Reforming China’s Defense Industry: Progress in Spite of Itself?
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The People’s Republic of China has, since the 1950s, strived to become selfsupporting in the development and production of armaments. The results of these endeavors, however, have been decidedly mixed. Since the late 1990s, China has engaged in a number of reforms intended to overhaul its defense industry, making it both more efficient and economically and technologically self-sustaining, as well as increasing its capacities to design, develop, and manufacture cutting-edge weaponry. Efforts to inject market forces into the local process of arms manufacturing—such as making defense firms more responsible for their own profits and losses, creating a professional management system, increasing inter-firm competition, introducing competitive bidding, and spurring corporative rationalization and consolidation— have, however, met with limited success, given the Chinese leadership’s reluctance to truly “marketize” the arms industry. The Chinese defense industry has made considerable advances in its manufacturing capabilities, but this has been largely due to increased military spending, commercial-to-military technology spin-on, and the continued reliance upon transfers of military technologies from Russia (including licensed production) and of dual-use technologies from the West. It is also worth noting that Russian arms still comprise the most advanced armaments in the Chinese military’s arsenal. Overall, it appears that Beijing’s operational strategy regarding its defense sector is still to muddle through, with only minor structural tinkering.
Abstract
The People’s Republic of China has, since the 1950s, strived to become selfsupporting in the development and production of armaments. The results of these endeavors, however, have been decidedly mixed. Since the late 1990s, China has engaged in a number of reforms intended to overhaul its defense industry, making it both more efficient and economically and technologically self-sustaining, as well as increasing its capacities to design, develop, and manufacture cutting-edge weaponry. Efforts to inject market forces into the local process of arms manufacturing—such as making defense firms more responsible for their own profits and losses, creating a professional management system, increasing inter-firm competition, introducing competitive bidding, and spurring corporative rationalization and consolidation— have, however, met with limited success, given the Chinese leadership’s reluctance to truly “marketize” the arms industry. The Chinese defense industry has made considerable advances in its manufacturing capabilities, but this has been largely due to increased military spending, commercial-to-military technology spin-on, and the continued reliance upon transfers of military technologies from Russia (including licensed production) and of dual-use technologies from the West. It is also worth noting that Russian arms still comprise the most advanced armaments in the Chinese military’s arsenal. Overall, it appears that Beijing’s operational strategy regarding its defense sector is still to muddle through, with only minor structural tinkering.