"Can Xi Jinping Control the PLA?" - by CWP alum Joel Wuthnow

Recent purges of senior Chinese military officers have renewed the question of how firmly in charge of the People’s Liberation Army is Xi Jinping. This article suggests that while Xi’s authority should not be underestimated, it is circumscribed by political realities: he has largely preserved a tradition of PLA autonomy relative to the party leadership, both to consolidate his own power and to persuade the PLA to accept wide-ranging reforms and to focus on its warfighting missions. The article begins with a review of the recent purges and then describes the mix of coercive tools that Xi has used since his ascension to power in 2012 to control the military. It thereafter discusses the limits on those tools and evaluates the ways in which Xi has respected PLA autonomy and other interests. It ends with consideration of the implications for PLA readiness, party-army trust, and the future ability of Xi and his successor to maintain control.

https://www.prcleader.org/post/can-xi-jinping-control-the-pla