The New Great Wall: The Logic of China’s Foreign Policy Behavior

Russia in Global Affairs. 2026. Vol. 24. No. 2. P. 79–95.

Vassily B. Kashin, Veronika A. Smirnova, Alexandra D. Yankova

This article examines China’s comprehensive mobilization policies undertaken since the early 2020s. Analysis reveals that they span multiple domains. First, China is developing a protected inland reserve of critical industrial capacity. Second, it is strengthening emergency supply mechanisms and accelerating the accumulation of food and raw-material reserves. Third, it is enhancing civil defense and urban infrastructure resilience, including the expansion of the ‘people’s air defense’ system. Fourth, recently amended legislation now regulates military service and the government’s obligations towards fallen servicemen’s families. The scope and pace of these measures indicate that Beijing anticipates a severe military-political crisis in the coming decade. This partly explains Chinese foreign policy’s apparent contradictions, with stated global ambitions coexisting alongside strategic caution and risk aversion.

Keywords: Китай, China, национальная безопасность, государственные резервы и мобилизационные запасы, strategic reserves, mobilization possibilities, national security