Table of Contents
This chapter is organised into three parts, covering: the main bases and principles of China’s national defence policy, the main challenges China’s national defence is facing and the responses of China’s national defence policy.
Since 1998, China has issued national defence white papers biannually to expound its national defence policy to the world. With the changing international security situation and environment, China’s national defence policy in different historical periods has been adjusted accordingly, but the basics remain unchanged. These basics are: China’s national laws (the Constitution of the People’s Republic of China and the National Defense Law), international relations principles, international security situations, national security interests, big countries’ responsibilities, China’s national, historical and cultural traditions, and the basic patterns of warfare.
Analysing New China’s national defence policy in different historical periods, we discover that China always adheres to the following basic principles: first, strategic defence—that is, it always sticks to the tenet ‘if you don’t attack me, I will not attack you; if you attack me, I will surely attack you’; second, self-reliance—that is, China does not seek alliances with any big country or bloc, nor does it participate in any military bloc, and it handles all national defence and security matters independently; third, self-defence by the whole population—that is, to combine a streamlined standing army with a powerful reserve force and bring the integrated power of ‘people’s war’ into full play; fourth, coordinated development—that is, national defence construction must be subordinated to and serve economic construction; fifth, safeguarding peace—that is, to safeguard world peace and oppose aggression and expansion.