China Debates the Future Security Environment by Michael Pillsbury National Defense University

Author:Michael Pillsbury, National Defense University [Michael Pillsbury, National Defense University]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781839747502
Barnesnoble:
Publisher: Barakaldo Books
Published: 2021-05-03T00:00:00+00:00

Economic Rivalries

While Li Qingshan views the component factors of CNP from the perspective of their relevance to warfare, authors Tong Fuquan and Liu Yichang analyze them with more economic issues in mind. Tong and Liu’s interest in evaluating and comparing countries’ CNP stems from the role it plays in world conflicts and rivalries over “science and technology, industrialization, foreign trade, finance, and natural resources.”{517} They divide CNP into four major parts—economics, politics, science and technology, and military affairs—placing economics in the most crucial position. “Actual economic strength,” they write, “is, of course, the major component part of Comprehensive National Power, and to a certain extent, a country’s actual economic strength represents its Comprehensive National Power.” The other three areas are not discussed as independent factors but with regard to their relationship to economics.

Concerning politics, Tong and Liu write, “In general, political power and actual economic strength are linked together.”{518} They believe a country with strong economic power will have powerful political influence, and a nation with unsubstantial economic strength will not have major political influence. However, they do grant an exception for Japan, whose great economic strength does not translate into a strong role in international political affairs. A similar relationship exists between the extent of a country’s economic strength and the level of its scientific and technological development. While the authors recognize the importance of military power, they assess it based on its connection to the other factors:

Actual military strength also is an area that can not be lacking in Comprehensive National Power, if a country’s military power is not strong, it is out of the question that this country could have powerful Comprehensive National Power. In general, the size of military expenditures is both a reflection of whether a country’s actual military strength is strong or weak, and an important sign of whether its economy is powerful, additionally, the development of military technology is related to actual scientific and technological strength. Therefore, in a certain sense, the enhancement of actual military strength is a strong symbol of a country’s powerful Comprehensive National Power.{519}

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