Description
China's military has entered a new era. It has acquired modern weapons to rival the world's finest, undergone a major restructuring under Xi Jinping, and been on the frontlines of territorial disputes with Japan, India, Vietnam, and the Philippines. It is readying forces to be able to seize Taiwan sometime in the next decade. International concerns about China's intentions have been piqued by Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine-many are now asking 'will Taiwan be next?' Yet the People's Liberation Army's ambitions are even greater. It aims to be a "world-class" military on par with the United States.
China's Quest for Military Supremacy provides a broad and accessible exploration of Chinese military power, including relations between the Chinese Communist Party and its army, the strategic worldview of Chinese leaders, military strategy and resourcing, force structure and modernization across all the domains, military diplomacy and coercive activities, preparations for war, and the emerging global role for the People's Liberation Army. It also identifies constraints on China's military progress from tensions between the party and the army to limited expertise in modern ("joint") operations, alongside maneuvering by the United States and others to deter Chinese aggression. Moreover, China's focus on military supremacy regionally means that it currently lacks the capabilities and infrastructure needed to operate with the same lethality beyond Asia. Different futures are possible, and the book concludes with a preview of what it might take for a truly "world-class" Chinese military to take the global stage.
About the Author
Dr. Joel Wuthnow is a senior research fellow in the Institute for National Strategic Studies at the U.S. National Defense University. He also serves as an adjunct professor in the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University. His research focuses on Chinese foreign and security affairs, the People's Liberation Army, and strategic developments in East Asia. His recent books include Crossing the Strait: China's Military Prepares for War with Taiwan (2022), Gray Dragons: Assessing China's Senior Military Leadership (2022), and The PLA Beyond Borders: Chinese Military Operations in Regional and Global Context (2021). Prior to joining NDU, Dr. Wuthnow was a China analyst at the Center for Naval Analyses and a postdoctoral fellow at Princeton University. He holds a Ph.D. in political science from Columbia University, an M.Phil. in Modern Chinese Studies from Oxford University, and an A.B. in public and international affairs from Princeton University.
Dr. Phillip C. Saunders is director of the Center for the Study of Chinese Military Affairs at the U.S. National Defense University's Institute for National Strategic Studies. He also serves as an adjunct instructor at the School for Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University. Dr. Saunders is co-author with David Gompert of The Paradox of Power: Sino-American Strategic Restraint in an Era of Vulnerability (2011) and has edited or co-edited nine books on Asian security issues. Prior to joining NDU, Dr. Saunders directed the East Asia Nonproliferation Program at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey and served as an officer in the United States Air Force. He holds an A.B in history from Harvard College and a M.P.A. and Ph.D. in public and international affairs from Princeton University.
Reviews
"An excellent primer on the Chinese People's Liberation Army and a must read for those trying to understand the Chinese military."
Bonny Lin, Center for Strategic & International Studies
Book Information
ISBN 9781509556946
Author Joel Wuthnow
Format Paperback
Page Count 288
Imprint Polity Press
Publisher John Wiley and Sons Ltd
China's Quest for Military Supremacy provides a broad and accessible exploration of Chinese military power, including relations between the Chinese Communist Party and its army, the strategic worldview of Chinese leaders, military strategy and resourcing, force structure and modernization across all the domains, military diplomacy and coercive activities, preparations for war, and the emerging global role for the People's Liberation Army. It also identifies constraints on China's military progress from tensions between the party and the army to limited expertise in modern ("joint") operations, alongside maneuvering by the United States and others to deter Chinese aggression. Moreover, China's focus on military supremacy regionally means that it currently lacks the capabilities and infrastructure needed to operate with the same lethality beyond Asia. Different futures are possible, and the book concludes with a preview of what it might take for a truly "world-class" Chinese military to take the global stage.
About the Author
Dr. Joel Wuthnow is a senior research fellow in the Institute for National Strategic Studies at the U.S. National Defense University. He also serves as an adjunct professor in the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University. His research focuses on Chinese foreign and security affairs, the People's Liberation Army, and strategic developments in East Asia. His recent books include Crossing the Strait: China's Military Prepares for War with Taiwan (2022), Gray Dragons: Assessing China's Senior Military Leadership (2022), and The PLA Beyond Borders: Chinese Military Operations in Regional and Global Context (2021). Prior to joining NDU, Dr. Wuthnow was a China analyst at the Center for Naval Analyses and a postdoctoral fellow at Princeton University. He holds a Ph.D. in political science from Columbia University, an M.Phil. in Modern Chinese Studies from Oxford University, and an A.B. in public and international affairs from Princeton University.
Dr. Phillip C. Saunders is director of the Center for the Study of Chinese Military Affairs at the U.S. National Defense University's Institute for National Strategic Studies. He also serves as an adjunct instructor at the School for Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University. Dr. Saunders is co-author with David Gompert of The Paradox of Power: Sino-American Strategic Restraint in an Era of Vulnerability (2011) and has edited or co-edited nine books on Asian security issues. Prior to joining NDU, Dr. Saunders directed the East Asia Nonproliferation Program at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey and served as an officer in the United States Air Force. He holds an A.B in history from Harvard College and a M.P.A. and Ph.D. in public and international affairs from Princeton University.
Reviews
"An excellent primer on the Chinese People's Liberation Army and a must read for those trying to understand the Chinese military."
Bonny Lin, Center for Strategic & International Studies
Book Information
ISBN 9781509556946
Author Joel Wuthnow
Format Paperback
Page Count 288
Imprint Polity Press
Publisher John Wiley and Sons Ltd
