CHINA

 

 
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INSS China research focuses on Chinese national objectives and strategy, military modernization, regional strategy and territorial disputes, and the foundations of national power and innovation. Key focus area include military reforms aimed at increasing jointness, nuclear modernization, space and cyber capabilities, relations with the United States and neighboring countries, and efforts to use diplomatic, economic, and military instruments to expand Chinese influence regionally and globally. This research informs U.S. strategy toward China across all dimensions of competition, including development of strategic and operational concepts that exploit Chinese weaknesses and enhance U.S. readiness, alliances, interoperability, and combat capability.

Cover of The 2024 Carlisle Conference of the PLA
INSS Contributes Chapter on "PLA High Command in a Protracted War" in Army War College Book
By Joel Wuthnow | Jan. 20, 2026
INSS China Center Senior Research Fellow Dr. Joel Wuthnow published a chapter on “PLA High Command in a Protracted War: Four Scenarios” in a new Army War College book edited by Joshua Arostegui, The 2024 Carlisle Conference on the PLA: Protracted War Against the PRC.

Cover of DTRA Study: Implications of a PRC Shift to a Launch-on-Warning Nuclear Posture
Implications of a PRC Shift to a Launch-on-Warning Nuclear Posture
By Dr. David C. Logan and Dr. Phillip C. Saunders | Nov. 21, 2025
This Defense Threat Reduction Agency study assesses the prospects and implications of China’s adoption of a launch-on-warning (LOW) posture for U.S. national security objectives. It evaluates China’s ability to adopt a LOW posture, identifies the key design decisions, examines what a Chinese LOW posture might look like, and assesses the implications and identifies potential mitigation measures.

Cover of China Strategic Perspectives 20
Taming the Hegemon: Chinese Thinking on Countering U.S. Military Intervention in Asia
By Joel Wuthnow | Sept. 15, 2025
This report assesses recent Chinese thinking on countering U.S. intervention in Asia, specifically in a Taiwan contingency.

Soldiers loading sea mines during a military exercise in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, July 2025
The Greatest Danger in the Taiwan Strait
By Dr. Joel Wuthnow | Sept. 15, 2025
Dr. Joel Wuthnow writes a piece for Foreign Affairs on how a war between China and Taiwan could result from an accident or miscalculation that spirals out of control.

Two figures. Figure 1 (left): All Military Leader Engagements with Africa.  Figure 2 (right): CMC Vice Chair travel to Africa.
China’s Military Diplomacy in Africa
By Matt Kuhlman, Raina Nelson, and Phillip C. Saunders | Aug. 20, 2025
This article shows another application for regional researchers, analysts, and policymakers. Specifically, it uses the database to explore some specific aspects of the People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA’s) evolving engagement in Africa.

Cover art of School of War
INSS China Center Researchers join School of War Podcast
By Aaron MacLean | Aug. 13, 2025
INSS China Center Director Dr. Phillip Saunders and Senior Research Fellow Dr. Joel Wuthnow are interviewed discussing their new book China’s Quest for Military Supremacy on the latest School of War podcast.

A portrait of China’s leader, Xi Jinping, at the Military Museum in Beijing. Mr. Xi has set a 2027 target for modernizing the People’s Liberation Army.
Dr. Joel Wuthnow quoted in NYT on challenges within China's military
By Chris Buckley | Aug. 13, 2025
On 10 August, INSS China Center Senior Research Fellow Dr. Joel Wuthnow was quoted in a New York Times story by Chris Buckley titled “Xi Looks to Tighten Grip After Scandals Shake China’s Military Elite.”

Cover of How the U.S. and China Use Deterrence to Preserve Peace by Faultlines
How the U.S. and China Use Deterrence to Preserve Peace
By Oriana Skylar Mastro and Joel Wuthnow | Aug. 6, 2025
On 1 August 2025, INSS China Center Senior Research Fellow Joel Wuthnow appeared in a National Committee on U.S.-China Relations Faultlines video on “How the U.S. and China Use Deterrence to Preserve Peace.”

Cover Image of China Desk podcast
INSS China Center Researchers join China Desk Podcast
By Dr. Phillip Saunders and Dr. Joel Wuthnow | Aug. 6, 2025
On 5 August 2025, INSS China Center Director Phillip Saunders and Center Senior Research Fellow Joel Wuthnow appeared on the China Desk podcast with Steve Yates to discuss their book China’s Quest for Military Supremacy.

Chinese Defense Minister Chang Wanquan meets with Vietnamese Minister of Defense Ngo Xuan Lich in Beijing, January 13, 2017
(Liu Fang/Xinhua/Alamy Live News)
Visualizing China’s Military Diplomacy
By Raina Nelson, Matt Kuhlman, and Phillip Saunders | Aug. 5, 2025
The National Defense University (NDU) recently released a major update to its comprehensive, publicly available database tracking the People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) international military-diplomatic engagements from 2002 to 2024.