People’s Liberation Army

CHINA: Understanding Its Strengths and Weaknesses

Chinese leader Xi Jinping promised his people that by 2049, the 100th anniversary of the People’s Republic, “China would become a global leader in terms of composite national strength and international influence and would build a stable international order in which China’s national rejuvenation would be fully achieved.” This statement alone is already pregnant with meaning. This article will attempt…


No Ordinary Boats: Cracking the Code on China’s Spratly Maritime Militias

A Chinese fishing vessel appears in a sensitive location —near the Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea, a South China Sea reef, or just offshore from a U.S. military base. Is it an “ordinary” fishing boat, or is it maritime militia? This straightforward question seldom yields straightforward answers. China does not publish a roster of maritime militia boats. That…