China's Military Transformation

In the new century, China’s military reform has entered a new stage. Over the course of the last decade, the PLA has been proactively and steadily pushing forward its military transformation by striving to build a modern military force. In the future, the PLA is likely to focus on improving its capabilities to protect Chinese national interests at home and abroad. However, the development of the Chinese military in recent years has drawn skepticism and even fear over the purpose, especially not only in East Asia, but also in Europe and North America. The impact of what constitutes of China’s “Military Transformation” on the regional and global power balance is a point of contention.

The main purpose of this project is to analyze China’s military reform and provide insight into understanding the ultimate goal of Chinese military development. As ISDP has a long relationship with the PLA and the PLA Academy of Military Science in Beijing, the project is also expected to play a proactive and coordinating role in the establishment of networks between world leading experts and Chinese military officials to exchange their views on current global security challenges and the PLA’s role. As a part of this project, ISDP and the Chinese PLA Academy of Military Science have jointly organized an annual ISDP-AMS conference since 2008.