For the China's People's Liberation Army (PLA), 2024 was a tumultuous year marked by the arrest of numerous senior military officials as part of a comprehensive anti-corruption drive. The Central Commission on Discipline Inspection (CCDI), under President Xi Jinping's guidance, extended its crackdown beyond the upper echelons of the PLA's uniformed branches to include members of even China's Central Military Commission (CMC), the highest military command organisation in the country. In November, Xi's long-term loyalist and CMC member Admiral Miao Hua's arrest sent shockwaves through the entire PLA leadership.
Despite this upheaval in its hierarchy, the PLA significantly expanded its arsenal this year, adding a vast amount of military equipment and advanced weapon platforms to its inventory. This paradox of pervasive corruption alongside enhanced military capability has fuelled debate among experts that the PLA is both corrupt and capable. The US Department of Defense's 2024 China Military Report further buttressed this view by highlighting China's advancements in nuclear, missile, and air-power capabilities. However, entrenched corruption, endemic organisational chaos, and limited expertise in operating hi-tech equipment continue to undermine confidence in the PLA's combat capability. For Xi, these issues remain a source of concern shaping his cautious approach to making decisions in China's immediate neighbourhood.
This story is from the December 27, 2024 edition of Financial Express Lucknow.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the December 27, 2024 edition of Financial Express Lucknow.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Assocham calls for eliminating coal cess
INDUSTRY BODY ASSOCHAM has pitched for the removal of coal cess stating that the move will support power-intensive industries like aluminium and maintain competitiveness of the domestic industry.
We are living in a 24x7 economy
A FEW DAYS AGO, L&T chairman SN Subrahmanyan's comments on the 90-hour work week, and \"how long can you stare at your wife\", followed by company's HR head Sonica Muraleedharan's subsequent clarificatory statement, have sparked widespread public debate.
Chennai Express charges ahead
Refined, familiar, and the fastest Creta ever produced, with more than 400 km real range
LTIMindtree hopeful of sustaining growth momentum going ahead
FY26 TO OUTPERFORM FY25, SAYS MD & CEO
Skilling shouldn't be on a budget
● Focus on women, migrant workers, infrastructure
A big display for entertainment
• A budget phone that provides a hasslefree experience
The promise and perils of agentic AI
● Guardrails are needed for its safe and responsible use
Trump Holds Victory Rally Ahead of Inauguration
Mukesh, wife Nita to attend the event
Protesters storm court after it extends Yoon's detention
HUNDREDS OF SUPPORTERS of South Korea's arrested president, Yoon Suk Yeol, stormed a court building early on Sunday after his detention was extended, smashing windows and breaking inside, an attack the country's acting leader called \"unimaginable\".
These Men in Blue break boundaries for the disabled
ON JANUARY 7 this year, a 17-member Indian cricket team was given a warm send-off for a four-nation Champion Trophy tournament in Sri Lanka.
