Ronan Tse-min Fu, David James Gill, and Eric Hundman respond to Adam P. Liff and G. John Ikenberry's fall 2014 article, "Racing toward Tragedy? China's Rise, Military Competition in the Asia Pacific, and the Security Dilemma."

Claims that the Asia Pacific is ripe for military competition and conflict are overstated. China's surging economy and military spending have contributed to security dilemmas in the region, as have specific conflicts of interest—for instance, over territory. Measures are available, however, to mitigate the action-reaction dynamics of mutual fear, suspicion, and insecurity.

Throughout the postwar period, the Government of Japan's (GOJ) definition and interpretation of collective self-defense and Article 9 of Japan's constitution have played a crucial role in how its leaders develop and employ military power. This issue also has had significant implications for its political and security relationship with the United States.

"China's rapid rise in national power across the board and the pace and scale of its increasing investment in the PLA, together with its limited willingness to release a breakdown of how this money is spent, ensure that the annual announcement of its official defense budget for the forthcoming fiscal year attracts considerable attention."

"A rebalancing of domestic priorities may ultimately allow Beijing to see greater benefits to cooperating with other countries in certain security situations. At the same time that they encourage China to increase its military transparency and contributions to cooperative security, the challenge for the U.S. and its allies will be how best to expend funding and focus to deter China from using force—or the threat of force—to resolve island and maritime claims disputes in its favor."

This article offers greater context and perspective for Chinese and Western discussions of China's rise and concomitant military build-up through a nuanced and comprehensive assessment of its defence spending and military transparency.