Views From Taipei: Essays by Young Indian Scholars on China

Carnegie India:

This compendium brings together three essays by scholars who participated in Carnegie India's Security Studies Dialogue in 2024, each examining a different aspect of China’s policies. Drawing on their expertise and research, the authors offer fresh perspectives on key geopolitical challenges.

The People's Liberation Army in 2020s: Buoyed by Reforms, Limited by Roadblocks

The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) has undergone notable structural reforms since the turn of the century. Accelerated after Xi Jinping became the Central Military Commission (CMC) chairman in 2012, these reforms are integral to his vision of “great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation” (zhonghua minzu weida fuxing).1 Since 2015, the PLA made “above the neck” (bozi yishang) sweeping structural reforms—the first phase of these reforms—which include changes to its organizational and force structures, training regimes and military exercises, manpower, and military education.2 The CMC also started “below the neck” (bozi yixia) reforms simultaneously in 2017—the second phase—which emphasizes the correction of systemic issues related to personnel policies management and political indoctrination of the army.3 Unlike the first phase, the second phase of reforms is a long-term and continuous process. The PLA has encountered multiple challenges in this phase, first during the COVID-19 pandemic, followed by constant pushback from the military, as apparent from the 2023 suspension of military and rocket force leadership units.4

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