The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) is a key political actor within the Chinese state. Together with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the Chinese state institutions, it makes up the political foundation of the People’s Republic of China. In the early years following the founding of the PRC in 1949, the military played an important role in state consolidation and the management of domestic state affairs, as is expected in a state founded on Leninist principles of organization. Since the reform process, which was initiated in the late 1970s, the political role of the PLA has changed considerably. It has become less involved in domestic politics and increased attention has been directed towards military modernization. Consequently, in the early 21st century, the Chinese military shares many characteristics of the armed forces in non-communist states. At the same time, the organizational structures, such as the party committee system, the system of political leaders and political organs, have remained in place. In other words, the politicized structures that were put in place to facilitate the role of the military as a domestic political tool of the CCP, across many sectors of society, are expected to also accommodate modernization, professionalization and cooperation with foreign militaries on the international arena in post-reform China. This points to an interesting discrepancy between form and purpose in regard to the People’s Liberation Army.
The role of the military in Chinese politics has thus shifted over the years, and its relationship with the CCP has generally been interpreted as having developed from one marked by symbiosis to one of greater institutional autonomy and independence. Yet these developments should not necessarily be seen as linear or irreversible. Indeed, Chinese politics in the Xi Jinping era suggests an increased focus on ideology, centralization and personalized leadership, which already has had consequences for the political control of the armed forces in China. Chances are that these trends will impact the role of the PLA in politics even further in the early decades of the 21st century.