese war manual called “The Art of War” to tackle challenges in the modern world, the state-run Xinhua News Service reported.

The book by Chinese military strategist Sun Tzu may have a role in promoting peace, the report cited Jia, chairman of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, as saying at a Beijing conference co-sponsored by the People’s Liberation Army. Jia is also the fourth-ranked member of the Communist Party Politburo Standing Committee, China’s top ruling body.

Jia’s statement may be a reaffirmation by the ruling party of the Chinese military’s role in the world’s third-biggest economy, said Robert Broadfoot, Hong Kong-based managing director of Political and Economic Risk Consultancy. As China spends more to secure overseas resources, arguments for a bigger military budget to protect those assets become more compelling, Broadfoot said in an interview.

China as recently as a week ago reiterated its military is intended for defense and that the nation has no plans to establish regional hegemony or start an arms race. In an Oct. 27 speech in Washington, China’s No. 2 military official, General Xu Caihou, said the country will go on the offensive only after an enemy initiates an attack.

The nation’s defense spending has averaged annual increases of 16.2 percent from 1999 to 2008, according to Chinese government figures.

Oldest Military Treatise

The Art of War “takes a strategic look at competition,” said Broadfoot. It helps understand the Chinese mindset, he said.

The book, written between 515 BC and 512 BC, is one of the world’s oldest military treatises.

Divided into 13 chapters, it presents hypothetical war scenarios and instructs readers on how to overcome their opponents based on strength, morale, and moral standing.

Some of the basic tenets include: “The principle on which to manage an army is to set up one standard of courage which all must reach,” “He who exercises no forethought but makes light of his opponents is sure to be captured by them,” and “If a general shows confidence in his men but always insists on his orders being obeyed, the gain will be mutual.”

The book has been translated into more than 32 languages and is a standard reference at military schools worldwide. The book has also been the basis for Western management guides such as “The Art of War for the Management Warrior: Sun Tzu’s Strategy for Managers” by Gary Gagliardi.

--Le-Min Lim. Editors: John Liu, Eugene Tang.

To contact the writer on the story: Le-Min Lim in Hong Kong at lmlim@bloomberg.net

Last Updated: November 3, 2009 05:37 EST