Latest Articles about Military/Security
The Pentagon-PLA Disconnect: China’s Self Assessments of Its Military Capabilities
Sun Tzu’s admonition “Know the enemy and know yourself” is a fundamental tenet of Chinese military strategy [1]. The books On Military Campaigns and The Science of Military Strategy include it as the first of 10 principles of war [2]. Moreover, Military Strategy reverses the... MORE
China and Thailand: Enhancing Military-Security Ties in the 21st Century
This week Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej was in China for a 4-day visit, his first since taking office in January. Samak, who is concurrently defense minister, met with Chinese Defense Minister Liang Guanglie and the two sides agreed to strengthen bilateral military ties. Although... MORE
PAP: The Rise of the Party’s Army
Following the crackdown on Tibetan protesters in March, President Hu Jintao issued a call for “greater security guarantees” against protesters and other disruptive forces in the run up to the August Olympic games. At the same time, the official news bulletin of the People’s Armed... MORE
International Disaster Relief and Humanitarian Assistance: A Future Role for the PLA?
Since 2004, Asian natural disasters have become an opportunity for regional militaries to deploy in a disaster relief role, demonstrating their value as more than a deterrent to war or transnational threats. By employing their instruments of hard power to deliver aid to the victims... MORE
Yemen’s Three Rebellions
Politics in Yemen has always been a violent affair. Two of its four presidents have died unnaturally—one in a hotel room surrounded by drugs and prostitutes; his successor, suddenly and absurdly, by an exploding briefcase. The next man to take office, a young tank commander... MORE
Instability in Tibet and Its Repercussions for Xinjiang
Since March 10, unrest in the Tibet Autonomous Region—in spite of the Chinese government efforts at keeping it secret—punctured China’s Great Wall as news, pictures and videos flooded the internet, and each day there appears to be news about protests that emerge not only in... MORE
Sanya Nuclear Submarine Base Shakes Asian Neighbors
On April 21, commercial satellite images on DigitalGlobe confirmed reports that China is building a major underground nuclear submarine base near Sanya, the southernmost city of Hainan Island, which is located on China’s southeastern coast (DigitalGlobe). Digital images taken of the base in December 2007... MORE
Terrorism and the Beijing Olympics: Uyghur Discontent
A suicide bomb attempt on a plane from the restive western region of Xinjiang in China en route to the home of the 2008 Olympics in Beijing highlights a key security dilemma for Beijing: The Olympics have become a stage to showcase political grievances and... MORE
China’s Ascendancy to a Space Power
2007 registered another major step in China’s relentless pursuit of space prowess. On October 24, 2007 a Chinese Changzheng (Long March) 3A rocket was launched from the Xichang launch site in Sichuan Province, sending the country’s first moon exploring Chang’e-1 spacecraft into the lunar orbit.... MORE
Sino-Russian Strategic Partnership Matures
Chinese Defense Minister Liang Guanglie met with Viktor Zavarzin, the visiting chairman of the State Duma's Defense Committee, on April 7 at the Chinese Pentagon (Bayi Dalou). During their meeting, Liang stated that growing Sino-Russian defense relations "reflects the level of political trust and strategic... MORE