Hyderabad: The People's Liberation Army -- that has been continuously taking aggressive action along the LAC and blaming the Indian Army for provocative actions despite being deployed with stick-matches -- was itself established on the deceptive pillars by removing the Nationalists' Republic of China from the power and establishing Mao Zedong's communist regime.
PLA traces its root back during 1927's Nanchang Uprising in China. That year on August 1, communists led by stalwarts like Mao, Zhou Enlai and Zhu De rose against the nationalist forces.
Initially termed as the Red Army began with 5000 troops in 1929 and the numbers quickly scaled up to 2,00,00 in four years.
During the Long March in 1934, only a fraction of this force survived in retreat from the Nationalists. It rebuilt its strength and the Eighth Route Army, a large portion of it, fought against the Japanese with the Nationalists.
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After World War II the communist force was renamed as the People’s Liberation Army as it defeated the Nationalists, making possible the formation of the People’s Republic of China in 1949.
Theater Commands
PLA has five command centres across the country that were established to complete the country's security goals strategically.
Poor combat experience
Despite being well equipped and the world's 3rd strongest Army, PLA lacks combat experience that gives India an edge over China.
Since the PLA's establishment in 1949, it has fought three major wars - the Korean War, the India war and the Sino-Vietnamese war.
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During the Korean conflict in 1950, Beijing jumped into the war with the aim to defeat the US. But it suffered massive casualties -- nearly half a million -- that even included Capt Anying, Mao's son.
In a limited conflict with India in 1962, the PLA captured the Indian territories.
But the Vietnamese War drew criticism for the PLA as it fought extremely poor in 1979. Later, the Red Army did major reforms and modernisation process. It was engaged in a minor naval skirmish with Vietnam over the Johnson South Reef in 1988, the PLA last fought a major conflict nearly 40 years ago, when a seasoned Vietnamese military demolished a bungled the Chinese invasion in 1979.
Global military expansion
The fresh Pentagon report revealed the People's Liberation Army's dirty secret plan to establish military logistics and support network in multiple countries worldwide, expose the communist regimes' massive planning to dominate the world militarily across all the regions.
China is seeking to set up more robust logistics facilities in about a dozen countries, including three in India's neighbourhood, to allow the PLA to project and sustain military power at greater distances, according to a Pentagon report.
In addition to the three neighbours of India -- Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Myanmar -- the other countries where China is considering to base its military logistics and infrastructure facilities are Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia, United Arab Emirates, Kenya, Seychelles, Tanzania, Angola and Tajikistan, the report said on Tuesday.
In its annual report “Military and Security Developments Involving the People’s Republic of China (PRC) 2020” that was submitted to the US Congress, the Pentagon said these potential Chinese military logistics facilities are in addition to the Chinese military base in Djibouti, which is aimed at supporting naval, air and ground forces projection.
'A global PLA military logistics network could both interfere with US military operations and support offensive operations against the United States as the PRC’s global military objectives evolve,” the Pentagon said in the report. China has probably already made overtures to Namibia, Vanuatu, and the Solomon Islands, it said, adding the known focus areas of PLA planning are along the Seal Lines of Communication from China to the Strait of Hormuz, Africa, and the Pacific Islands.
