ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the People's Liberation Army's (PLA) contemporary role in governance and domestic politics in China. It begins by defining the Party-army relationship and the PLA's place among the Chinese armed forces and other government and Party organizations. The chapter further explores the PLA's contribution to national policy-making bodies. The PLA's General Political Department controls a system of political commissars who share responsibility with commanders in all units from company-size up. According to the National Defence Law of 1997, the PLA is one of three elements of the Chinese armed forces, which consist of the PLA, the People's Armed Police (PAP), and the militia. As an institution, the PLA has several official channels to make its interests known within the collective leadership structure of the Party and government. Finally, the chapter concludes with an alternate look at what some have described as examples of assertive policy actions.
