Defense News
MANILA, Philippines — China released its first white paper on national security this week amid what Beijing calls “intensifying geopolitics” in the region marked by the deployment of an “intermediate-range missile system.”
The 23-page “China’s National Security in the New Era,” released in Mandarin by the State Council Information Office, outlined the country’s security issues in a region it described as mired in “intensifying geopolitics, hegemonism and the return of Cold War mentality.”
The Chinese government has for years made public its defense white papers, but it’s the first time it has released a national security document that touches on a range of security threats, from maritime and territorial disputes, terrorism, biotechnology, and food security.
Asia-Pacific, the document noted, faces “severe” security challenges amid an escalating international arms race. China claimed “some countries” strengthened military alliances in the region, wooed regional partners, built “small groups,” and deployed military capabilities such as the “intermediate-range missile system.”
