CIA: Annual Report to Congress: Military and Security Developments Involving the

Annual Report to Congress: Military and Security Developments Involving the People’s Republic of China, 2010, issued by the Office of the Secretary of Defense, Department of Defense, 2010. This unclassified report fulfills the requirement of Section one thousand two hundred forty‑six of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2010, providing a comprehensive overview of Chinese military and security activity for the public record. The document was released to the public through The Black Vault, which posted the full text on its archive site. The posting date is listed as the date of upload, and the declassification authority is the Secretary of Defense, acting under the statutory mandate of the National Defense Authorization Act. The source can be accessed at archive.org under the identifier CI02353. The report opens with the statutory directive: “Pursuant to the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2010, Section one thousand two hundred forty‑six, ‘Annual Report on Military and Security Developments Involving the People’s Republic of China,’ of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2010, Public Law one hundred eleven‑eighty‑four, which amends the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2000, Section one thousand two hundred two, Public Law one hundred six‑sixty‑five, provides that the Secretary of Defense shall submit a report in both classified and unclassified form, on military and security developments involving the People’s Republic of China.” The report continues: “The report shall address the current and probable future course of military‑technological development of the People’s Liberation Army and the tenets and probable development of Chinese security strategy and military strategy, and of the military organizations and operational concepts, through the next twenty years. The report shall also address United States‑China engagement and cooperation on security matters during the period covered by the report, including through United States‑China military‑to‑military contacts, and the United States strategy for such engagement and cooperation in the future.” Executive Summary. Over the past thirty years, China has made great progress in its pursuit of economic growth and development, which has allowed China to achieve higher living standards for the Chinese people and has increased China’s international profile. These economic achievements, combined with progress in science and technology, have also enabled China to embark on a comprehensive transformation of its military. The pace and scope of China’s military modernization have increased over the past decade, enabling China’s armed forces to develop capabilities to contribute to the delivery of international public goods, as well as increase China’s options for using military force to gain diplomatic advantage or resolve disputes in its favor. Earlier this decade, China began a new phase of military development by articulating roles and missions for the People’s Liberation Army that go beyond China’s immediate territorial interests. Some of these missions and associated capabilities have allowed the PLA to contribute to international peacekeeping efforts, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, and counter‑piracy operations. The United States recognizes and welcomes these contributions. Other investments have allowed the PLA to pursue anti‑access and area‑denial strategies. Still others appear designed to improve the PLA’s ability for extended‑range power projection, although China’s ability to sustain military power at a distance, today, remains limited. As the 2010 Quadrennial Defense Review Report notes, “China is developing and fielding large numbers of advanced medium‑range ballistic and cruise missiles, new attack submarines equipped with advanced weapons, increasingly capable long‑range air defense systems, electronic warfare and computer network attack capabilities, advanced fighter aircraft, and counter‑space systems.” Cross‑Strait economic and cultural ties continued to make important progress in two thousand nine. Despite these positive trends, China’s military build‑up opposite the island continued unabated. The PLA is developing the capability to deter Taiwan independence or influence Taiwan to settle the dispute on Beijing’s terms while simultaneously attempting to deter, delay, or deny any possible United States support for the island in case of conflict. The balance of cross‑Strait military forces continues to shift in the mainland’s favor. The PLA has made modest