Author ORCID Identifier

https://orcid.org/0009-0003-9943-561X

Date of Award

12-11-2023

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Political Science

First Advisor

Andrew Wedeman

Second Advisor

Kim Reimann

Third Advisor

Dan Altman

Abstract

Under China’s leader Xi Jinping, the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) has continued to rapidly modernize. However, in what ways has China’s military strategy changed, and stayed the same, compared to its previous leaders Jiang Zemin and Hu Jintao? I use a qualitative comparative case study approach to look for changes and continued similarities between the Jiang Zemin, Hu Jintao, and Xi Jinping eras starting from 1997 until the present day. I examined roughly twenty-five Chinese articles from each era on army building. These articles on army building from Chinese scholars and officials are deeply analyzed to track changes in language and descriptions about priorities of army building over time. White papers and CCP Party Congress reports were also utilized. Training was explored by looking at the frequency and type of training under each leader, along with writings on training and changes to training outlines. Additionally, this dissertation asks what Xi’s personal influence on the PLA and China’s military strategy has been. Previous studies have not examined this topic in depth. I find that there are both continuities and changes in China’s strategy. Similarities include the paramount importance of ideology and politics described as the foundation for army building, continued emphasis on talent, leapfrog development, and improving the evaluation system. Meanwhile, changes under Xi revolve around making training more unpredictable and military activity increasingly taking place farther from China, greater importance placed on commanders, and elevating the importance of army building so that it is now on par with development. For Xi’s personal influence, I find that there has been greater prioritization on hardware and heartware. Hardware represents weapons and equipment, with platforms such as bombers, missiles, aircraft carriers, and transport aircraft receiving the greatest boost. Heartware, which pertains to morale, or what sometimes is described as the spiritual soul of the army, has also been prioritized. Xi’s influence has also been enforcing and pushing through arguably the largest military reforms and promoting greater civilian-military integration. Overall, Xi has had an outsized effect on the PLA and its strategy.

DOI

https://doi.org/10.57709/36381463

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