White Paper: China’s Military Expands Role

The People’s Republic of China’s long-term plan to modernize its armed forces is expanding beyond issues with Taiwan, according to a report prepared for Congress by the Defense Department. “Its military modernization program has become progressively more focused on investments for a range of missions beyond China’s periphery, including power projection, sea lane security, counter-piracy, peacekeeping, and humanitarian assistance/disaster relief,” the white paper stated. The report also noted that China’s military expansion has the “potential to reduce core U.S. military technological advantages.” The authors recommended that the U.S. continue to pursue strong relationships between the two nations’ armed forces, and encourage China to be more transparent with its expansion intentions. Meanwhile, the U.S. should continue to adapt force posture and operational concepts to ensure security in the Western Pacific, the report said.