China's Military Might

The Chinese equivalent of Secretary of Defense, General Xu Caihou was here at CSIS this morning. His speech laid out a forward looking defense process the Chinese had just completed, the equivalent of our Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR).

Though most of the language was not new, I was struck by their goals to win wars in the “information era” and how they were planning to use their military for more non-traditional functions (counterterrorism, peacekeeping, etc.) These goals were said to provide the “minimum requirements” for Chinese security (about 1.4 percent of GDP) and allow them more financial flexibility in improving the conditions of the 40 million or so (out of 1.3 billion) living in poverty in that country.

In the United States we are often interested in relations with the “other” Chinas and their military stance towards us and the world. Taiwan, who completed their own QDR this year, and Tibet, were only briefly mentioned in terms of unifying groups inside its boundaries. Though the general declared that China “will never seek hegemony or an arms race;” the audience questions were focused primarily on the March naval confrontation, weapons, and the impact of new Chinese ventures into Middle Eastern energy.

The event's message was encouraging, but it remains to be seen how committed the Chinese are to these goals.