Reforms in China Are More Often Articulated Than Actually Brought Into Reality

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In The Media

Reforms in China Are More Often Articulated Than Actually Brought Into Reality

China has announced sweeping changes to its military, but there are many challenges ahead regarding the implementation of these reforms.

By Douglas H. Paal

Published on Jan 20, 2016

Source: Radio Sputnik

China has decided to create a so-called Strategic Support Force as part of its military reform, Beijing announced last week. The new agency will cover intelligence activities, informational aspects of war and special operations. Earlier China’s Defense Ministry announced that it would set up 15 new bodies covering everything from logistics to equipment development, political work and fighting corruption. According to the Defense Ministry, new units will help the military function better and consolidate the ruling Communist Party’s control. Douglas Paal, the director of the Asia program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Washington told Radio Sputnik about the main challenges the Chinese armed forces are facing in the modernization process.

This interview was originally broadcast by Radio Sputnik.

About the Author

Douglas H. Paal

Distinguished Fellow, Asia Program

Paal previously served as vice chairman of JPMorgan Chase International and as unofficial U.S. representative to Taiwan as director of the American Institute in Taiwan.

Recent Work

Paper
America’s Future in a Dynamic Asia
- Douglas H. Paal
Q&A
U.S.-China Relations at the Forty-Year Mark
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Security Military East Asia China

Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.

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