NIDS China security report

The international community continues to keep close watch on China's security policy and military trends. In Japan, too, the general public has grown more aware of the large impact that the rising military power of China will have on Japan's national security. China, now the second largest economy in the world, has become an essential economic partner to Japan and other East Asian countries. At the same time, however, China has used its economic growth as leverage to increase military spending and move forward with the modernization of the People's Liberation Army (PLA). China's military expansion without sufficient transparency, in tandem with the more assertive nature of the PLA has raised concerns among neighboring and other countries. This report analyzes China's security trends and aims to contribute to the development of a stable relationship between China and Japan by broadening opportunities for exchange between the two countries in the field of security and defense.