China converted economic growth into military power in the late 1980s and 1990s

Evidence

If its economic development continues, this conversion process will assume major proportions. According to official figures, during most of the 1980s Chinese military spending declined. Between 1988 and 1993, however, military expenditures doubled in current amounts and increased by 50 percent in real terms. A 21 percent rise was planned for 1995. Estimates of Chinese military expenditures for 1993 range from roughly 22 billion to 37 billion at official exchange rates and up to $90 billion in terms of purchasing power parity. In the late 1980s China redrafted its military strategy, shifting from defense against invasion in a major war with the Soviet Union to a regional strategy emphasizing power projection. — Samuel P. Huntington, The Clash of Civilizations and the…, 616

Categorization

• XREF: The shift from continental defense to regional power projection is the strategic pivot that China’s modern A2/AD naval buildout continues.
• SHARE: A colleague tracking Chinese military modernization would appreciate the 1988-1993 spending-doubling data point.