Revealed: This Is How China Plans to Modernize Its Military

Lauren Dickey

Security, Asia

This is the "Chinese Dream" Xi Jinping envisions for his military. 

Chinese military muscle was on full display in Beijing this week, with hundreds of new weapons platforms, fly-bys, 12,000 troops, and foreign dignitaries all in the global spotlight of Tiananmen Square. Yet, it wasn’t just the land-based anti-ship ballistic missiles and ground assault units that stole the show. Simmering behind the scenes, and underpinning Chinese President Xi Jinping’s evolving political-military agenda, were the renewed discussions of imminent plans for an overhaul to the operating structure of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA).

Beginning with Xi’s announcement of a 300,000 reduction in Chinese troops from the Tiananmen Square rostrum, subsequent plans will include a comprehensive upending to the military’s existing structure, a vision of U.S.-style joint command structure adapted to the Chinese forces. This is no small undertaking for the Chinese, akin to the introduction of the U.S. National Security Act in 1947, with a similarly large scale of ripple effects throughout the political system.

Chinese military expert Dennis Blasko notes the PLA is presently structured into approximately ten major organizations, at three levels, with headquarters located predominantly in Beijing. The Central Military Commission (CMC), chaired by Xi, was established by both the Chinese and Communist Party constitutions to command the Chinese armed forces and determine national defense policies. Aside from Xi, it is made up of civilians and senior uniformed military officers, all of whom must necessarily be party members.