Samuel Huntington in Beijing. Reflections on the study of civil-military relations in the People's Republic of China

Abstract

The reliable control of the military is of paramount importance for any regime around the world, especially authoritarian ones. Had it not been able to ensure the “command of the gun,” it would be difficult to imagine the Chinese Communist Party celebrating the 100^th anniversary of its founding in 2021. Yet, despite the importance of this subject, the study of civil-military relations in China surprisingly remains undertheorized. Although today there is a consensus among scholars that Samuel P. Huntington’s concept of “objective control” best describes the current situation in China, such a concept is used in a merely descriptive manner. This article argues that although Huntington’s original ideology-centered model is not faultless, the current approach risks producing major distortions in the analysis. Against the background of today’s renewed interest for civil-military relations among political scientists, this article puts forwards suggestions regarding the future studies of civil-military relations in China.