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China’s J-20 Stealth Fighter |
By Le Hong Hiep
Under Chinese Communist Party rule, the influence of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) on Chinese domestic politics has generally been carefully controlled, and Chinese generals today appear to enjoy a less privileged status than in centuries past, when they created and ruled states, or played a key role in helping emperors expand territory, maintain social order and suppress rebels.
Indeed, since 1949, the role of the PLA in China’s domestic politics has looked relatively limited, except during the Cultural Revolution, when it was used to provide political leverage to Mao Zedong as he fought with other leaders. Since Deng Xiaoping, who was a Long March veteran, no supreme leader has had a military background. Similarly, the current Politburo Standing Committee of the CCP doesn’t include any military professionals, while Minister of National Defense Liang Guanglie isn’t even a member of the 25-man Politburo.
Read the full story at The Diplomat