Andrew S. Erickson

Superb analysis from Dennis Blasko on China’s recently released defense white paper on strategy. A disciplined adherent to what might be termed a strict “zero-based budgeting” approach to analysis, Blasko never makes statements that cannot be supported with extremely specific, contextualized, well-documented evidence. When he makes the bold, underlined statements below, therefore, everyone should pay […]

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China’s Military Strategy (Beijing: State Council Information Office of the People’s Republic of China, May 2015).
中国的军事战略 [China’s Military Strategy]
(Beijing: 中华人民共和国国务院新闻办公室 [State Council Information Office, PRC], May 2015).
Full Text: China’s Military Strategy
(Source: Xinhua)   2015-05-26
Sr. Col. Yang Yujun, spokesman for the Ministry of National Defense (MND) of the People’s Republic of China (PRC), briefs on China’s first white paper […]

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Philippa Brant, “China’s Foreign Aid White Paper: Quick Overview,” The Lowy Interpreter, 10 July 2014.
Today, the Chinese Government released its much-awaited second White Paper on Foreign Aid. It’s been in the pipeline for a while, as I’ve noted a number of times, and follows the first white paper published in April 2011. 
So what does it say?
First, it is an […]

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Here’s my initial read:
As its name implies, this latest PRC Defense White Paper provides an overall survey not only of further development of core PLA capabilities, but also of an array of secondary roles and missions that is broadening in nature and geographic scope.
In terms of specific data points, it is interesting that personnel figures […]

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Gabriel B. Collins and Andrew S. Erickson, “China Defense White Paper 2010: Better Transparency, But What Key Developments Were Left Out of the Discussion?” China SignPost™ (洞察中国) 32 (5 April 2011).
China SignPost™ 洞察中国–“Clear, high-impact China analysis.”©

Reprinted as: Gabriel B. Collins and Andrew S. Erickson, “Grading China’s Military Plans,” The Diplomat, 9 April 2011.

China’s National Defense in 2010 […]

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Wendell Minnick, “China’s New White Paper Hints at Joint Ops,” Defense News, 4 April 2011.
TAIPEI — China’s air force and navy may be emerging from the shadow of the People’s Liberation Army, according to the latest version of China’s biennial defense white paper.


Released March 31 by China’s Information Office of the State Council, the paper […]

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Full Text (English): Defense White Paper “China’s National Defense in 2010”
Full Text (Chinese):《2010年中国的国防》白皮书
China’s 2010 Defense White Paper follows a pattern by now well-established in these biannual reports on the People’s Liberation Army (PLA). It offers some new details not present in the previous report, but stops well short of offering the degree of detail that […]

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China’s National Defense in 2006
Issued by the Information Office of the State Council
People’s Republic of China
December 29, 2006
Preface
I. The Security Environment
II. National Defense Policy
III. China’s Leadership and Administration System for National Defense
IV. The People’s Liberation Army
V. People’s Armed Police Force
VI. National Defense Mobilization and Reserve Force
VII. Border and Coastal Defense
VIII. Science, Technology and Industry for […]

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