The Consolidation of Political Power in China Under Xi Jinping: Implications for the PLA and Domestic Security Forces

This testimony examines how the concentration of political power in China under President Xi Jinping affects its military and domestic security forces. For context, I will briefly review the broader background trends against which Chinese leaders, headed by Xi, have consolidated political power. I w...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Policy File 2019
Main Author: Heath, Timothy R
Format: Report
Language:English
Subjects:
Conflicts
Government
Military strategy
National security
RAND Corporation
Online Access:Request full text
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Summary:This testimony examines how the concentration of political power in China under President Xi Jinping affects its military and domestic security forces. For context, I will briefly review the broader background trends against which Chinese leaders, headed by Xi, have consolidated political power. I will then explore how these trends have affected China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) and the implications for the country's domestic security forces, most notably the People's Armed Police (PAP), the Ministry of Public Security (MPS), and the Ministry of State Security (MSS). The current centralizing trends might aggravate tensions within China's armed forces and worsen bureaucratic deadlock. However, I assess that these measures also have increased central government control of the security apparatus, removed many opponents of Xi's authority in the security forces, and facilitated military modernization efforts. The centralization of authority in the security forces does carry some important considerations for U.S. defense planners and officials, some of which I will review in my recommendations.