CHINA¡¯S MILITARY STRATEGY AND DOCTRINE
... posits a defensive military strategy and asserts that China does not initiate wars or fight wars of aggression, but engages in war only to defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity and attacks only after being attacked. Beijing¡¯s definition of an attack against its territory, or what constitutes an initial attack, is left vague, however. In instances where Beijing¡¯s use of force involves core interests, such as Taiwan, it could claim, as it has in the past, that preemptive uses of force are strategically ¡°defensive¡± in nature, such as the 1979 ¡°counter-attack in self defense¡± against Vietnam. Consequently, the term ¡°active defense¡± indicates little about when or how China would initiate hostilities. Once Beijing determines that hostilities have begun, evidence suggests the characteristics of ¡°active defense¡± are distinctly offensive. The PLA text, The Study of Campaigns (Zhanyi Xue), published in 2000, explains: While strategically the guideline is active defense, in military campaigns, though, the emphasis is placed on taking the initiative in active offense. Only in this way, the strategic objective of active defense can be realized. ¡°Active defense¡± calls for forces to be postured to defend against perceived security threats. China¡¯s forces also seek to shape their security environment and prevent adversaries from engaging in actions contrary to China¡¯s national interests. Returning to the 1979 conflict with Vietnam, Beijing launched that invas...