Transatlantic Perspectives: China’s Nuclear Policy

No first use, limited capabilities, small arsenal – China’s approach to nuclear deterrence has historically been characterized by restraint. However, recent developments particularly in the Chinese domestic sphere suggest this restraint is undergoing change. Further exacerbating uncertainty, these domestic factors which relate to changes within the People’s Liberation Army, political-bureaucratic power relations, and the organizational structures of the institutions charged with nuclear policy all take place against the backdrop of increasingly volatile regional geopolitics.

In this event in ISDP’s Transatlantic Perspectives series, Dr. Michael Chase of the RAND Corporation will give a presentation on the status of China’s nuclear policy and approach to nuclear modernization. After the presentation, Dr. Chase will be joined by Dr. Thomas Jonter, Professor of International Relations at Stockholm University, in a Q&A with the audience. The event will be moderated by Maj Gen (ret.) Mats Engman, Distinguished Military Fellow at ISDP.

ISDP’s Transatlantic Perspectives seminar series features security policy and international relations experts from the United States participating in public seminars with local counterparts and policymakers in Stockholm on issues of importance to the Transatlantic link between Europe and the U.S. The series is organized in cooperation with the U.S. Embassy in Sweden.