Articles

Sep 30, 2025

By Dr. Sheena Chestnut Greitens

A conversation between Dr. Sheena Chestnut Greitens and Bonnie Glaser on China's Global Security Initiative.

Sep 26, 2025

By Joshua Arostegui

The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) implemented major changes to the organization, accession, and training of its army’s special operations forces (SOF) beginning in 2017, including the creation of a 12-man SOF team and establishment of a probable national-level army-subordinate counterterrorism unit. Beginning in 2025, the PLA introduced several changes to improve officer accession and noncommissioned officer retention in its special operations community. This article assesses observed changes since 2017 designed to improve the PLA’s command and control of its army’s SOF units and to set the foundation for China’s elite forces becoming world-class by 2049.

Sep 5, 2025

China’s military parades are often viewed as a form of deterrence by giving Xi Jinping an opportunity to showcase the People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) advanced weapons systems to the world and bring like-minded authoritarian leaders from partner states together in a show of unity against the Western-led international liberal order. The extravagant events, however, also open a window into understanding Beijing’s expectation of how and where it will fight in the future. Despite the unveiling of several new weapons driven through Tiananmen Square during the 70-minute parade, most of them, like the YJ-20 hypersonic anti-ship missile and LY-1 shipborne laser air defense system, were designed to deter and defeat the United States and its allies in the air and maritime domains of the Indo-Pacific region. Yet, the first formations of vehicles to cross in front of Xi and his guests, those belonging to the PLA Army (PLAA), PLA Air Force Airborne Corps (PLAAFAC), and PLA Navy Marine Corps (PLANMC), represented something different: an acknowledgement that future wars will be global and force projection needs to be accompanied by land-based firepower and protection.

Aug 13, 2025

By Dr. Sheena Chestnut Greitens, Isaac B. Kardon, and Cameron Waltz

Global outreach by China’s internal security agencies is expanding. This nonmilitary security

Jun 26, 2025

By Dr. Sheena Chestnut Greitens

Where and how a conflict starts will affect the kind of war it will be.

Jun 3, 2025

By Dennis J. Blasko and Rick Gunnell

This chapter examines the perceived strengths and weaknesses of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) within the context of its modernization process and argues that the persistence of shortcomings may undercut the confidence senior leaders would prefer to have before deciding to initiate major combat.

May 8, 2025

By Dr. Evan Ellis, PhD

With Daniel Noboa returning to the presidency and a new Chinese ambassador on the way, China-Ecuador

May 8, 2025

By Dr. R. Evan Ellis, PhD

The next few months will bring a series of high-profile multilateral engagements between China and

Apr 29, 2025

By Dr. R. Evan Ellis

The US government threats of tariffs on the Mexican government if it did not do more to control

Apr 24, 2025

By Jake Rinaldi

As one of the three branches of China’s armed forces, the People’s Armed Police (PAP) (人民武装警察) operates alongside the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) (人民解放军) and the militia (民兵) as a key instrument of Chinese Communist Party power. According to the Science of Military Strategy, a foundational textbook used to educate senior Chinese military officers, the People’s Armed Police is tasked with meeting the strategic requirements of “multi-functional integration, stability and rights maintenance” (多能一体，维稳维权).