PLA Is the CCP's Army, Not China's

Mao Zedong's maxim 'the Party commands the gun' has remained a guiding principle, ensuring that the PLA exists to protect the CCP's monopoly on power.

- ASHISH SINGH

In most modern democracies, the armed forces swear allegiance to the constitution and serve the state. In China, however, the story is starkly different. The People's Liberation Army (PLA) functions not as a national army but as the military wing of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). This design is no accident; it is rooted in law, ideology, and practice and has been carefully reinforced under President Xi Jinping.

CONSTITUTIONAL LOYALTY TO THE PARTY China's legal framework leaves little ambiguity. The National Defence Law and the Chinese Constitution position the PLA firmly under the Party, not the state. Article 19 of the Defence Law specifies that "the armed forces of the People's Republic of China are led by the Communist Party of China." Unlike democracies, where armies are bound to civilian institutions of the state, the PLA answers to the Central Military Commission (CMC), a Party organ chaired by Xi.

This party-centric design has blurred lines between state and Party, with constitutional amendments further embedding "Xi Jinping Thought" into governance, defence and national life. Analysts note that the subordination of the PLA to the CCP is a fundamental departure from international military norms.