ABSTRACT
The past twenty years have also been a period of enormous changes in Chinese domestic politics and foreign policy. Domestically, the reform agenda introduced since the historical Third Plenary of the 11th Party Congress of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in 1978 has moved the country from perennial political struggle to greater emphasis on economic construction. With deepening reforms has come gradual institutional development with clearer division of responsibility between the party, the government, and enterprises. Internationally, China has gradually embraced and endorsed international norms, treaties, and conventions, and is now playing a more active role in global and regional affairs. These changes both provide opportunities for the PLA to develop and cater to its corporate interests, and constrain its role in domestic political and foreign/security policy making as it now has to contend with more players in the process.
