From Swords to Plowshares?

The redirection of military resources and technology toward civilian production is a key feature of significant and wide-ranging defence industry reforms lauched by the People's Republic of China in the late 1970s. Combining a broad theoretical scope with detailed analysis of industry statistics and case studies of high- and low-technology defence factories, Dr Folta assesses the success and influence of the reforms. The experiment is now in its second decade, and the author has been able to analyze not only the degree to which the implementation of the reforms meets the expectations of the Beijing leadership, but also how these goals directly parallel and support the PRC's overall economic reforms and are consistent with deep changes in the military systems and strategic doctrine. The work also weighs the policy implications of the recent dramatic political events in the PRC, including the Tiananmen incident.