Because Beijing has made significant changes to the leadership that oversees China’s two million-strong People’s Liberation Army, the new military commissions may lack combat experience compared to their commission predecessors (PLA).
Generals Zhang Youxia, 72, and Xu Qiliang, deputy chairman of the Central Military Commission, are anticipated to resign, according to Reuters analysis. Recent leaders from the newly reorganised Eastern and Western theatre commands, who are in charge of Taiwan and the Indian border respectively, have been named as their formal successors. Promotions have also come from the Southern Theatre Command.
The problem for the PLA is a lack of practical experience, according to a private military expert named Alexander Neill, who was quoted by the media agency as saying, “There is no shortage of top military commanders who internally regurgitate Xi’s ‘fight and win’ motto.”
Senior retired Zhang and General Li Zuocheng, a commission member, are among the last two active officers to have participated in the brutal border combat with Vietnam, and Zhang is rumoured to be Xi Jinping’s closest confidant.
According to the report, Beijing has built facilities deep in Southeast Asia’s maritime core as well as grown its military during the past five years, and implemented strict steps to increase its might.
The S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore’s James Char stated the PLA has “shortcomings” in combined weaponry and joint operations.
According to the media agency report, citing Char, “Its capacity for sustained power projection also remains restricted at the moment.”
According to the Pentagon’s most recent annual assessment of China’s military development, China is also anticipated to have 700 nuclear weapons that can be delivered by 2030 and 1,000 by then, increasing its power.
Xi Jinping underlined the aim to swiftly upgrade the people’s armed forces to top-tier levels in his report to the 20th National Congress in Beijing on Sunday. This is in order to develop a modern socialist nation.
Xinhua paraphrased Xi as stating, “We will boost Party building across the board in the people’s armed forces to guarantee that they consistently respect the Party’s direction.”
According to Xi, the CCP will step up army training, improve overall combat readiness, increase overall military control, and build integrated national plans and strategic capabilities.
According to regional analysts, Chairman Xi Jinping will probably prolong his rule in for China further five years.
He will either be re-elected as CCP general secretary or will be chosen for the first time as CCP chairman, a position that has been vacant since 1982 and was originally held by Mao Zedong.
