Introduction

This chapter examines how political, economic, international, social and of course, military dimensions are guiding military change in China. It discusses China's threat perception, and how this influences China's defence posture. The subordination of military modernization to the primary national objective of economic development has been the most fundamental guiding principle for managing military change in China. In the late 1990s, the pace of military modernization increased as China's economy grew and the threat of Taiwan independence heightened. Party leadership is exercised through the CCP's Central Military Commission (CMC), led by Party General Secretary Xi Jinping, who is CMC Chairman as well as President of the PRC. People's Liberation Army (PLA) leaders consistently acknowledge the military's lack of experience in modern combat, but this does not mean that they are looking for a fight to prove them in battle.