CHINA – MILITARY

On this page:

• Military capability
• Defence White Papers (Australia/China)

Military Capability

The People's Liberation Army (PLA) is the regular armed forces of the People's Republic of China (PRC) and the armed wing of the PRC's founding and ruling political party, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).  Besides the Central Military Commission (CMC) and its subsidiary organisations, the PLA has four major service branches: the Army, Navy, Air Force, Rocket Force, and is supported by the Strategic Support Force and Joint Logistics Support Force.  This diagram details the organisational structure of the PLA:

For further reading on China's military capability, see the resources below:

• Videos
  1. Official PLA videos
  2. Russia Kicks Off Kavkaz 2020 Military Exercises with China, Iran, Belarus and others
  3. PLA Conducts Multi-Unit Military Drills in Tibet
  4. PLA Conducts Landing Drill
• Podcasts
  1. Military Modernisation in Xi Jingping’s China
  2. Highlights of the DoD 2020 Report on China Military Power
  3. China’s quest for enhanced military technology
  4. Xi Jingping’s military-civil fusion project
• Articles
  1. US DOD China Military Power Report 2020 (PDF)
  2. PRC Defense Policy
  3. How developed is China’s Arms Industry?
  4. China’s military: The PLA – Congressional Research Centre (PDF)
  5. PLA operational concepts 2017 (PDF)
  6. The PLA’s new organizational structure: What is known, unknown and speculation
• Websites
  1. Ministry of National Defense – The People’s Republic of China
  2. China Military official website
  3. Janes Defence Portal (please call 1800 DEFENCE (1800 333 362) to obtain a group login)
  4. LOWY Institute
  5. Australian Strategic Policy Institute

Defence White Papers

On 22 July 2019, China issued its first Defence White Paper since 2015 titled China’s National Defense in the New Era. In 2024, Australia published its National Defence Strategy following the 2023 Defence Strategic Review. Both of these documents set out each nation’s strategy for security in both a regional and global context and are detailed below, along with analysis and opinion.

Australia

'The Defence Strategic Review identified a new strategic reality for Australia. It observed that, while conflict in the Indo-Pacific is not inevitable, Australia faces its most complex and challenging strategic environment since the Second World War.’
– 2024 National Defence Strategy

• Videos:

1. Defence Strategic Review
2. Deputy Prime Minister announcement

• Analysis/opinion:

1. The cost of Defence
2. CSIS - Australia's New National Defence Strategy
3. Lowy - As warfare changes so does Australian strategy

China

'The world today is undergoing profound changes unseen in a century. As economic globalisation, the information society, and cultural diversification develop in an increasingly multi-polar world, peace, development and win-win cooperation remain the irreversible trends of the times. Nonetheless, there are prominent destabilising factors and uncertainties in international security. The world is not yet a tranquil place.’
– China’s National Defense in the New Era – PRC White paper

• Videos:
  1. China’s National Defense in the New Era (subtitles)
  2. Closer to China - China’s National Defense in the New Era
  3. China new-era National Defense Q & A
• Analysis/opinion:
  1. Major themes in China’s 2019 National Defense White Paper
  2. China’s New 2019 Defense White Paper - CSIS
  3. China’s National Defense White Paper – SPF China Observer
  4. China’s ‘Head-Spinning’ defence white paper - LOWY

Discussion Questions

1. The DOD China Military Power Report 2020 cites China’s ‘Next Generation AI Plan’ as detailing China’s goals of using commercial and military entities to gain parity with the world leaders in AI by 2020 and become a global leader by 2030. What impact would significant gains in China’s AI capability have on its military? What would be the impact of this within the ADF in terms of workforce structure, training, recruiting and technological requirements?
2. The US has publicly stated that it looks to Australia as the key partner in the Indo-Pacific region. Given this geographical location will be the likely centre of global strategic competition between China and the US, what role should Australia play within the region? How should we continue to manage our existing relationships with these two nations?
3. China states in their White Paper that they are in the critical stage of completing the building of a moderately prosperous society. How has this influenced China’s strategic outlook, and what factors, internal and external, will continue to shape the Chinese military growth?
4. The Australian Defence Strategic Update 2020 explicitly focuses Australian defence planning to our immediate region (across the Indo-Pacific area). What are the greatest issues likely to require ADF involvement in the next 10 years? How should the ADF prepare and respond to these issues?

Last Reviewed 09/2024