The Military Implications of China's Trade Ambitions

China's outreach to the global market has increased its exposure to various traditional and non-traditional threats. These new challenges have triggered a fundamental revision of China's strategy concerning its security interests and objectives abroad. There is more support at home for actively protecting China's overseas interests. As a result, the People's Re-public of China (PRC) has also started to redefine the tasks of its military in a way that will allow the latter to gradually complement the country's conservative continental strategies with more emphasis on long-range power projection. This shift requires the West to prepare for a more pro-active and assertive Chinese posture toward flashpoints worldwide. Yet Beijing's persistent vulnerability will compel it to refrain from aggressive military unilateralism and to give priority to a collective approach. JONATHAN HOLSLAG is head of research at the Brussels Institute of Contemporary China Studies (BICCS). His research focuses on regional security in Asia. He is the co-author (with Gustaaf Geeraerts) of Macht of Mythe? (VUB Press) and has recently completed a new work on Sino-Indian relations (Columbia University Press). He has published article