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.
Martin N. Murphy, “Somali Piracy: Political Lessons for the Navy,” American Foreign Policy Interests, 33.1 (2011): 17-25.
This article argues that the navies operating to suppress piracy off Somalia are operating in what is effectively a policy vacuum. So long as that vacuum persists, piracy may be restricted but not eliminated. The financial cost of the […]
Wu Riqiang, “Survivability of China’s Sea-Based Nuclear Forces,” Science & Global Security, 19.2 (2011): 91-120.
The survivability of China’s ballistic missile submarines and submarine-launched ballistic missiles is examined. First, the Type 094 ballistic missile submarine is noisy and vulnerable even in shallow waters. This suggests the urgency for China to improve the quietness of the Type […]
John J. Mearsheimer, “The Gathering Storm: China’s Challenge to US Power in Asia,” The Chinese Journal of International Politics, 3 (2010): 381–96.
The United States has been the most powerful state on the planet for many decades and has deployed robust military forces in the Asia-Pacific region since the early years of the Second World War. […]
Nilanthi Samaranayake, “Are Sri Lanka’s Relations with China Deepening? An Analysis of Economic, Military, and Diplomatic Data,” Asian Security, 7.2 (2011): 119-46.
During the past few years, Sri Lanka appears to have forged closer relations with China. Sri Lanka welcomed Chinese investment in building a port in Hambantota, arms from China for use in its civil […]
Yves-Heng Lim, “The Driving Forces behind China’s Naval Modernization,” Comparative Strategy, 30:2 (2011): 105-20.
The rapid development of Chinese naval forces over the last decade has provoked much debate over where this modernization is headed. Observing the decennial evolution of Chinese naval forces, this article questions assumptions that China’s naval modernization can be mainly explained by […]
Al Wood, “Tanker Ownership in Non-OECD Countries and the Rise of Government-Owned Fleets,” Institute for International Economic Policy Working Paper Series, Elliott School of International Affairs, The George Washington University, August 2011.
Abstract: This paper provides an historical perspective of the global oil-tanker market, the international tanker fleet, and the major trends in tanker ownership. The […]
Sarah Raine, “Beijing’s South China Sea Debate,” Survival, 53:5 (2011): 69-88.
The three million square kilometres of the South China Sea are of particular strategic importance. Sovereignty over a plethora of small islands, atolls, rocks and coral reefs, including the two main island groupings of the Spratlys and the Paracels, is contested through overlapping claims by […]
Sam Bateman, “Perils of the Deep: The Dangers of Submarine Proliferation in the Seas of East Asia,” Asian Security, 7.1 (2011).
Greater numbers of submarines are being acquired in the Asia-Pacific. This development poses challenges in the region for preventive diplomacy, maritime confidence building, and ensuring the safety of submarine operations. However, countries are extremely sensitive […]
Guy C.K. Leung, “China’s Energy Security: Perception and Reality,” Energy Policy, 39.3 (March 2011): 1330-37.
Abstract
China, now the world’s second-largest economy, is worried about energy security, which underpins the core objectives of Beijing and the political legitimacy of the Communist Party of China. The purpose of this study is to explore certain popular myths about China’s energy […]
Rory Medcalf and Raoul Heinrichs with Justin Jones, Crisis and Confidence: Major Powers and Maritime Security in Indo-Pacific Asia (Sydney: Lowy Institute for International Policy, June 2011).
The sea lanes of Indo-Pacific Asia are becoming more crowded, contested and vulnerable to armed strife. Naval and air forces are being strengthened amid shifting balances of economic and […]
P. K. Gautam, “Mapping Chinese Oil and Gas Pipelines and Sea Routes,” Strategic Analysis, 35:4 (2011): 595-612.
Abstract: China is pursuing an energy policy to alleviate its import dependence, diversify the sources and routes of imported oil and prepare for supply disruption. China’s import of hydrocarbons is growing rapidly. Besides sea transport from West Asia and […]
Andrew B. Kennedy, “China’s New Energy-Security Debate,” Survival 52:3 (2010): 137-58.
Over the past ten years, China’s soaring demand for energy has complicated its foreign relations on many fronts. China’s growing oil imports have sparked criticism that this demand puts upward pressure on world oil prices. Investments by China’s national oil companies have vexed governments trying […]
Aki Nakai, “China’s Naval Modernization: Reflections on a Symposium,” Boston University Center for the Study of Asia, Occasional Paper on Asia 1 (February 2011).
The “rise of China” is on everyone’s lips these days, with the conversation being driven both by China’s rapid economic development and its military modernization. On November 9, 2010, the Boston University […]
Nathaniel Barber, Kieran Coe, Victoria Steffes, and Jennifer Winter, China in the Indian Ocean: Impacts, Prospects, Opportunities, Prepared for U.S. government’s Office of South Asia Policy (Madison, WI: Robert M. LaFollette School of Public Affairs, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 2011).
Mainland China has increased its activities in the Indian Ocean region by investing in local states, building […]
Toshi Yoshihara & James R. Holmes, “Can China Defend a ‘Core Interest’ in the South China Sea?” The Washington Quarterly 34.2 (2011): 45-59.
Déjà vu surrounds reports that Beijing has claimed a ‘‘core interest’’ in the South China Sea. High-ranking Chinese officials reportedly asserted such an interest during a private March 2010 meeting with two visiting […]
Avery Goldstein, “Crisis Instability and US-China Relations: The Present (If Not Clear) Danger,” paper presented at American Political Science Association 2011 Annual Meeting.
Two concerns have driven much of the debate about international security in the post Cold War era. The principal concern has been the potentially deadly mix of nuclear proliferation, rogue states, and international […]
Andrew B. Kennedy, “China’s Petroleum Predicament: Challenges and Opportunities in Beijing’s Search for Energy Security,” in Jane Golley and Ligang Song, eds., Rising China: Global Challenges and Opportunities (Canberra and Beijing: Australian National University and Social Sciences Academic Press, 2011), 121-136.
If China’s rise is one of the most important stories of this new century, China’s […]
Jeff Franks, “Chinese Navy Hospital Ship Visits Cuba, Caribbean,” Reuters, 22 October 2011.
HAVANA (Reuters) – A Chinese navy hospital ship called the Peace Ark sailed on Friday into Havana Bay in Cuba, reflecting good relations between the communist allies and China’s expanding global presence.
The 580-foot (178 meters) ship was met by Cuban naval officials in […]
Bert Chapman, Geopolitics: A Guide to the Issues (Contemporary Military, Strategic, and Security Issues) (New York: Praeger, 2011).
“Current Geopolitical Scholars”
“A number of scholars representing classical and critical geopolitical perspectives are influencing this discipline’s research and analysis while representing disciplinary fields such as geography, history, international economics, military science, and political science.”
Scholars profiled include Thomas P.M. […]
Chinese Undersea Warfare: Development, Capabilities, Trends
Maritime Gray Zone Operations: Challenges and Countermeasures in the Indo-Pacific
Oxford Bibliography: “The People’s Liberation Army (PLA)”
China’s Climate Cooperation Smokescreen: A Roadmap for Seeing Through the Trap and Countering with Competition
Large-Scale Amphibious Warfare in Chinese Military Strategy
Rebalancing U.S. Forces: Basing and Forward Presence in the Asia-Pacific
China’s Near Seas Combat Capabilities
Chinese Anti-Ship Ballistic Missile (ASBM) Development: Drivers, Trajectories and Strategic Implications
Asia’s Rising Energy and Resource Nationalism: Implications for the United States, China, and the Asia-Pacific Region
Chinese Aerospace Power: Evolving Maritime Roles
China’s S-Curve Trajectory: Structural Factors Will Likely Slow the Growth of China’s Economy and Comprehensive National Power
China, the United States, and 21st-Century Sea Power: Defining a Maritime Security Partnership
China Goes to Sea: Maritime Transformation in Comparative Historical Perspective
China’s Energy Strategy: The Impact on Bejing’s Maritime Policies
China’s Future Nuclear Submarine Force
Chinese Mine Warfare: A PLA Navy 'Assassin’s Mace' Capability
China’s Nuclear Force Modernization
