08.02.2013 Views

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

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

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

SHOW MORE
SHOW LESS

Create successful ePaper yourself

Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.

CHAPTER 9<br />

MILITARY EXCHANGES WITH CHINESE<br />

CHARACTERISTICS:<br />

THE PEOPLE’S LIBERATION ARMY EXPERIENCE<br />

WITH MILITARY RELATIONS<br />

INTRODUCTION<br />

Heidi Holz <strong>and</strong> Kenneth Allen<br />

In the last 2 decades, the People’s Liber<strong>at</strong>ion <strong>Army</strong><br />

(<strong>PLA</strong>) has interacted with the intern<strong>at</strong>ional community<br />

in more ways, more often, <strong>and</strong> more effectively.<br />

<strong>The</strong> increased frequency <strong>and</strong> sophistic<strong>at</strong>ion of China’s<br />

employment of military diplomacy as a tool of st<strong>at</strong>ecraft<br />

mirrors trends in overall Chinese diplomacy as<br />

the People’s Republic of China (PRC) becomes increasingly<br />

engaged in the intern<strong>at</strong>ional community.<br />

This chapter discusses the role of <strong>PLA</strong> military<br />

diplomacy in China’s foreign rel<strong>at</strong>ions. 1 It examines<br />

the various activities encompassed by <strong>PLA</strong> military<br />

diplomacy <strong>and</strong> the ways in which these activities help<br />

to fulfill China’s larger foreign policy objectives. It begins<br />

by discussing the current str<strong>at</strong>egic objectives th<strong>at</strong><br />

guide Chinese foreign policy <strong>and</strong> the role th<strong>at</strong> military<br />

diplomacy plays in fulfilling those objectives. It then<br />

seeks to identify trends <strong>and</strong> key themes in the <strong>PLA</strong>’s<br />

conduct of each of the activities th<strong>at</strong> constitute its foreign<br />

military rel<strong>at</strong>ions program. Finally, it examines<br />

the role th<strong>at</strong> <strong>PLA</strong> military diplomacy plays in PRC<br />

foreign rel<strong>at</strong>ions.<br />

This chapter concludes th<strong>at</strong>, within the context of<br />

the PRC’s overall diplom<strong>at</strong>ic efforts, China uses <strong>PLA</strong><br />

military diplomacy to:<br />

429

Hooray! Your file is uploaded and ready to be published.

Saved successfully!

Ooh no, something went wrong!