Andrew S. Erickson

In an op-ed published today, Prof. Adam Liff and I argue that Tokyo and Beijing urgently need to establish, and to reliably implement, bilateral crisis management capabilities vis-à-vis the East China Sea. Hotline(s) could be of particular utility as a contact mechanism, but would only be as good as both sides’ commitment to actually using them in […]

Yet another must-read by Ryan Martinson. It is quite significant that China has formed the world’s largest blue-water coast guard fleet, and added to it the world’s largest constabulary vessel by far.
Ryan D. Martinson, “East Asian Security in the Age of the Chinese Mega-Cutter,” Center for International Maritime Security (CIMSEC), 3 July 2015.
On May 19th, […]

Clark Capshaw, Military Sealift Command; review of Carnes Lord and Andrew S. Erickson, eds., Rebalancing U.S. Forces: Basing and Forward Presence in the Asia-Pacific (Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press, 2014); Air & Space Power Journal 29.4 (July-August 2015).
Rebalancing U.S. Forces is a collection of essays relating to the Obama administration’s “rebalancing” of forces to the Asia-Pacific region–or, as […]

Further useful guidance from Peter Mattis how best to study the PLA. This practical, methodologically-focused approach is long overdue, and will aid the field immensely!
Peter Mattis, “No Easy Task: The Right Way to Study China’s Military,” The National Interest, 29 June 2015.
…Finding good guidance on sourcing is difficult, and the ubiquitous citations to retired PLA […]

Andrew S. Erickson and Austin M. Strange, “Deep Blue Diplomacy: Soft Power and China’s Antipiracy Operations,” in Bruce A. Elleman and S. C. M. Paine, eds., Navies and Soft Power: Historical Case Studies of Naval Power and the Nonuse of Military Force, Naval War College Newport Paper 42 (June 2015), 163–79.
Click here to download a […]

In this extremely instructive article, Prof. Taylor Fravel explains that “terminology in the 2015 defense white paper indicates that China has officially changed its national military strategy. The goal of the new strategy is ‘winning informationized local wars,’ with an emphasis on the maritime domain.”
Click here to check out Taylor’s website for more more important […]

Marc Szepan, “China’s New Kid on the (M&A) Block: The Chinese Insurance Sector Has the Potential to Become a Major Driver of Outbound Investment,” The Diplomat, 25 June 2015.
Chinese companies continue to be a force to be reckoned with in the global market for corporate control. Chinese acquirers completed cross-border deals with a total volume […]

Shashank Joshi, “So You Want to Be an Indian Armed Forces Expert?” War on the Rocks, 23 June 2015.
Peter Mattis’ explanation of what one should read to be an expert on China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) made me wonder: What might a similar list look like for India-watchers? …
Each service has its own doctrine and/or strategy […]

Andrew S. Erickson and Gabriel B. Collins, “Dragon Tracks: Emerging Chinese Access Points in the Indian Ocean Region,” Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative, Center for Strategic and International Studies, 18 June 2015.
With six-plus-years of Chinese Gulf of Aden anti-piracy operations and China’s first submarine deployments to the Indian Ocean, considering possible support facilities for the People’s […]

Andrew Chubb, “Luconia Breakers: China’s New ‘Southernmost Territory’ in the South China Sea?” South Sea Conversations, 16 June 2015.
In a vivid illustration of how dynamic the status quo in the South China Sea can be, an apparently new Spratly island, formed by the forces of nature, has become a source of tension between China and Malaysia.
Luconia Breakers (Hempasan Bantin / 琼台礁) […]

Gabriel B. Collins and Andrew S. Erickson, “China’s Stock Market Boom: Buckle Up for a Wild Ride!” China SignPost™ (洞察中国) 89 (14 June 2015).

China seems to be bubble surfing—two years ago it was an overheated housing market—and now the country is riding a surge of stock market enthusiasm. The stock market craze involves a much […]

Ronald O’Rourke, China Naval Modernization: Implications for U.S. Navy Capabilities—Background and Issues for Congress (Washington, DC: Congressional Research Service, 1 June 2015), RL33153.
Summary
China is building a modern and regionally powerful Navy with a modest but growing capability for conducting operations beyond China’s near-seas region. The question of how the United States should respond to China’s military modernization effort, including its […]

Be sure to read both articles, as well as Christensen’s book. They offer needed nuance regarding key dynamics concerning a vital subject in a troubling time.
Thomas J. Christensen, “China’s Military Might: The Good News,” Japan Times, 8 June 2015.
…While China’s buildup indeed creates security challenges for the U.S. and its Asian allies, the consequences are more […]

Alexander Sullivan and Andrew S. Erickson, “The Big Story Behind China’s New Military Strategy,” The Diplomat, 5 June 2015.
China is becoming “more willing and able” to stake and defend its interests overseas.
As China reemerges as one of the globe’s leading powers, just what type of actor it will be on the world stage has become […]

Evan deserves a good rest after years of tireless service!
David Nakamura, “Top White House adviser on Asia policy is stepping down,” Washington Post, 4 June 2015.
President Obama’s top adviser on Asia policy is leaving his post at a time of growing uncertainty over China’s assertive behavior in the region, raising questions over the administration’s strategy […]

Elizabeth C. Economy, “China’s Muddled Message on the South China Sea,” Asia Unbound, Council on Foreign Relations, 3 July 2015.
If the recent Shangri-La Dialogue demonstrated one thing—aside from the fact that Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong can deliver an important speech that is both strong and subtle—it is that mitigating tensions in the South China Sea […]

This is truly a brilliant analysis. In just a few hundred words, it explains cogently why and how Beijing’s maritime strategy has evolved under Xi Jinping, and suggests what the future may hold for China’s efforts at sea.
Ryan Martinson, “A Salt Water Perspective on China’s New Military Strategy,” RealClearDefense, 2 June 2015.
Seasoned PLA watcher Dennis […]

Thomas J. Christensen, The China Challenge: Shaping the Choices of a Rising Power (New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 2015).
FROM THE PUBLISHER
This compelling assessment of U.S.-China relations is essential reading for anyone interested in the future of the globalized world.
Many see China as a rival superpower to the United States and imagine the country’s […]

Peter Mattis, “So You Want to Be a PLA Expert?” War on the Rocks, 2 June 2015.
One of the challenges of developing a good sense of how the PLA functions is that there are so few places to go for regularly appearing analysis that draws on Chinese sources. Instead of being able to go to […]