China's military interventions : patterns, drivers,and signposts / Timothy R. Heath [and 4 others].

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Heath, Timothy R., author.

Series:

Research report (Rand Corporation) ; RR-A444-4.

Research report ; RR-A444-4

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Intervention (International law)--Government policy--China--Case studies.

Intervention (International law).

Government policy.

China--Foreign relations.

China.

International relations.

Genre:

Case studies.

Physical Description:

xxv, 182 pages ; 23 cm.

Place of Publication:

Santa Monica, Calif. : RAND Corporation, [2021]

Summary:

Great powers have frequently employed large, expeditionary military forces engaged in various operations abroad. Some fought wars to defend colonial possessions, while others engaged in bitter fighting alongside besieged allies or undertook other missions throughout the world. As China has ascended in power, observers have debated whether the country might follow a similar path. In the three decades leading to the country's ascent as the second-largest economy in the world, China to date has deployed only relatively modest numbers of troops abroad in nonwar missions, such as maritime patrols and United Nations peacekeeping operations. Whether this pattern will persist or how it might change is the primary focus of this report. The project summarized in this report employed both quantitative statistical and qualitative analyses to examine patterns in Chinese military interventions. The researchers found that China has undertaken two types of interventions in its post-1949 history, which are illustrated in this report by the contrasting case studies of (1) China's invasion of Vietnam in 1979 and (2) its initiation of counterpiracy patrols in the Gulf of Aden and subsequent establishment of a supporting military base in Djibouti in the mid-2000s. The authors conclude that the pattern of military interventions adopted by the People's Liberation Army (PLA) since 2000 is likely to continue to define the general trajectory of Chinese interventions for at least the next five years because of the persistence of the principal drivers underpinning this pattern and the vulnerability of those interests to various nontraditional threats abroad.

Contents:

Machine generated contents note: ch. One Introduction

Defining Chinese Military Intervention

Research Questions

Methodology

ch. Two Identifying Possible Factors: Literature Review

Identifying Drivers of Military Interventions

Geopolitical Factors

Domestic Factors

Ideational Factors

Enablers

Drivers of Chinese Military Interventions

Conclusion

ch. Three Patterns in Chinese Military Interventions

Identifying Chinese Military Interventions

Describing Chinese Military Interventions

ch. Four Case Study 1: 1979 Chinese Invasion of Vietnam

Background

Factors to Be Assessed

Factor 1 Regional Power Balance: The Vietnamese Alliance with the Soviets

Factor 2 External Threat to Sovereignty: The Sino-Vietnamese Territorial Dispute

Factor 3 Alliance or Partnership Concerns: The Vietnamese Invasion of Cambodia

Factor 4 National Status Concerns: China's Sense of Entitlement to Vietnamese Deference

Factor 5 Coidentity Group Populations in Host Country: Vietnamese Persecution of the Hoa

Other Factors

Summary

ch. Five Case Study 2: China's Gulf of Aden Counterpiracy Mission and Establishment of Djibouti Base, 2008-Present

Factor 1 Economic Interests

Factor 2 External Threats to Sovereignty

Factor 3 National Status Concerns

Factor 4 Relationship with Regional Partners

Factor 5 Regional Power Balance

Factor 6 Leadership and Personality

Factor 7 Domestic Politics and Legitimacy

Factor 8 Enabling Military Capabilities

ch. Six Conclusion

Results of Analyses

Signposts of Future Chinese Military Interventions

Implications for the U.S. Army.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references.

ISBN:

1977406122

9781977406125

OCLC:

1263743510