PLA

~ 2000 ; 2001 ; 2002

China Air Force Equipped with J-10 Fighter-bomber
(People’s Daily, Dec. 13, 2002) Ten J-10 fighter-bombers, a type long expected by military equipment fans, were firstly put into service in the Nanjing Military Command.

China Issues White Paper on National Defense
(People’s Daily, Dec. 10, 2002) The State Council issued a white paper titled "China's National Defense in 2002", the fourth one of its kind ever released by the Chinese government since 1995.

Chinese Missile Has Twice the Range U.S. Anticipated
(Washington Times, Nov. 20, 2002) China recently test-fired a new cruise missile with twice the range U.S. intelligence agencies initially estimated.

Military Pledges Allegiance to Jiang
(CNN.com, Nov. 20, 2002) The four newly-named department heads of the Chinese military have pledged allegiance to President Jiang Zemin, fanning speculation the latter will not be retiring any time soon.

China Finishes Up New Round of Top Military Appointments
(AFP, Nov. 20, 2002) China has rounded out new high-level appointments to its vast military following a shake-up of the top brass at the 16th Communist Party Congress.

China's Military Retains Strong Role
(Associated Press, Nov. 18, 2002) “The people's army is a staunch pillar of the people's democratic dictatorship,'' Jiang declared to the congress. Six new members of the nine-person Politburo Standing Committee, the party's inner sanctum, are considered Jiang's proteges.

China Ends 1st World Military Cruise
(AP, Sep. 24, 2002) The ships left May 15 on the voyage that took them to a dozen countries, including the United States and Russia, and through the Panama and Suez canals.

China's Army Marks 75th Anniversary with Taiwan Threat
(AFP, Aug. 1, 2002) China's 2.5-million-strong army has marked 75 years of existence with a fresh threat by the defense minister to re-take Taiwan by force, state media reported.

Russia Reported to Sell China 40 Su-30
(Reuters, July 31, 2002) Russia plans to sell China 40 of its top of the range Su-30MK warplanes in a $1.8 billion deal, the largest such sale this year. Russia sold 30 Su-30s fighters to China in 1999 for some $2 billion.

China Test-Fires 'Smart' Missile
(AP, July 25, 2002) China recently test-fired a missile that may be designed to evade missile defenses. The missile, a CSS-5, launched several objects during the test that are thought to be decoys.

China Building Up Claims
(AP, July 16, 2002) China is building up its strength in the potentially oil-rich South China Sea to reinforce its claims there, even while talking with rival nations about peacefully resolving disputes in the region.

Beijing Warns U.S. over 'Wrong Signals'
(CNN.com, July 15, 2002) Beijing has asked the United States not to send the "wrong signals" to Taiwan by playing up the military gap between China and the island.

China: Policy Not Threat to Nations
(AP, July 15, 2002) China's defense policy does not threaten other nations and is a natural part of the country's modernization drive, the government said in official media reports that followed a U.S. report on the development of the Chinese military.

China Buildup Said to Target Taiwan, U.S.
(Washington Post, July 13, 2002; Page A18) In a comprehensive assessment of China's military aspirations, the Pentagon said yesterday that sustained increases in defense spending and new high-tech weaponry give Beijing "an increasing number of credible options to intimidate or actually attack Taiwan."

China Seeks Ability to Force Reunification with Taiwan
(AFP, July 13, 2002) "Preparing for a potential conflict in the Taiwan Strait is the primary driver for China's military modernization," said the report released to the US Congress.

China's New Missile Seen as Part of Fighter Package
(Reuters, July 11, 2002) China may well have tested Russian AA-12 missiles, but these have long been expected as part of a package of Su-30 fighter jets and are unlikely to accelerate an arms race with Taiwan.

China Deploys Drones from Israel
(Washington Times, July 2, 2002) U.S. intelligence agencies have identified an Israeli-made anti-radar weapon deployed with Chinese forces opposite Taiwan.

China Test-Fires New Missile
(Washington Times, July 1, 2002) China's air force test-fired a new air-to-air missile for the first time last week in a move that has altered the military balance across the Taiwan Strait.

China to Buy 8 More Russian Submarines
(Washington Post, June 25, 2002) China has begun negotiations with Russia to buy eight more submarines in a $1.6 billion deal that will significantly boost its ability to blockade Taiwan and challenge U.S. naval supremacy in nearby seas.

Jiang Secures Loyalty of Military
(CNN.com, June 3, 2002) Chinese President Jiang Zemin has promoted seven military officers to the rank of full generals in an apparent effort to secure the loyalty of the top brass in the run-up to the 16th Communist party congress.

Russia and China Talk Weapons
(BBC, May 31, 2002) Russia's Defence Minister Sergei Ivanov is in China for talks on security issues and military co-operation which are expected to focus on supplies of advanced Russian weaponry to Beijing.

China Has Not Deployed New Missiles
(Taipei Times, April 4, 2002) Contrary to a report in the Washington Times, China has not increased the number of short-range ballistic missiles aimed at Taiwan Deputy Defense Minister for Armament Chen Chao-ming said.

Chinese Missiles Concern Pentagon
(Washington Times, April 3, 2002) China's buildup of short-range missiles near its southeastern coast is "threatening" to Taiwan and poses a danger to sea lanes and ports in the region, the Pentagon said.

China Assembles Missiles Near Coast Facing Taiwan
(Washington Times, April 2, 2002) China's military is deploying more short-range ballistic missiles near the coast opposite Taiwan. U.S. intelligence agencies tracked a shipment of some 20 CSS-7 short-range missiles to a missile base near the town of Yongan in Fujian province.

China Takes Another Leap Toward Manned Spaceflight
(CNN.com, March 26, 2002) China launched the prototype of a manned space vessel into orbit Monday in a test flight designed to pave the way for the country's first human space flight, state media has reported. It was the third such experimental craft launched from the Jiaquan Satellite Launching Center in Gansu province in recent years.

Viewing US as Obstacle to Its Rise, China Modernizes Military: CIA
(AFP, March 20, 2002) "China is developing an increasingly competitive economy and building a modern military force with the ultimate objective of asserting itself as a great power in east Asia," CIA director George Tenet said.

China's Army to Prepare for 'Military Struggle'
(CNN.com, March 13, 2002) Chinese President Jiang Zemin has asked the armed forces to make "solid preparation for military struggle" in order to attain national reunification. Jiang said: "to solve the issue of Taiwan and realize complete reunification of the motherland is one of the three major tasks for the Party and the nation in the new century."

China's Military Grumbles Over 17.6% Budget Increase
(AP, March 7, 2002) China's Finance Minister Xiang Huaicheng, in a budget report to China's legislature, announced the 14th straight year of double-digit increases in military spending. He said the People's Liberation Army (PLA) must modernize weapons and raise salaries.

China Plays Down Army Budget Increase
(CNN.com, Mar 6, 2002) China's generals have indicated that the army's big budget boost is modest and will not constitute a threat to foreign countries. However, they have stressed the determination of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) to smash any "separatist plots," a reference to the pro-independence movement in Taiwan.

China Said Set to Announce More Military Spending
(Reuters, Mar. 4, 2002) China will announce another double-digit rise in its military budget this year as it seeks to streamline the world's largest standing army into a lean, high-technology force.

Beijing Slams CIA Chief's Warning on Chinese Ambitions
(Agence France Presse, Feb. 10, 2002) China has slammed as "unacceptable" recent remarks by CIA chief George Tenet, who warned that Chinese acquiescence in the US anti-terror campaign did not mean Beijing had lost sight of its prime goal of becoming a major Asian power.

Beijing Replacing Old Military Heads with Young Talent
(Strait Times, Feb. 10, 2002) China has been replacing those in the top echelons of its military and navy with young commanders in a move that heralds a changing of the guard in the country's leadership later this year. The reshuffles indicate a changing of the guard in China's leadership ahead of its 16th Party Congress.

China's Military Set for Budget Boost
(CNN.com, Feb. 8, 2002) At least two major events involving China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) will make headlines in the Year of the Horse. One is that the defense forces will be awarded a big budget boost at next month's plenary session of the National People's Congress (NPC). The other is that a bevy of top-flight naval vessels will for the first time circumnavigate the world in one go.

China Buys U.S. Satellite Data to Target Taiwan
(Washington Times, Feb. 7, 2002) China's military is covertly buying U.S. commercial satellite photographs of Taiwan that U.S. intelligence officials say will be used to target the island with the mainland's growing arsenal of cruise and ballistic missiles. Satellite photographs of most of the island are being purchased by China through a South Korean company.

China Tests Shield-Busting Missile, Report
(CNN.com, Feb. 5, 2002) In a sign that Beijing is actively seeking ways to penetrate a future United State's missile defense shield, China is reported to have tested a ballistic missile capable of delivering multiple warheads. The missile was equipped with multiple independent re-entry vehicle (MIRV) capacity.

CIA: China Expected to Target U.S.
(AP, Jan. 9, 2002) China is expected to have between 75 and 100 long-range nuclear missiles pointed at the United States by 2015, roughly quadruple the current number, according to a CIA report, titled "Foreign Missile Developments and the Ballistic Missile Threat Through 2015."

Beijing Signs Deal to Buy Two Russian Destroyers
(AP Press, Jan. 6, 2002) Moscow and Beijing have signed a contract for two destroyers for the Chinese navy. The destroyers, modern 956-EM vessels, will be built by the Severnaya Verf naval yards in St Petersburg, and are to be delivered by 2005.

China Mobilizes Anti-Terror Units
(CNN.com, Jan. 5, 2002) Anti-terrorist units in China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) have started a series of maneuvers in areas close to concentrations of ethnic minorities. Meanwhile the paramilitary People's Armed Police (PAP) has beefed up patrols in the Central Asian Xinjiang Autonomous Region.

Failed DF-31 Test
(Washington Times, Jan. 4, 2002) China's military carried out an unsuccessful launch test of a re-entry vehicle for its newest long-range missile, the Dong Feng-31, according to U.S. officials.

Why China Chooses Not to Build Aircraft Carrier?
(People’s Daily, Dec. 6, 2002) For financial reasons, for technological reasons or for political reasons? "It is chiefly because of political reasons that China chooses not to build aircraft carrier.”

Chinese Military Rallies Behind Jiang By Ching Cheong
(Straits Times, Dec. 6, 2002) China's military has mounted a campaign to convince its rank and file that President Jiang Zemin should remain in power.

China's Strategic Shift to Common Security By Phar Kim Beng
(Asia Times, Nov. 26, 2002) China does not want to precipitate a security dilemma that could lead to a costly arms race with its neighbors. Hence the term "common security".

China Reshuffle Brings in Military Young Blood By John Ruwitch
(Reuters, Nov. 21, 2002) A sweeping leadership reshuffle has injected new blood into China's top military body, which will spearhead a drive to professionalise and modernise the world's largest armed forces.

China's Military Can't Be Asia's No. 1 By Felix Soh
(Straits Times, Oct. 29, 2002) Smaller but more efficient, more flexible and more mobile. China's military will be all these and more as it undergoes a radical modernisation process. The US will maintain its position while Japan modernises its military and South-east Asia will buy new equipment.

China Reshaping Military to Toughen Its Muscle in the Region By Craig S. Smith
(New York Times, Oct. 16, 2002) A new generation of Chinese generals is fast reshaping China's bloated and outdated armed forces into a modern, integrated fighting force that is emerging as a regional power.

Chinese Navy Cruises Toward Modernisation By John Ruwitch
(Reuters, Oct. 1, 2002) Now, the People's Liberation Army is striving to live up to Zheng He's legacy, spending billions of dollars each year on new ships and weapons systems.

Beijing's Dreams of Naval Power By Gary Klintworth
(Taipei Times, Sep. 14, 2002) A strong navy will ensure that it is never again invaded from the sea. It will also prevent Taiwan's independence and safeguard China's claims to other islands and ocean territory in the East and South China Seas.

Beijing's Missile Controls: Less Than Meets the Eye By Thomas Woodrow
(Jamestown Foundation, Sep. 12, 2002) China's announcement in late August of a regime of export controls for missiles, missile-related items and technologies is a victory of sorts for U.S. diplomacy but likely will do little to stem continuing Chinese sales of such technologies.

Plain Sailing in the Taiwan Strait? By Willy Lam
(CNN.com, Aug. 21, 2002) The prospects for military conflict in the Taiwan Strait are slim for the foreseeable future. Yet the PLA's response to Taiwan President Chen Shui-bian's pro-independence statements earlier this month has been bone-chillingly disturbing.

Chinese-Box Approach to International Conflict By Qiao Liang and Wang Xiangsui
(Asia Times, July 31, 2002) Two officers in the People's Liberation Army renowned for a book on military strategy that foreshadowed September 11 explain the history behind China's complex foreign affairs philosophy - and reveal that China may not be mired in the past.

PLA on the Road to Modernized Military Training
(People’s Daily, July 26, 2002) To build up a platform for modernized military training, the Chinese People's Liberation Army has marched onto a road in seeking for quality and combat effectiveness from the advancement of science and technology.

China’s Military Might: A Question of Strategy By Stanley Chan
(Asia Times, July 24, 2002) Some have dismissed the latest Pentagon report on Beijing's military buildup as alarmist, pointing out that for all its size, China possesses a "hollow military". These critics assume that Chinese leaders would not dare to use force while the military balance is against them. This is a flawed and dangerous assumption.

The PLA, the Pentagon, and Politics By David Isenberg
(Asia Times, July 18, 2002) There are few new revelations in the report, whose real aim may be to bolster the already well-known attitudes toward China held by President George W Bush's conservative Republican administration.

China and the US: Parry and thrust By Ehsan Ahrari
(Asia Times, July 18, 2002) The Pentagon report tells the world what China is up to these days, and also signals to China that it remains significant for America's own military planners.

Report on the Military Power of the People's Republic of China
(U.S. Department of Defense, July 12, 2002) The annual report addresses (1) gaps in knowledge of China’s military power; (2) China’s grand strategy, security strategy, and military strategy; (3) developments in China’s military doctrine and force structure; (4) China’s relations with the former Soviet Union; and (5) the security situation in the Taiwan Strait

China Has Major Trouble With new Kilo Submarines By Brian Hsu
(Taipei Times, July 2, 2002) China is having big problems maintaining its Russian-built and supplied Kilo-class submarines, although it is planning to buy even more.

Army Shapes Jiang into 'Maoist' Cult Figure By Willy Lam
(CNN.com, June 6, 2002) The Chinese army is building a Maoist-style personality cult around President Jiang Zemin, an indication he may remain commander-in-chief for a few more years.

Jiang Zemin's Magnificent Seven By Ching Cheong
(Straits Times, June 4, 2002) The promotion of the generals is seen as an attempt by the Chinese President to retain chairmanship of top military body.

China Urged to Show Greater Military Transparency
(Straits Times, April 8, 2002) China must make its military thinking transparent if it wants to convince the Asia-Pacific region that it is a responsible great power. For a start, it should unveil its military plans in a convincing manner to the United States, Japan and other countries in the region, said Queensland University's Professor William Tow.

China Looks for New Weapons By Willy Wo-Lap Lam
(CNN.com, March 29, 2002) The Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) has launched a big propaganda exercise on the importance of modernizing its vast weapons stock. The campaign is believed to be the PLA's response to perceived threats from the United States.

China's Military Keeps on Modernizing By Ellis Joffe
(International Herald Tribune, March 15, 2002) The 17.6 percent increase in Chinese government spending on the military for 2002, announced last week, indicates that China's armed forces are not rushing to modernize. But neither are they seriously restrained, as in the past, by a tightfisted government.

China’s Carrier of Chance By Richard Fisher
(Jamestown Foundation, March 14, 2002) China's new ex-Soviet, ex-Ukrainian aircraft carrier is now in a Dalian navy shipyard. Could the partially completed Kuznetsov-class carrier Varyag become the first aircraft carrier of the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN)? Or will it instead be a Macao gambling casino? The odds are at least even.

Beijing Boosts Military Prowess By Willy Wo-Lap Lam
(CNN.com, March 12, 2002) A newly set-up military research unit says much about Beijing's determination to pursue defense modernization -- and the armed forces' growing clout. President Jiang Zemin had earlier this year approved the establishment of an inter-departmental organ to coordinate military research and development.

China Raises Defense Budget Again By John Pomfret
(Washington Post, March 5, 2002) The increase reflects Beijing's ambition to build a powerful military to complement its robust economy and underpin its strategic position in Asia. But the 2.5-million-member People's Liberation Army is struggling with its modernization program, handicapped by low pay, poor morale and difficulty absorbing new weapons.

Arms: Buying Some Major Muscle By David Lague
(Far Eastern Economic Review, Jan. 24, 2002) The People's Liberation Army is shopping for foreign arms and the latest military technology with a vengeance. Costing tens of billions of dollars a year, this drive will change the face of its forces at war and is unsettling some foreign governments.

Admiral Blair: N. Korea, China Retain "Threat of Force"
(Washington File, Jan. 15, 2002) North Korea and China maintain the ability to threaten or lash out suddenly against two of Asia's democracies -- the Republic of Korea and Taiwan, according to Admiral Dennis Blair, Commander-in-Chief of the U.S. Pacific Command.