The first part of this report discusses policy issues regarding such military-to-military (mil-to-mil) contacts. The second part provides a record of such contacts since 1993, when the United States resumed exchanges after suspending them in response to the Tiananmen Crackdown in 1989. Congress has exercised important oversight of the military relationship with China.

This report provides background on China's economic rise and current economic structure and the challenges China faces to keep its economy growing strong, and describes Chinese economic policies that are of concern to U.S. policymakers.

This report focuses on the implications that certain elements of China's military modernization may have for future required U.S. Navy capabilities. The issue for Congress addressed in this report questions how China's military modernization should be factored into decisions about U.S. Navy programs. Congress's decisions on this issue could significantly affect future U.S. Navy capabilities, U.S. Navy funding requirements, and the U.S. defense industrial base, including the shipbuilding industry.

Photograph of Warren Burggren, Dean, College of Arts and Sciences, from a UNT delegation's visit to China led by UNT President Gretchen Bataille in 2008. Burggren is standing on the left side of the photograph, looking at the camera and smiling. Science lab equipment can be seen on countertops in a classroom behind him.

Photograph of Judith Forney, Dean, School of Merchandising & Hospitality Management (left), with a man (right) from a UNT delegation's visit to China led by UNT President Gretchen Bataille in 2008. Forney and the man are standing side by side, looking at the camera and smiling. A science lab can be seen in the background on the left side of the photograph.

Photograph of Thomas Evenson, Dean, College of Public Affairs & Community Service (2nd left), with a group of men during a UNT delegation's visit to China led by UNT President Gretchen Bataille in 2008. Evenson can be seen standing in the center of the photograph, looking to the left of the camera at the man next to him. His mouth is turned to the side. Warren Burggren (right) and another man (2nd right) can also be seen looking in the same direction. Burggren is mostly out of frame. The man on the far left is smiling and motioning with both hands.

Photograph from a UNT delegation's visit to China, led by UNT President Gretchen Bataille in 2008. Two men can be seen standing in a room in the State Key Laboratory of Estuarine and Coastal Research (SKLEC) at East China Normal University. The man on the left side of the photograph has his back turned to the camera. The second man is standing across from him on the right side of the photograph, looking off to the right of the camera and appears to be speaking. Informational posters created by the SKLEC can be seen hanging on a wall behind them. The man on the left is facing a poster titled, "A Conceptual Planning for the eco-city of Xiamen."

Photograph of Warren Burggren, Dean, College of Arts and Sciences, from a UNT delegation's visit to China led by UNT President Gretchen Bataille in 2008. Burggren can be seen standing outside on the roof of a building. He is looking at the camera and smiling. Several men are socializing behind a large satellite dish in the background, on the right side of the photograph. City buildings and trees can be seen in the distance.

Photograph from a UNT delegation's visit to China, led by UNT President Gretchen Bataille in 2008. A male UNT faculty member can be seen standing outdoors on the Fudan University campus, facing the camera and smiling. A statue of Mao Zedong can be seen behind him in the background of the photograph.

Photograph from a UNT delegation's visit to China, led by UNT President Gretchen Bataille in 2008. Earl Gibbons, Vice Provost and Associate Vice President for International Education at UNT (right), is standing side by side with another man (left), looking toward the camera and smiling. Gibbons is holding a passport in his left hand and a folded sheet of paper in his right hand.

Photograph from a UNT delegation's visit to China, led by UNT President Gretchen Bataille in 2008. Bataille (right) can be seen with a man (left) in a hotel lobby. They are standing side by side, looking at the camera and smiling.

Photograph from a UNT delegation's visit to China, led by UNT President Gretchen Bataille in 2008. Two male UNT faculty members can be seen sitting in a car. The man on the left side of the photograph is holding onto a grab handle with his right hand, looking at the camera and smiling. The second man is looking off to the left of the camera and smiling. He is holding a shopping bag in his left hand.

Photograph from a UNT delegation's visit to China, led by UNT President Gretchen Bataille in 2008. Earl Gibbons, Vice Provost and Associate Vice President for International Education (right), is standing side by side with another man (left) in an outdoor hallway. They are both looking at the camera and smiling.

Photograph from UNT delegation's visit to China, led by UNT President Gretchen Bataille in 2008. Warren Burggren, Dean, College of Arts and Sciences (left) can be seen sitting with Thomas Evenson, Dean, College of Public Affairs & Community Service (right), and two other men. Evenson and the two unknown men are facing to the left of the camera, perpendicular to Burggren. Burggren is facing the camera.

Photograph from a UNT delegation's visit to China, led by UNT President Gretchen Bataille in 2008. Earl Gibbons, Vice Provost and Associate Vice President for International Education (left), and another man (right) are standing inside of a building. The man on the right is looking at the camera. Gibbons is looking to the left of the camera. He is holding a shopping bag and a camera in his hands. They are both smiling. A woman can be seen walking in the background on the left side of the photograph.

Photograph of Thomas Evenson, Dean, College of Public Affairs & Community Service, during a UNT delegation's visit to China led by UNT President Gretchen Bataille in 2008. Evenson can be seen on the left side of the photograph, sitting on the trunk of an elephant. He is looking at the camera and smiling. He is resting his left hand on top of the elephant's head. The elephant is facing to the left of the camera with its mouth open, and is wearing a colorful blanket over its body.

Photograph from a UNT delegation's visit to China, led by UNT President Gretchen Bataille in 2008. A group of people can be seen in two rows behind a dining table, facing the camera and smiling. Members in the back row are standing, and those in the front row are sitting down. Thomas Evenson (back, 4th from left), Warren Burggren (back, 4th from right), Judith Forney (front left), Gretchen Bataille (center front), and Earl Gibbons (front right) can be identified among the group.

Photograph from a UNT delegation's visit to China, led by UNT President Gretchen Bataille in 2008. Bataille (left) and Bai Rufang (right), owner of Fanghua Pearls & Jewelry, can be seen standing side by side in front of a row of jewelry cases. They are both looking at the camera and smiling.

Photograph from a UNT delegation's visit to China, led by UNT President Gretchen Bataille in 2008. Bataille (right) can be seen with Earl Gibbons, Vice Provost and Associate Vice President for International Education at UNT (left), Bai Rufang, owner of Fanghua Pearls & Jewelry (2nd left), and another woman (2nd right) inside of a Fanghua store. They are all standing side by side, looking at the camera and smiling. A row of jewelry cases can be seen in the background of the photograph.

Photograph of Warren Burggren, Dean, College of Arts and Sciences, from a UNT delegation's visit to China led by UNT President Gretchen Bataille in 2008. Burggren is sitting on a sofa, looking down at an autograph book on the table in front of him. He is signing the second page of the book with a marker. A panel of glass behind Burggren's head reads, "Beijing Normal Unive[rsity] Museum of Antiq[uities]."

Photograph of Judith Forney, Dean, School of Merchandising & Hospitality Management, from a UNT delegation's visit to China led by UNT President Gretchen Bataille in 2008. Forney is sitting on a sofa, looking down at an autograph book on the table in front of her. She is signing the second page of the book with a marker. A panel of glass behind Forney's head reads, "Beijing Normal Univ[ersi]ty Museum of Antiq[uities]."

Photograph of a male UNT faculty member from a delegation's visit to China, led by UNT President Gretchen Bataille in 2008. The man is sitting on a sofa, looking down at an autograph book on the table in front of him. He is signing the second page of the book with a marker. A panel of glass behind the man's head reads, "Beijing Normal University Museum of Anti[quitie]s."

Photograph of a man signing a book during a UNT delegation's visit to China, led by UNT President Gretchen Bataille in 2008. The man can be seen sitting at a desk on the left side of the photograph, facing to the right of the camera. He is looking down at a book in from of him and signing the title page with a pen. Gretchen Bataille is sitting on the right side of the photograph, looking down at the book and smiling. A book cover box is sitting on the desk in front of her. A third person is standing in the foreground on the far left side of the photograph, but is mostly out of frame.

Photograph from a UNT delegation's visit to China, led by UNT President Gretchen Bataille in 2008. Warren Burggren, Dean, College of Arts and Sciences (right), can be seen standing with another man (left). Burggren is facing to the left of the camera, looking down at a box in his hands. The box is open and an unidentifiable object can be seen inside of it.