Commentary / World Sep 6, 2017
China's troublesome civil-military relations
by Brahma Chellaney
President Xi Jinping is still struggling to assert full civil control over China's politically ascendant military.
Asia Pacific Jul 12, 2017
China sends military personnel to Djibouti to man its first overseas base
Ships carrying Chinese military personnel for Beijing's first overseas military base, in Djibouti in the Horn of Africa, have left China to begin setting up the facility as China's rapidly modernizing military hones its global reach. Djibouti's position on the northwestern edge of the Indian ...
Editorials Mar 8, 2016
China's sweeping military reform
Given the huge size of its armed forces and military spending, China needs to be transparent about its defense policy.
Asia Pacific Sep 22, 2015
Chinese military: Beijing may find troop cut quest an 'assault on fortified positions'
Bitterness is growing within China's armed forces to President Xi Jinping's decision to cut troop numbers by 300,000 and considerable effort will be needed to overcome opposition to the order, according to a source and commentaries in the military's newspaper. Xi made the unexpected announcement ...
Commentary / Japan Sep 16, 2015
China won't win friends by flexing its muscles
by Frank Ching
While China has trumpeted its desire for peace, its Sept. 3 display of military prowess is bound to spur concerns in other capitals.
Editorials Sep 7, 2015
A parade for China and the world
The message China sent on Sept. 3 was clear: It is a formidable adversary whose interests and concerns cannot be ignored.
Asia Pacific Sep 1, 2015
Xi seen plotting major China forces overhaul focused on U.S.-style command, offshore projection
President Xi Jinping will as soon as this month announce the most sweeping overhaul of the Chinese military in at least three decades, moving it closer to a U.S.-style joint command structure, sources said. The blueprint would unify the army, navy, air force and strategic ...
Commentary / World Aug 17, 2015
The Soviet Union's lessons for China's purges
by Minxin Pei
To achieve his goal of consolidating Communist Party rule in China, President Xi Jinping needs to secure the PLA's unimpeachable loyalty — and that requires the purge of unreliable or corrupt officers.
Asia Pacific Mar 20, 2015
In quest to improve PLA, Xi evokes Japan's victory over navy in 1894
In the "century of humiliation" that President Xi Jinping often evokes for his goal of turning China into a great power, one particular episode resonates: The defeat of China's navy by Japan in 1894. The Battle of Yalu in the Yellow Sea was a mortifying ...
Commentary / World Sep 9, 2014
China's PLA is getting more bang for the buck
by Noah Smith
The U.S. on paper may outspend all its rivals to ensure "military dominance," but China and Russia, for example, get more bang for the buck with lower salaries and fewer benefits for their soldiers and, in many cases, would pay much less to ...
World Feb 25, 2014
China accused of using water cannon on Filipinos
Filipino fishermen have reported that a Chinese coast guard vessel used a water cannon to drive them away from a disputed shoal, the Philippine military chief said Monday, adding that his forces seek to avoid trouble but would respond if any country involved in ...
Commentary / World May 6, 2013
Beware China's civilian-military relationship
by Masahiro Matsumura
Do China's rulers have full civilian control of their country's military? The U.S. and Japan should ask that question as Beijing hardens its stance on its maritime claims.