Hi! Welcome...

Andrew S. Erickson China's rapid development is reshaping the world in all dimensions. Chinese language open sources offer insights into these critical trends. While such materials are increasing constantly in number, diversity, and sophistication, only a fraction is available in English. The analyses available here, many based on sources not previously considered outside China, are designed to help bridge that gap--and thereby increase understanding of the most dynamic great power in the international system today.

04 November 2012

Taking Off: Implications of China’s Second Stealth Fighter Test Flight

Andrew S. Erickson and Gabriel B. Collins, “Taking Off: Implications of China’s Second Stealth Fighter Test Flight,” China Real Time Report (中国实时报), Wall Street Journal, 3 November 2012.
China’s fighter aircraft development efforts appeared to take another leap forward after local media reported that Shenyang Aircraft Corporation (SAC) had successfully tested its J-31 stealth fighter prototype this week. […]

31 October 2012

U.S. Navy Take Notice: China is Becoming a World-Class Military Shipbuilder

Gabriel B. Collins and Andrew S. Erickson, “U.S. Navy Take Notice: China is Becoming a World-Class Military Shipbuilder,” The Diplomat, 1 November 2012.
The engine of China’s naval rise has flown under the radar – until now.
China’s military shipyards now are surpassing Western European, Japanese, and Korean military shipbuilders in terms of both the types and […]

30 October 2012

Chinese Aircraft Carrier Update

Click here to watch a video of the presentation.
Andrew S. Erickson, “Chinese Aircraft Carrier Update,” presented in “Session 1: Developments in Aircraft Carriers,” at “Maritime Security Challenges (MSC) 2012” conference, Maritime Forces Pacific, Canadian Navy, Victoria, Canada, 2 October 2012.
 
For recent analysis, see Andrew S. Erickson and Gabriel B. Collins, “The Calm Before the Storm: China’s […]

27 October 2012

The Meaning of the Nuclear Evolution: China’s Strategic Modernization and US-China Security Relations

Thomas J. Christensen, “The Meaning of the Nuclear Evolution: China’s Strategic Modernization and US-China Security Relations,” Journal of Strategic Studies 35.4 (August 2012): 447–87.
ABSTRACT Will China’s development of a new generation of nuclear weapons impact US-China security relations in important ways? One’s answer depends on how one views the following: whether or not Chinese leaders […]

26 October 2012

Examining the New Aircraft Carrier through the PLA’s Revolution in “Organizational” Affairs

David Chen, “Examining the New Aircraft Carrier through the PLA’s Revolution in ‘Organizational’ Affairs,” Jamestown China Brief 12.19 (5 October 2012).
With the commissioning of the People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) first aircraft carrier, more clarity has been provided in terms of the organizational setup of any future PLA Navy (PLAN) carrier strike group. The details emerging […]

25 October 2012

The Chinese Army Today: Tradition and Transformation for the 21st Century, 2nd ed.

An essential reference for all serious observers of today’s PLA. You won’t find this incisive analysis anywhere else. A must-read!
Dennis J. Blasko, The Chinese Army Today: Tradition and Transformation for the 21st Century, 2nd ed. (New York: Routledge, 2012).
From the Publisher:
The Chinese Army Today is a comprehensive study of the Chinese military, examining its ground forces […]

23 October 2012

Latest Congressional Research Service (CRS) Report—Ronald O’Rourke, “China Naval Modernization: Implications for U.S. Navy Capabilities—Background and Issues for Congress”

Ronald O’Rourke, China Naval Modernization: Implications for U.S. Navy Capabilities—Background and Issues for Congress (Washington, DC: Congressional Research Service, 17 October 2012), RL33153, http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/row/RL33153.pdf.
Summary
The question of how the United States should respond to China’s military modernization effort, including its naval modernization effort, has emerged as a key issue in U.S. defense planning. The question is of particular importance to […]

17 October 2012

Delicate Touch: Flight Operations Begin on China’s First Aircraft Carrier

Andrew S. Erickson and Gabriel B. Collins, “Delicate Touch: Flight Operations Begin on China’s First Aircraft Carrier,” China Real Time Report (中国实时报), Wall Street Journal, 17 October 2012.
Less than a month after China officially commissioned the Liaoning, its first aircraft carrier, photos appearing to show aircraft operating over the carrier have raised a host of questions, […]

08 October 2012

New Destroyer a Significant Development for Chinese Sea Power

Gabriel B. Collins and Andrew S. Erickson, “New Destroyer a Significant Development for Chinese Sea Power,” China Real Time Report (中国实时报), Wall Street Journal, 8 October 2012.
Now that the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) has commissioned its first aircraft carrier and may be looking to assemble one or more carrier groups over time, what about the rest […]

06 October 2012

Flightglobal’s Greg Waldron Reviews “Chinese Aerospace Power”

Greg Waldron, “Must Read: Chinese Aerospace Power, Emerging Maritime Roles,” Asian Skies, Flightglobal, 5 October 2012.
For readers with a more than passing interest in Asia Pacific military affairs, Chinese Aerospace Power, Emerging Maritime Roles is the book for you. Edited by China defence experts Andrew Erickson and Lyle Goldstein, the book is a series of […]

04 October 2012

Book Launch for “Strategic Asia 2012–13: China’s Military Challenge”—Watch Live C-SPAN Coverage & Full Webcast!

View C-Span Video with timeline transcript here.
Click here for a webcast of entire event.
For Deputy Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter’s keynote address, go to minutes 27:45-1:04:18.
For my presentation on China’s naval and air force modernization, see minutes 1:22:50-1:33:13; 1:58:36-2:00:39.
In Strategic Asia 2012-13: China’s Military Challenge by the National Bureau of Asian Research, leading experts assessed […]

01 October 2012

National Bureau of Asian Research to Launch “Strategic Asia 2012-13: China’s Military Challenge” on Wednesday 3 October

Strategic Asia 2012-13: China’s Military Challenge – Book Launch Event
The National Bureau of Asian Research (NBR) will hold the launch of the twelfth volume in the Strategic Asia series this Wednesday, 3 October 2012, from 8:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington, DC.
Select contributors from Strategic Asia 2012-13: China’s […]

28 September 2012

China SignPost™ (洞察中国) #67–“Central and Southwest China: The Key Battleground for Shale Gas and New Low-Cost Coal Supplies from Xinjiang, Mongolia, and Wyoming”

Gabriel B. Collins and Andrew S. Erickson, “Central and Southwest China: The Key Battleground for Shale Gas and New Low-Cost Coal Supplies from Xinjiang, Mongolia, and Wyoming,” China SignPost™ (洞察中国) 67 (28 September 2012).
China SignPost™ 洞察中国–“Clear, high-impact China analysis.”©
Shale gas development plans in China have generated excitement throughout the energy community, and the Chinese Ministry of […]

28 September 2012

Feng, Information Dissemination: “Liaoning and Future Carriers”

Feng, “Liaoning and Future Carriers,” Information Dissemination, 28 September 2012.
… it will be interesting to see how PLAN intends to use this training carrier. I read a really great article by Andrew Erickson today, where he talked about how Liaoning will not be that useful in the immediate time facing US or Japan, but could be […]

27 September 2012

China’s Navy and Air Force: Advancing Capabilities and Missions—An Interview with Andrew S. Erickson

Greg Chaffin, “China’s Navy and Air Force: Advancing Capabilities and Missions—An Interview with Andrew S. Erickson,” Policy Q&A, National Bureau of Asian Research, 27 September 2012.
In the second half of a two-part interview on China’s advancing naval and air forces, Strategic Asia author Andrew S. Erickson (U.S. Naval War College) discusses the capabilities and strategic implications of several […]

26 September 2012

The Calm Before the Storm: China’s About to Find Out How Hard it is to Run an Aircraft Carrier

Andrew S. Erickson and Gabriel B. Collins, “The Calm Before the Storm: China’s About to Find Out How Hard it is to Run an Aircraft Carrier,” Foreign Policy, 26 September 2012.
It’s finally official. China’s first aircraft carrier, named Liaoning after the province in which it was refitted, has just been commissioned and delivered to the […]

26 September 2012

An Aircraft Carrier of One’s Own—After Much Struggle, China Finally Has the Massive Naval Vessel it Always Wanted

“An Aircraft Carrier of One’s Own—After Much Struggle, China Finally Has the Massive Naval Vessel it Always Wanted,” Slide Show, Foreign Policy, 26 September 2012.
China finally has its very own—ostensibly functional—aircraft carrier, named Liaoning. As Andrew Erickson and Gabriel Collins explain in a recent article for FP, the Chinese had to overcome multiple obstacles, and “All [those […]

26 September 2012

Who Left Skidmarks on the Flight Deck of China’s New Aircraft Carrier?

John Reed, “Who Left Skidmarks on the Flight Deck of China’s New Aircraft Carrier?” Foreign Policy, 26 September 2012.
This is interesting: as far as anyone knows, the Chinese have not conducted fixed-wing flight operations from the deck of their brand new aircraft carrier, the Liaoning. …
However, pictures that emerged on Chinese Internet forums of the ship’s commissioning […]

26 September 2012

China: First Aircraft Carrier Entering Service

Christopher Bodeen, “China: First Aircraft Carrier Entering Service,” Associated Press, 25 September 2012.
China formally entered its first aircraft carrier into service on Tuesday, underscoring its ambitions to be a leading Asian naval power, although the ship is not expected to carry a full complement of planes or be ready for combat for some time. …
President […]