Reforms in China Are More Often Articulated Than Actually Brought Into Reality

{
  "authors": [
    "Douglas H. Paal"
  ],
  "type": "legacyinthemedia",
  "centerAffiliationAll": "dc",
  "centers": [
    "Carnegie Endowment for International Peace"
  ],
  "collections": [],
  "englishNewsletterAll": "asia",
  "nonEnglishNewsletterAll": "",
  "primaryCenter": "Carnegie Endowment for International Peace",
  "programAffiliation": "AP",
  "programs": [
    "Asia"
  ],
  "projects": [],
  "regions": [
    "East Asia",
    "China"
  ],
  "topics": [
    "Security",
    "Military"
  ]
}

In The Media

Reforms in China Are More Often Articulated Than Actually Brought Into Reality

China has announced sweeping changes to its military, but there are many challenges ahead regarding the implementation of these reforms.

By Douglas H. Paal

Published on Jan 20, 2016

Source: Radio Sputnik

China has decided to create a so-called Strategic Support Force as part of its military reform, Beijing announced last week. The new agency will cover intelligence activities, informational aspects of war and special operations. Earlier China’s Defense Ministry announced that it would set up 15 new bodies covering everything from logistics to equipment development, political work and fighting corruption. According to the Defense Ministry, new units will help the military function better and consolidate the ruling Communist Party’s control. Douglas Paal, the director of the Asia program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Washington told Radio Sputnik about the main challenges the Chinese armed forces are facing in the modernization process.

This interview was originally broadcast by Radio Sputnik.

About the Author

Douglas H. Paal

Distinguished Fellow, Asia Program

Paal previously served as vice chairman of JPMorgan Chase International and as unofficial U.S. representative to Taiwan as director of the American Institute in Taiwan.

Recent Work

Paper
America’s Future in a Dynamic Asia
- Douglas H. Paal
Q&A
U.S.-China Relations at the Forty-Year Mark
- +1
  Douglas H. Paal, Tong Zhao, Chen Qi, …

Security Military East Asia China

Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.

More Work from Carnegie Endowment for International Peace

Commentary
Emissary
BRIC Is Critical for U.S. National Security. After a Yearlong Legal Battle, It’s Back.
Its reinstatement should be celebrated, but it retains some major shortcomings.
Leonardo Martinez-Diaz
Commentary
Emissary
The Myriad Problems With the Iran Ceasefire
Four Middle East experts analyze the region’s reactions and next steps.
+1
Amr Hamzawy, Andrew Leber, Eric Lob, …
Collection
The Iran War’s Global Reach
As the war between the United States, Israel, and Iran continues, Carnegie scholars contribute cutting-edge analysis on the events of the war and their wide-reaching implications. From the impact on Iran and its immediate neighbors to the responses from Gulf states to fuel and fertilizer shortages caused by the effective shutdown of the Strait of Hormuz, the war is reshaping Middle East alliances and creating shockwaves around the world. Carnegie experts analyze it all.
Commentary
Strategic Europe
Taking the Pulse: Can NATO Survive the Iran War?
Donald Trump has repeatedly bashed NATO and European allies, threatening to annex Canada and Greenland and deploring their lack of enthusiasm for his war of choice in Iran. Is this latest round of abuse the final straw?
Rym Momtaz, ed.
Commentary
China’s Energy Security Doesn’t Run Through Hormuz but Through the Electrification of Everything
Across Asia, China is better positioned to withstand energy shocks from the fallout of the Iran war. Its abundant coal capacity can ensure stability in the near term. Yet at the same time, the country’s energy transition away from coal will make it even less vulnerable during the next shock.

Damien Ma

More Work from Carnegie Endowment for International Peace

Commentary

Emissary

BRIC Is Critical for U.S. National Security. After a Yearlong Legal Battle, It’s Back.

Its reinstatement should be celebrated, but it retains some major shortcomings.

Leonardo Martinez-Diaz

Man standing next to a pile of burned cars

Commentary

Emissary

The Myriad Problems With the Iran Ceasefire

Four Middle East experts analyze the region’s reactions and next steps.

- +1
Amr Hamzawy, Andrew Leber, Eric Lob, …

A machine gun of a Houthi soldier mounted on a police vehicle next to a billboard depicting the U.S. president Donald Trump and Mohammed Bin Salman, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia, during a protest staged to show support to Iran against the U.S.-Israel war on March 27, 2026 in Sana'a, Yemen.

Collection

The Iran War’s Global Reach

As the war between the United States, Israel, and Iran continues, Carnegie scholars contribute cutting-edge analysis on the events of the war and their wide-reaching implications. From the impact on Iran and its immediate neighbors to the responses from Gulf states to fuel and fertilizer shortages caused by the effective shutdown of the Strait of Hormuz, the war is reshaping Middle East alliances and creating shockwaves around the world. Carnegie experts analyze it all.

Commentary

Strategic Europe

Taking the Pulse: Can NATO Survive the Iran War?

Donald Trump has repeatedly bashed NATO and European allies, threatening to annex Canada and Greenland and deploring their lack of enthusiasm for his war of choice in Iran. Is this latest round of abuse the final straw?

Rym Momtaz, ed.

Commentary

China’s Energy Security Doesn’t Run Through Hormuz but Through the Electrification of Everything

Across Asia, China is better positioned to withstand energy shocks from the fallout of the Iran war. Its abundant coal capacity can ensure stability in the near term. Yet at the same time, the country’s energy transition away from coal will make it even less vulnerable during the next shock.

Damien Ma