Global tests in path of 'Chinese Dream'

In modern times, national security has been viewed by policymakers throughout the world as a calculus of military relationships and the relative balance of military power. That concept is becoming less helpful in understanding international behavior and risk, as the nature of national and global security threats continues to evolve, and the vulnerability of modern societies to disruption continues to increase.

The most serious long-term threats to any country's national security and prosperity are now transnational. They are shared global threats that reflect new vulnerabilities, and addressing them will require new concepts of strategy and leadership, that is accompanied by holistic and integrated learning, in order to enable enduring global security and sustainable development.

This is to suggest that China's approach to national security would be inadequate for its future needs, if it were unduly focused on nation-against-nation competition in relation to military affairs alone. This would be true even if it were peaceful in all intentions, aspiring only toward a more harmonious world.