Paper Tigers

This book examines how the nuclear weapons policy, forces and posture of the People's Republic of China have evolved from the mid-1950s to the present. Using newly available open-source information, including Chinese-language resources, it documents the development of Chinese views about nuclear weapons, China's nuclear weapons testing program, its production of fissile material and the deployment of its current nuclear forces. The author places the debate about the future of China's nuclear posture in the context of its nuclear past, arguing that the United States and China should focus the current dialogue about nuclear weapons on questions of regional security and strategic stability.