The Chinese Government issued a White Paper on the country's national defense on December 29, the fifth since 1998.

The paper primarily deals with changes taking place in the international security field over the last couple of years, offers new content to China's national defense policy, and gives an account of the new developments in the defense sector.

It has three salient features. First, it mirrors the principles by which China's national defense is purported to serve the country's peaceful development. Second, it underlines the guiding role played by the scientific outlook of development in the defense policy in the new century. Third, it tries to increase the transparency of the country's defense policy and strategic objectives.