Chinese Communist Forces
| Chinese People's Liberation Army | |
|---|---|
| 中国人民解放军 | |
 
Emblem of the People's Liberation Army (top), PLA flag (bottom). The characters are "8 1", referencing August 1.
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| Motto | 为人民服务! ("Serve the People!") |
| Founded | 1 August 1927 (Nanchang uprising) |
| Service branches |
 PLA Ground Force PLA Navy PLA Air Force PLA Rocket Force PLA Strategic Support Force
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| Headquarters | Central Military Commission, Beijing |
| Leadership | |
| Leaders of Central Military Commission |
 Xi Jinping (Chairman) General Fan Changlong (Vice-chairman) Air Force General Xu Qiliang(Vice-chairman) |
| Minister of National Defense |
General Chang Wanquan
|
| Chief of Joint Staff |
General Li Zuocheng
|
| Manpower | |
| Military age | 20+ |
| Conscription | Compulsory by law, but usually not enforced |
| Active personnel | 2,350,000 active (2017) |
| Reserve personnel | 2,300,000 reserve (2017) |
| Expenditures | |
| Budget | US$215.7 billion (2017) (ranked 2nd) |
| Percent of GDP | 1.9% (2017) |
| Related articles | |
| History |
History of the PLA Modernization of the PLA Historical Chinese wars and battles List of wars the People's Republic of China involved in |
| People's Liberation Army | |||||||||||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 中国人民解放军 | ||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Traditional Chinese | 中國人民解放軍 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Literal meaning | "Chinese People's Liberation Army" | ||||||||||||||||||
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| Transcriptions | |
|---|---|
| Standard Mandarin | |
| Hanyu Pinyin | Zhōngguó Rénmín Jiěfàngjūn |
| Wade–Giles | Chung1-kuo2 Jen2-min2 Chieh3-fang4-chün1 |
| IPA | [ʈʂʊ́ŋ.kwǒ ɻə̌n.mǐn tɕjè.fǎŋ.tɕýn] |
| Yue: Cantonese | |
| Yale Romanization | Jūng-gwok Yàhn-màhn Gáai-fong-gwān |
| IPA | [tsóŋ.kʷɔ̄ːk̚ jɐ̏n.mɐ̏n kǎːi.fɔ̄ːŋ.kʷɐ́n] |
| Jyutping | Zung1-gwok3 Jan4-man4 Gaai2-fong3-gwan1 |
The Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) is the armed forces of the People's Republic of China (PRC) and Communist Party of China (CPC). The PLA consists of five professional service branches: the Ground Force, Navy, Air Force, Rocket Force, and the Strategic Support Force.
The PLA is the world's largest military force, with a strength of approximately 2,285,000 personnel, 0.18% of the country's population. It is the fastest growing and modernising military power in the world, with significant defence and global power projection capabilities. Recently, it has been rapidly developing and commissioning new arsenals, with numerous technological advancements and breakthroughs. It boasts the second largest defence budget in the world, although many authorities – including and the U.S. Department of Defense – argue that China does not report its real level of military spending, which is allegedly much higher than the official budget.
In September 2015, Xi Jinping, the General Secretary of the Communist Party of China and the commander-in-chief of the PLA, announced a reduction of the number of military personnel by 300,000. The PLA's insignia consists of a roundel with a red star bearing the Chinese characters for Eight One, referring to the Nanchang uprising which began on August 1, 1927.
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Wikipedia