China’s long battle to build a better soldier for a modern fighting force
- The People’s Liberation Army has until 2035 to turn itself into hi-tech military but there is one big barrier to those ambitions
Chinese President Xi Jinping has ambitions to build the People’s Liberation Army into a world-class modern fighting force, but analysts say there is one core weakness could hold it back: a lack of well-trained and educated soldiers.
Xi underlined the need for higher standards in the rank and file this week on a high-profile visit to the southeastern province of Jiangxi.
One of the stops on the trip was the PLA Army Infantry Academy in Nanchang, where he drove home the need to train and improve the combat readiness of personnel to support a long-term struggle against US aggression.
“The army’s educational institutions were established to study how to fight and win. We must teach with a focus on real combat scenarios and educate more talent,” state broadcaster CCTV quoted Xi as saying.
The trip comes two years after Xi set 2035 as the deadline for modernisation of the military, saying technology would be at the core of the PLA’s combat strength. He added that the armed forces would need to apply information technology and modern warfare strategies to advance. To support these goals, China expanded national military spending by 7.5 per cent and research funding by 13.4 per cent this year despite tough economic times.
A Pentagon report earlier this month said the PLA had made strides in artificial intelligence, advanced robotics and quantum computing, among other areas.