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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

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
Report

Report

Strengthening U.S.-ROK Relations in the New Administrations of the United States and South Korea: Findings from an October 2016 RAND Corporation Conference

This summary outlines presentations and discussions from an October 2016 conference on relations between the United States and the Republic of Korea, with a focus on strengthening regional security and economic relations.

Apr 27, 2018
Commentary

To Protect Interests Abroad, China Will Feature a Diverse Array of Military, Non-Military Forces

As Beijing grapples with the realities of an economy increasingly susceptible to disruption from distant influences, experts debate how the Chinese military might protect overseas interests. Some have speculated that China may seek a military like that of the United States. Others have dismissed such a possibility.

Apr 9, 2018
Commentary

China Welcomes Its Newest Armed Force: The Coast Guard

China's recent move to transfer responsibility for the China Coast Guard to the People's Armed Police will have major symbolic implications for China's presence in disputed waters. It can no longer claim its presence in the South China Sea is purely civilian in nature.

Apr 4, 2018
Commentary

China's Strengthening of Communist Party Rule Is Not Just a Power Grab

Strengthening the leadership role of the Communist Party and removing term limits for President Xi Jinping have raised fears about increasingly authoritarian Chinese politics. While repression may well increase, boosting the party’s influence also increases the chance of badly needed reforms concerning governance and the economy.

Apr 2, 2018
News Release

News Release

To Protect Overseas Interests, China Likely to Rely More on Contractors and Host Nation Forces Than Its Own Military

China is far less likely to involve its military in security activities abroad than has been the case for the United States or for imperial powers of previous centuries. To bolster security for the Belt and Road Initiative and other economic activities abroad, China will instead rely heavily on civilian contractors and host nation-provided forces, with Chinese military and paramilitary forces playing an important but limited role.

Mar 27, 2018
Report

How China Is Pursuing Overseas Security

Thousands of China's commercial enterprises are located overseas. Millions of its citizens travel abroad each year. To protect its interests from maritime piracy, civil conflict, and other threats, China is likely to rely more on contractors and host nation forces than its own military. What will this mean for the United States?

Mar 27, 2018
Commentary

Vietnam's Remarkable Month of Balancing Against China in the South China Sea

Vietnam has engaged in a string of activities to strengthen deterrence against China in the South China Sea. But Hanoi's push to deepen external defense ties with states that can help its cause won't necessarily translate into greater risk-taking in the region.

Mar 26, 2018
Journal Article

Journal Article

Fertility, Gender Preference, the Birth Planning Policy and Life Satisfaction in China

Investigation of Birth Planning Policy effect on parity-specific birth continuation probabilities and parental life satisfaction as a function of the numbers and gender composition of children both before and after the implementation of the BPP.

Mar 14, 2018
Commentary

Book Review: Safe Passage: The Transition from British to American Hegemony

In Safe Passage: The Transition from British to American Hegemony Kori Schake discusses the world's peaceful transition from British Empire to United States preeminence. She also considers the implications of her analysis for the present dynamics between a preeminent United States and a resurgent China.

Mar 7, 2018
Commentary

One Belt, One Road, One Ruler: China Term Limits Ban Imperils Progress

The abolition of presidential term limits in China represents a sea change in Communist Party politics and signals the consolidation of personalist rule by President Xi Jinping. Deviations from term limits are deleterious for good governance, political rights, and accountability.

Mar 6, 2018

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