In November 2002, the Chinese Communist Party held its 16th Congress and
formally initiated a sweeping turnover of senior leaders in both the
Party and the People's Liberation Army (PLA). The meeting heralded not
merely a new set of personalities in positions of political and military
power, but also the emergence of a new generation of leaders. Who are
these individuals, and what does their rise mean for the future of China
and its military? The group of China specialists who have written this
book have applied their research talents, intelligence, and hands-on
experience to clarify and explain the most important issues of the day
in China. China obviously matters to the United States because of its
size, its spectacular patterns of growth, its profound problems linked
to rapid growth, and its military intentions.