Latest Articles about PLA

Behind the Fleet: The PLAN Reviews Logistics Development in the 13th Five-Year Plan
Executive Summary: The People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) is currently implementing its 14th Five-Year Plan, which expands in part on major successes seen in the 13th Five-Year Plan. Key areas of PLAN improvement in the previous Five-Year Plan include the construction of new vessels and... MORE

‘Strait Thunder-2025A’ Drill Implies Future Increase in PLA Pressure on Taiwan
Executive Summary: People’s Liberation Army (PLA) operations against Taiwan on April 1–2 consisted of multiple drills that had limited interconnection, distinguishing them from exercises that tend to be more complex and confrontational. Recent training reforms have meant that drills now tend to involve more cross-service... MORE

He Weidong’s Possible Downfall and Xi’s Trust Deficit With the PLA
Executive Summary: Central Military Commission Vice Chairman He Weidong’s absence from an important public event, one attended by all Politburo members except him, suggests that he is either seriously ill or under investigation. The latter possibility would suggest that Xi Jinping may have lost confidence... MORE

Autonomous Battlefield: PLA Lessons from Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine
Executive Summary: Chinese military experts are incorporating lessons from Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine on the use and importance of drones and autonomous systems, which is reshaping the People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) strategic planning and operational doctrine. In simulated Taiwan Strait scenarios, the PLA has... MORE

PLA Factions and the Erosion of Xi’s Power Over the Military
Executive Summary: Two waves of recent purges in the People’s Liberation Army have focused on Xi Jinping’s two major bases of support, the Shaanxi Gang and the Fujian Clique, likely eroding his power over the military. A series of articles in the PLA Daily in... MORE

PRC Uses Legal Warfare to Support Maritime Blockade Against Taiwan
Executive Summary: Creative legal strategies have been deployed in recent years to support a justification for a blockade around Taiwan. International law contains the concept of a “long-distance blockade” and the “continuous voyage doctrine” that could both be invoked to restrict access to Taiwan by... MORE

Xi Struggles to Keep Military Construction Reform on Course at Two Sessions
Executive Summary: Corruption within the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) has stymied efforts to deepen coordination in the military-industrial sector and related military equipment departments. The substance of Xi Jinping’s speech to military delegates at the Two Sessions was similar to his 2019 speech, focusing on... MORE

The PLAN’s Tasman Sea Drill: A Military Response to AUKUS
Executive Summary: The People’s Liberation Army Navy conducted two live-fire drills in the Tasman Sea in February without providing customary notification to Australia or New Zealand and causing at least 49 civilian aircraft to divert course. The Tasman Sea drill was designed to demonstrate the... MORE

War Memorials put the Party Front and Center for 80th Anniversary
Executive Summary: The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is using the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War to promote a distorted version of history in order to stoke patriotism among the Chinese people. Official remembering of the war has changed over the... MORE

Five Key Factors Behind Irregular Leadership Changes in the People’s Liberation Army
Executive Summary: The year 2024 witnessed sudden removals of high-level People’s Liberation Army (PLA) commanders, a continuation of the purge of 15 defense industry leaders and military commanders in 2023. Xi Jinping’s possible motivations include combating corruption, managing factional conflicts, asserting dominance as an aging... MORE