Chinese Strategic Art

This monograph examines the ambiguities of Chinese strategic and military thought and introduces a new concept of Chinese Strategic Art to help analysts understand how the People's Republic of China (PRC) thinks about and practices strategy. This study reviews a multi-disciplinary selection of military, philosophical, and psychological literature to define and understand Chinese traditional and strategic culture, and the strategic theory of the People's Liberation Army. The study of culture and strategic theory lays the foundation for developing the concept of Chinese Strategic Art. This monograph argues that there is a distinct Chinese strategic culture which combines with the principles of strategic theory to create Chinese Strategic Art. The study uses a qualitative case study methodology and applies the Chinese Strategic Art framework to three case studies to evaluate and assess the subjective conditions that influence the PRC leadership's decision to use military force. The three case studies are: the Korean War, the Sino-Vietnamese War, 1979, and the Sino-Taiwanese conflict. The study finds that although the PRC leadership claim to only use force for self-defense, history shows that they also use military force as a means of developing or affirming relationships with other countries, particularly the United States and the Soviet Union. The study also finds that the distinct holistic approach of Chinese strategists, which focuses on interrelationships and dialectical understanding, influences their use of military force. There is a Chinese proverb that states "stones of other hills may serve to polish the jade of this one." The study of Chinese Strategic Art is beneficial to US military officers (and AMSP students in particular) as it not only expands understanding of the PRC's strategic decision making, but may also complement US strategic thinking.