China Military

Frustrated by the Qing court's resistance to reform, young officials, military officers, and students--inspired by the revolutionary ideas of Sun Yat-sen–began to advocate the overthrow of the Qing dynasty and creation of a republic. A revolutionary military uprising on October 10, 1911, led to the abdication of the last Qing monarch. As part of a compromise to overthrow the dynasty without a civil war, the revolutionaries and reformers allowed high Qing officials to retain prominent positions in the new republic. One of these figures, Gen. Yuan Shikai, was chosen as the republic's first president. Before his death in 1916, Yuan unsuccessfully attempted to name himself emperor. His death left the republican government all but shattered, ushering in the era of the "warlords" during which China was ruled and ravaged by shifting coalitions of competing provincial military leaders. ... [Read More]

Security - US Department of State
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U.S. Official Defends Export Controls on Dual-Use Items for China - US Department of State

From a security standpoint, the U.S. government remains concerned about China's modernization of its conventional military forces and the risk of diversion of sensitive dual-use items and technology to Chinese military programs.  For example, building state-of-the-art semiconductor plants could increase China's ability to apply this technology and equipment in military programs.  Advanced telecommunications equipment -- if illegally diverted to military end-users -- could provide the Chinese missile, nuclear weapons and other military programs with the means to enhance performance capabilities in military radar applications.  China has also had limited success in the areas of building and enforcing their export control system and effectively meeting U.S. nonproliferation objectives.  The U.S. government has imposed sanctions on a number of Chinese entities that have exported sensitive items to countries of concern. ... [Read More]

Department of State Washington File: Text: Senator Kyl March 30 Remarks on China's Military Policy

We should also be concerned with China's desire to project power in other parts of the Far East. According to a recent Washington Post article, China announced that it will increase its defense spending this year by 17.7 percent--its biggest increase in the last 20 years. China's publicly-acknowledged defense budget of over $17 billion for next year is higher than the defense budgets of neighboring countries like India, Taiwan, and South Korea. Most analysts estimate China's real spending on defense is at least three times as great as the publicly disclosed figure. For example, according to the Secretary of Defense's January 2001 report, Proliferation: Threat and Response, China's military funding levels are expected to average between $44 and $70 billion annually between 2000 and 2004. Chinese Finance Minister Xiang Huaicheng, in a speech to China's National People's Congress, stated that the increase would go, in part "... to meet the drastic changes in the military situation around ... [Read More]

The United States and China Archive - US Department of State
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Department of State Washington File: Text: Under Secretary Slocombe on U.S.-China Military Talks

In the DCT we agreed upon a proposed plan for military to military exchanges for the coming year, subject to approval by our respective defense ministers. Under the proposals to be submitted -- in our case to the new administration -- next year's package of military exchanges would include high level military and professional visits, confidence building measures, and participation in multinational events. These activities will be conducted over the next year and are consistent with recent congressional legislation. ... [Read More]

Department of State Washington File: Text: Defense Official Says China Transforming Its Military Establishment

Acquiring modern ISR systems remains critical to Beijing's military modernization program and supports the PLA's local wars doctrine. Ongoing space-based systems with potential military applications include two new remote-sensing satellites; advanced imagery, reconnaissance, and Earth resource systems with military applications; and electronic intelligence (ELINT) or signals intelligence (SIGINT) reconnaissance satellites. ...

The changes are intended to "develop capabilities to fight and win short-duration, high-intensity conflicts along [China's] periphery," Lawless said, with particular emphasis on "credible military options to deter moves by Taiwan toward permanent separation or, if required, to compel by force the integration of Taiwan under mainland authority." Of equal importance, he added, the PLA is strengthening its capacity to "deter, delay, or disrupt third-party intervention in a cross-Strait military crisis." ... [Read More]

Department of State Washington File: U.S. Monitoring China's Military Improvements, Rumsfeld Says

At that hearing, Goss warned: "Beijing's military modernization and military build-up [are] tilting the balance of power in the Taiwan Strait. Improved Chinese capabilities ... threaten U.S. forces in the region."  Goss also noted that in 2004 China increased its ballistic-missile forces deployed across from Taiwan and rolled out several new submarines. ...

At a February 17 hearing of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Rumsfeld addressed questions about China's military modernization -- most especially of its navy -- revolving around comments made by CIA Director Porter Goss at a February 16 hearing before the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. ... [Read More]

Department of State Washington File: Text: Think-Tank Report on China's Foreign Military Relations

The most effective way to ascertain China's military and defense policies is to have face-to-face contact at multiple levels with Chinese military personnel over a long period of time. Therefore, the United States would be wise to engage fully in a measured, long-term military-to-military exchange program with China in ways that do not help the PLA improve its warfighting capabilities. It is advisable for the United States military to continue to conduct regular high-level strategic dialogue through the annual Defense Consultative Talks, which were initiated in December 1997. The exchange of functional-level delegations should be approved on a case-by-case basis with clear short and long-term goals in mind. It is also advisable for the United States to continue to work on confidence-building measures with the PLA, building on successes like the Military Maritime Consultation Agreement that was signed in January 1998. ... [Read More]