ABSTRACT
China's vulnerability to external pressures or outright military attack has been a vital leadership concern since the earliest months of the People's Republic of China. A full understanding of the policy dynamics and choices in Chinese security must be attentive to both the human dimension of decisions and the political and institutional consequences of elite-level decision making. All three dimensions in China's security effort will be affected by a range of political, economic, technological, and institutional constraints. The predominant leaders represent "military generations" that are somewhat resistant to substantial policy change, given that such change will inevitably diminish their influence in the decision-making process. Despite the pressures for policy change in China, powerful historical legacies and the suspicions of other leaders in the Chinese power hierarchy constrain the developments. The indications of organizational and political priorities within China provide a rich set of perspectives on the future of Chinese military power.
