Current predictions indicate that the most likely military peer opponent to the United States in the next century will be the People's Liberation Army (PLA) of the People's Republic of China (PRC). These predictions stem from areas of mutual interest but divergent objectives, the demise of the Soviet Union, and the emasculation of the Soviet Armed Forces. American anxiety concerning a potentially hostile and militarily powerful China emanates from a view of China narrowly focused on points of tension between the United States and the PRC. This perspective of Sino-American relations is exacerbated by efforts taken by the PRC to modernize the PLA into a force capable of projecting power regionally. Fears of renewed Chinese power translate to anxiety about future capabilities and missions of the People's Liberation Army (PLA). Recent changes in the organization and composition of the PLA foster concerns in the United States of hostile intentions on the part of the Chinese government. The fear centers on reforms of the PLA emphasizing quality rather than quantity. The movement toward a more competent military is interpreted as hostile intent. The perception of hostile intent marks China as a potential adversary of the United Sates for influence in Asia. Anxiety among American political and military leaders ignores key realities regarding the current situation facing the PLA. Although striving to reach at least parity with modern western armies, the PLA is faced with several issues that detract from that pursuit. These distractions include internal and external security concerns and the need to modernize equipment, organization, and training methods. The PLA is faced with external security threats along the western frontier, internal security problems, and the comparatively poor state of equipment and training in the PLA. These problems effectively prevent the PRC from pursuing even regional hegemony. Considering the problems confronting the PLA the threat to the United States is not as ominous as many believe. Conversely the number of similar interests and potential threats shared by the United States and the PRC show a level of commonality that can lead to increased cooperation in the future. These common concerns include the production and trafficking of drugs, a potential nuclear arms race between India and Pakistan, stability on the Korean peninsula and the economic stability of Asia. Although current predictions publicize that the U.S. Armed Forces and the PLA will become peer opponents early in the next century conditions exist that may cause the opposite to become true. Based on economic and security interests in Asia the U.S. Armed Forces and the PLA may become partners in the near to mid-term.

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