China Military Power Report And The Us-china Security Strategy

"The Annual Report on the Military Power of The People's Republic of China" is composed by the U.S.Department of Defense according to The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2000(Public Law 106-65) and submitted to the U.S. Congress.The publication of the annual report raises a sharp reaction among the Chinese and American political and academic circles,as well as in public opinion.At that time, "China Threat" becomes a hot topic.Many scholars are concerned about the contents, frameworks,the publicizing process,and the implied intentions of the report.The research focus goes to the studies such as the influence caused by the report on the U.S.security strategy towards China,to what extent the report affects the Sino-U.S.relationship,and what the mechanism is in which the report affects the U.S.security strategy towards China, and etc.Yet there is not a consensus on these questions.By analyzing the report itself and the linkage between the report and the U.S.security strategy towards China,the thesis will reveal the influence of the report on the U.S.security strategy towards China from a perspective of the decision-making mechanism of the U.S.government,and furthermore, put forward suggestions for coping the publication and contents of the report.The U.S.security strategy towards China is subordinate to the U.S.global strategy and its Asia-Pacific strategy.Proceeding from the national interest,the U.S.security strategy towards China will change according to the international situation and the change of function and position of the U.S.among the international society,as well as the change of China's importance in the U.S.global strategy.Although the influence of the U.S. Department of Defense increases,as one element in the mechanism of the decision-making of the U.S.security strategy towards China,the view of the U.S.Department of Defense will still be restricted and modified by other relative departments.This results from the lack of a prevailing consensus on China policy among the departments of the U.S. government.This phenomenon also reflects in the publicizing process of the report.The author finds that contents and expressions of the report undergo modification under the restriction of the departments related to the decision-making of the U.S.security strategy towards China.Especially when the view of the report is incompatible with the U.S. security strategy towards China,the process of the forced modification and delayed publication will necessarily occur.To this sense,the report has limited influence on the U.S. security strategy towards China.Meanwhile,the requirements put forward by The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2000 directly results in some important effect of the report on the U.S.-Taiwan relationship,especially on the policy of the U.S.military sales to Taiwan.The estimation of the report about the military power on both sides of the Taiwan Strait often results in the publication of the new policy about the U.S.military sales to Taiwan.The conclusion of the thesis is:According to the analysis under the Political Process Model set forth by Roger Hilsman,the final decision is an outcome of the interaction among all elements in the decision-making mechanism.And the U.S.security strategy towards China is the result of mutual contending and compromising among the departments related to the decision-making of the U.S.security strategy towards China.As one of the main reports of the U.S.Department of Defense,"The Annual Report on the Military Power of the People's Republic of China" is a kind of measure and approach for the U.S.Department of Defense and those pro-Taiwan congressmen to affect the U.S. security strategy towards China.Therefore,the report of course has some effect on the U.S. security strategy towards China.But its influence is limited.It is not necessary for China to over react to the publication of the report.With essentially condemning that the U.S.uses the report to interfere China's internal affairs,and to spread the "China Threat" theory, China needs to enhance the military transparency and the military exchange between Sino and the U.S.,so as to counteract the negative effect of the report,and in the meantime root up the market where the "China Threat" theory can perform a function.