The PLA at Home and Abroad - Strategic Studies Institute - U.S. Army

tional Convention platform (Hu’s report) in October
2007 and in China’s 2006 and 2008 Defense White Papers.
As characterized by Chinese analysts, the PLA is
tasked to carry out “three provides and one role” (三
个提供, 一个发挥). Specifically, it is to:
• provide an important source of strength for
consolidating the ruling position of the CCP;
• provide a solid security guarantee for sustaining
the important period of strategic opportunity
for national development;
• provide strong strategic support for safeguarding
national interests; and
• play a major role in maintaining world peace
and promoting common development. 6
The new mission indicates that Chinese leaders
took note of the changes that have taken place and adjusted
their strategy to meet the challenge of the time.
Indeed, China’s standard of living has improved. Most
Chinese have moved beyond subsistence-level concerns.
Chinese now care more about the opportunity
and rights to development, a higher level of human
needs. 7 In fact, the need for development has already
caused the Chinese to pursue their interests everywhere
in the world, into the open seas, outer space,
cyber space, and other emerging areas. China now has
an “interest frontier” that goes beyond the confines of
its traditional territorial boundaries.
What is striking is that the CCP leaders have a
great sense of urgency for China’s development. On
the one hand, they see that there is a fierce race to modernity
in the world. Those nations that fail to keep
up with the race will be marginalized and may never
catch up. On the other hand, the CCP leaders believe
that the world is still a dangerous place, and great
8