Timothy Heath
Mr. Timothy R. Heath serves as a Senior International Defense Research Analyst with the RAND Corporation. He previously served as a senior analyst on China issues in the U.S. Pacific Command’s China Strategic Focus Group. Mr. Heath has over fifteen years’ experience as a China specialist. He earned his M.A. in Asian Studies at the George Washington University and speaks fluent Mandarin. Timothy Heath is also the author of the book, China’s New Governing Party Paradigm: Political Renewal and the Pursuit of National Rejuvenation (Ashgate, 2014). It is available to purchase from Ashgate Publishing: https://www.ashgate.com/isbn/9781472407665.
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Articles by Timothy Heath
China’s People’s Armed Forces Departments: Developments Under Xi Jinping
Executive Summary: People’s Armed Police Forces Departments (PAFD), or People’s militias, have grown under Xi Jinping. This reflects apprehension about domestic security rather than any serious effort at wartime preparedness.
China Intensifies Effort to Establish Leading Role in Asia, Dislodge U.S.
In early January China’s Foreign Ministry published a White Paper on “China's Policies on Asia-Pacific Security Cooperation” signaling an intensification of China’s effort to establish itself as the dominant power
Beijing Ups the Ante in South China Sea Dispute with HQ-9 Deployment
China’s recent deployment of HQ-9 missiles to the Paracel Islands represent part of a larger effort to consolidate the country’s position in the South China Sea. While the deployment in
China’s Turn Toward Regional Restructuring, Counter-Intervention: A Review of Authoritative Sources
Note: This piece is based on a longer article published in The Washington Quarterly (Fall 2015, available here). Beginning after the global financial crisis in 2008, and transforming further with
The “Holistic Security Concept”: The Securitization of Policy and Increasing Risk of Militarized Crisis
Reflecting critical developments under the Xi administration, the recent “Military Strategy” white paper signals a turn toward a potentially more coercive phase of China’s rise (State Council, May 26). Driven
Xi’s Bold Foreign Policy Agenda: Beijing’s Pursuit of Global Influence and the Growing Risk of Sino-U.S. Rivalry
Refinements in the Chinese leadership’s strategic assessment have spurred a set of policy directives aimed at bolstering the country’s political and economic leadership at the regional and global level. Because
China Overhauls Diplomacy to Consolidate Regional Leadership, Outline Strategy for Superpower Ascent
At the Central Work Conference on Foreign Relations held on November 29, China’s leaders outlined the most sweeping changes in decades to longstanding guidance on foreign policy. Chinese President Xi
Fourth Plenum: Implications for China’s Approach to International Law and Politics
At the recently completed Fourth Plenum of the 18th Party Congress, Chinese leaders directed efforts to reform existing international institutions and laws and promote alternative values, political principles and legal
Asian Economic Integration Fuels PRC Frustration With U.S. Alliances
PRC leaders and media commentary have stepped up criticism of U.S. efforts to strengthen its alliances as counter-productive for the region’s long term security. Deep structural drivers related to China’s
Timothy Heath’s Analysis of Military Reform Covered by PRC and Taiwan Media
A recent article by Timothy Heath analyzing the role of ideological debate in Chinese military reform was used as the basis for articles in China's official Xinhua news agency and Taiwan's WantChinaTimes.
Restructuring the Military: Drivers and Prospects for Xi’s Top-Down Reforms
PRC leaders have outlined requirements to restructure the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) and national defense to better accord with China’s new economic situation, new military missions, and trends in modern
Diplomacy Work Forum: Xi Steps Up Efforts to Shape a China-Centered Regional Order
At its first-ever work forum on diplomacy to China’s periphery, the Xi administration outlined strategic guidance to strengthen PRC leadership of the region as part of its overall strategy to
Xi’s Mass Line Campaign: Realigning Party Politics to New Realities
The Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) “mass line” (qunzhong luxian) education campaign echoes in content and format a similar effort initiated by Xi’s predecessor, Hu Jintao, to improve the party’s governance
China’s Defense White Paper: A New Conceptual Framework for Security
China organized this year’s defense white paper around the historic missions concept as the principal framework for understanding the mission and activities of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA). The concept
The 18th Party Congress Work Report: Policy Blueprint for the Xi Administration
The 18th Party Congress Work Report outlines policy guidance for the next five years and thus provides a preview of the type of policies that the incoming Xi administration is