People’s Liberation Army 2009
~ 2000 ; 2001 ; 2002 ; 2003 ; 2004 ; 2005; 2006 ; 2007 ; 2008; Current
Gulf
of Aden and China’s Blue Water Navy
Documents
Military Power of
the People’s Republic of China 2009
White Paper:
China’s National Defense in 2008
(Information Office of the State Council of the
People’s Republic of China, Jan. 21, 2009) China is still confronted with
long-term, complicated, and diverse security threats and challenges. Issues
of existence security and development security, traditional security threats
and non-traditional security threats, and domestic security and international
security are interwoven and interactive.
[ News ] [ Papers ]
Peru in Process of Buying
Tanks from China for Military
(Dow Jones, Dec. 9, 2009) Peru is in the process of buying tanks from China
for its armed forces, government officials said.
Taiwan Says China Starts
Building First Aircraft Carrier
(AFP, Nov. 4, 2009) Taiwan
said that its giant neighbour China has started building its
first aircraft carrier, a move analysts have said could raise military
tensions in the region.
China’s Military Making Strides
in Space: US General
(AFP, Nov. 4, 2009) China's military has made
dramatic progress in space over the past decade and the goals of its program
remain unclear, a top American general said.
US Admiral Concerned about
China Military Buildup
(AP, Oct. 30, 2009) A U.S. Navy admiral expressed
new concern over China's
military buildup and urged Beijing
to be clearer about its intentions.
U.S. Calls for Lasting
Military Dialogue with China
(Reuters, Oct. 27, 2009) Defense Secretary Robert
Gates called for lasting dialogue with China's military after years of
"on-again, off-again" talks as he welcomed a top Chinese general to
the Pentagon.
Chinese Military Backs
Closer U.S. Ties
(Reuters, Oct. 26, 2009) China's military sought
to assure the United States that its arms buildup was not a threat and said
Beijing wanted to expand cooperation with the Pentagon to reduce the risk of
future conflicts.
PRC Using Cyber Expertise to
Gather US Intelligence
(AP, Oct. 24, 2009) China
is building its cyberwarfare capabilities and
appears to be using the growing technical abilities to collect US
intelligence through a computer attack campaign, according to an independent
report.
Growing Chinese Military
Creates Uncertainty: U.S
(Reuters, Oct. 21, 2009) The U.S. military needs
better dialogue with China to avoid "mistakes and miscalculations"
given an unprecedented military expansion stoking uncertainty in the region,
top U.S. defense officials said.
PLA Analysis Must Go Beyond Numbers
(Taipei Times, Oct. 5, 2009) A Heritage
Foundation fellow says the military systems not on display during Beijing’s Oct. 1 parade
are more important that those that were.
China Trains Afghans and
Iraqis in Mine Clearing
(New York Times, Sep. 16, 2009) The Chinese
military said that it had begun training 40 officers from Iraq and Afghanistan to clear and defuse
land mines.
China’s Secretive Military
Launches Web Site
(AP, Aug. 19, 2009) China's Defense Ministry launched
its first official Web site Thursday, part of an effort by the normally
secretive military to be more transparent.
China’s Military Launches
Long-rang War Games
(AP, Aug. 11, 2009) China's military launched war
games Tuesday aimed at deploying forces at long distances, reflecting moves
to ensure security in the restive western regions of Tibet and Xinjiang.
China’s Military Celebrate
82nd Anniversary
(AFP, Aug. 1, 2009) China marked the 82nd anniversary
of the People's Liberation Army with a call to the force once led by
revolutionary Mao Zedong to play a lead role in maintaining social stability.
China’s Military Cautiously
Tries Out New Openness
(Reuters, Jul. 28, 2009) The People's Liberation
Army's new mantra of transparency and public diplomacy is partly meant to
reassure outsiders about China's rising military strength.
China to Stage 50000-Troop
Military Drill: Report
(Reuters, May 5, 2009) China's People's
Liberation Army will hold a big training drill later this year to hone the
modernizing force's skills in complex, high-tech warfare, the official Xinhua
news agency reported.
U.S. Says Chinese Fishing
Vessels Confront Navy Ship
(Reuters, May 5, 2009) Two Chinese fishing
vessels confronted a U.S. Navy surveillance ship in the Yellow
Sea, Pentagon officials said.
China Military Build-up
Seems U.S.-Focused: Mullen
(Reuters, May 4, 2009) China's
build-up of sea and air military power funded by a strong economy appears
aimed at the United States,
the chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff said.
China Shows off Its
Expanding, Modernizing Navy
(Reuters, Apr. 23, 2009) China
celebrated its military confidence at sea, when anniversary celebrations for
the founding of its navy climaxed with a show of the warships and submarines
projecting its spreading power.
China’s Navy to Build New
Ships, Planes
(AP, Apr. 16, 2009) China's navy will move faster
to build large combat warships, next-generation aircraft and sophisticated
torpedoes in a modernizing overhaul for fighting in an era of information
technology, its commander in chief said.
China Launches 2nd Satellite
in GPS System
(AP, Apr. 14, 2009) China
fired into orbit its second satellite in a program to build an alternative to
the global positioning system based on U.S. satellites.
China Says Domestic
Armaments Are World-Class
(AP, Apr. 13, 2009) A government-backed science
group says many of China's homemade weapons systems are world-class,
reflecting the defense industry's new confidence and underscoring its
ambitions of becoming a major arms exporter.
China Criticizes New US
Report on Its Military
(AP, Mar. 26, 2009) China
slammed a newly released U.S.
report on Beijing's
growing military power as a "gross distortion," saying Thursday
that it could damage military relations between the two countries.
China Confirms It Will Build
Aircraft Carrier: State Press
(AFP, Mar. 24, 2009) China will develop an aircraft
carrier in line with its status as a major global power, state press reported
National Defense Minister Liang Guanglie as saying.
China Military Trains First
Public Relations Team
(AP, Mar. 20, 2009) China's military is training
propaganda teams for the first time to explain its actions to the outside
world, as the force engages more with other countries' militaries and deploys
its ships and personnel abroad.
China Must Build Aircraft
Carrier ‘Soon’ Military Says
(Telegraph, Mar. 6, 2009) China must build an aircraft
carrier "soon" if it wants to be taken seriously as a global
superpower, a Chinese military official has said.
China Says to Boost Defense
Spending in 2009
(AP, Mar. 3, 2009) China announced plans to boost
military spending by 14.9 percent this year, but noted that much of it was
for salaries and said there was no need for other countries to be fearful.
China Increases Missiles
Pointed at Taiwan to 1,500
(Reuters, Feb. 15, 2009) China has increased the
number of short-range missiles aimed at Taiwan to about 1,500, officials and
experts said, a sign of continued distrust between the two sides despite a
recent warming of ties.
China Increases Submarine
Patrols—Report
(AFP, Feb. 3, 2009) China nearly doubled the
number of patrols by its fleet of attack submarines last year, surpassing
Russia but still far behind the United States, the Federation of American
Scientists reported.
Chinese Naval Force Protects
Taiwanese Ship from Somalia Pirates (Bloomberg, Jan. 13, 2009) A Chinese naval task force began
escorting a Taiwanese merchant ship and three other vessels in the Gulf of
Aden in a mission to protect them from Somali pirates.
China’s Rising Profile in
International Arms Sales By Stephen Blank
(China Brief, Jamestown Foundation, Dec. 16,
2009) The year 2009 will likely be remembered as the beginning of a more
assertive phase in Chinese foreign policy, including the inroads it is making
in the global arms markets.
China Showcasing Its Softer
Side By Andrew Higgins
(Washington
Post, Dec. 2, 2009) China's enthusiasm for peacekeeping signals a clear
desire to project an image as a responsible and peaceable great power.
China Proves to Be an
Aggressive Foe in Cyberspace By Ellen Nakashima and John Pomfret (Washington
Post, Nov. 11, 2009) China is significantly boosting its capabilities in
cyberspace as a way to gather intelligence and, in the event of war, hit the
U.S. government in a weak spot, U.S. officials and experts say.
China Air Force Much
Improved Though Still Lagging
By Christopher Bodeen (AP, Nov. 5, 2009) China's air force is largely considered
superior to Taiwan's in
both quantity and quality; yet planning for any conflict over Taiwan would have to factor in the possibility
of intervention by the U.S.
PLA Exercises March Toward
Trans-Regional Joint Training
By Dennis J. Blasko (China Brief,
Jamestown Foundation, Nov.4, 2009) Perhaps the most obvious conclusion to be
drawn from the pace and scope of PLA training in 2009 is that these exercises
are much more costly and complex than the exercise seasons of the mid-1990s.
Here Be Dragons By
Robert S. Ross and Aaron L. Friedberg
(The National Interests, No. 103, Sept/Oct 2009)
Does Beijing really harbor fantasies of world domination? Ross argues that America’s innovation and alliance structure
will halt China’s
advance. Friedberg believes that
Washington
lags dangerously behind in this twenty-first-century arms race. Is this the
prelude to World War III?
Watching Beijing’s Air Power
Grow By Michael Forsythe
(IHT, Oct. 21, 2009) China’s leaders have talked for
five decades about acquiring what they call “aircraft mother ships.” The
world’s fastest-growing major economy is preparing to send a carrier to sea
within a few years.
China Air, Naval Boost Risks
Raising Tension By Benjamin Kang Lim and Lucy Hornby (Reuters, Sep. 30, 2009) China plans to cut back its army and
boost the navy and air force, sources with ties to the People's Liberation
Army said, extending its military reach and risking greater regional
tensions.
China’s Gala Show of
Strength By Steven Mufson
(Washington Post, Oct. 1, 2009) China's military brought its latest weaponry
to the National Day parade through Tiananmen Square.
Deng’s Old Ghost Must Be
Smiling By James R. Holmes
(Taipei Times,
Sep. 30, 2009) Beijing
enjoys a home-field advantage over an overextended, resource-strapped US
Navy. The military balance will favor China
in the Western Pacific unless Washington
proves willing to concentrate the fleet there.
China Says Military Arsenal
Comparable with West By Christopher Bodeen (AP, Sep. 21, 2009)
China's military now possesses most of the sophisticated weapon systems found
in the arsenals of developed Western nations, the country's defense minister
said.
China Military Spotlighted
in National Day Parade By Christopher Bodeen (AP, Sep. 13, 2009) China's biggest military parade in a decade
will deliver a potent message to the U.S.
and others not to underestimate Beijing's
determination to defend its interests at home and abroad.
Beijing Rehearsal Shows off New Missiles By
Wendell Minnick
(DefenseNews, Sep. 8,
2009) Photos of the Sept. 6 rehearsal parade for the 60th anniversary of the
Oct. 1 founding of the People's Republic of China
are generating excitement among China watchers.
People’s Army Not Standing
Still By Randy Schriver (Washington
Times, Aug. 12, 2009) China
has already reached a position of influence in our world that demands a more
sophisticated understanding of both the challenges and opportunities being
presented by an evolving defense institution.
Hu Boosts Military
Modernization at PLA Anniversary By
Willy Lam
(China Brief, Jamestown Foundation, Aug. 5, 2009)
The CCP leadership’s less-than-stringent control over the top brass could
engender concern particularly among China’s neighbors that hawkish elements
within the defense establishment could prod the nation into adopting an
aggressive foreign policy.
Chinese ASBM Development:
Knowns and Unknowns By Andrew S. Erickson (China Brief, Jamestown Foundation, Jun. 24, 2009) There have been
many Western reports that China is developing an anti-ship ballistic missile
(ASBM) based on its CSS-5/DF-21D solid propellant medium-range ballistic
missile.
China’s SSBN Forces:
Transitioning to the Next Generation By
Andrew S. Erickson and Michael S. Chase(China Brief, Jamestown Foundation, Jun. 12, 2009) China’s undersea
deterrent is undergoing a generational change with the emergence of the
Jin-class, which represents a substantial improvement over China’s
first-generation Xia-class nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine.
China’s Contribution to UN
Peacekeeping Grows By Nathan King
(VOA, May 30, 2009) China, a country that once
criticized UN peacekeeping operations as interference with national
sovereignty, is now a major troop contributor.
China Rejects US Criticism
Over Military Strength By Tini Tran
(AP, May 6, 2009) China
blamed the United States
for the latest naval confrontation between the countries, after rejecting
criticism by Washington that Beijing's rising military
strength is focused on countering U.S power.
Chinese Carriers--Let Them
Have Them By Tetsuo Kotani
(Asia Times, May 6, 2009) The day when China
possesses carriers may not be far off. Although the international community
shouldn't overreact, it is necessary to watch developments and respond.
Military Parades Demonstrate
Chinese Concept of Deterrence By Dennis J. Blasko (China Brief, Jamestown
Foundation, Apr. 16, 2009) Unspoken by Beijing during the build up to this naval parade is the parade’s contribution to China’s military strategy. The
role of military reviews and foreign visits is openly identified in PLA
doctrine as an important component of China’s strategic deterrence
posture.
China General Tells Troops
Party Trumps State
(Reuters, Apr. 1, 2009) China's military must be
loyal first and foremost to the ruling Communist Party rather than the state,
a senior general wrote in a piece published in Party journal Seeking Truth,
stressing politics even as the armed forces seek to modernize.
US Cries Chinese Wolf By
David Isenberg
(Asia Times, Mar. 31, 2009) As a description of
the ongoing development of China's
military forces it is a reasonably informative document. But if it was
supposed to be an alarm about the threat posed by Chinese military forces it
failed badly.
China Accused Over Global Computer
Spy Ring By Dan Glaister
(Guardian, Mar. 30, 2009) An enormous electronic
espionage program run from servers in China has been used to spy on computers
in more than 100 countries, according to two reports published at the
weekend.
China’s Defense Tab Sharply
Up, U.S. Says By Ann Scott Tyson
(Washington
Post, Mar. 26, 2009) China's defense spending is far outpacing that of other nations
in its region, and its aggressive development of ballistic and cruise
missiles and attack submarines threatens to upset the balance of power in
Asia and beyond, according to a Pentagon report released.
U.S. Sees Chinese Military
Rise, and a Need for More Contact By
Thom Shanker (New
York Times, Mar. 26, 2009) China is seeking technology and weapons to disrupt
the traditional advantages of American forces, and secrecy surrounding its
military creates the potential for miscalculation on both sides, according to
a Pentagon study released.
China’s Military After Taiwan By
Ellis Joffe
(Far Eastern Economic Review, Mar. 18, 2009) The Taiwan crisis of 1995/96 convinced the Chinese that the U.S. would
intervene if they attacked Taiwan and confronted them with a new and urgent
strategic threat that became the impetus for a major force buildup and a
focus for its direction.
The Future of Chinese
Deterrence Strategy By Michael S. Chase, Andrew
Erickson, and Christopher Yeaw (China Brief, Jamestown Foundation, Mar. 4, 2009) China is
moving toward a much more survivable and thus more credible, strategic
nuclear posture with the development of the road-mobile DF-31 and DF-31A ICBMs and the JL-2 SLBM.
Asia: Target of PRC’s
Carrier Plan By James Holmes
(Taipei Times, Feb. 10, 2009) Beijing likely intends its flattops not for
a cataclysmic sea fight against the US Navy, but to coerce or deter lesser
Asian powers, safeguard merchant shipping in vital sea areas and uphold
maritime claims others find objectionable.
China’s 2008 Defense White
Paper: The View from Taiwan By Cheng-yi Lin (China Brief, Jamestown Foundation, Feb. 5, 2009) The
White Paper explicitly said that China’s military capabilities will continue
to grow even as the Taiwan issue thaws, verifying that a Chinese national
security strategy looking beyond Taiwan is taking shape.
Backgrounder: China’s
Military Power By Jayshree Bajoria
(New York Times, Feb. 5, 2009) Looking
decades ahead, U.S. military planners clearly see the potential for China to
develop as a "peer competitor."
China Spreads Its
Peacekeepers By Bates Gill and Chin-Hao Huang
(Asia Times, Feb. 4, 2009) The Chinese People's
Liberation Army (PLA) has increased its participation in a broadening array
of multilateral security arrangements in recent years.
China Fears Containment As
Defense Spending Rises By Ben Balnchard (Reuters, Jan. 19,
2009) China
fears containment abroad and separatist groups at home, a defense policy
paper said, justifying a drive to increase military spending and push the
People's Liberation Army into a high-tech era.
China’s Modern Muscle on
Parade By Antoaneta Bezlova
(Inter Press Service, Jan. 24, 2009) For a
country which strives to reassure its neighbors about the peaceful intentions
of its global ascendance, the celebrations for modern China's
founding provide the ideal legitimate platform to showcase its expanding
military strength.
New Advances in PLA
Battlefield Aerospace and ISR By Martin Andrew (China Brief, Jamestown Foundation,
Jan. 22, 2009) A profound transformation is taking place in Chinese
battlefield aerospace, the PLA’s informationalized battlefield program is assisting its
armed forces in attaining information domination on the battlefield.
China’s Military Awaits New
Satellites By Peter J. Brown
(Asia Times, Jan. 22, 2009) China wants to become the next
big player in Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) technology. China
will complete its new Beidou 2 or
"Compass" GNSS consisting of 30 more satellites before 2015.
Masked Motives in China’s
Anti-Piracy Push By Bright B. Simons
(Asia Times, Jan. 15, 2009) A new lens is being
trained on China's actions, one that is preset to reveal previously
under-highlighted links to, above all, America's late but conclusive movement
to the view of the Horn of Africa as a geostrategic shelf of the
post-September 11, 2001, world.
Anti-Piracy Patrols Presage
Rising Naval Powers By Brian Wilson and James Kraska (YaleGlobal, Jan. 14, 2009) The nations
of China and India, and the member states of the EU, now join traditional
maritime powers as naval forces with worldwide reach. Whether this expansion
of blue water capability will be a positive force largely depends on the
ability of this diverse group to coordinate and share the increasingly
crowded littorals.
China Flaunts Growing Naval
Capabilities By Willy Lam
(China Brief, Jamestown Foundation, Jan. 12,
2009) The year 2009 is set to become a watershed in the People’s Liberation
Army’s (PLA) development into a force capable of long-distance, multi-pronged
power projection.
China’s Gulf of Aden
Expedition and Maritime Cooperation in East Asia By
Mingjiang Li (China Brief,
Jamestown Foundation, Jan. 12, 2009) The Gulf of Aden is a much less sensitive
region for China
and thus serves as a perfect testing ground for the Chinese Navy. It is
still premature to expect China
to strive for any leadership role in maritime affairs closer to home.
The New Game in India Waters By
James Holmes
(Taipei Times, Jan. 12, 2009) Uneven responses to
seaborne threats have shown that the sea services have some way to go to
become an effective arm of Indian foreign policy. This open up opportunities
for China to position
itself as a custodian of maritime security in South Asia.
China Making Leaps in Space By
Peter J. Brown
(Asia Times, Jan. 9, 2009) China ended 2008 with 11
successful launches, and set a new record for launches in a single year. China
intends to set another new record this year.
China Starts Buying South
African Arms By Andrei Chang
(UPI, Jan. 8, 2009) China has had a number of
dealings with South African weapons manufacturers over the past decade, most
of which have not resulted in actual weapons purchases. However, several
recent Chinese-made military technologies bear suspicious resemblances to
their South African counterparts.
China at Sea By
Hugo Restall
(Wall Street Journal Asia, Jan. 6, 2009) Comments
by China's national defense spokesman last month make it about as official as
it's going to get: China's navy is in the market for an aircraft carrier.
This is a sign that Beijing sees its ultimate
prize within grasp: emergence as East Asia's
preeminent great power.
China Sails into New World
Order By Frank Ching
(Globe and Mail, Jan. 6, 2009) This week, three
Chinese vessels join an international task force operating in the Gulf of
Aden to protect shipping from attacks by Somali pirates, marking the first
time since the 15th century that Chinese warships have sailed so far from
home.
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