Chinese Military Transparency: Evaluating the 2010 Defense White Paper (Strategic Forum, Number 269, July 2011)
Abstract
China's 2010 Defense White Paper provides relatively little new data and less information about Chinese military capabilities and modernization efforts than previous editions. Consistent with past white papers, this one does not provide any information about specific weapon systems or about nuclear forces and modernization efforts. An INSS methodology for evaluating military transparency indicates that China's 2010 white paper receives lower transparency ratings than the 2008 edition and provides less information than defense white papers of other major Asia-Pacific powers. China emphasizes the importance of transparency about strategic intentions rather than capabilities. Although Chinese military officers state that increased transparency is intended to reassure neighbors about China's benign intentions, efforts to downplay China's expanding military capabilities suggest that the 2010 Defense White Paper will make little progress toward this goal. This monograph presents a table of overall transparency ratings for China's Defense White Papers dating from 1998 to 2010. In the accompanying analysis, the authors provide the rationale for why each of the 19 categories in the 2010 white paper received its specific transparency rating.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jul 01, 2011
- Accession Number
- ADA546388
Entities
People
- Phillip C. Saunders
- Ross Rustici
Organizations
- National Defense University