Volume 10, Issue 7
On 16–19 September 2004, two decisions of significance for China's military were approved. The first was the resignation of Jiang Zemin as chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC) – a post he had held since 1989, and had retained even after giving up all his other positions in 2002 – and his replacement by Communist Party General Secretary and President Hu Jintao. The second was an enlargement and possible reorganisation of the CMC itself, making it look more like a ’joint chiefs of staff’ organisation capable of making key military decisions and ensuring proper coordination and implementation.
Volume 10, Issue 1
On 20 March, Taiwanese voters will go to the polls to elect a president and vice-president for the next four years. In addition, Taiwan's citizens will vote on two unprecedented national referenda: whether Taiwan should acquire more anti-missile defence equipment to counter the Chinese missile buildup across the Taiwan Strait; and/or whether a framework of 'peace and stability' should be established between Taiwan and China. The outcomes of the votes have potentially great significance for cross-Strait relations, as well as for regional stability and the complex relations between the United States, China and Taiwan.
Volume 9, Issue 5
An outpouring of public dissatisfaction in Hong Kong over proposed anti-subversion legislation favoured by Beijing has undermined China's political control over the territory and reinforced barriers to rapprochement between China and Taiwan. The crisis could ultimately result in a faster pace of democratisation in the territory, but China will try to ensure that the balance of power in Hong Kong favours those supportive of its policies. The territory could face a prolonged period of political tension
Volume 8, Issue 9
China'sleadership change, announced at the 16th Congress of the ruling Communist Party in mid-November 2002, appeared to mark the last troubled succession since the communist takeover in 1949. Yet, while the transfer of power - to a 'Fourth Generation' of leaders - for the first time involved neither the death of an incumbent nor the overthrow of an heir apparent, there are reasons to doubt the stability of the new line-up. The succession arrangements point to the possibility of conflict both between the new generation of leaders and their retired - or semi retired - predecessors, as well as between those new leaders just promoted.
Volume 9, Issue 6
The People's Liberation Army (PLA) can look on the past five-to-seven years as a defining period in its efforts to modernise. It has made important progress in doctrinal development, hardware acquisition and 'software' reforms. The recent appointment of a new generation of military leaders will bolster these trends. An examination of these developments highlights a number of key benchmarks against which to monitor progress in coming years.
Volume 10, Issue 6
The transfer of Ballistic Missile Defence (BMD) capabilities to countries in Asia embodies difficult dilemmas for the United States. Washington must be mindful of the complications that its transfers might cause, yet equally it must be responsive to the growing expansion of the ballistic missile threat facing its friends and allies if it is to secure their cooperation in regards to both its immediate power projection objectives and its larger geopolitical interests in Asia. Even more importantly, it has to appreciate that eschewing BMD transfers would create problems of its own.
Volume 10, Issue 3
Throughout the Asia-Pacific region, defence planners are seeking to exploit the information-age Revolution in Military Affairs (RMA) that has preoccupied their American counterparts for the last decade. Armed forces as diverse as those of Australia, China, Japan, Singapore, South Korea and Taiwan have begun to develop RMA-type capabilities. Prowess in information and communication technology has played an important part in the economic development of those Asia-Pacific countries where interest in military transformation is strongest, and provides a necessary technological underpinning for national efforts to benefit from the RMA.
