China's Arms Acquisitions From Abroad: A Quest for 'Superb and Secret Weapons'

This monograph combines statistical data and concise analysis to paint a generally complacent picture of Chinese military modernization. In spite of long-standing efforts to acquire advanced military technology abroad, the Chinese have only recently begun to have substantial successes, according to the authors, who see a variety of economic, institutional, and ideological forces hampering the development of Chinese military power. In making these judgments, they assume that past performance is a reasonable measure of future prospects. Those who are more impressed by the spectacular rate of change in China, regarding it as an indicator of future military potential, may be less sanguine, but should study this volume carefully nonetheless.