Andrew S. Erickson

I stand by my blurb most enthusiastically: “Uncertainty and limited data have left too much of PLA studies an artisanal hodgepodge. Peter Mattis helps bring the field into the information age with this invaluable resource. Required reading for all serious analysts of China security and students of qualitative methodology.”

Peter Mattis, Analyzing the Chinese Military: A Review Essay and Resource Guide on the People’s Liberation Army (Charleston, SC: Create Space, 2015).

The primary purpose of the book is to serve as a primer for researching and writing about Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA). The main body reviews 16 books and reports, primarily focusing on how good analysis is done and introducing ideas familiar to most China scholars such as authority in sourcing. It examines recent books on the PLA to help the generalist or student become familiar with existing evaluations and identify best practices for assessing Chinese military affairs. Mattis also provides ten appendixes of bibliographic references to help students and newcomers to the Chinese security field find reliable analysis and sources as well as basic background reading that they might find useful. These include an extensive bibliography on PLA and Chinese security affairs as well as short guides on where to find regular PLA-related analysis, what Chinese-language sources to acquire, and whose analysis to follow. The structure is deliberately designed to help readers build a solid foundation for understanding the PLA and develop a progressively more sophisticated perspective. Many of these things may be well-known among China analysts; however, only a few places have such observers been explicit about how they assess China and the Chinese military, making it difficult for newcomers to figure out they should approach these subjects.

Table of Contents

[1] Introduction

[7] Building Blocks for Analyzing the PLA and Chinese Sources

[22] The Annual PLA Conference

[37] Chinese Security Conferences for the Advanced Reader

[47] The PLA’s Industrial Backbone

[57] Propaganda and Political Warfare

[64] Strategic Asia and the China Challenge

[72] Conclusion and Takeaways

[79] Appendix 1: Sources for China-Related Analysis

[83] Appendix 2: Understanding China

[85] Appendix 3: Analyzing Foreign Militaries

[86] Appendix 4: Key Concepts and Phrases

[92] Appendix 5: The PLA Watchers

[96] Appendix 6: Select PLA and Chinese Security Bibliography

[118] Appendix 7: The 1990s Revolution in the PLA

[119] Appendix 8: The PLA and the Party

[120] Appendix 9: Chinese Government Documents

[123] Appendix 10: Core Chinese-Language Readings

[126] Appendix 11: Works Reviewed (In Order) 

[128] Index

[141] Acknowledgements

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Advance Praise for Analyzing the Chinese Military:

“This monograph is a unique scholarly endeavor systematically decoding the recent analysis of PLA experts in the United States. His main contribution is providing us with a direction to answer the question of ‘how do we know what we know about the PLA?’ This is a timely review for experts on the Chinese military to take a good look at the road traveled and refocus on issues that have long been ignored. It is worth reading; a fine piece of work.”

          — Andrew Nien-Dzu Yang, Senior Adviser, National Security Council (R.O.C.)
“Peter Mattis has produced a pithy yet comprehensive guide that summarizes and analyzes recent literature on the Chinese military. This is essential reading for the generalist seeking to assess the implications of the PRC’s military modernization.”

          — June Teufel Dreyer, Professor of Political Science, University of Miami
“Uncertainty and limited data have left too much of PLA studies an artisanal hodgepodge. Peter Mattis helps bring the field into the information age with this invaluable resource. Required reading for all serious analysts of China security and students of qualitative methodology.”

          — Andrew S. Erickson, Associate Professor, U.S. Naval War College
“An absolute ‘must read’ for anyone wanting to understand the Chinese military.  This book is a fantastic introduction to the PLA and the China military studies community in the United States. It will be an excellent tool for educating busy professionals who may find themselves working in this area. Analyzing the Chinese Military is essential reading for both the expert and the layperson alike.”

— Randy Schriver, President and CEO, Project 2049 Institute

About the Author

Peter Mattis is a Fellow in the China Program at The Jamestown Foundation, where served as editor of the foundation’s China Brief, a biweekly electronic journal on greater China, from 2011 to 2013. He previously worked as an international affairs analyst for the U.S. Government for four years. Prior to entering government service, Mr. Mattis worked as a research associate at the National Bureau of Asian Research in its Strategic Asia and Northeast Asian Studies programs, providing research assistance and editing support. He regularly contributes to The National Interest and China Brief, and his writing also has appeared in the Taipei Times, the East-West Center’s Asia-Pacific Bulletin, The Diplomat, War on the Rocks, the Asia Society’s ChinaFile, the International Journal of Intelligence and Counterintelligence, Studies in Intelligence, and the Washington Journal of Modern China. His views have appeared in Defense News, Christian Science Monitor, Financial Times, Wall Street Journal, Sydney Morning Herald, UPI, BBC, and National Public Radio. He also has delivered lectures on China at Georgetown University, George Washington University, University of Cambridge, and the National Cheng-chi University (Taiwan). Mr. Mattis received his M.A. in Security Studies from the Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service and earned B.A.s in Political Science and Asian Studies from the University of Washington in Seattle. He also studied Chinese language, history, and security policy at Tsinghua University in Beijing.