In numbers, the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) is an impressive two million soldiers – the largest in the world. Xi Jinping, the head of the Communist Party and chairman of the central military commission, has prioritized boosting prowess, calling on troops to always be “ready for battle”. However, behind the rhetoric, the truth is that the military lacks combat experience beyond a few skirmishes decades ago. The PLA is a “military that hasn’t actually fought or had that opportunity to practice its missile and joint capabilities since it was modernized in recent years,” said Meia Nouwens, senior fellow on Chinese military and defense at the International . Institute for Strategic Studies think tank. China’s drills this week are a test of whether the military could operate effectively if push came to shove. In other words, Beijing is literally learning if the phone lines are working and if things will go off on command as planned. China needs to understand whether its newly reformed chain of command is effective. The Eastern Theater Command is responsible for most of the east coast and was established in 2016 after a major restructuring.
