Research Article
Luis Lázaro Tijerina
#
, Muhammad Ali Baig*
$
China’s People’s Liberation Army:
Restructuring and Modernization
https://doi.org/10.1515/openms-2022-0127
received November 11, 2021; accepted March 29, 2022
Abstract: China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) and its various branches carry the prudent legacy of its
ancient history. Since its creation in 1927, time and again, the PLA has acted as an effective arm of the
vanguard party in establishing and securing the Heaven. Following the theoretical underpinnings of
China’s paramount leader Mao, today the PLA is a formidable force capable of conducting operations in
every domain of war. However, under President Xi Jinping, the PLA has undergone considerable restruc-
turing and modernization. This article aims to briefly understand and analyse such structural reconfigura-
tions and modernization plans. It uses academic, journalistic, and Sino-American official sources in
exploring the PLA’s restructuring and modernization. It concludes that the PLA has undergone massive
structural reconfiguration and modernization in terms of material and doctrine. It also highlights that the
renewed deployments of the PLA under a renewed doctrinal awakening and a strategic thought could have
a great impact on its future operations.
Keywords: China, PLA, conventional warfare, military modernization, military doctrine
1 Introduction
China has a rich history dominated by traditions and prudent men. Since the days of Sun Tzu, its military
leadership has always been aware that to defeat an enemy at the nation’s gates, one must maintain a
Luis Lázaro Tijerina: Vermont College of Norwich University, e-mail: luisltijerina@gmail.com
* Corresponding author: Muhammad Ali Baig, Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad (ISSI), Sector F-5/2, Islamabad, 44000
Pakistan, e-mail: mmab11@gmail.com, tel: +92-3455238922
ORCID: Muhammad Ali Baig 0000-0001-9818-2532
# Luis Lazaro Tijerina was born in Salina, Kansas, on December 29, 1945. Mr. Tijerina has a Master of Arts Degree in history, his
concentration being military history and diplomacy. He received his degree from Vermont College of Norwich University. Mr.
Tijerina is also an established author of poetry and fiction. He has published his military analysis of various historical and
contemporary events on various websites. Luis Lazaro Tijerina is a former high school Football coach, and he created the first
multicultural football team in Vermont, FC Vermont-Champlain. Mr. Tijerina resides in Vermont, United States of America. He
can be reached at luisltijerina@gmail.com.
$ The author is a Research Associate at the Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad (ISSI), Pakistan. He is a PhD scholar at the
School of Politics and International Relations (SPIR) at Quaid-i-Azam University (QAU), Islamabad, Pakistan, and a distinguished
graduate of National Defence University (NDU), Islamabad, Pakistan. He possesses an MPhil in International Relations from NDU
with Distinction and a Merit Certificate from the President of Islamic Republic of Pakistan. He possesses an MSc in International
Relations from NDU with Distinction, and Master’s degrees in Political Science (University of the Punjab, Lahore, Pakistan),
English (Linguistics and Literature)(COMSATS University, Islamabad, Pakistan), and History (University of the Punjab, Lahore,
Pakistan).HealsowritesforThe Nation, Daily Times, Pakistan Observer, and Pakistan Today.Heco-authored the book Realism
and Exceptionalism in U.S. Foreign Policy: Fr om Kissinger to Kerry (2020). He can be contacted at mmab11@gmail.com and
alibaig@issi.org.pk ORCID: http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9818-2532.
Open Military Studies 2022; 2: 84–95
Open Access. © 2022 Luis Lázaro Tijerina and Muhammad Ali Baig, published by De Gruyter. This work is licensed under the
Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
