China’s Military Modernisation: Recent Trends - 2024

Introduction The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) of China has witnessed significant changes since its first push for modernisation in the 1980s under Deng Xiaoping. This has included regular updates in its doctrine, organisational structure, equipment, and weapons systems to better reflect the changing needs of modern warfare. The PLA’s doctrines have shifted from dominating in “local wars” on China’s periphery under Deng Xiaoping [1] to becoming a “world-class” military under Xi Jinping [2] for safeguarding China national sovereignty, territorial integrity, and security as well as its maritime rights and overseas interests. Xi has initiated two major reforms: organisational and command-and-control reforms in 2015 and services-level force standardisation and doctrinal revisions in 2017. [3] However, his recent plans for an accelerated modernisation of the PLA, combined with aggressive actions to achieve its foreign policy goals, have caused concern worldwide, especially in the United States (US), the littoral states in the East and South China Sea, and India. This report [a] examines the relevance of these developments from India’s perspective and discusses the recent upgrades in China’s military doctrine, organisational structure, and equipment and weapons systems in its four services—the PLA Army, Navy, Air Force, and Rocket Force—and the newly established Information Support Force (ISF). It will then evaluate these developments in the context of PLA’s growing joint operational capabilities and combat preparedness as well as infrastructural, logistical, and technological support systems.