Nearly a decade ago, in a study guide of his collected writings for the military, Chinese leader XI Jinping asserted the crucial need for a quality military force from the “grassroots” up: “Without grassroots officers and soldiers, no matter how grand the strategy, it cannot be realized, and no matter how advanced the weapons and equipment, they are useless.” After nine years of corruption purges, modernization initiatives, and substantial reforms, Xi and China’s military leaders remain concerned. Significant portions of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) and cross-military and local (civilian) efforts are not moving fast enough, or in the right direction. In less than three years, Xi expects his military to be capable of forcefully annexing Taiwan and to successfully deter, if not, defeat, the U.S. military and its allies. The progress of reforms and modernizations is, however, insufficient, according to PLA senior leadership.
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