China Challenge: Xi's army is replacing the U.S. as Asia's mightiest
By DAVID LAGUE in HONG KONG and BENJAMIN KANG LIMIllustrations by CHRISTIAN INTON
The China Challenge
How Xi's China is replacing the U.S. as Asia's military titan
For Chinese leader Xi Jinping, the waiting game is over. He has refashioned a military that is rapidly closing the gap on U.S. firepower and in some vital areas has surpassed it. American victory over China in a regional war is no longer assured.
In 1938, in the midst of a long campaign to bring China under Communist Party rule, revolutionary leader Mao Zedong wrote: “Whoever has an army has power.â€
Xi Jinping, Mao’s latest successor, has taken that dictum to heart.
He has donned camouflage fatigues, installed himself as commander-in-chief and taken control of the two million-strong Chinese military, the People’s Liberation Army. It is the biggest overhaul of the PLA since Mao led it to victory in the nation’s civil war and founded the People’s Republic in 1949.
Exclusive reporting from Reuters: https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/china-army-xi/
I'd encourage people to look at the link and photos, some of which do not readily transfer over.
