China's brief flirtation with liberalism in the 1980s was led by Zhao Ziyang--the subject of this biography, the only existing study in English. A first-rate work by a first-rate Sinologist.

The common thread to this work is that china is taking its military modernization seriously, but is still frugal in making it happen. These are the best scholars in the US on the subject and it is amazing how little they know, but they explain their conclusions very clearly and briefly. This is a well written book that leans more on the hardware side of defense than on strategic policy.

For the past 20 years, Chinese economy has shwon a remarkable performance. Accordingly, Chinese political leaders and military leaders have been able to embark on the long-awaited dream of acquiring the so-called "secret and super" weapons. It is sure that the PLA's growing strength will have significant implications for the security evolvement in the 21st century. In this regard, this book gives us a compresensive view of the Chinese military, rangifn from the post-Deng military leadership, doctrine,weapons acqustion, to East Aisan security. If you are intereseted in the Chinese military and its ramificatoins for 21st international security, this book is a must