Patterns in China's Use of Force
Subtitle: Evidence from History and Doctrinal Writings
Publisher: RAND Corporation
Published: February 25, 2000
Language: eng
Format: Paperback
Number of pages: 106
ISBN-13: 9780833028044
Subjects: International relations; Theory of warfare & military science; Technology; Military relations; History, Military; Politics / Current Events; Strategy; Science/Mathematics; China; Political Freedom & Security - International Secur; International Relations - General; Military Science; Political Science / General; Defenses; 1949-
First sentence: This report examines the particular characteristics that a future Chinese use of force might exhibit.
Description: The People's Republic of China has often used force in ways that surprised and perplexed other countries. The Chinese appear to believe that, by carefully designing military operations to achieve maximum political effect, they can successfully use force even when the overall military balance is unfavorable. China's past successes in using force in this way while avoiding a massive reaction from its adversaries may give it confidence that it can succeed in the future as well. And China may feel that it can afford to accept greater risks. Many of the past uses of force occurred when China either was not a nuclear power or did not have a secure nuclear second-strike capability. The possession of strategic nuclear weapons may enable the Chinese leadership to run risks that it otherwise could not. This is tempered however, by the facts that China ran its past risks when it had some degree of support from one superpower against the other and that, after decades of economic development, China now has more to lose if it underestimates the risks.