So the key issue for China, its neighbors, the US, and rest of the world is not how many aircraft carriers, missiles, submarines, and next-generation fighters China may produce and deploy in the coming years and decades. Rather, it is how China intends to use its newly acquired economic and military strength in pursuing its domestic and foreign-policy goals – and how the world’s leading powers can ensure that they do not end up harming each other by accident or misunderstanding.
因此对中国及其邻国，还有美国以及世界其他国家来说，最关键的问题不是中国将在未来几十年内部署多少航母、导弹，潜艇和战斗机，而是中国将如何运用新近获得的经济和军事实力去实现其内政外交政策——以及这些世界大国如何防止因为意外或者误解而互相伤害。