China's Military Modernization Goals Towards 2027 and 2049
Quick Look
- China aims for military modernization by the PLA's 2027 centenary, national defense modernization by 2035, and a world-class military by the PRC's 2049 centenary.
- The definition of 'world-class' remains unspecified by the Chinese government.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
China has established two primary military modernization goals: the PLA's centenary in 2027 and the PRC's centenary in 2049, with an intermediate target for national defense modernization by 2035.
The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) is approaching its 2027 centenary, a major benchmark set by Beijing to achieve military modernisation. What is that goal actually about?
China has set two major military goals: one [is for the] centenary of the PLA in 2027 and another [is for the centenary] of the People’s Republic of China in 2049.
Between those two milestones, China aims to basically achieve the modernisation of its national defence and armed forces by 2035. That means the PLA would not yet be fully modernised by 2027 by China’s own high standard.
The stated highest objective is to build a world-class military by 2049. However, we first need to consider how many countries are considered to have world-class militaries. The Chinese government has not specified this.
If there is only one, then it is obviously the United States. But if there can be more than one, then is China not already the second-strongest military power in the world?
Open Questions
- How many countries are considered to have world-class militaries?
- What specific criteria define a 'world-class military' for China?
