China's Military Modernization: International Implications

(Hardback)

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Description

Some of the key aspects of doctrinal, manpower, and technical modernization of China's armed forces are the subject of this unique collection of essays. The volume goes beyond a limited assessment of China's military modernization, to stress the implications of modernization with respect to regional Asian security and the broader international scene. Varying perspectives on China's military modernization are presented against a framework that considers U.S. national security policy, the Strategic Defense Initiative, and strategic trade with China, in addition to China's own nuclear deterrent and its military posture vis-a-vis the Soviet Union, Japan, and Southeast Asia. The critical issue of China's defense modernization is presented in light of practical, domestic, political, and economic constraints on defense modernization facing the Beijing government.

Reviews

This volume serves as an excellent companion to Ellis Joffe's The Chinese Army After Mao (1987). Joffe concentrates on domestic dimensions of military modernization, whereas Wortzel emphasizes the international aspects. A 1986 conference panel was the basis for the book, but the editor has provided some updatingat least of his own contributions. Chapter topics not recently covered in other volumes include China's nuclear industry, Beijing's response to the US Strategic Defense Initiative, and US export controls as they relate to the Chinese armed forces. One chapter dealing with domestic dimensions explores an important element neglected in the Joffe studycorruption in the military. Together these two volumes provide a thorough appraisal of China's recent efforts to improve its global power status. * Choice *

Author Bio

Larry M. Wortzel, a Major in the United States Army, earned his PhD in Political Science from the University of Hawaii.