Since the establishment of the PLA, the Communist Party of China (CPC) has believed in continuous reform of the PLA. It is considered essential to keep the PLA updated to reflect current conditions and realities on the ground. Therefore, the CPC has been investing in the PLA to upgrade it in line with the nation’s desired goals. The first reforms were introduced immediately after the establishment of China to transform it from a revolutionary force into a regular force. For that purpose, China invested in building its capacity and modernizing its skills to defend the country on all fronts: ground, air, and sea. Second, the CPC ensured the availability of modern weapons and combat tools, including nuclear, missile, and space programs. Simultaneously, China invested in building fighter jets and naval equipment.
Building on past reforms, President Xi launched a modernization drive and a new wave of reforms. President Xi is relentlessly working to transform the PLA to meet the challenges of the modern age, deliver on a new security policy and framework, and help China realize the dream of national rejuvenation.
However, to understand the reforms and modernization drive introduced by President Xi, it is necessary to understand President Xi’s Thought on strengthening the military. President Xi initiated efforts in 2012 on both theoretical and practical fronts to devise a path to strengthen the military through reforms and modernization. This work led to the issuance of guidelines after the 19th CPC National Congress, which provide a broader understanding of President Xi’s Thought on strengthening the military. A summary of the Thought is discussed below.
First, the Party’s command over the military is absolute, and the PLA must follow the Party’s guidelines. A few days back, following the study group on the PLA, President Xi further emphasized the need to uphold and strengthen the Party’s absolute leadership over the armed forces. He urged that efforts should be made to ensure that military officers and soldiers follow the Party and always obey the Party’s commands. Moreover, efforts should be made to strengthen the Party’s development within the armed forces. Developing loyalty to the Party would be critical.
Second, the military must be able to win wars and protect sovereignty, territorial integrity, and economic interests. Thus, it must prepare itself for that goal and follow all steps and practices to achieve it. Third, the military must be governed by the rule of law, and everyone must submit to it. Therefore, no one will be allowed to misuse power or commit any form of corruption. There would be strong accountability mechanisms and zero tolerance for misconduct or corruption. In the last few years, we have seen the Party expel some top generals on charges of misconduct and corruption.
Fourth, to become a competitive force and able to win a war, the military would need to modernize in all respects, including modern logistics services, weaponry and equipment; integrated strategic capabilities; and military leadership development and talent building.
Simultaneously, President Xi is implementing policies and programs to transform the PLA in accordance with his Thought.
First, President Xi focused on the PLA’s organizational structure and restructured it. He replaced the old seven Military Regions with five theater commands: Central Theater Command, Northern Theater Command, Western Theater Command, Eastern Theater Command, and Southern Theater Command. Each command was assigned a specific mission. The Central Theater Command is responsible for protecting Beijing and the surrounding regions. The Northern Theater Command oversees contingencies involving Russia and the Korean Peninsula. The Western Theater Command is responsible for Xinjiang and Tibet. The Eastern and Southern Theater Commands cover the East China Sea, the Taiwan Strait, and the South China Sea, protecting China’s interests and working toward the reunification of Taiwan with the motherland.
He has also created new departments, including the PLA Strategic Support Force (PLASSF), which was responsible for network and cyber warfare, as well as space operations. Later, it was reorganized into the PLA Aerospace Force, PLA Cyberspace Force, and PLA Information Support Force. President Xi also created the PLA Joint Logistics Support Force (PLAJLSF), reduced the number of the PLA’s eighteen garrison-based Group Armies to 13, and reorganized heavy divisions into 6 brigades.
President Xi is also focusing on the training and combat readiness of all forces. The PLA conducts training across multiple domains, including joint operations, force-on-force realism, the integration of new technologies, the improvement of basic combat skills, nighttime operations, logistics, and systems familiarity, among others.
Weapon modernization is another area where China has invested heavily. China is now producing state-of-the-art weapons and military equipment. We can cite many examples, including the Fujian Carrier, J-35, J-50, missiles, satellites, space equipment, unmanned vehicles, and more. China has developed its own state-of-the-art navigation system, which is considered vital in modern-day warfare. China is also investing in military-related R&D to further boost the production of modern weapons and equipment.
To achieve these objectives, enormous resources are required. Therefore, the President has been steadily increasing the defense budget. Data shows that China’s budget increased from US$131 billion in 2014 to US$277 billion in 2026.
It is pertinent to highlight here that despite all the reforms, the PLA remained committed to its values and consistently followed the Long March Spirit. The values helped it adhere to the basic philosophy that the PLA is the people’s military, and that the Party represents the people and is entrusted with decision-making, implementation, and guidance for everyone, including the military. The Long March Spirit helped it maintain belief and commitment to ideology, perseverance, readiness to face hardships, never giving up under any circumstances, readiness to sacrifice for the goal and ideology, integrity, unity, and the rule of law.
In conclusion, based on the above discussion, we can draw three inferences. First, loyalty to the Party is paramount and absolute. Second, as a result of the modernization drive, the PLA is becoming a world-class military capable of competing with any military, including those of the USA and Europe. Therefore, the PLA is considered a unique military force, committed to its values.
