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RAND's China experts have examined a wide range of issues, including the country's military, political, and trade relations, especially with Taiwan and Japan; its environmental, economic, and health policies and prospects; and its international business and intellectual property (copyright) challenges.

Report

China's Role in the International Order

May 21, 2018

China's engagement with the postwar order remains a complex, often contradictory work in progress. China will likely demand more influence in the international system as a condition for its support. What will this mean for U.S. policy?
Report

How China Seeks to Wage Modern Warfare

Feb 1, 2018

The People's Liberation Army's approach to training, organizing, and equipping for modern warfare over the past two decades has been influenced by systems thinking. It now characterizes modern warfare as a confrontation between opposing operational systems rather than merely opposing armies.

Explore China

Commentary

Navigating Asia's Stormy Seas: Regional Perspectives on U.S.-China Competition

Many of the key advantages the United States enjoys in a strategic competition with China depend on strong relationships with U.S. allies and partners. Beijing will certainly do its utmost to take advantage of any opportunities presented by concerns about the strength and sustainability of the U.S. role in the region.

Aug 7, 2018
Commentary

The Security Risks of a Trade War with China

As U.S.-China trade tensions continue to rise, many observers are focused on the potential for a full-fledged trade war that could destabilize the world economy. But there are security concerns as well. A China less constrained by and invested in economic ties with the United States could pose a greater challenge to U.S. foreign policy.

Aug 6, 2018
Commentary

China Prepares for an International Order After U.S. Leadership

In Beijing's estimation, key geopolitical developments have increased the possibility that China will face a power transition with the United States in coming years. In response, Chinese officials are laying the groundwork to manage that transition and ensure a leading role for their country in the emerging international order.

Aug 2, 2018
Commentary

Is India the Weakest Link in the Quad?

India's sustained membership in the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue would fit with the goal of balancing against China to deter it from further militarizing the Indo-Pacific. But New Dehli may be getting cold feet.

Jul 23, 2018
Commentary

The U.S.-China Trade War: Different Messages

The trade war between the United States and China began with the notification of tariffs on $34 billion of traded goods on each side. Officials on both sides of the Pacific are using different messages to convey the dispute. What are the real impacts likely to be?

Jul 20, 2018
Commentary

Small States Can Use Naval Mines and Unmanned Vehicles to Deter Maritime Aggression

Small coastal nations face potential threats from larger, more powerful adversaries. Their coastlines represent vulnerabilities that a foe may seek to exploit. But these nations can hinder and deter potential aggressors by using less expensive systems, such as naval mines and unmanned vehicles.

Jul 16, 2018
Commentary

Book Review: Elizabeth Economy's The Third Revolution

The United States' attitude towards China is undergoing a significant recalibration, perhaps the most fundamental since Beijing's crackdown at Tiananmen Square almost three decades ago. Harnessing its resurgence while tempering its revisionism will likely be Washington's most vexing long-term policy challenge.

Jun 26, 2018
Commentary

Without Reform and Cooperation with China, the International System Cannot Hold

No rule-based international order can survive without Chinese support. Reforms are needed to address Beijing's concerns and provide it with a continued stake in the order. The trick is to decide where compromise is acceptable for U.S. interests and to draw clear lines around principles where it is not.

Jun 25, 2018
Commentary

We Need a New International Order. Here's Why

The postwar, rule-based international order is under unprecedented strain. The U.S. predominance so characteristic of the current order must give way to a more multilateral system, one that takes seriously the sometimes-differing perspectives of other major powers.

Jun 25, 2018
Commentary

The Need for Superpowers to Embrace a Vision of World Affairs

A superpower promotes a conception of world affairs that attracts others, enabling it to advance its objectives and amplify its values far more than it could on its own. Washington has a significant edge over Beijing in this regard.

Jun 21, 2018
Commentary

The Quad: Second Verse, Same as the First?

Members of “the Quad”—an informal collaborative arrangement among the United States, Japan, India, and Australia—have proven incapable of adopting either a shared understanding of or unified policies toward China.

Jun 15, 2018
Report

Report

Lessons from Others for Future U.S. Army Operations in and Through the Information Environment

An examination of the evolution of both allied and adversary use of information power, alongside a comparative analysis of capability areas in which these others excel, can guide future U.S. Army force planning.

Jun 7, 2018
Report

Report

Lessons from Others for Future U.S. Army Operations in and Through the Information Environment: Case Studies

Twelve detailed case studies examine of the activities and strategic goals of allies, adversaries, and potential adversaries in and through the information environment, highlighting insights for U.S. Army planning.

Jun 7, 2018
Journal Article

Journal Article

Dispute Control: China Recalibrates Use of Military Force to Support Security Policy's Expanding Focus

This article reviews China's changing security policy and implications for its use of military force.

May 30, 2018
Commentary

Beijing's Threats Against Taiwan Are Deadly Serious

China's perception of the political status of Taiwan and how close Taipei and Washington have become has come to dominate cross-strait relations. Taiwan and the United States should prepare for greater hostility in the coming years, almost certainly lasting until the next Taiwan presidential election in 2020.

May 22, 2018
Commentary

Deciphering Vietnam's Evolving Military Doctrine in the South China Sea

Vietnam has sought to balance China's expanding presence in the South China Sea through diplomacy and military modernization. The Vietnam People's Army has acquired many useful weapons, but unfamiliarity with combat in the sea and air will test its evolving military doctrine.

May 11, 2018
Commentary

The Greater Danger of U.S.-China Trade Tensions

Trade tensions between the United States and China could escalate into a full-blown trade war, with ramifications for economic ties and the global economy. The long-term danger, however, is that tensions could begin to undercut the interdependence that has been so essential to keeping strategic competition between the two giants in check.

May 9, 2018
Commentary

Recalibrate, Rather Than Abandon, U.S. China Policy

China does not necessarily seek to succeed the U.S. as the world’s superpower, especially if such a mantle would impose on it real and/or perceived obligations for steering global affairs. What is the verdict, then, on America’s China policy, and where should the two countries go from here?

May 8, 2018
Journal Article

Journal Article

Avoiding U.S.-China Competition Is Futile: Why the Best Option Is to Manage Strategic Rivalry

Argues that the structural drivers of U.S.-China competition are too deep to resolve through cooperative engagement and that policymakers must instead accept the reality of strategic rivalry and aim to manage it at a lower level of intensity.

May 2, 2018

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