U.S.-China Military Contacts: Issues for Congress

Abstract

This CRS Report, updated as warranted, discusses policy issues regarding military-to-military (mil-to-mil) contacts with the People's Republic of China (PRC) and provides a record of major contacts and crises since 1993. The United States suspended military contacts with China and imposed sanctions on arms sales in response to the Tiananmen Crackdown in 1989. In 1993, the Clinton Administration re-engaged with the top PRC leadership, including China's military, the People's Liberation Army (PLA). Renewed military exchanges with the PLA have not regained the closeness reached in the 1980s, when U.S.-PRC strategic cooperation against the Soviet Union included U.S. arms sales to China. Improvements and deteriorations in overall bilateral relations have affected military contacts, which were close in 1997-1998 and 2000, but marred by the 1995-1996 Taiwan Strait crisis, mistaken NATO bombing of a PRC embassy in 1999, the EP- 3 aircraft collision crisis in 2001, and aggressive naval confrontations (including in March 2009).

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Apr 15, 2009
Accession Number
ADA500335

Entities

People

  • Shirley Kan

Organizations

  • Library of Congress

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical
  • Ground and Sea Platforms
  • Space

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Military History
  • Military Medicine
  • Military Science
  • Military Training
  • National Politics
  • National Security
  • Naval Operations
  • Naval Warfare
  • Navies (Foreign)
  • Navy
  • Personnel Management
  • Reconnaissance
  • Students
  • Surveillance
  • Treaties
  • War Colleges
  • Warfare

Fields of Study

  • Political science

Readers

  • Asian Economic Studies