PLA turns 80

The Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) turns 80 today. On August 1, 1927, during the Nanchang Uprising, a ragtag army was born, called the Red Army. It withstood five blockades by the Kuomintang and embarked on the legendary Long March, during which it was literally decimated. The purpose of the trek north was to fight against Japanese aggression. Who could have thought that the remnants of the Red Army arriving in Yan'an would not only successfully expel the Japanese aggressors, but also win a civil war against the stronger and better equipped Kuomintang army?

The Chinese people had never seen such an army. Instead of plundering, they fought for the people. If they took anything from the people, they politely requested it and paid for it. Under the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party, the PLA won the “hearts and minds” of the Chinese people. It fought its way to Beijing, where Mao announced the establishment of the People's Republic of China on October 1, 1949. The PLA heroically fought against American aggression in Korea and played an important role during the Cultural Revolution in reestablishing order out of chaos. Although the number of its members has declined from 6.2 million in 1951 to 2.3 million today, the PLA is still the largest army in the world.

Its assault on the people of Beijing starting on June 3, 1989 will never be forgotten, but will also never be repeated. Today, the PLA is a much more professional fighting force, with a strategic missile force, nuclear attack submarines, oceangoing missile destroyers and supersonic fighter jets. This week, a PLA contingent is preparing for the first ever joint maneuvers in Russia, in the area of Chelyabinsk. Of course the U.S. is getting nervous. With a strong PLA, it cannot bully the Chinese nation.