Sino File | China’s military is stronger than ever, but is it strong enough?

The world’s second-largest military has the tools necessary to serve the geopolitical interests of Beijing, but critics say the People’s Liberation Army would still be outclassed in any real confrontation with the United States

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Soldiers of the People's Liberation Army Marine Corps train in Zhanjiang, Guangdong province. Photo: Reuters

Published: 11:03am, 30 Jul 2017Updated: 1:33pm, 30 Jul 2017

Beijing will mark the 90th anniversary of the establishment of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) on Tuesday with a strong message that China’s army today is vastly different from its humble origins, and is now more than capable of standing up to protect its country’s national sovereignty and interests.

The 2.3 million strong PLA, the world’s largest-standing force, was founded on August 1, 1927, in a Communist Party organised uprising. Since then it has transformed from a peasant army to a modernised fighting force, with the tools necessary to help make the Middle Kingdom a global maritime and space power.

As tensions continue to rise between China and the United States – which boasts the world’s largest military – some speculate that a conflict between the two powers may now be more likely than a US-Soviet confrontation during the cold-war period decades ago.

The aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford is commissioned at Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia. Ford is the lead ship of the Ford-class aircraft carriers, and the first new US aircraft carrier designed in 40 years. Photo: EPA

For sure, there are good reasons to believe that such a war between the US and China is far less likely due to the mutually beneficial trade between the two nations, which are also the world’s largest and second-largest economies, respectively.

However, such potential cannot be entirely ruled out. China has several points of contention with US allies in the region, not the least of which is territorial disputes in the East and South China seas, that could compel the US to intervene. The US is also committed to help defend Taiwan under US law if the self-ruled island is under Chinese attack.

Beijing’s strategists are thus focusing its military modernisation on developing the capacity to offset US operational advantages and exploit its vulnerabilities.