ANNUAL REPORT TO CONGRESS
Military Power of the
People’s Republic of China
2009
Office of the Secretary of Defense
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Military Power of the People’s Republic of China
A Report to Congress
Pursuant to the National Defense Authorization Act
Fiscal Year 2000
Section 1202, “Annual Report on Military Power of the People’s Republic of China,” of the
National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2000, Public Law 106-65, provides that
the Secretary of Defense shall submit a report “in both classified and unclassified form, on
the current and future military strategy of the People’s Republic of China. The report shall
address the current and probable future course of military-technological development on the
People’s Liberation Army and the tenets and probable development of Chinese grand strategy,
security strategy, and military strategy, and of the military organizations and operational
concepts, through the next 20 years.”
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I
Military Power of the People’s Republic of China
China’s rapid rise as a regional political and economic power with growing global influence has
significant implications for the Asia-Pacific region and the world. The United States welcomes the
rise of a stable, peaceful, and prosperous China, and encourages China to participate responsibly in
world affairs by taking on a greater share of the burden for the stability, resilience, and growth of
the international system. The United States has done much over the last 30 years to encourage and
facilitate China’s national development and its integration into the international system. However,
much uncertainty surrounds China’s future course, particularly regarding how its expanding military
power might be used.
The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) is pursuing comprehensive transformation from a mass army
designed for protracted wars of attrition on its territory to one capable of fighting and winning short-
duration, high-intensity conflicts along its periphery