Xiong Guangkai, Chairman of the China Institute for International Strategic Studies and former Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Chinese People's Liberation Army

The continuing processes of multi-polarization, economic globalization and the development of an information-centric society influenced the international balance of power and the interests of various states, leading major world powers to retool their diplomatic and security strategies.

2008 was an unusual year in which the international security situation underwent three principal changes. First, although peace and development remained important themes and the international situation was generally stable, insecurity and uncertain elements have decidedly increased with some areas experiencing fresh chaos and even war. The most representative example of the latter development was the Russia-Georgia war in August. Second, traditional and non-traditional threats to security became increasingly intertwined; non-traditional threats include the international financial crisis triggered by the U.S. subprime mortgage crisis. Third, these developments have driven countries to give more weight to international dialogue and cooperation when dealing with security issues. While the armed forces of all the major powers are devoting significant resources to the revolution in military technology and enhancing combat capability under information-centric conditions, they are also building up capability in non-traditional areas for the sake of dealing with emerging threats to security.

2008 was likewise an unusual year for China's national security situation. In addition to the international financial crisis, China continued to face agitation for "Taiwan independence" and "Tibet independence" and violent acts perpetrated by "East Turkestan" terrorist forces. Natural disasters including the May 12 Wenchuan earthquake and the snowstorm in January 2008 also inflicted heavy losses.

Traditional security issues

In the post-Cold War period, the principal traditional security issue in the international field is the lingering hegemonism and power politics, which was prominently reflected in the following three respects in 2008: frequent local wars and armed conflicts, fierce international military competition, and ongoing challenges in nuclear nonproliferation and armament control.

Local wars and armed conflicts last year were frequent, relatively concentrated in certain regions and had various and complicated causes. 2008 saw the eruption of 46 local wars and armed conflicts worldwide, a sharp increase from the 33 the previous year. The Middle East and South Asia are the two regions where relatively more local wars and armed conflicts flared up. The United States remained mired in wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. While the Iraqi parliament approved a security pact with the United States requiring all American troops to withdraw from the country by the end of 2011, the security situation in Afghanistan continued to deteriorate, forcing the United States to shift its strategic priorities. New developments also took place in the Middle East and South Asia.