Abstract

China has one of the most powerful military forces in the world. However, a little over 100 years ago, the Chinese military was repeatedly defeated by Western colonial powers and Japan. These defeats motivated the Chinese to make dramatic changes to their military forces. Based on an analysis of contemporary Chinese history and cultural values, it would appear there have been four major attempts to modernise the Chinese military. These attempts have been consistently driven by the need to defend Chinese national interests and self-esteem. Although the current military’s rapid transformation has alarmed the West, in reality China’s intentions are more about self-defence and nullifying internal independence movements, in particular Taiwan, and has little to do with expansion of territory.