To be sure, Chinese military expenditures, up more than 12% this year, have been growing even more rapidly than its economy. But China’s leaders will have to contend with other countries’ reactions, as well as with the constraints implied by the need for external markets and resources in order to meet their economic-growth objectives.
有些分析家认为中国希望挑战美国的世界霸主地位。就算这是对中国意图的正确解读（须知连中国人自己都不知道下一代会怎么想），但中国似乎不可能拥有实现这一点的军事实力。毫无疑问，中国军费支出（今年增加12%）的增长速度甚至超出了其经济增长速度。但中国领导人也将为此面对其他国家的相关反应，以及为实现其经济增长目标而产生的对国外市场和资源进口的需求所隐含的限制性因素。