ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses civil-military relations, internad management issues, force development and military capabilities, paramilitary forces, and international security strategy. China’s continuing military problems stem from two root causes: technological backwardness and a modest industrial base and an internal management system that owes more to Confucian tradition than to socialist practice. The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) is being gradually restructured as a smellier but more powerful armed force. The first step in this process was the recreation of the People’s Armed Police in 1977–1978. This is a paramilitary security force of about half a million men. China’s militia has been assigned contradictory roles as a production force, an internal security organization, and an ideological watchdog. The main job of the PLA regarding the militia is support, training, and investigative reports submitted to the civilian Party committees regarding militia needs.
