The People’s Liberation Army must measure itself against the world’s strongest military, a clear reference to the US, in its drive to win the global contest, according to an official policy commentary detailing the PLA’s goals by 2049.
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The article published on Thursday in the People’s Daily is one of the clearest explanations of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s goal of “building a world-class military by the middle of this century”.
It said “world-class” was defined by global top-tier indicators and China aimed to dominate the central stage of military competition and stay at the forefront of developments.
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Shandong aircraft carrier moves into Taiwan response zone ahead of PLA drills
Shandong aircraft carrier moves into Taiwan response zone ahead of PLA drills
“[A world-class military] must match China’s status as a global power, ensure comprehensive and effective protection of national security and have a strong international influence,” read the article titled “Deeply grasping the major original contributions of fully building a world-class military”.
It said China must aim for the world’s highest standards, “not only in the areas of weapons and equipment, organisational structure and combat systems, but also in military theory, talent development and training qualities”.
The Chinese military needed to see foreign peers as a benchmark – “especially the most powerful military”, a reference to American forces – to “stand on equal footing with global powers and prevail in international competition”, it added.
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The article was published about a month before the PLA is set to showcase its latest progress in modernisation at a large Victory Day military parade on September 3 to commemorate the 80th anniversary of China’s defeat of the Japanese invasion and the global triumph over fascism.