China to drastically overhaul its People’s Liberation Army in 'ambitious' plan to build modern fighting force on par with West
President may use boost from Beijing parade to unveil revamp which would cut personnel and put army, navy and air force on equal footings
China is close to unveiling a drastic plan to transform the world's largest army into a nimble, modern force on par with the best of the West.
President Xi Jinping, who is also the supreme commander of the People's Liberation Army, might ride the heightened morale following the grand military parade in Beijing on Thursday to announce the plan, sources and experts said.
The parade is being held to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the end of the second world war.
"Many people in the PLA expect to see some major announcements after the parade," Beijing-based naval expert Li Jie said. "Parades like this boost morale and patriotism. It will provide Xi a good opportunity to announce his ambitious plans on how to transform the PLA into a real modern army capable of winning wars."
Parades like this boost morale and patriotism. It will provide Xi a good opportunity to announce his ambitious plans on how to transform the PLA
For years, China's military leaders have been in intense discussions on how to change its Soviet-era organisational structure to a system adaptable enough to meet the ever-changing demands of modern warfare. The new structure will bring in more supervision and control to prevent corruption, which has demoralised the army and debilitated its fighting capability.
In fact, sources said Xi had deliberately weeded out the corrupt elements in the military before rolling out the reform plan, which the president hopes will fundamentally rejuvenate the PLA. Two former vice-chairmen of the Central Military Commission - Xu Caihou and Guo Boxiong - have been brought down on corruption charges over the past two years.