Phillip C. Saunders and Melodie Ha China Strategic Perspectives 19
Executive SummaryChinese military diplomacy serves both strategic and operational goals. The main strategic goals are supporting Chinese foreign policy and shaping the strategic environment; operational goals include supporting People’s Liberation Army (PLA) modernization and collecting intelligence on foreign militaries.
Military diplomacy is a tool for building foreign relations and an indicator of the quality of China’s bilateral relationships. When relations are strained, military-diplomatic engagements decrease or stop; when relations are good, engagements tend to increase.
Military activities are limited by partner willingness and capability, Chinese domestic constraints, and Chinese Communist Party control over the PLA. PLA engagements with foreign militaries often emphasize form over substance and do not necessarily build much trust or interoperability with military partners.
The total number of PLA senior-level visits, exercises, and port calls grew significantly from 2002–08, stayed relatively constant from 2009–19, and dropped dramatically in the COVID-19 years of 2020–22 before gradually beginning to rise again starting in 2023. Senior-level visits are the most common form of activity, but military exercises and port calls make up an increasing share of PLA foreign military engagements.
Asia is the highest priority region for Chinese military diplomacy, with Europe in second place and Africa a distant third. Southeast Asia has emerged as a battleground for U.S.-China competition in military diplomacy.
Russia, Pakistan, and the United States are the PLA’s top three partners, but the volume of U.S.-China engagements has declined significantly from its peak in 2015, while engagements with Russia and Pakistan have continued apace.
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