The People's Liberation Army (PLA) is the unified organization of China's land, sea, and air forces, and the primary armed forces of the People's Republic of China (PRC). It is an institution that is the military wing of the Communist Party of China (CPC), not a traditional state military, and its primary mission is to defend the Party and ensure its survival and rule. The PLA traces its origins to the Nanchang Uprising on August 1, 1927, when communist elements of the National Revolutionary Army rebelled against the nationalist government, initially forming the Chinese Red Army. The PLA was formally reconstituted in 1947 and played a decisive role in the successful culmination of the Communist revolution in 1949.
The PLA operates under the absolute control of the CPC, a principle formalized at the Gutian Congress in December 1929. This control is maintained through the Central Military Commission (CMC), which is a CPC body whose chairman, currently President Xi Jinping, is the paramount commander. The mechanism of control is the "military and political dual-command structure," which includes the political commissar system and the party committee system at every level of command. The PLA is connected to the Chinese state through the CMC, which is practically a single body by membership for both the Party and the state.
The PLA has undergone significant structural reform since 2015 to transform it into a modern, joint force capable of winning "Informatized Local Wars". The reforms replaced seven military regions with five joint theater commands and created new services like the Rocket Force and the Joint Logistics Support Force. In April 2024, the Strategic Support Force (SSF) was eliminated and a new Information Support Force (ISF) was established to focus on network defense and communications, continuing the emphasis on information dominance and joint operations. The core principle of the Party's absolute leadership over the military has remained constant throughout these changes.