The purpose of this paper is to analyze the strategy embodied in China's 1998 White Paper titled "China's National Defense" and compare it with the strategic concepts contained in a number of military classics from ancient China. The assumption is that since China's political and military leaders state openly that their strategy is based on traditional Chinese strategic concepts, a study of ancient classics on strategy may provide a deeper understanding of the strategy embodied in "China's National Defense". Such an understanding will be of value to United States military strategists as they deal with the China of today and tomorrow. The results of this study did find ancient precedents in the strategy outlined by "China's National Defense". The most prevalent strategic precedents include the concepts of: gaining popular support for the national government, pursuing economic development to satisfy the population, developing a strong military to deter/defeat internal and external threats, and preferring the use of peaceful means to solve conflicts rather than using military force.

ADA 367747 Approved for public release; Distribution is unlimited. The opinions and conclusions expressed herein are those of the student-authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College or any other governmental agency. (References to these studies should include the foregoing statement.)