In post-Cold War Asia, military power remains the dominant factor in inter-state relations. With its emerging military power, China is clearly an important actor in Asian security. However, Chinese military power needs rigorous interpretation in order to know its true purposes. Military doctrine, as an ideational variable, is essential in interpreting China’s material military power. Expanding Richard Betts’ concept of ‘military readiness,’ this study proposes a doctrine-based model of military readiness to interpret Chinese military power. After the establishment of the PRC in 1949, China’s development and use of military power have been shaped by a swing between local war and total war doctrines—two ends in the conflict spectrum. The People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) total war doctrine of Maoist People’s War spanning from the 1960s to 1970s contributed to a defence in-depth posture. Its development of a local war doctrine since the 1980s has led to China developing a visibly offensive posture to achieve quick and decisive victory in future conflicts. Based on the doctrinal model of ‘military readiness,’ Chinese military planning and deployments have led to a more flexible and agile PLA. But doctrinal weaknesses have left it still unprepared for conflict escalation.

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