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Taiwan
ChinaMilitary

The ongoing military overhaul of China’s PLA has one goal in mind — Taiwan

  • Over the past eight years, Xi Jinping has overseen a comprehensive transformation of China’s military command structure
  • Military experts say despite its massive shake-up, the PLA needs to keep on top of the evolving face of modern warfare

Reading Time:6 minutes
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Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen
Minnie Chan

Soon after President Xi Jinping took the helm of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), he kicked off the biggest overhaul the world’s largest fighting force had seen in decades.

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The shake-up, which began in 2015, sought to move China’s military away from a Soviet-style, army-oriented structure towards one that was more suitable for joint operations, closer to the US model.
Over the past eight years, Xi has conducted a massive anti-corruption drive that has seen more heads roll than during the revolution, comprehensively transformed the military’s command structure and significantly upgraded the technology of China’s arsenal across all forces.

The capacity of the PLA has grown so fast that top American defence officials believe Beijing could be ready to take Taiwan by force by 2027, despite deterrence and warnings from the West.

These tensions and the PLA’s growing power will be on the minds of more than two dozen senior defence officials from various countries attending the 10th Xiangshan Forum, a three-day event set to see their opening ceremony Monday in Beijing. The gathering is the first to be held in person since offline events were interrupted by Covid.

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But while the military reshuffle can count lots of wins over the past eight years, defence experts argue there remain uncertainties around the PLA’s ability to adapt to the changing face of war, and its readiness to face the major test: Taiwan.

02:36

Mainland China launches military drill near Taiwan in ‘severe warning to separatist forces’

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