The PLA at 90: A World-Class Military?

China recently celebrated the 90th anniversary of the founding of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) with a parade and military exercises at the Zhurihe Training Base in Inner Mongolia (CCTV, July 30). Although the display was characterized as a demonstration of China's growing military might—particularly new equipment and weapons platforms, including advanced missiles and aircraft—the event also provided important indications of the PLA's approach to operations and the first-ever demonstration of an actual military operation during a parade. The PLA's anniversary celebration thus reflected its progress toward becoming a “world-class military” and confidence despite remaining challenges related to the ongoing, historic reforms. Shortly after the parade, Xi Jinping announced: “The PLA has basically completed mechanization and is moving rapidly toward ‘strong' informationized armed forces,” achieving the 2020 goal of its “three-step development strategy” (PLA Daily, August 2).