The Diplomat's New Leader Forum: Understanding China

Much ink has been spilled over Chinese acquisition or indigenous production of military assets, not least in the Pentagon’s latest report on the country’s rapid military development.

The launch of China’s first aircraft carrier a couple of weeks ago was just the latest event to fuel speculation over the country’s objectives. The news followed the Chinese Anti-Ship Ballistic Missile DF-21D reaching initial operational capability last year and the first flight of the 5th generation J-20 stealth fighter, which took many Western analysts by surprise.

Still, despite the numerous one-off articles, there hasn’t until now been a place in English that brings together all the pieces of the puzzle. That is until the recent publication by the China Maritime Studies Institute of Chinese Aerospace Power: Evolving Maritime Roles. The volume, a collection of essays, offers a comprehensive overview of all the latest developments, and touches on the whole spectrum of the Chinese aerospace capabilities – from air-refuelling capabilities and space assets to airborne early warning and electronic warfare capabilities. The essays, from some of the most highly regarded analysts in the field, help provide a good understanding of the state of Chinese aerospace modernization. The book not only examines the technical feasibility of Chinese plans, as well as their strengths and weaknesses, but also delves deep into domestic Chinese debates about the weapons systems in question.

The volume manages to get to the core of the issue through open source analysis that compares and contrasts Chinese writings on the topic from a variety of official and unofficial sources, offering a far broader perspective than volumes focusing only on Western analysis. Indeed, Chinese Aerospace Power delves deeply into the Chinese system, examining inter-service rivalries and integration and training issues.